The FAA has established a protocol for near vision correction for pilots using a non-laser refractive treatment called NearVision CK (conductive keratoplasty), according to its manufacturer, Refractec Inc. ``Certification by the FAA as a vision correction procedure for pilots validates the safety and value of CK as a refractive treatment,'' said Mitchell B. Campbell, president of Refractec.
Duncan Aviation is now factory authorized to perform Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545 hot section inspections on the Citation Excel and 300-hour PW305A IBR inspections on the Learjet 60. Duncan Aviation-Battle Creek recently completed its 13th IBR Inspection on the Learjet 60. For information, contact Dan Arrick at (800) 525-2376 or (269) 969-8453.
THE HEAT OF SUMMER HAD PASSED, so it was time to fetch mom and bring her home to Austin, Texas. As had become her habit, the 82-year-old former high school English teacher spent her summers 550 nm to the west in Angel Fire, a resort town located high in a cool mountain valley within New Mexico's Wheeler Peak range. It was Sept. 23, 2004, a perfect day for the out-and-back flight in a Cessna 421 owned by one of her sons. The plan called for him to fly to Angel Fire along with an assistant who would then drive the woman's car and belongings back to Texas.
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and PAMA have entered into an agreement whereby PAMA's 3,000 members can enjoy the benefits of SAE membership, while the association benefits from SAE's global technical and marketing resources. ``The SAE Institute welcomes the inclusion of PAMA,'' said J.F. ``Ted'' Robertson, P.E., president of SAE International. ``This is a win-win agreement for all involved.''
The Department of Defense has approved full-rate production of the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey. A Defense Acquisition Board convened on Sept. 28 to weigh the tiltrotor's fate and decided that the V-22 production rate, now 11 aircraft a year, should begin to rise in fiscal 2007 and eventually reach a top rate of more than 40 aircraft a year.
The Vref Turboprop Index -- a compilation of quarterly prices recorded for the Beech King Air C90A, King Air B200, Cessna Conquest I and II, Piper Cheyenne II and Twin Commander 690B over the past 10 years -- shows that the average value of these benchmark business turboprops now exceeds $1.0 million. The index reflects recent increases in the value of many business turboprops, especially King Airs.
European Business Jets, a new U.K. fractional based at Marshall's Cambridge Airport, is offering one-eighth and one-sixteenth shares in one- to two-year-old Cessna Citation CJ1s. EBJ is currently operating three aircraft. Two more are due for delivery after Christmas, says CEO Graeme Deary. Depending on the age of the aircraft, share prices vary -- but as an example -- a one-sixteenth share costs in the region of 130,000 (U.S. $227,480), the monthly management fee is around 2,700 (U.S. $4,720) and occupied hourly rate is 1,341 (U.S. $2,3400).
A few years ago I boarded a Boeing 737 for a business trip, but when the last passenger found a seat, the pilot announced that we would be delayed for about an hour. It was raining and I presumed that the delay was due to weather.
Agusta Aerospace Corp. sold the Phoenix Police Air Support Unit two new single-engine A119 Koala helicopters. This sale took place just a few months after the Phoenix Police and Fire Departments took delivery of their first multi-role twin-engine A109 Power helicopter. The Koala helicopters will be configured with new-technology mission-specific electronic equipment for the law enforcement role. Agusta Aerospace is the U.S. subsidiary of AgustaWestland.
A Garmin 1000 avionics suite will be standard equipment on the Quest KODIAK -- configured with two PFDs flanking a centrally located MFD. The KODIAK is a 10-place, single-engine turboprop utility airplane powered by a PT6A-34 engine with a Hartzell propeller. It is designed to be float capable. The KODIAK has logged over 250 hours toward FAA certification expected in early 2006, with customer deliveries immediately following. Base price for the KODIAK is $1,111,000. Headquartered in Sandpoint, Idaho, and founded in 2001, Quest currently employs more than 50 people.
navAero, Inc., Chicago, named Dean K. Matt as the company's first chief operating officer. Founder Stefan Ridderheim retains the title of CEO. navAero has also moved its U.S. headquarters to a recently renovated historical building in downtown Chicago.
The Helicopter Association International named Matthew Zuccaro, a long-time member and former chairman, to succeed Roy Resavage as president, effective Nov. 1. Resavage announced in June his intention to step down for health reasons. Zuccaro is president of Zuccaro Industries, LLC, an aviation consultancy specializing in helicopter issues. Zuccaro has a 20-year affiliation with the HAI, having served as chairman, vice chairman and treasurer. A former U.S.
