I want my mommy." I have heard fully grown adults, with graying hair, mutter those exact words. Over a bet-your-wings sim ride? Nope. A petition for divorce? No. IRS audit? Not even. Worse. That was the utterance of a flight department executive faced with implementing a (drum roll, please) Safety Management System. I could sympathize because it does sound a little scary. Anytime you see the word "system" in the aviation world, you know it's serious.
Cessna reports that within three weeks of launching SkyCatcher at the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture in Oskosh, it had taken orders for 720 of the new light sport aircraft worth more than $75 million. The Cessna LSA features a Garmin glass cockpit - the G300 - and a Teledyne Continental O-200D 100-horsepower engine designed specifically for light sport aircraft.
The first European Citation Mustang was due to be delivered to Jane Howland at Farnborough, England, on Sept. 5. Other Mustang deliveries to Germany and Scandinavia will follow soon thereafter, and in December, London Executive Aviation is to receive its first of nine aircraft, all of which it plans to use in the on-demand air-taxi role.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says three more Predator B UAVs will be committed to strengthen U.S. border security by Dec. 31, 2008. "We will also work to ensure that 1,700 more Border Patrol agents and an additional UAV are added in 2009," Chertoff said recently. That would bring the Customs and Border Protection services Predator fleet to eight.
It's always grand to hear from you, even if the occasion is one of, um, clarification. My fault was not typographical, for that's what the man said, and approved, but for failing to know the FARs well enough to challenge his statement. Anyway, your observations will be shared with all, and let the explanations follow. Thanks.
The FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) have signed an employment agreement covering approximately 1,200 engineers and architects responsible for the planning, design and installation of facilities, systems and equipment. The agreement was overwhelmingly ratified by the union membership. On May 24, the agency also signed an agreement with the National Association of Government Employees Local covering over 200 air traffic assistants supporting operations in terminal and en route facilities.
At the Paris Air Show in June, Canada's Institute for Aerospace Research (IAR) announced construction of its planned Alternate Fuel Facility for Research and Development (AFFORD) over the next three years at Ottawa. In addition to basic research in alternate aviation fuels, the facility would provide a technology demonstration environment for commercial developers to test their products before bringing them to market.
Making good on its vow of two years ago to become a major force in business aviation, Embraer will be unveiling its fifth business jet model at this month's NBAA convention in Atlanta. That will raise to four the number of business aircraft the Brazilian manufacturer has under active development. A mockup of the newest jet, announced by Embraer President and CEO Frederico Fleury Curado at August's Latin American Business Aviation Convention and Exposition (LABACE) in São Paulo, will be featured in the Embraer booth at the Atlanta gathering.
The largest helicopter operator in Eastern Malaysia, Hornbill Skyways, is acquiring three additional EC135s to be used mainly for passenger/VIP transport. The new aircraft will join Hornbill's 11-ship fleet, which includes two EC135s.
Execaire, Montreal, appointed Tony Caruso as regional sales manager for the company's aircraft sales division and is responsible for market and sales of Cessna's line of business jets in Eastern Canada.
A chartered IceJet Dornier 328 Jet recently debuted at London City Airport, flying directly from Reykjavik, Iceland, in two hours, 40 minutes. The 14-seat executive aircraft was modified for 5.5-degree steep approach, FL 350 and extended range capability by 328 Support Services in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, which is completing another pair of 328 Jets for Mikado Capital, IceJet's parent company. These aircraft are being fitted with tanks enabling a 2,000-nm range.
XL Insurance is offering new pollution insurance specifically designed to protect FBOs. "General liability insurance offers businesses very limited, if any, protection against an environmental incident such as a fuel oil spill," said Richard Corbett, chief environmental underwriter for XL Insurance's Global Environmental unit. The company's pollution policy offers coverage for loss, remediation expense and legal defense at covered airport locations. XL Insurance is part of XL Capital Ltd. of Exton, Pa. For more information, visit www.xlinsurance.com.
