Tracer Corp. of Milwaukee has signed a $20 million agreement to serve as Honeywell's exclusive sales channel for surplus aircraft parts. On a consignment basis, Tracer will provide sales, servicing, warehousing and logistical support for auxiliary power units, wheels, brakes, control surfaces and avionics components.
A backache is one of man's most-common ailments. Among flight crews, back pain is so ordinary that the majority of sufferers accept it as an occupational aggravation. Pilots have a powerful motivation to avoid seeking medical help, and as long as the pain is tolerable most will endure it for years. I bet you've had an aching back and never notified your doctor or flight surgeon. You even flew when it was sore. Nodding your head? I won't tell. I've had back pain and hid it. Unfortunately, I waited until it was almost too late to get help.
Inflight entertainment and information provider Airshow is investing in AirCell, the Colorado-based inflight cellular telephone service. The two companies will produce integrated systems that combine Airshow's IFE systems with AirCell hardware and telephone service. AirCell recently won a protracted fight with terrestrial cellular companies challenging its planned use of a ground-based cellular network for airborne uses.
It may seem hard to believe, but business aviation entered the jet age almost 40 years ago, and a surprising number of those first-generation aircraft are still flying.
Cessna has appointed new authorized sales representatives (ASR) in Uruguay and Saudi Arabia for Caravans and Citations. The new ASRs are Riyadh-based Wallan Aviation and Aeromont Ltda., headquartered in Montevideo.
Photograph: The Falcon 2000EX will offer 25-percent more range than the standard Falcon 2000. Dassault Dassault Aviation's newest offering is the Falcon 2000EX, a 3,800-nm, transatlantic twinjet slated to enter service in mid-2003. Priced at $24 million in 2003 dollars, the Falcon 2000EX will have almost the same range and six-passenger, tanks-full payload as the $28 million Falcon 900C tri-jet, albeit with a 6.6-foot shorter cabin. With the introduction of the 2000EX, Dassault has a twinjet to compete with Bombardier's Challenger 604.
Lufthansa City Line has ordered 10 additional Bombardier CRJ700s, doubling its order for the 70-seat regional jets. SAS regional affiliate Air Botnia has ordered five BAe Systems Avro RJ85 aircraft; the 79-seaters are earmarked to replace aging Fokker F28s on the carrier's Scandinavian route network. Air Kilroe partner Eastern Airways (UK) is leasing another BAE Jetstream 32, bringing its fleet to a total of seven of the 19-seat turboprops.
Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB) has requested FAA funding for the construction of two new taxiways. Airport officials say the taxiways will help reduce the possibility of runway incursions. According to FAA statistics, DAB was the 35th busiest airport for general aviation traffic in 1999.
Cessna Citation X aircraft for the 2002 model year will incorporate several improvements, including increased gross weight and engine thrust and an expanded standard equipment line. Maximum takeoff weight will be increased by 400 pounds, from 35,700 pounds to 36,100 pounds, allowing the Citation X to carry up to seven passengers with full fuel in typically equipped airplanes.
Through the efforts of multiple working groups ETM/IETMs generally can be classified into five categories. A Class 1 ETM is used for older and less frequently used aircraft, because the data are derived from a legacy hard copy manual that is raster scanned. This means the text and art are non-editable and only can be used as a page-turning ETM.
Galaxy Aerospace has appointed Castagnet&Associates as Argentinean sales representative for its SPX and Galaxy jets. Castagnet says it also specializes in the sale of pre-owned piston and turbine aircraft, including aircraft configured for military and medevac missions.
