The NTSB rarely undertakes a full “blue book” investigation into a light-twin accident, but the loss of NASCAR’s Cessna 310R on July 10, 2007, is an exception. The Safety Board was attracted by the facts that the piston twin was part of a large turbine fleet; that questions existed about the use of the airplane under NASCAR’s standard operating procedures; and that a critical maintenance issue may have slipped through the management cracks.
SimCom has begun operating a TBM 850 FTD at its Orlando training center. The FTD, equipped with a high-resolution visual system, is configured with the TBM 850’s Garmin G1000 avionics suite. The SimCom facility provides a central location within the largest geographic market for the TBM 850 spanning the Southeast. The center also will support TBM customers from Latin and Central America.
Proposed Rules Dassault Falcon 2000EX airplanes — Conduct a detailed visual inspection to detect any sharp and unprotected edges of the web of left-hand Stringer 13 between Frames 7 and 8, and measure the trimmed length of the web. If any sharp or unprotected edge is found, or if the trimmed length is 1.57 inches (40 mm) or greater, rework or replace the web.
Cobham’s synthetic-vision glass cockpit has been FAA approved for single-pilot IFR operation in a Bell 412 helicopter, marking the first time such a system has been IFR-approved in a rotary-wing aircraft. Arrow Aviation, a Broussard, La.-based helicopter support and service company, holds the STC for the installation. The search and rescue unit of North Slope Borough, Alaska, will be the first Bell 412 customer to have the electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) installed.
The Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Aviation Rulemaking Committee has completed its recommendations on operating small UAVs (sUAVs) in civil airspace. The sUAVs generally weigh 55 pounds or less and operate within line of sight of the “pilot” in day VFR conditions. New rules could even govern rubber band-powered balsa models. The FAA convened the rulemaking committee and will now consider its recommendations when writing a new special federal aviation regulation (SFAR).
Commercial airlines provide scheduled service to fewer than 500 cities in the United States, according to GAMA. That would seem to suffice for most companies’ routine business travel needs. However, only slightly more than two dozen hub cities have frequent nonstop commercial flights. Flying between the remainder of them requires one or more stopovers at hub airports, frequently resulting in lengthy travel times.
Speaking to the Aero Club of Washington, Gulfstream President Joe Lombardo said, “Results [from the No Plane No Gain campaign] are favorable. Things have calmed down.” He added, however, that calming down only means the negative press has abated. The industry must still project a positive image. “General aviation has suffered significantly,” Lombardo said, with the downfall beginning in November when the chiefs of the three major U.S. automakers flew to Washington, D.C., on business jets.
I am amazed that thus far there has been little mentioned about the lack of angle of attack (AOA) or “alpha” awareness on either pilot’s part related to the Colgan Air crash in Buffalo. As a former FAA DPE (DA-20 and CE-500 series) and military combat instructor pilot (F-15 and F/A-18), I disagree with the FAA’s policy of minimizing the importance of the AOA gauge as a “secondary” instrument. Military pilots, especially U.S. Navy types, lived (and died) by AOA awareness.
More than 1,000 new turbine-powered business aircraft were delivered in seven of the past ten years, but those numbers, while impressive, pale when compared to the used turbine aircraft marketplace which typically sees several times those figures — even in down years.
Way back in the early 1980s as a maintenance manager or senior technician, you had to plan your life around being “on call.” That meant that you had to be sitting next to a telephone just in case your crew ran into trouble while on a trip. The invention of the pager was received as a miraculous gift for those of us who had a life outside the hangar. You could actually go see your kids play ball or tap dance, go fishing or maybe see a movie. Sweet freedom! Right up to moment the darn thing went off.
Over the past several months, business aviation has been beset by negative media reports and congressional criticism, which was even furthered by the president himself, all of it prompted by thoughtless behavior and furthered by misinformation and generally tough financial times. Some companies closed the hangar doors and quit flying, leaving hundreds of flight department employees out in the cold. Since that time, progress has been made by aviation’s alphabet groups and others to turn back the tide of negative public opinion.
