Fuel suppliers and experts gathered with airline representatives, Sept. 8-9, at the U.S. Department of Commerce to discuss pending certification of synthetic Jet-A fuel for commercial aircraft. Commercial certification of a Fischer-Tropsch coal or natural gas-to-liquid synthetic is possible as early as December if it can meet standards established by the American Society for Testing and Materials.
Macquarie Global Opportunities Partners (MGOP), which purchased the non-flying businesses of Sentient Flight Group (SFG), has also grown rapidly through a series of acquisitions of FBOs and other aviation businesses. It had been in discussions with Sentient since the beginning of the year about potentially investing in the company.
I am showing my age here, but I really enjoyed your Howard 500 and Beech 18 stories in the July issue. I realize that the nostalgia pieces are probably targeted at guys in my age group, but they are a nice change from the typical product analysis. My first ever (non-airline) airplane ride was in a Howard 350 owned by my father's employer, Husky Oil . . . it was from Cody, Wyo. to Calgary. I still remember the highly sophisticated (for its time) aftermarket engine analyzer that had been installed behind the pilot's seats.
Meggitt Fluid Controls (MFC) and Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems (MABS) have won multi-million-dollar contracts for Embraer's new Legacy 450 and 500 executive jet programs. MFC will develop and produce the pneumatic bleed air system, which will manage the bleed air from the engines' high- and low-pressure outputs for temperature and pressure control and maintain anti-ice systems and the aircraft's cargo, cabin and cockpit environments. The controller will manage the system's mechanical fluid control devices, ensuring system safety and integrity.
At 1028 MST, a Piper Cherokee PA-28-180 (N5316L) sustained substantial damage subsequent to a collision with terrain shortly after takeoff approximately one mile north of Springerville Municipal Airport in Springerville, Ariz. It was VFR at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed for the flight to Quemado Airport, Quemado, N.M. Witnesses reported the airplane became airborne about midfield during takeoff from Runway 03.
Grob Aerospace, which has been engaged in a major expansion program as it prepared to bring its new G180 SPn business jet to market, unexpectedly filed for insolvency Aug. 18. "This unfortunate situation has arisen fairly rapidly off the back of recent delays in the SPn program, resulting in commensurately increased cash requirement to see the aircraft through to certification," explained Niall Olver, Grob's CEO.
In response to high demand, jetAVIVA is expanding its Jet Familiarization Training program to include pre-type rating training in the Cessna Citation Mustang. The JFT program is built to allow pilots to achieve four primary goals: become a safe jet pilot; gain experience in a very light jet; excel during type rating training and (if applicable) help determine which VLF is right for each customer. The training is offernd in three packages: basic, intermediate and advanced, providing 10.5, 25 and 45 hours of flight time, respectively.
When Henry F. S. Morgan built his first motorcar in 1909, he designed it with three wheels instead of the conventional four. The single rear wheel delivers the power to the road, while the front two steer the car exactly as a four-wheel automobile's do. In the decades following (until 1952, when production ceased) he improved the little two-seater and kept the price cheap.
*Satcom Direct Communications, Inc., Satellite Beach. Fla., has chosen Tony Queenan as its new vice president of sales. He will be responsible for government and military sales into the aviation and land-mobile markets.
Takeoff and landing under IFR. (a) Instrument approaches to civil airports. Unless otherwise authorized by the FAA, when it is necessary to use an instrument approach to a civil airport, each person operating an aircraft must use a standard instrument approach procedure prescribed in Part 97 of this chapter for that airport. This paragraph does not apply to United States military aircraft.
I agree entirely, although a component failure in a recip can often lead to fire. Sometimes the best option, as you know, is simply to get the airplane onto the ground under control.
Both of International Communications Group's new systems support ACARS and will now support Future Air Navigation Systems and Controller Pilot Data Link Communications. The Model 120A is intended for the flight deck; the 220A serves both flight deck and crew. The company says the 120A is ideal for dedicated voice channel along with a dedicated data-link circuit, while the 220A adds an additional channel.
