The Deccan Chronical reports the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will set up a Central Air Traffic Flow Management center at New Delhi for controlling Indian airspace from a single facility. “We will complete the integration of the entire upper space in the country by this year-end,” said AAI Air Navigation Services member V. Somasundaram.
FAA Flight Standards Service Director John Allen is working to help expedite the process for business aircraft operators to obtain approvals for reduced vertical separation minimums (RVSM). Allen, speaking during the Air Charter Safety Foundation's 2012 Air Charter Safety Symposium on Feb. 29, agreed the agency has fallen behind on the work, but said, “I'll expect improvements,” moving forward. NBAA Vice President, Safety, Security and Regulation Doug Carr notes that as RVSM has become more commonplace, applications for approval have mounted.
The Gulfstream G280 received a provisional type certificate (PTC) from the FAA, the company announced March 2. The Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI) provisionally certified the G280 on Dec. 29, 2011. Gulfstream Aerospace says a software update for the aircraft's avionics is the final major milestone prior to full certification by the FAA and CAAI, expected later this year. According to the company, the three aircraft in the flight test program have flown more than 1,845 hr. during more than 685 flights.
The SJ30-Plus panel will have at least three displays, perhaps as large as 14-in. The left and right PFDs will offer synthetic vision, dual flight directors and FAA-standard symbology colors. The central MFD or stacked MFDs will have full EICAS functionality that will eliminate the stand-alone annunciator panel. A solid-state, integrated standby instrument system will replace the trio of standby gauges in the current panel.
At the invitation of the U.S. DOT, representatives from the NBAA and GAMA met with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation's transportation working group to explain the benefits of business aviation and provide suggestions on oversight as the market expands in the region. A key point of emphasis was that business aviation is not in competition with airlines, notes Doug Carr, vice president of safety, security and regulation for the NBAA.
The Center for Environmental Health has filed suit against numerous FBOs in California, citing that state's Proposition 65, seeking damages for distributing 100LL avgas without warning nearby residents of their potential exposure to lead. The aviation community is still assessing options for its response to the lawsuit, but FBOs are believed to be leaning toward a settlement given the costs they face fighting the lawsuit and the success rate that the Center for Environmental Health has had in its numerous other lawsuits filed under Proposition 65.
The distance from Dubai to Kabul is just over 1,000 nm. That's about two and a half hours in a Hawker 400XP — more than enough time to contemplate what might be awaiting in Afghanistan's war-ravaged capital. I know the unsettling feeling, because I made the trip in August 2007 on assignment for Aviation Week & Space Technology.
The Friends of the Earth has filed a lawsuit claiming EPA failed to respond to its 2006 petition asking for the regulation of lead emissions from general aviation under the Clean Air Act. The petition asked EPA to find that lead emissions from the use of leaded aviation gasoline could endanger public health. Such a finding would clear the way for the EPA to restrict emissions from leaded avgas. Friends of the Earth claims, “EPA has repeatedly concluded that lead is extremely toxic to humans, wildlife and the environment and causes health effects even at low doses.
China and Russia will join forces to build general aviation aircraft in Erdos, China according to China's Peoples' Daily Online, The project to build four- to 12-seat airplanes is expected to produce 400 aircraft per year. China Oriental Sciences Group and the China-Russia International Investment Co. will partner with a Russian aircraft design firm. The Erdos project will not only involve manufacturing but also a general aviation research base, a general aviation pilot training base and an aviation club.
In our December 2011 special report on cabin electronics, we inadvertently overlooked the satcom antenna offerings from the Cape Town, South Africa manufacturing unit of Cobbham, Plc. This unit manufacturers the HGA-7001 antenna for air transport aircraft (certified on all new Airbus and Boeing airframes), the HGA-6000 antenna (used by Gulfstream and Dassault) and a range of Swift64 and SwiftBroadband (SBB) products used on business aircraft).