Rockwell Collins acquired DataPath, Inc., a global leader in creating satellite-based communication networks, the company announced June 1. DataPath, which includes a wholly owned subsidiary SWE-DISH Satellite Solutions AB, will operate under the Rockwell Collins brand as part of the company’s government systems business.
Jeff Saucedo (Newport News, Virginia), Vice President, Sales & Marketing (Newport News, Virginia), International Communications Group (Newport News, Virginia)
The annual BCA Planning and Purchasing Handbook is a comprehensive and valuable resource for the business aviation community and I always read it with great interest. My interest, however, turned to dismay when I reviewed Mal Gormley’s article “Cabin Electronics” (May, page 202). I realized that International Communications Group (ICG) was conspicuous by its absence.
Airbus has become a full member of the SESAR Joint Undertaking, a private/public partnership to modernize European Air Traffic Management (ATM). An agreement with the 16 partners of the SJU was finalized June 12. SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) will develop and deliver the operational and technical standards for the progressive deployment of the new European ATM system — roughly equivalent to the U.S. NextGen ATM program. Patrick Gavin, Executive Vice-President, head of Airbus Engineering explained, “ATM is a limiting factor to the growth of air transport.
Dassault issued 111 more layoff notices, effective June 5, at its Little Rock, Ark., completion center, blaming the economic downturn and the business jet slump. The layoffs came largely in the initial engineering and design areas, said spokesman Andrew Ponzoni. “Our main production activities, such as building interiors, painting and flight test, were less affected,” he said. Staffing levels are now roughly the same as they were in January 2008, said Ponzoni.
DOT Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt gathered representatives from the major air carriers, their regional partners, aviation industry groups and labor in Washington, D.C., on June 15 to participate in a closed-door “call to action” summit to improve airline safety. This discussion addressed pilot training, cockpit discipline and other issues associated with flight safety.
Cessna Aircraft Co. announced two major single engine sales June 16. One was a signed agreement with Indonesia’s Susi Air for the purchase of 30 Grand Caravan single-engine turboprops. Eight of the new Caravans will be delivered this year, with the remainder of the order to be completed in 2011. Susi Air already operates 10 Grand Caravans. It began operations with two Caravans in December 2006, providing scheduled and charter passenger and cargo service throughout Indonesia, as well as humanitarian airlift support for the region.
Analysts in the global equity research department of financial services company J.P. Morgan report that inventories of previously owned business jets are stabilizing, but at a relatively high level, indicating that a recovery in the market is not imminent.
The actions by a group of protestors calling themselves Plane Stupid, who chained themselves to the wheel of a private jet parked at London City Airport on June 10 were called “misguided” and “politically driven” by the British Business & General Aviation Association (BBGA). The protesters were arrested and charged with criminal damage, along with breaking and entering. Plane Stupid activists have a record of pulling aviation-related publicity stunts to highlight their concerns about climate change, says the BBGA.
Raytheon will lead a team of five companies to study how NextGen architecture will affect the National Airspace System from 2018 to 2025. “The next generation of airspace management must support a broad array of capabilities — from classic aircraft with minimal automation to highly integrated, multi-sensor aircraft, including unmanned aerial systems,” a Raytheon official told Avionics magazine.
Mike Ellis, Hawker Beechcraft’s vice president of pre-owned aircraft, characterizes today’s market for previously owned business aircraft as “tentative.”
Large UAVs and civil aircraft in the same airspace? Can this be done safely with current technology? The Defense Department and the FAA are cooperating to find ways to safely share airspace. The agencies assume onboard sense-and-avoid for UAVs will not be certificated until late in the next decade, so they have launched an initiative centered on Grand Forks, N.D., already home to Customs and Border Patrol Predator UAVs, will also be a base for Air Force and Air National Guard Predators and Global Hawks and has a commercial airport.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Paris Salon (threesome in foreground) were old-time flying boat designers Claude Dornier (right), now making STOL airplanes, and Igor Sikorsky (left), helicopter designer. Sikorsky took Dornier for a ride in his S-61 (background), which features turbine power and flying boat hull.
