Learjet 45 Lima Juliet, third call. Right turn heading 270. Contact me on 1-3-2 decimal 7-2, over," the controller said impatiently. "Ah, center. Can you repeat that?" I couldn't fully comprehend what center wanted us to do. Short of breath, experiencing some hot and cold flashes, and a little dizziness, could it be the onset of a cold? It wasn't the result of too much folic the night before this mission. It was just so hard to concentrate.
Milt Hobbs, Director Cablevision Flight Operations (Via e-mail)
David Esler's "And Now We Are One" (November 2005, page 52) was well written and covers many of the issues that flight department personnel face when involved with a merger situation. It is not in any way an enjoyable situation for all involved but I think Esler captured many of the issues in a fair way.
Uvex Protégé safety eyewear weighs in at 27.5 grams, less than one ounce. A secure, wraparound brow expands to accommodate a wide range of users, while Uvex's proprietary Floating Lens technology increases flexibility for a better fit. Soft temple tips and nose pad provide added comfort and ensure a secure fit.
As the demand for ever larger and more capable aircraft grew during the early years of World War II, designers recognized that flight control loading was a barrier to operating airplanes of increased size and speed. Pilots needed a system that would provide them with extra muscle to move the control surfaces, while simultaneously maintaining natural stick "feel" and forces. The answer turned out to be hydraulics -- movement by means of liquid under pressure.
Safe Flight Instrument Corp. announced that its enhanced automatic throttle system, dubbed AutoPower is now available on the Bombardier Challenger 850 business jet and corporate shuttle. The company pioneered automatic throttle technology more than 45 years ago. AutoPower will be offered to new aircraft owners as a production option through Bombardier or as a retrofit for existing Challenger 850 owners/operators through any licensed Bombardier maintenance facility or qualified service center.
Elliott Aviation recently completed total refurbishments of a Citation III and Falcon 10, and the Midwestern company is offering these packages to other operators of these aircraft who want to prolong the useful life and enhance the resale value of their airplanes.
BUSINESS AVIATION OFTEN is the whipping boy for corporate excess. Populist members of Congress and investigative reporters delight in amplifying activities by corporate leaders who use their company aircraft for trips that appear, at least on the surface, to be junkets. Consider an article entitled "JetGreen: The CEO's Private Golf Shuttle," that appeared in the Oct. 1, 2005, Wall Street Journal. It resurfaced in mid-November when Sen. Mark Dayton (D-Minn.) referred to the feature during his successful attempt to amend the Tax Reconciliation bill (S.2020).
Sporty's has updated its best-selling "Flying the Garmin G1000" DVD with a new section on XM WX Satellite Weather. In this section, Richard Collins demonstrates how the G1000 integrates data-link weather technology by presenting XM weather information. Pilots will see how NEXRAD images, text weather, winds aloft, graphic airmets, TFRs, cloud tops and more are displayed on the high-resolution glass panel. "Flying the Garmin G1000" incorporates real-world flying footage and shows the system in operation during a GPS approach.
Various fund-raising efforts during NBAA's 58th Annual Meeting & Convention have generated in excess of $100,000 for New Orleans citizens impacted by Hurricane Katrina, the association announced. ``In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the business aviation community provided a tremendous amount of assistance for Gulf Coast citizens impacted by Hurricane Katrina,'' said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.
Superior Air Parts, Inc., has promoted Darryl Harlos to vice president of operations. He will be responsible for manufacturing, purchasing, production and quality control for the company's line of piston-engine parts.
Reed Exhibitions, Singapore, has announced that Clive Richardson will return to the company as senior vice president of the company's aerospace and defense business for the Asia Pacific region.
Gulfstream Aerospace is keeping its powder dry in the supersonic business jet arena. Pres Henne, senior vice president of programs, engineering and test, says that the company's focus right now is not on building an airplane but on ``developing the technology to the point that if the rule [banning supersonic flight over land] is changed, we could build a business jet.'' The company hopes that new quiet technologies will help persuade regulators to change the rule.
Lou Churchville, Vice President Sales & Marketing (MAX-VIZ, Portland, Ore.)