Conklin&de Decker has released the State Tax Guide for General Aviation, covering all 50 states. Included in the report are sales and use taxes as they apply to aircraft sales, ownership, leases, parts and labor. In addition, common exemptions from state sales and or use taxes are explored. Conklin&de Decker says the report could have a significant impact on management decisions regarding aircraft acquisitions, basing and tax management. Price: $395 Conklin&de Decker P.O. Box 1142 Orleans, Mass. 02653
Sikorsky Aircraft and Honeywell have completed 42 hours of flight testing of the first enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) designed specifically for helicopters. The new system will display terrain and obstacle information on EFIS or weather radar displays and features tail-strike and bank-angle alerts, and auto-rotation and landing-gear position awareness reminders. The team hopes to achieve FAA certification before the end of the year, and the Mark XXII EGPWS unit could be available for new and used Sikorsky S-76 helicopters by early 2001.
Mechanical failure is suspected as the possible cause of an October airplane crash, which killed Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan, his son Roger and a longtime aide. Roger was reportedly flying the 1980 Cessna 335 at 6,500 feet when he reported a problem with its gyroscope. The airplane crashed in rain and fog in Festus, Mo.
Raytheon Aircraft plans to build the new, 2,000-nm-plus Hawker 450. Billed as the fastest, highest-climbing, largest-cabin aircraft in the light-midsize-jet category, the Hawker 450 will cruise at 0.80-plus Mach and feature double-club or center-club seating for eight in a stand-up cabin with 5.9-foot headroom, 6.0-foot width and 19.3-foot length. Positioned between Raytheon's Premier I and Hawker Horizon, the 450's main competitors will be Bombardier's 1,900-nm-range Learjet 45 and Cessna's 1,700-nm-range Excel.
Three foreign operators recently ordered 24 new Cessna Citations valued at more than $120 million. Brazil's Taxi Aereo Marila (TAM) ordered 14 aircraft, including three CJ1s, five CJ2s, an Encore, three Bravos and two Excels. The order is in addition to 15 Citations TAM ordered previously. Separately, Avemex of Toluca, Mexico ordered seven new Citations -- three Excels, two Bravos, a CJ1 and a CJ2 -- scheduled for delivery between May 2002 and February 2003.
Endevco is offering a miniature tri-axial piezoelectric accelerometer with integral electronics designed to measure modal responses in three orthogonal axes simultaneously. The device is adhesive-mounted and comes in models ranging from 500 g to 50 g in sensitivity. Designed to survive a 10,000-g shock, the five-gram accelerometer has a hermetically sealed four-pin receptacle that mates with a standard 10-foot cable. Typical applications for the accelerometer include aerospace component testing and vibration analysis. Price $1,450
FlightSafety International's new Falcon 2000 simulator at its Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) training center has received FAA Level D certification.
Air Cruisers' new 10-person life raft is certified to TSO C70a and features a six-year maintenance interval on the inflatable section. The raft, which has an overload capacity of 15 people, features internal/external lights, a foam-insulated floor to protect against hypothermia, auto-erecting canopy, balasting system, two boarding ladders and survival equipment. The pack measures nine by 20 by 20 inches and weighs 44 to 46 pounds, depending on options. Survival kits are available to comply with FAR Part 91/121/125/135, JAR OPS Part 1 and CAR 725.95.
Long before launching for the NBAA's 53rd annual convocation, I was well aware of business aviation's robust health. The association had presented me with convention facts and figures beforehand -- total number of vendors, booth space square footage, estimated attendees, aircraft on display -- which were all giddily impressive. Still, I was eager to get to New Orleans and take measure for myself. Once there, the full impact didn't strike until I began pacing the enormous Ernest N. Morial Convention Hall, most of which was full of airplane people and things.
Raytheon Aircraft says the FAA certification program for its Premier I business jet is ``92 percent complete,'' and should conclude during this quarter. Tasks remaining in the certification program include 150 hours of function and reliability testing, and airborne tests designed to gain single-pilot approval for the $4.8 million jet. Hansel Tookes, Raytheon Aircraft's chairman and CEO, said he remains pleased with the Premier I program, although ``the certification process has taken longer than we would have liked.''
Charles Fredrickson, Joe De Silva, Paul Perroni and Shawn McKay have been named FBO general managers. In addition, Harold Bowling will join Mercury's board of directors, replacing William Langton, who is retiring.