The hapless lad who allegedly stole a Cessna 172 from Danbury (Conn.) Airport (DXR) and landed on fumes at Westchester County Airport (HPN), was granted $250,000 bail by a Westchester County, N.Y., judge on Oct. 12 -- if his family can come up with cash and assets to cover it. Philippe Patricio, 21, evidently caught up in the politics of Westchester District Attorney Jeanine Pirro's run for U.S. senator against Hillary Clinton, has been under 23-hour lockdown in the county jail since the June 22 incident.
Too many loose ends? With a patented over-center fastener that provides positive lock-in tension and quick release, the Kevlok tie-down adjustable strap fastener system firmly secures just about anything quickly. A wide range of webbing materials is available: low-cost polypropylene, high-strength nylon and stretch-resistant polyester. Hardware is heavy-gauge steel with standard zinc or bronze chromate finish. Tie-downs come in varied widths and strengths. Custom designed tie-downs can be ordered to meet your specific needs. Price: Varies
``The numbers of levels busts in the U.K.'s National Air Traffic Services area are up 40 percent year on year,'' says Mike Edwards, head of Incident Investigation Safety & Performance Improvement NATS. ``This equates to a rolling average of 364 level busts in the last 12 months. Of these events, some 14 percent, or about 48, were captured and returned to straight and level flight with no loss of separation.
It's not an experience you'd choose to have, because you don't know what's happening until it's over.'' So mused the aviation manager of an S&P 100 company that was the object of a takeover by an aggressive competitor. ``If you're getting bought, that gives you the short straw, and often that puts you even more in the dark. The one thing you can count on, though, is change -- something's going to change, but you can't count on whether it will be good or bad.''
Has it really been four years? As we go to press, general aviation returns to DCA Tuesday, October 18th at 7:00 a.m. The NBAA termed the occasion Ronald Reagan National Airport's return to, ``its standing as a full service airport,'' when the first private aircraft taxied to the Signature Flight Support Hangar 7 at the south end of the Airport to be greeted by dignitaries from the Airports Authority, Signature, the NBAA, NATA and representatives from Congress and the federal government.
Cessna Aircraft will stick with FlightSafety International to train pilots of the new Cessna Mustang. ``We are pleased to participate in this new and innovative aircraft program,'' said FSI President Bruce Whitman. ``We have worked closely with Cessna to develop a training program tailored to the specific needs of Mustang aircraft operators.'' FSI will design and build two full-flight simulators and two avionics FTDs.
ASA's FAR/AIM 2006 series consolidates FAA regulations and procedures into three, easy-to-use reference books of information pertinent to pilots, flight crew and maintenance technicians. All ASA FAR/AIM series books show changes since last edition marked clearly for quick reference and indexed to provide clear and intuitive access to the subject matter. The 2006 editions are re-typeset for greater readability and the full-color graphics provide high-detail images. The new FAR/AIM includes a user-friendly combined FAR/AIM index at the back of the book.
The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) has completed a $3-million upgrade to its crash dynamics laboratory and now has the ability to operate the facility for up to 18 hours a day. A major part of the upgrade was installation of an MTS accelerator sled that is capable of replicating any type of crash pulse at speeds up to 50 mph with a 1,500-kilogram (3,307-pound) payload. According to NIAR, the sled can be adjusted for impact peak profiles up to 65 g's.
Step aboard Gulfstream's new G150 and you might find it difficult to believe that it's a direct descendant of the super-lean G100, the cruise performance leader in the midsize class. While closely based on the G100 type design, the G150 offers passengers a full foot more cabin width and 2 inches more height than its predecessor. Like the G100, the G150 can carry four passengers 2,700 nm at long-range cruise or dash more than 2,400 nm at high-speed cruise with the same payload. But unlike the G100, the G150 has a transcontinental cabin to match its coast-to-coast range.
In the time-driven world of big-time fractional ownership, where response times are contractually guaranteed to shareholders, aircraft availability is king. ``The worst and most costly scenario for us in terms of scheduling is to have an aircraft disabled on the ground at a remote field due to a mechanical problem,'' NetJets vice president, aircraft programs Gary Strapp admitted from his office at the fractional provider's Columbus, Ohio, operations center.
The G150's Planeview system is hosted by Rockwell Collins' Pro Line 21 avionics aboard the G150. But without looking at the labels on the avionics boxes, it would be hard to tell the system is manufactured in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The G150's displays bear scant resemblance to conventional Pro Line 21 systems. The PFD ADIs, for instance, have edge-to-edge sky/earth horizon references. The aircraft symbols have been made larger and shaped more like real airplanes. TCAS resolution advisory guidance cues have been added to the ADI.
