James Bass is the new president and chief executive of New Piper Aircraft. American Capital Strategies, which holds a controlling interest in New Piper, abruptly deposed long-time company executive Chuck Suma and replaced him with Bass, who began his new duties Sept. 12. Suma was named vice chairman of the board of New Piper, where a spokesman said he will work with regulatory agencies and the company's aircraft dealer network.
Looking for an easy-to-use, high-resolution, remote imaging system? Lenox Instrument Co.'s VideoFlex series of videoscopes features a four-way, 150-degree articulated tip, integrated control/display hand piece with a 6.4-inch LCD. The working portion of the scope is protected with polyurethane-impregnated tungsten braiding, available in diameters of 6.0 millimeters (0.236 inches) and 8.4 millimeters (0.330 inches) with lengths to 7.5 meters (24.6 feet). The hand piece features rugged, all-metal construction and a 2.0 meter (6.6-foot) length umbilical cable.
The microprocessor has brought us a world of convenience in many of the electronics we use, from our toasters and home heating systems and cell phones to the engine control systems in our cars and aircraft.
GE Aviation has successfully launched RFID technology in its shipping and receiving logistics for aircraft engines spare parts. GE-Aviation began testing RFID (radio frequency identification) technology on its spare parts several years ago and began operating its first system earlier this year. ``In February 2005, we became one of the first aerospace manufacturers to successfully operate a closed-loop RFID system,'' said Teo Ruscin, RFID Program lead.
Gulfstream and IAI chose to retain the G100's 4,250 pounds-thrust Honeywell TFE731-40R-200G turbofans aboard the G150 to expedite the development program and save the weight associated with fitting the aircraft with a more powerful engine. For the G150, Honeywell increased the takeoff thrust by 5 percent to 4,420 pounds of thrust and raised the ITT limits by means of a ``throttle-push'' made possible by a DEEC software change. Climb thrust also is increased by 6 to 7 percent and cruise thrust is pumped up by 4 percent.
Tradeoffs are a reality of aircraft design, although engineers attempt to optimize the blend of capabilities, performance and passenger comfort. B&CA compares the subject aircraft, in this case the Gulfstream G150, to the composite characteristics of others in its class, computing the percentage differences for various parameters in order to portray the aircraft's relative strengths and weaknesses. We also include the absolute value of each parameter, along with the relative ranking, for the subject aircraft within the composite group.
Premier Group, Inc. Birmingham, Ala., named Steven Allen as president with responsibilities for the company's international markets. He succeeds his father, Steve Allen, who is now CEO.
THE STEADY GROWTH of charter audit providers has been a mixed blessing to FAR Part 135 operators. It's encouraging to know that customers are beginning to care about the overall quality of an operation rather than make decisions based solely on price, but the cost borne by those operators to comply with demands made by multiple auditors in addition to normal FAA inspections is a growing burden.
THE ANNUAL NBAA CONVENTION performs a lot of functions for the business aviation community, one of which is serving as a report card on the state of the industry and an opportunity to gauge its future. Will attendance at this month's show exceed 30,000? How many exhibitors will be on hand to display their wares? How much exhibit space will they rent? How many aircraft will be on view at the static display?
Aviation Technology Group, Inc. (ATG) flew the Javelin prototype aircraft Sept. 30 from Centennial Airport in Englewood, Colo. The aircraft took off at 0750 Mountain Time with Robert Fuschino, vice president of operations and chief test pilot, at the controls. The aircraft climbed out at a rate of 2,800 fpm and the flight lasted 35 minutes during which Fuschino tested handling qualities, engine stability and approach and landing flight characteristics. Bank angles were limited to 20 degrees. It reached a maximum speed of 180 knots and an altitude of 12,000 feet.
Aw, come on, we all know -- especially us graybeards -- that we can schedule power better than a bunch of microchips, right? Which brings up the $64 question, are FADECs better than humans?
Jet Aviation has increased its Basel, Switzerland, hangar space by 30 percent by taking over the ex-Crossair hangar. ``Currently we have more than 30 aircraft on any given day for maintenance, completions and exterior painting,'' said Rainer Albecker, senior vice president and general manager at Jet Aviation Basel. The completions center has in-house design and engineering departments and is capable of completing luxury interiors for the huge Airbus A380.
TWC Aviation, Burbank, Calif., has named Ken Futterman, charter sales manager and dispatch. He will oversee the scheduling and operational procedures of the company.
Stevens Aviation, Greenville, S.C., has promoted Rich Morgan to director, modifications and completions. He will oversee the interior, paint and avionics installation departments.
Raytheon Aircraft Co., Wichita, appointed Jim Smith as vice president of government business reporting directly to Chairman and CEO Jim Schuster. Mike Turner has joined the company as media relations manager.
Evektor-Aerotechnik in the Czech Republic has signed Pratt & Whitney Canada to supply PT6A-21 engines for the new Evektor EV-55, a nine- to 14-passenger (or 1,824-kilogram [4,021-pound] cargo) STOL utility twin. The $1.7 million (in 2004 dollars) all metal EV-55 is designed as a replacement for aging cabin-class piston twin aircraft in air-taxi operations. The EV-55's first flight is planned for mid-2007, with FAR Part 23 certification by the end of 2008, and first customer deliveries in 2009. A cruise speed of 220 knots at 10,000 feet is forecast for the aircraft.
National Air Transportation Association President James Coyne sent a letter to all 535 members of Congress urging them to block enforcement of Environmental Protection Agency spill protection rules that call for secondary containment for fuel trucks -- treating refuelers as permanent storage tanks when parked. Coyne told Congress that the rules would deal aviation businesses ``a significant blow at a time when they can least afford it.'' Coyne added that the physical requirements of the rule would reduce safety and security.
Curious about how your maintenance skills compare with those of your peers? Can you do it faster? More accurately? More economically? How good are you at troubleshooting? Or getting the job done when twisted like a pretzel in the hell hole?
The FAA has launched a formal safety evaluation of the Mitsubishi MU-2B. The investigation is to examine all aspects of the airplane, including design, operation, training and maintenance.
The Eclipse 500 flight-test fleet has accrued 500 total flight hours as the company progresses toward certification in early 2006. The five test aircraft have completed a number of milestones including FOD and water ingestion testing. One aircraft also made 20 landings in one day to test tire wear.
Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, Inc. Minneapolis, announced that Dave Hamilton, Dave Prohira and Craig Richardson have joined WFEFI's business aircraft financing unit.
The FAA finally scrapped a rule it released five years ago to overhaul service difficulty report (SDR) requirements, proposing instead to make several minor changes to requirements while it continues to study how best to improve the process. The agency on Sept. 15, 2000, released the original rule increasing the requirements for FAR Part 121, 125 and 135 operators to report problems that crop up with aircraft, engines, systems and components. Industry groups, however, objected to portions of the rule, calling them too costly and burdensome to implement.