It's been one of those busy days flying multiple legs in the northeast corridor. Your last leg of the day, a flight from Teterboro, N.J., to Bedford, Mass., is departing behind schedule because you were an hour late arriving at TEB. After the hectic quick-turn on the ground you are finally cleared for takeoff on the infamous Teterboro-Five departure procedure.
One of my clients - AirSure - sent along a copy of your August Flight Log (page 72). Fascinating story you guys ran. Everything David Rimmer said is exactly right and some of the exact things we teach in our course.
Ciao, paisano. If the new Avanti II had rearview mirrors, its pilots could watch every other turboprop business aircraft disappear in its wake. That's nothing new for the Genoa jet-prop. The first-generation Avanti, dating back to 1990, also could speed by all prop-driven competitors. The Avanti II, equipped with more powerful engines, just widens the lead by at least 10 to 15 knots. Pilots can expect maximum cruise speeds of 400 KTAS at FL 310 at mid-weights assuming standard-day conditions, according to Piaggio Aero's latest cruise performance numbers.
Ross Detwiler's recap of teaching aerodynamics to would be Air Force pilots ("Board Time," July, page 76) brought back lots of memories, including the frustrations of dealing with "simplifications" (aka dumbing down of complex theory to meet both the needs and abilities of non-engineering types in training). However, the myth of Bernoulli's principle being the primary reason for lift produced by an airfoil needs to be challenged.
Thanks for the input. As is always the case, I do not intend to dispute someone who may be smarter than me. Also, as the engineer says, either explanation will suffice. One needs to consider that the majority of pilots, myself included, are not aerodynamic engineers. The Air Force knew a course was needed that could be understood, and more importantly applied by people of my engineering caliber. "Aerodynamics for Pilots," even "dumbed down", was an attempt to give plausible, non-mathematical explanations for what occurs while flying, with the hopes of saving rear ends.
(Teterboro, NJ) -- Jeff Habib has been appointed senior vice president of U.S. sales for the company. Habib most recently was vice president of Western U.S. sales for the French business jet manufacturer.
The FAA plans to commission new ASDE-X airport surface detection systems at five airports in 2008 - Washington Dulles, Phoenix, Detroit, Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale. The agency plans to have 16 airports equipped with ASDE-X by the end of 2008, and eventually plans to install it at 35 airports. The system -- manufactured by Sensis -- is expected to improve controllers' situational awareness in all weather conditions and help reduce the risk of runway incursions, combining surveillance data from several different sources.
Eagle Copters Ltd., the Canadian helicopter company based in Calgary, Alberta, has obtained a Transport Canada STC for its single-engine conversion of the Bell 212. According to company officials, the Eagle Single offers utility rotorcraft operators "increased payload capacity, easy accessibility to the engine and greater flexibility in mission configurations." The conversion also lowers the aircraft's empty weight and substantially increases its useful load.
ACR Electronics' new MicroFix, a one-button activated, emergency signaling device, is 35 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter than its predecessor, the AeroFix, according to the company. The unit transmits on 406 MHz (COSPAS-SARSAT) with the users registered, unique, digitally coded distress signal, and 121.5 MHz (SAR homing frequency). Accuracy is 100 meters when GPS coordinates are present. The AeroFix weighs just 10 ounces, so it can be easily carried in a flight jacket or worn on a belt.
If your aging airplane has become too old or expensive to operate and its resale value has plummeted, it might be time to contact the folks at TARMAC (Tarbes Advanced Recycling & Maintenance Aircraft Company) AEROSAVE, Europe's first industrial-structured firm for the dismantling of end-of-life aircraft. The new company, which was incorporated in June, is offering to dismantle all types of civil and military aircraft. In addition, the firm is offering ancillary services, including short-term aircraft storage.
Garmin is continuing to advance Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) avionics in the general aviation market segment by developing an optional upgrade for its GTX 330 and GTX 33 transponders to provide 1090 MHz Extended Squitter (ES) transmission capabilities. The addition of 1090 MHz ES to Garmin's Mode S transponders will allow general aviation aircraft to automatically transmit position, velocity and heading information.
