I strapped on my first airplane, a 90-hp Aeronca Champ 7EC, in the summer of 1960 and since then my interest in aviation has never wavered. Two years later I was aboard a United Airlines Boeing 720 on the way from my home in New Jersey to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the start of an aviation career.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands (CAACI) entered into a joint partnership with CHC Helicopter, providing the company an Cayman Islands Air Operator Certificate (AOC), which allows the company to conduct offshore operations in several other foreign jurisdictions worldwide. The first two CHC AS332L2 Super Puma aircraft have been transferred to the Cayman Islands Register, and VP-CHC and VP-CHB will be commencing offshore operations in South America.
Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion, the company's newest and most advanced integrated avionics system, has reached a major milestone by receiving its final FAA Technical Standard Order (TSO). Certification of the avionics hardware and software sets the stage for supplemental type certification on Rockwell Collins' Challenger 601 test aircraft and on Bombardier's Global Express XRS.
Gulfstream Aerospace has expanded its Airborne Product Support (APS) program with the addition of a backup G100 aircraft to provide aircraft-on-ground support. In addition to two aircraft, Gulfstream has dedicated four flight crews, a full-time manager and nine technicians to APS.
Jet Aviation's St. Louis facility has developed an extension for the right-hand table on the Dassault Falcon 7X to make the surface more conducive to working and dining.
Eurocontrol has issued an updated action plan for expanded runway incursion incident reporting. The 104-page document spells out “the need to improve the quality of data provided in runway incursion incident reports and the need to disseminate the lessons that can be learned from the actual incidents.” Runway incursions in Europe occur at the average rate of two per day, Eurocontrol notes. The guidelines apply to airport operators, air navigation service providers, aircraft operators and regulators. Technology recommendations include using of GPS or airport moving maps.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt dismissed calls to allow controllers to sleep during shifts to mitigate the effects of fatigue. The agency is currently reviewing 12 recommendations to offset fatigue proposed by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association that include breaks of up to 2.5 hr., reduced work hours on certain rotations and increased training on the effects of sleep deprivation and disorders.
The NATA has released its new fact book, “General Aviation in the United States,” which provides an in-depth review of NATA membership segments and other significant components of the general aviation and airline services industry. The fact book is free and can be viewed and downloaded at www.nata.aero/factbook.
At press time, Nextant Aerospace was expecting imminent certification of its 400XT, a remanufactured version of the Beechjet 400 that features Williams International FJ44-3AP engines and Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics. The Ohio-based company plans to deliver the first 400XT in July and a total of 11 aircraft during this year. In addition, the firm plans to take a 400XT on a nationwide tour this summer.
In the April 2011 Readers' Feedback (page 12), Kevin Curran voices important safety concerns in a letter titled “Caring About Aviation Safety.” Many of these concerns spring from the article titled “A Failed Culture of Safety” by Richard Aarons, which was printed in this magazine in February 2011 (page 53). As someone who has worked for more than 10 years for the Quest Diagnostics Flight Department, perhaps you would listen to a different view of our organization.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt has appointed three veteran managers to key positions as part of the agency's ongoing review of how the United States oversees its air traffic control system. “I am confident our top-to-bottom review is making our air traffic system even safer,” said Babbitt. That review includes an independent panel to evaluate the agency's air traffic control training curriculum, qualifications and placement process.
According to China's “People's Daily Online,” China will further open its airspace in the next few years, aiming to completely open all of its low-altitude airspace by 2015, said Li Jiaxiang, director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Avjet Corp. — which is headquartered in Burbank, Calif., and has a number of offices worldwide (in Moscow, Dubai, throughout Asia and in Washington, D.C.) — provides aircraft charter and management solutions, aircraft sales and completion management services. A specialist in large-cabin VVIP aircraft, Avjet is a leader in the most active market sector: ultra-long-range Boeing, Bombardier and Gulfstream aircraft.
A new coalition designed to focus on issues affecting general aviation airports has been formed by a group of GA airport operators. The General Aviation Airport Coalition was formed to “preserve and promote our nation's general aviation airports,” according to the mission statement. The coalition began meeting late last year, but recently officially launched as a formal group.
The Legacy 650's engines are the latest variants of the Rolls-Royce (nee Allison Engine) AE 3007 family. Rated at 9,020 lb. thrust for takeoff up to ISA+15C, the A2 features a 38.5-in., 22-blade wide-chord, compound swept fan that has the same outer diameter as the 24-blade fan of the A1E that powers the Legacy 600, but it has more surface area because it has a slimmer hub.
The NBAA Maintenance Manage–ment Conference (MMC) is business aviation's dedicated learning event for those responsible for managing the maintenance function of flight departments. This three-day conference provides valuable information for individuals interested in enhancing their knowledge of aircraft maintenance and management, along with ideas and suggestions for those interested in professional development or meeting career goals.
Competition among transatlantic range business jets heated up when Embraer delivered the first Legacy 650 in December 2010. The new variant of the EMB-135BJ has an eight-passenger range of more than 3,800 nm, enabling it to fly nonstop from London to New York, perhaps even Paris to New York with favorable winds, weather and air traffic conditions. That range also bridges routes from Dubai to London, São Paulo to Miami or Singapore to Sydney. With one refueling stop, it can fly between New York and Shanghai, Dubai or São Paulo.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has developed a new computer-generated forecast model that is designed to provide pilots with information on the likelihood of encountering dangerous inflight icing conditions. Developed with funding from an FAA grant, the Forecast Icing Product with Severity, or FIP-Severity, provides 12-hr. icing forecasts that are updated hourly for pilots, air traffic controllers and other users of aviation weather information.
Field Aviation has completed the first major modernization of a Bombardier Dash 8 flight deck at its facility at Toronto's L. B. Pearson International Airport. Transport Canada issued a supplemental type certificate for the Universal Avionics EFI-890R cockpit upgrade in April, and the improved aircraft has been delivered back to its owner, the Icelandic Coast Guard. The process of obtaining the equivalent FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency certification for the modification is under way.
Based on the original Legacy's Primus 1000 avionics package, Primus Elite features five, 8- by-7-in. LCD screens that replace the CRTs. The layout has left- and right-side PFDs and MFDs, along with a central EICAS. Upgrading to flat-panel screens makes possible the display of charts and data link weather, plus they generate considerably less heat and have longer service lives.
Embraer's large cabin Lineage 1000 received its type certificate from India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The latest certification is in addition to certifications by Brazil's ANAC and the European Aviation Safety Agency in December 2008, and the U.S. FAA in January 2009. To date, nine Lineage 1000 jets are in operation worldwide.
Eurocopter's 1,000th helicopter from its Dauphin family was delivered April 20 to India's Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd., which operates the world's largest civilian fleet of this twin-engine, medium weight rotary-wing aircraft. Pawan Hans' milestone helicopter is an AS365 N3 version, configured for offshore oil and gas drilling missions, and it brings the Indian operator's fleet to a total of 35 Dauphins.
Looking for ways to help new A&P's? Volunteer to talk about the NBAA TRACS Scholarship at your local schools and airports. You can also mentor applicants by helping them complete their scholarship application forms. Applications for the 2012 Maintenance TRACS awards will be available by October 2011. For more information on this program visit the NBAA TRACS website at: www.nbaa.org/public/education/scholarships/mxtracs/
