Real Clean Aviation Products has introduced Turbine Soot Master, a carbon soot cleaner and degreaser. According to the company it is designed to effectively address carbon exhaust buildup and staining that occurs on most turboprop aircraft. The product's streak-free formula dissolves carbon, grease and oil with very little effort. Soot Master is rinse-free and does not require the use of any water. Spray it on and wipe the surface clean with a microfiber or terry cloth. View the video at www.youtube.com/RealCleanAircraft
As head of aviation sales for U-Fuel, a leading supplier of fuel equipment for general aviation airports, I enjoyed “Fuel Danger” (Washington Watch, August 2012). Our company also sponsors the free Aviation Fuel Club (www.aviationfuelclub.org), an organization that helps pilots and airports lower the cost of fuel and fuel equipment.
Screening for drug or alcohol use is a common pre-employment check that has been around for decades. Typically this is something expected and planned for in advance. If a job applicant fails this test you can withdraw your offer of employment. For many of us in aviation, we also face the possibility of random testing due to the passage of the Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act.
Cessna is developing a diesel version of its Model 182 Skylane that, when available in the second quarter of 2013, will replace the Lycoming-powered Model 182 Skylane that burns leaded aviation gasoline. The Turbo 182 JT-A will have a Jet-A-burning, direct injection turbo-diesel Safran SMA SR305-230 engine. Announcing the aircraft July 23 during the EAA's 2012 AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., Jeff Umscheid, Cessna Models 172, 182 and 206 business leader, said the company already has begun taking orders for the $515,000 aircraft.
NBAA membership has topped 9,000 companies, reflecting a growth rate of 25% in recent years. “Our membership growth is testimony to the value of business aviation and the NBAA's role in representing this essential industry,” said Ed Bolen, NBAA president and CEO. “Now more than ever, businesses depend on the use of aircraft to remain nimble, competitive and successful in a highly challenging global marketplace, and we are proud to advocate for their interests.” The NBAA was established in 1947 with 19 charter members.
Light-sport aircraft developer Icon Aircraft selected Cirrus Aircraft to supply a significant portion of the composite airframe for the A5 amphibious airplane. Cirrus will produce the components at its Grand Forks, N.D., plant, alongside those manufactured for the SR20 and SR22 single-piston aircraft. Icon will integrate the components at its facility in Tehachapi, Calif., where all design, final assembly, finishing and testing will occur.
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.'s super-midsized G280 aircraft is closing in on entry-into-service. As of July 31, the three aircraft used for the flight-test program have flown more than 2,000 hr. over more than 740 flights. The fatigue test article has completed more than 17,000 of 40,000 cycles. The G280 received provisional type certificates from the FAA on March 1, 2012, and the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel on Dec. 29, 2011. The aircraft is slated to enter service later this year after the final type certification requirements have been achieved.
CAE inaugurated pilot and maintenance technician training programs in Melbourne, Australia, for the Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350 aircraft with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics. The program features a new CAE 5000 Series full-flight simulator, qualified to Level D standards by the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Located in the Ansett Aviation Training facility, the CAE Melbourne location is part of CAE's expanding business aviation training network.
The FAA has awarded Pro Star Aviation a Letter of Designation for the FAA Supplemental Type Certificate Organization Designation Authorization (ODA). This designation allows Pro Star to act on behalf of the FAA when approving and issuing STCs. Since 1998, Pro Star has developed nearly 50 FAA STCs in addition to managing STC projects for other applicants. As an ODA, Pro Star will manage and control the STC project from start to finish with minimal oversight from the FAA.
Embraer also reported that the Legacy 450's big brother, the midsize Legacy 500, is scheduled for its first flight this year with s.n. 001 continuing pre-flight testing, having completed taxi tests, ground vibration tests and fuel system tests. The first prototype rolled out in January while the second prototype, s.n. 002, rolled out in May. Serial number 003 is in final assembly with the wing-to-fuselage mating completed in June.
