Smith System Engineering of Surrey, England has developed a light-aircraft collision avoidance system that uses solar cell devices fitted to the wings and tail to detect automatically the strobe lights of nearby aircraft and provide a warning to the pilot. Smith says the system works at a range of at least one kilometer in day or night.
On October 1, numerous changes to tax laws, rules and procedures took effect under the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. Virtually all aspects of the aviation tax structure are addressed in the Act. A guidebook that explains the myriad changes is available from the National Air Transportation Association. The Aviation Industry Guide to the Taxpayer Relief Act is available free of charge to NATA members and for $50 to non-members. Phone (800) 808-6282.
Mesa Air Group says it will park aircraft operated out of its Denver United Express hub if the senior partner does not increase the pro-rates it pays for connecting passengers. The carrier says in its second-quarter SEC 10-Q filing that its Denver operations ``have been incurring substantial operating losses and negative cash flows. The Denver system is unprofitable because of a substantial increase in operating costs at the new Denver International Airport combined with an approximate 20-percent decrease in the average connecting fare received from UAL,'' Mesa stated.
National Civil Aviation Review Commission now turns its attention to safety issues, including the FAA's delegated authority program and FAA inspector training and staffing. In mid September, the Commission's draft recommendations on FAA funding were given to the DOT for comments. They are scheduled to be finalized and submitted to Congress late this month. The Commission calls for continuing the fuel tax on GA and also applying that tax to on-demand operations. User fees would apply to the scheds, and aviation revenues would only be used for aviation purposes.
Mercer County, N.J. officials have selected Executive JetPort to start an FBO at Trenton Airport. Executive JetPort said it will begin operating in early 1998 from the former U.S. Navy facilities on the airport (January, page 26). The company says it will be a ``full service'' FBO with no ramp fees. Trenton Airport also is served by Ronson Aviation.
Photograph: Photograph: Arenal volcano erupts near Los Lagos, Costa Rica, Central America in 1994. Volcanic ash does not seem like a significant threat to aviation until you think on a global scale. When you picture the globe as a neighborhood of volcanoes, it begins to look more crowded than you may have thought. There are 100 active volcanoes in the North Pacific area alone, with five to six major eruptions each year.
The acquisition of Atlantic Aviation by Legg Mason Merchant Banking poises the 70-year-old FBO for growth and initiates a drive into aviation by the Baltimore financial firm. Announced in August, the transaction was expected to close in late September (September, page 33).
Buyers of new Dassault Falcon Jets can now opt for Garrett Aviation's Total Aircraft Service Plan that covers parts and labor for scheduled and unscheduled maintenance for six years. At press time, Garrett was considering retroactive coverage for operators that purchased a new Falcon within the six months prior to September. Separately, Garrett's Long Island, N.Y. facility was appointed a Falcon Jet authorized service center.
Deliveries of The New Piper Aircraft's turbocharged Saratoga II TC are under way. The standard IFR-equipped aircraft, priced at $398,200 and powered by a 300-hp Lycoming TIO-540-AH1A, received its FAA certification on July 21. Specifications include a maximum speed of 192 knots, cruising range of 822 nm at 15,000 feet, a useful load of 1,151 pounds and operations at altitudes in excess of 20,000 feet. Also released is the 1998 Saratoga II HP, priced at $378,900 and powered by a normally aspirated 300-hp Lycoming IO-540-KIG5.
A King Air C90B powered by a pair of 600-hp Orenda OE-600 V-8 engines made its first flight on July 11 from Spokane, Wash., where Orenda is developing an STC for the installation.
A new program developed by Worldspan, a major airline computer reservation service, enables flight departments to privately list their business aircraft flights alongside airline flights. This allows a corporation's travel agency to book approved passengers onto company aircraft, a management tool that could yield higher load factors and improved utilization.
Jack Thompson joined this international aviation safety organization as deputy director of technical programs. Previously, he was director of corporate marketing for FlightCom of Florida.
Now available from SoftComm Products is the Model C-40-10 Red Baron headset with fully cushioned, adjustable headband and noise-canceling Electret microphone. The 14.8-ounce Red Baron features 40-mm speakers that have a full-fidelity range and are controlled by a positive-set volume control. Standard accessories include cloth earseal covers, large liquid-filled ear seals and a foam mike covering. Price: $89. SoftComm Products, Inc., 2310 S. Airport Blvd., Chandler, Ariz. 85249. (602) 917-2328; fax: (602) 917-3557.
The National Air Transportation Association says the FAA's Advisory Circular 21.29 on unapproved parts ``leaves too much room for interpretation that may result in more parts than ever being considered suspect.'' The AC outlines procedures for detecting and reporting suspected unapproved parts (March 1996, page 28 and January 1996, page 26).
Search of the crash site where a Singapore Airlines Learjet 31A hit the 3,900-foot level of a 4,000-foot mountain ridge in southern Thailand on July 21 has uncovered the wreckage and at least one recorder. Meanwhile, a Learjet 35A was still missing in August after an attempted landing at New Hampshire's Lebanon Airport on December 24, 1996 (February, page 13).
Sales of new business jets in 1999 should number 270 units--an increase of 16.4 percent from the 232 units in 1996, according to a forecast by The CIT Group's business aircraft finance division in Fort Lauderdale. But a decrease in projected sales for new turboprops of 65 units in 1999, compared to 78 in 1996, will mean the combined sales of new turbine aircraft by 2000 will increase only 8.1 percent.
Frank Jensen, president of the Helicopter Association International, told B/CA he ``doubts the national parks overflights bill (S.628) will pass in its present form.'' The bill, sponsored by Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), would authorize the Interior Department to develop recommendations for overflight restrictions, while the FAA would implement the policy.
