AOPA and GAMA formally urged the FCC to recall the conditional waiver it granted Jan. 26, to LightSquared, a company whose plan to create a national wireless broadband network would interfere with GPS signal reception. They also asked the agency to begin a rulemaking process that would ensure GPS signals are adequately protected from any similar proposal in the future, and that those rules receive concurrence from FAA and Department of Defense.
Could anyone alive — especially those of us in aviation — ever forget the morning of Sept. 11, 2001? That day, when al-Qaida highjackers converted jetliners into cruise missiles and killed more than 3,000 people, altered aviation forever.
A practical replcement for Halon in aviation is still beyond the horizon. Practical alternatives to Halon, a hydrocarbon used for fire-extinguishing systems in cockpits, engines, lavatories and cargo holds, are still a few decades away from mass development. Halon has been banned by the EU for non-critical uses since 2003 and has not been produced in developed countries since 1994. “It's easy to say in a conference room we should stop using Halon, but if you're at 40,000 ft.
Aircraft batteries have come a long way since they were first introduced in the 1920s. Early maintenance technicians were skeptical of carrying the wet-cell, lead-acid devices on board. They would vent sulfuric acid and hydrogen gas and required frequent servicing to add water and electrolyte and check the charge state. Most batteries were used for auxiliary power systems and emergency backup; few aircraft had the luxury of a battery-powered start. In the 1930s, as aircraft grew larger so did the need for reliable battery-powered starting.
Industry analyst Brian Foley thinks that, the industry will eventually emerge stronger than ever. Foley concedes the recent market volatility may result in a short period of slower sales for some manufacturers, but net orders (sales less cancellations) will remain positive. There's also the likelihood of temporarily lower aircraft utilization, which negatively affects service providers such as those in the maintenance, fuel, charter and fractional business.
While acknowledging his former employer had poor relations with the community initially, Brian Delauter, the TSA's former general aviation manager, says, “The relationship between government and business aviation is now being recast as a business relationship. Now we can go forward on the same page, and going forward we can achieve more. Not working together, we will fail.”
On Sept. 3, 2010, a Boeing 747-400 cargo jet departed Dubai International Airport bound for Cologne, Germany. About 20 min. later, the crew made an emergency call indicating that there was a fire onboard. They returned to Dubai, donning oxygen masks and smoke hoods. Smoke entered the cockpit and eventually the crew was overwhelmed. The aircraft crashed south of the runway, killing both pilots. It was carrying a shipment of rechargeable lithium batteries.
There now are more than 245 TBM 850 single-engine turboprops in service and the fleet has amassed more than 120,000 flight hours. Operators say that the newest iteration of the Daher-Socata aircraft is fast, economical and well built, reliable, comfortable to fly and easy to maintain. It has block speeds on typical missions that are competitive with entry-level light jets, but it burns far less fuel.
It is not often that the NTSB issues a probable cause of “undetermined,” but such is the case with the loss of a Learjet 35A and its two-pilot crew on Jan. 5, 2010. The twinjet, configured for cargo operations, was maneuvering on a circle to Runway 34 at Chicago Executive Airport (PWK) at 1327 local time when it stalled and crashed into the Des Plaines River some 1.3 mi. short of the threshold.
Fresh off its July fiasco, when interminable political squabbling led to temporary unemployment for tens of thousands of FAA employees and construction workers assigned to FAA-funded projects, Congress returns to Washington this month faced with the same issue that led to the shutdown: the need to pass long-term legislation to authorize the FAA's operation.
Aircell, Broomfield, Colo., appointed industry veteran Dennis Hildreth manager, OEM sales. He is responsible for managing the company's relationships with business aircraft manufacturers. Avantair Inc., Clearwater, Fla., announced that Stephen Wagman has joined the company as executive vice president, finance and operations. Aviation Research Group/US, Cincinnati, named Mark Wulber to the ARGUS PROS (Partners and Resources for Operational Safety) team as the director of audit programs for business aviation.
Digital monitoring systems that can record various parameters of aircraft operation in flight, covering engines, systems and the airframe, for maintenance purposes, trending or emergency response are becoming de rigueur in business aviation.
An analog computer, the first of its kind designed specifically for airline maintenance, tests an autopilot at United Air Line's San Francisco maintenance base in 30 min. or less. Formerly, static testing of malfunctioning autopilots took up to eight hours.
Flying Colours Corp., the Ontario, Canada-based interior completions specialist, says it is experiencing increased demand for midsize business jet refurbishments. Since the beginning of the first quarter, the firm has seen “a steady growth in orders,” particularly from Bombardier Challenger 300 and 604, Dassault Falcon 900 and Hawker 800 operators.
Eclipse Aerospace Inc. (EAI) has completed a combustion liner recertification project that will enable its EA500 very light jet (VLJ) to return to its maximum certified service ceiling of 41,000 ft. EAI calls the FAA approval the last of a lengthy list of certification projects that the company has undertaken to fix problems and improve the aircraft since it bought the program out of bankruptcy in August 2009. The fixes are expected to increase the value of existing EA500s and set the stage for new production of the VLJ.
The Cessna 441 Conquest II's blend of over 300 kt. cruise speeds and top-notch fuel efficiency is stimulating buyer interest. In the past three years, the increasing price of jet fuel and the pressure to “go green” are causing some would-be used light jet buyers to reconsider high-performance turboprops instead. Cessna built 362 units from 1977 through 1986 and more than 300 aircraft remain in service. Midlife aircraft in good condition now command $1 million to $1.9 million.
Oliver Stone, a long-time broker with Texas-based Business Air International, is now the managing director of London-based Colibri Aircraft Ltd., a new firm that is offering aircraft acquisition, resale and asset consultation services. “My work was always based on being overseas, especially in London, so this takes advantage of being in the same time zone as a number of people who buy and sell aircraft,” said Stone recently.
American Eurocopter has shipped the first EC155 bound for the University of Michigan's Survival Flight program to Metro Aviation, a helicopter completions specialist based in Shreveport, La. The aircraft is the first of three EC155s to be delivered this year. It is scheduled to be completed in October, after which it will be put into service at U-M and will be the first EMS-configured EC155 in service in the U.S.
Blackhawk Modifications, the Waco, Texas-based company that specializes in engine performance solutions for turboprops, has won an FAA STC for its powerplant enhancement package for the Cessna Caravan 208B.
When asked recently about the state of his used aircraft business, John Newton said Cessna's deliveries of previously owned Citations are 300% ahead of last year, and the order rate “is pretty consistent. I am feeling pretty good.”
I was working on my second cup of coffee that Tuesday morning at 800 Independence, and reviewing some paperwork, when the phone rang. My wife, Lenore, was all business: “Go to the TV! Oh my God! It's unbelievable.”
Cessna is offering Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) upgrades for the Citation Ultra and Citation Encore. The STCed installation, which covers all Ultras and Encores serial number 260 through 750, includes dual Universal UNS-1Espw flight management systems certified for fully coupled WAAS LPV (localizer performance with vertical guidance) approaches.