No pilot would deliberately penetrate turbulence so severe it could jeopardize control of the aircraft or the safety of its occupants. Yet as recent accidents have demonstrated, high-altitude flight can produce upsets due to the combination of high-speed aerodynamics and unique weather characteristics in the upper atmosphere.
Hawker Beechcraft Global Customer Support has appointed Premium Jet Aircraft Maintenance at Afonso Pena International Airport (SBCT) in Curitiba, Brazil, as an authorized service center to support its Hawker 125 series and model 400 series products. Premium Jet is an ANAC 145-certified repair station for airframes, engines, avionics and accessories.
ExcelAire has added three private jets to its managed fleet: a Cessna Citation Sovereign, a Learjet 60 and a Gulfstream GIII. A Hawthorne Global Aviation Services company, ExcelAire specializes in worldwide jet charters, aircraft management, maintenance and sales. The company maintains office and hangar space at Long Island MacArthur Airport, with aircraft based throughout the Northeast and Midwest U.S.
Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings has launched a new website to assist aircraft coatings specifiers, influencers and users. The site allows users to easily navigate or directly search via their specific market niche (general, business, commercial or military aviation markets) and/or product systems (interior, exterior coatings, primers, fillers, etc.). One highlight of the website is its detailed products and systems section that includes information specific to SKYscapes, the company's new basecoast/clearcoat exterior paint system.
Bell Helicopter, in partnership with Cessna Aircraft, opened a new regional service center in Singapore at Seletar Aerospace Park. Bell and Cessna are Textron companies. The new facility offers customers a one-stop shop for repair, completion, fulfillment, maintenance and customization solutions. The 160,500-sq.-ft. service facility is equipped with hangars for Bell Helicopter and Cessna products, a paint booth, warehouse, overhaul and maintenance shops, offices, and a 77,000-sq.-ft. ramp.
The Citation CJ2, built from 2000 to 2006, filled a niche in Cessna's light jet product line that had been empty since the Citation I/SP went out of production in the early 1980s. The CitationJet and CJ1 were unable to fill that void, because their cabins were too short, tanks-full payload too puny and range too limited. The CJ2 remedied those shortcomings.
Cessna Aircraft is gathering market feedback on a potential 6-7 place single turboprop and developing a new version of its venerable Grand Caravan. Dubbed the ERV (engineering research vehicle), the concept plane has been flying for the past several years. But Cessna officials maintain the program is “not a go” until they are able to determine the market for such an aircraft. The aircraft is larger, though, than another concept piston that Cessna had tested and contemplated — the NGP (next-generation piston).
A 43-year-old commercial pilot and four passengers were killed and a fifth serious injured on March 16, 2011, when a Beech Super King Air 200 crashed following a loss of control during takeoff from Long Beach (Calif.) Airport. Carde Equipment Sales LLC operated the airplane. At 0700, the pilot had filed an IFR flight plan to Salt Lake City — a 2-hr. flight — anticipating three passengers and a departure at 0830. VMC prevailed in the Long Beach area.
The trip began badly. Collecting my carry-on, I realized I'd made it through security with my feet still snug in my shoes. “Change in policy?” I asked the surprised TSAer, pointing down to my footwear. “No,” he scowled, “You can keep your shoes on if you're over 75.” I stared hard at the *#+@! for a few long seconds, and moved on.
AIA says the effect of sequestration on the FAA could amount to $1 billion in cuts, which would cripple NextGen initiatives, says Richard Efford, a legal affairs chief at the Aerospace Industries Association. “AIA believes that as a result of sequestration, NextGen could lose 30-50% of its funding, not the 8% many believe,” Efford said.
The U.S. and Canadian business aircraft summer travel season has gotten off to a slow start, with both year-over-year and month-over-month operations declining in June, according to the latest data released by business aviation safety expert and industry analyst ARGUS. Business aircraft operations slowed across the board by 3.2% in June, compared with May, and by 1.3% compared with a year earlier, ARGUS reports. Operations involving all aircraft segments — from turboprops to large jets — were down month-over-month, with mid-cabin operations declining the most at 5%.