The Sept. 30, 2015 deadline for integrating unmanned aircraft into U.S. civil airspace, set in the new FAA reauthorization bill, is expected initially to be met using ground-based sense-and-avoid (GBSAA), a Pentagon official says. Using ground radars, GBSAA will allow “routine access” to airspace for unmanned aircraft transiting between their bases and restricted areas used for training, says Steven Pennington, U.S. Air Force director of bases, ranges and airspace.
Few people can claim that they changed the world; Steve Jobs and the team at Apple helped change it twice. First it was the Apple computer, providing people with personal computing power and easy interface. They did it again with the iPod/iPhone/iPad. The key to their success wasn't the technology itself, but adapting and integrating their devices to allow ease of use. In addition to the intuitive operation, Apple's devices are relatively accessible to new applications and tools, allowing people to innovate and rapidly field their ideas.
Piaggio America is climbing out of its sales doldrums with a 27% increase in deliveries, and President and CEO John Bingham anticipates an even larger gain in 2012. The Italian manufacturer delivered 14 P180 Avanti II turboprops in 2011 versus 11 the previous year, and Bingham says it should up that to 18-20 aircraft in 2012.
The NTSB is proposing to alter the review procedures for FAA enforcement applications and to facilitate electronic filings. An NPRM, published in the Feb. 9 Federal Register, follows a December 2010 ANPRM that covered the standard of review for emergency determinations, discovery and information exchange, and electronic filing of documents. The NPRM questioned whether the agency should change its standard position that FAA's allegations against a party are true for the purposes of a five-day review of the emergency status of a revocation.
The FAA is soliciting advice on a congressionally mandated pilot program to integrate unmanned aerial systems (UASes) into the national airspace. The mandate was adopted as part of the recently passed FAA reauthorization bill, along with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that was signed by President Barack Obama late last year. Congress directed the agency to establish six UAS test sites to help the FAA safely and efficiently integrate civil, public and military UASes into the same airspace with manned airplanes by 2015.
Embraer's large-cabin Legacy 650 executive jet received type certification from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India, paving the way for Legacy 650 customers to register and operate the aircraft in India. The 2012 version of the Legacy 650 features refinements to the interior and cabin management system and improved cockpit avionics.
EASA has finished its initial evaluation of the Gulfstream G650 in preparation for certification. As of Jan. 25, the four Gulfstream G650 aircraft in the flight-test program had accumulated more than 2,675 flight hours over 820 flights. The aircraft is expected to enter service in the middle of this year. The G650 received a provisional type certificate from the FAA on Nov. 18, 2011, with the full FAA type certificate expected by mid-year.
Aircraft Search & Aviation Professionals is the latest addition to the international network of Piper Aircraft dealers. The Aircraft Sales unit of ASAP will be renamed Piper India. Piper India has a strategic alliance with Saraya Aviation at IGI Domestic Airport in Delhi, for maintenance and service of Piper aircraft in the country.
Jet Aviation bought the Enterprise Jet Center FBO at Hobby Airport in Houston, making it the 14th FBO to its global network of aircraft service and support facilities. The facility becomes the sixth Jet Aviation FBO in the U.S., including Boston/Bedford, Mass.; Dallas; Palm Beach, Fla.; St. Louis; and Teterboro, N.J. Enterprise Jet Center opened its doors in 2006.
General aviation in China has a strong long-term future, but it's important not to confuse its initial spike in orders with that market's long-term character, which may be very different. So says aviation analyst Brian Foley. “Dreams of a limitless upside must be tempered with realism.
The FAA has certified GE Aviation's H80 turboprop engine. The U.S. certification follows European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification in December. “The U.S. FAA type certification on the H80 engine paves the way for entry into service on the Thrush 510G agricultural aircraft,” said Paul Theofan, president and managing executive of GE Aviation's Business and General Aviation Turboprops. The H80 engine is the first GE Aviation engine to receive its initial type certification from EASA.
