Mojave, Calif.-based ReallyQuiet LLC will offer Gulfstream II, IIB and III operators a hush kit providing Stage 3 compliance with a ``negligible'' performance penalty. Priced at $1.5 million per aircraft, the hush kit competes with offerings from Dallas Airmotive, according to ReallyQuiet co-owner George Ottendorf. Ottendorf anticipates gaining around half the Stage 2 Gulfstream market, and expects FAA certification by the fourth quarter of this year. Gulfstream operators should receive the first installation kits early in 2000.
The University of Nebraska at Omaha is offering an Internet-based aviation degree that includes the ability to complete 24 to 30 hours of aviation coursework online. When combined with other academic and nontraditional credits, this can lead to a bachelor's degree with a concentration in aviation studies. For more information, visit the university's Web site at www.ccs.unomaha.edu
Pending study by the National Parks Service (NPS), the FAA has delayed implementation of new air tour corridors and ``flight-free zones'' above Grand Canyon National Park until January 31, 2000. The two agencies will conduct a joint noise study prior to issuing a final rule, using NPS' more-stringent noise standards. The U.S. Air Tour Association says the impending regulations could wreak serious economic harm on smaller operators.
Business aviation inflight cabin safety experts agree that the side-facing seat (couch-type or individual) is the most dangerous place for a passenger to sit, even though many executive passengers favor it. ``In an unplanned landing, there is a tendency of side-facing seat occupants to slip out of their lap belts if a shoulder harness is not used,'' said Jeff Hare, president of J. Hare Safety and Survival Systems.
Speaking of logbooks, AlliedSignal and Aircraft Technical Publishers have teamed up to offer an electronic engine and aircraft maintenance system for operators of AlliedSignal's entire line of turbofan and turboprop engines. The ATP Maintenance Director electronic maintenance logbook provides users with maintenance forecasting and SB/AD tracking tools for a single aircraft or an entire fleet. In the near future, AlliedSignal will provide the full original configurations for all 470 TFE731-20/-30/-40 engines in service.
Sorting out fact from fiction about how the ``millennium bug'' will affect aviation is an inexact science at best. However, several recent government reports have given a snapshot of the industry's Y2K preparedness.
Rep. Bud Shuster's (R-Pa.) Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR-21) continues to advance through the House of Representatives, although the bill, which has wide support among the aviation industry, may eventually be blocked by key legislators opposed to taking the aviation trust fund off budget. Meanwhile, at press time, Senate and House leaders had not agreed on how to continue the Airport Improvement Program before AIP funding was scheduled to run out on March 31.
The G-V's BMW/Rolls-Royce BR710-48 engines are a conservative design featuring a modest 4:1 bypass ratio, a ten-stage high-pressure, axial flow compressor with a moderate 14:1 compression ratio and a low emission, annular combustor. Two high-pressure turbine stages furnish the power for the high-pressure compressor and two more low-pressure stages power the wide-chord fan that provides most of the thrust. A deep-fluted hot/cold mixer nozzle boosts high-altitude thrust and reduces exhaust noise. A dual-channel FADEC controls all engine functions, including thrust reverse.
Approach Navigation Systems Inc. of Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, has been licensed by Systems Management Inc. of Hunt Valley, Md., to produce a Canadian version of the NEXWOS automated weather observation system
The FAA is proposing a rule for the San Francisco Class B airspace area that would raise the ceiling of the airspace area from 8,000 to 10,000 feet, reconfigure several existing areas, create several new areas, and raise or lower the floors of existing areas. Comments must be received before April 30. For details, contact Joseph White at (202) 267-8783. Meanwhile, San Francisco International Airport has withdrawn its proposed restriction of Stage 2 aircraft operations.
Bombardier Aerospace has expanded its Learjet completion center in Wichita to include the Canadair Challenger 604. The first ``green'' aircraft is on site, with completion expected within 22 weeks. ``That interval will diminish as our completions team gains experience,'' says Jim Ziegler, Bombardier's business aviation services manager. The center's first customers will be the initial seven aircraft ordered for Bombardier's Flexjet fractional ownership program.
It went right down to the wire, but Bombardier walked away with its largest Canadair Regional Jet order ever -- 54 Series 200LR aircraft with options for an additional 70 from Northwest Airlines. The aircraft will be leased to Airlink partners Express Airlines I in Memphis and Mesaba Holdings in Minneapolis/St. Paul. The deal was valued at $1.3 billion.
Hartford, Conn.-based United Technologies Corp. (UTC) will acquire Sundstrand Corp. of Rockville, Ill., for $4.3 billion. UTC will combine Sundstrand with its Hamilton Standard division to form Hamilton Sundstrand. The deal is slated to close by midyear. Sixty percent of Sundstrand's business is providing aircraft equipment. Sundstrand Aerospace provides various electrical, mechanical and power systems -- from pumps to APUs -- for commercial, military and business aircraft, including the Gulfstream V and de Havilland Dash 8.
Corporate Jets Inc., the diversified aviation services company, also has broken ground on a new corporate headquarters, choosing a new site in its hometown of Pittsburgh
Approach and landing accidents (ALAs) and controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) continue to take a toll globally in air carrier and business aviation operations. The Flight Safety Foundation (FSF), working with volunteers from all segments of the world's aviation industry, has developed some sound ideas on reducing the chances for such mishaps in your operation.
Modern ADCs are, for the most part, remarkably reliable de-vices. At the same time, how- ever, they play an important role in the basic operation of modern turbine aircraft, and their failure modes can be both subtle and catastrophic. As you can see from these incidents, the loss of ADC information -- whether caused by equipment problems or human inattention -- can produce secondary failures that are tough to diagnose unless you are entirely familiar with ADC services on your aircraft.
The U.S. Air Force is buying another Gulfstream Aerospace C-37A, a military version of the Gulfstream V. The aircraft is to be delivered in second quarter 2000. Meanwhile, Gulfstream has sold N502GV, the G-V demonstrator that established nearly three dozen world and national records and logged 750,000 miles. By mid-February the entire G-IV fleet had amassed more than one million flight hours
British Aerospace has chosen AlliedSignal's new AS977 engine to power its proposed RJX family of 70-, 85- and 100-seat regional jets based on the BAe 146/Avro RJ. The new turbofans offer the same 7,000 pounds of thrust produced by the earlier Textron-Lycoming LF507-1F, but with lower fuel and maintenance costs. Taiwan's AIDC has agreed to provide the fan, and other partners will be recruited to supply the accessory gearbox, low-pressure turbines and other accessories. BAe predicts a market for 2,500 RJX-type aircraft, half in the U.S. market.
A new aviation service complex has been established at Addison Airport (ADS). Addison Jet Center, Addison Jet Maintenance and Addison Jet Management are all headquartered on a three-acre site on the east side of the field. The facility includes a 15,000-square-foot hangar and a 4,000-square-foot warehouse. Future plans call for construction of an additional 30,000-square-foot hangar and office facility. Phone: (972) 931-6058.
Pilots Record Service of Mt. Juliet, Tenn., has launched a business to speed up the pilot-records-exchange process between past employer and prospective employer. Although pilots cannot supply their records to a potential employer, PRS can. Pilot/customers arrange for PRS to compile a complete set of their required records from employers, the FAA and the states.