Embraer opened its first U.S. business jet service center, inaugurating a 47,700-square-foot (4,431-square-meter) hangar at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, in Mesa, Ariz., Sept. 25. The new facility at the former Williams Air Force Base will service Embraer's Phenom 100 and 300 and the Legacy 450, 500 and 600 executive jets. The new $10 million facility consists of a hangar, workshops and office space. Embraer expects to create approximately 60 jobs there over the next five years. The first employees completed Phenom 100 service training at the end of September.
Mobile Edge has introduced checkpoint friendly laptop cases designed to help move traveling computer users through airport luggage checks more quickly. Airport screeners can X-ray a laptop while still inside its bag. The new ScanFast Collection meets TSA requirements. All three cases (backpack, briefcase messenger bag) accommodate popular models of laptops and are covered by the Mobile Edge lifetime warranty. Price: $99.99 Mobileedge 1150 North Miller St. Anaheim,CA 92806 (714) 339-1400
*United Airlines Capt. "Pat" Boling flew a V-tail Bonanza tanked with 402 gallons of avgas 7,090 miles from Manila to Pendleton, Ore., in 46 hours. It was the longest nonmilitary overwater flight in history.
The sound a helicopter makes in flight can affect people in different ways, depending upon their point of view. If you're an accident or flood victim or a wounded GI waiting to be evacuated, it can be the sweetest music you'll ever hear. But if you are communing with nature in the Grand Canyon or working in the gardens on your Sag Harbor estate, violation of your treasured quiet can summon demons.
Nextant Aerospace has added several options to its Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 Beechjet 400A/XP retrofit package. Available options include a second multifunction display, an integrated flight information system, XM broadcast graphical weather or Universal weather services, TCAS II, AHRS-3000S, GPS-4000S, Doppler turbulence detection weather radar, RTU-4200 radio tuning unit, DBU-5000 database loader and CDU-6200 control display unit.
Corsair Aviation of St. Paul, Minn., has purchased ACM Aviation from the San Jose Jet Center, a subsidiary of Atlantic Aviation. Corsair is an aviation holding company whose principal operating companies are JetChoice and Capitol Wings.
Several months ago I received a phone call from a friend, a business pilot, who informed me he had decided to resign his position for something better. He had advanced within his Blue Chip flight department from a support role to become an international captain with a bright future, but now he was done. He said his options included accepting a first officer position with the international branch of a fractional operation or a captaincy with a large flight department across town. Why the move, I asked.
*West Star Aviation, Dallas, announced that Susie Corn has been appointed operations manager at the Dallas Love Field facility. She will be responsible for all maintenance, avionics and customer service and support operations.
By the mid-1980s, Cessna knew it needed a successor to the Citation III, its first midsize aircraft. The 1982 model offered a cabin with 5.5-foot width, 5.7-foot height and 18.4-foot length, which provided considerably more comfort for six to eight passengers than Cessna's narrow-fuselage light jets. The Citation III also featured a moderately swept, super-critical wing that made possible 450 KTAS cruise speeds, fuel-efficient TFE731 turbofans, trailing-link main landing gear for smooth touchdowns and hot-wing anti-ice, plus advanced systems.
An F-15E from Robins Air Force Base, Ga., flew with a 50-50 mix of JP-8 and synthetic natural gas-based fuel Aug. 19 and an Edwards AFB-based F-22 took on the same fuel from a KC-135 tanker Aug. 28. According to F-15E synfuel test pilot Maj. Dan Badia, "You could have had JP-8 in there and I wouldn't have known the difference." F-15 fuels engineer Ryan Mead expects the new fuel to be certified on the jet as a result of the tests.
Almost 50, an aviator for more than half my life -- many of those years in noisy cockpits and long before hearing protection was a real concern -- it's probable that my hearing isn't exactly "perfect" anymore. In addition, many of the hobbies and side tasks I do at home involve operating tractors, chain saws and other loud machinery and have probably added to the hearing damage. And then there is the matter of age . . .
Steve Brown, NBAA vice president, operations, believes the Emissions Trading Scheme passed in July by the European Parliament is "unkind to all of aviation," not just the business aviation community.