John Wiley's article in the November issue (page 74) states that, "according to Air Safety professionals, Situational Awareness is a deadly serious concern." He goes on to say ". . . 88 percent of air carrier (and, we can deduce corporate aviation) accidents can be attributed to problems with situational awareness." The, primary component for situational awareness for pilots is visibility -- the ability to see unambiguously, to see clearly.
Mercury Computer Systems' compact low-cost multifunction display incorporates synthetic vision technology that integrates data from its internal inertial sensors, GPS, satellite weather, and terrain and navigation databases to provide pilots complete flight, navigation and full 3-D terrain views plus all the functions of a personal tablet computer.
During her annual ``State of the FAA'' speech to employees, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey told them that the agency achieved 28 of the 31 goals it set for itself in FY2005, including saving nearly $100 million though a cost-control program. The agency met its target of accomplishing at least 90 percent of the goals in the annual Flight Plan, Blakey said, which means employees will receive 100 percent of an incentive payment that is linked to the Flight Plan goals.
Orders for the Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) family have reached the 50-aircraft milestone with the sale of four more to an undisclosed customer earlier this year. The announcement comes in the same week that Boeing reported sales of its Boeing Business Jet topping the 100 mark. The BBJ program was launched in 1996, with Airbus entering the corporate market one year later. Airbus now claims to be catching up after a slow start, achieving its goal of winning at least half of top-of-the-line business jet sales, estimated at about 15 aircraft per year.
Duncan Aviation, Lincoln, Neb., appointed Tom Burt, a 26-year veteran of the company, to the position of chief operating officer for its Battle Creek, Mich., facility.
The Battery Lock will render an aircraft battery useless. It satisfies the TSA's security guidelines for general aviation airports publication A-011 and a second lock for the New Jersey DOT state-required two-lock system. The Battery Lock is constructed using a tough space-age plastic polymer and a seven-pin circular, hardened ball-bearing lock and can be installed and removed with one hand while reaching into the most difficult locations. The Battery Lock will work on all jets and helicopters using the battery type shown in the accompanying photo.
In the early 1990s, Cessna's highly successful Citation Ultra faced a formidable challenge from Bombardier's clean-sheet Learjet 45, which was positioned as a ``super-light'' jet with a large cabin, state-of-the-art systems and 440-knot speeds. But Cessna, the undisputed master of model iteration, had an ace up its sleeve. At the 1994 NBAA Convention it unveiled the Citation Excel, a Model 560 variant that combined a shortened Citation X fuselage and widened Citation V wing.
Engenuity Technologies released the next generation of its VAPS software, the VAPS XT, which enables development of visualization and simulation products, including avionics displays. Engenuity developed VAPS XT in concert with Rockwell Collins, DaimlerChrysler and automotive electronics supplier Valeo. VAPS XT simplifies flight display development.
Sandel Avionics and Kollsman, Inc., have formed a joint development program to integrate Sandel's advanced displays with Kollsman's small-footprint head-up display, the MicroHUD. A follow-on program will add Kollsman's new GAViS, heads-down, forward-looking infrared (FLIR) capability to Sandel's display products. The program's goal is to reduce the size and cost of the display technologies, making them suitable for use by general and business aviation aircraft.
Bombardier's new Learjet 60XR will feature a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite with four LCDs -- increasing display area by 75 percent over the Learjet 60 -- along with an integrated flight information system. The new stand-up cabin in the 60XR will seat nine, have a larger galley and additional storage space. The cabin electronics system will incorporate an audio-video system that can play XM satellite radio and have ports for laptops, DVDs and MP3 players. The 60XR is the eighth new Learjet model that Bombardier has introduced in the past 15 years.
The GAMA Board of Directors elected Cessna Aircraft Chairman, President and CEO Jack J. Pelton as the organization's Chairman for 2006. Pelton previously served as GAMA's vice chairman and will continue as chairman of the association's Flight Operations Policy Committee. John J. Grisik was elected vice chairman for 2006. Grisik is president, Electronic Systems, Goodrich Corporation. Additionally, the following GAMA Board Members were appointed to serve as committee chairmen during 2006:
``There is a fundamental disagreement between the FAA and the AOPA about whether the aviation trust fund is running out of money,'' said AOPA President Phil Boyer in a recent message to the association's members. ``As I testified before Congress, even the White House Office of Management and Budget is forecasting continued growth in the fund, and the fiscal year 2005 numbers bear this out.''
