On April 1, 1999, Inmarsat is scheduled to become a limited public company governed by a 15-member board: a CEO and 14 directors, including three from developing countries. The new Inmarsat is expected to issue an IPO within two years of formation. This London-based satellite operating organization is now a quasi-government consortium of 84 member nations.
Concerned that small airports don't have the financial resources to resolve their Y2K problems, the FAA has requested Congress to allow AIP grants or state apportionment funds to help pay for computer upgrades during fiscal 1999.
British safety investigators said that a near miss between a Gulfstream and a Boeing 747 near London in July 1997 was caused by the airline pilot's failure to properly report his aircraft speed to controllers, according to an Associated Press account. Further, controllers did not notice the 747 had stopped descending when they gave instructions to the Gulfstream, the AP report added. The aircraft passed within two-thirds of a mile horizontally and 200 feet vertically .
The General Accounting Office might be charged with conducting a study ``of the current state of the national airport network,'' if an amendment introduced by Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) survives the FAA reauthorization process. The purpose of the GAO scrutiny would be to determine whether reliever airports and those in remote communities can meet the nation's air-transportation needs in the next 15 years. Among the criteria the amendment aims to examine are runway length of 5,500 feet or the equivalent altitude-adjusted length, ATC facilities and navigational aids.
Operators can obtain a copy of the Pilots Guide to Large Aircraft Ground Deicing (FAA AC 120-58) and Pilots Guide to Small Aircraft Ground Deicing (AC 135-17) from B/CA. The booklets, published by the FAA, contain general information in addition to specific procedures concerning ground deicing operations and deicing fluids. Single copies of the guides are available, while they last, for $1 each (to cover postage and handling) from Business&Commercial Aviation, 4 International Dr., Ste. 260, Rye Brook, N.Y. 10573.
Be aggressive--that is the key at Delta Connection Comair. The Cincinnati-based carrier has added 50 new firm Canadair Regional Jets with a value of more than $1 billion to its order book, one that takes it to 130 firm CRJ orders. Included are 30 50-seat CRJ-100s and 20 70-seat CRJ-700s. The carrier started the regional-jet revolution in the United States in 1993 and with options, including 115 in the latest agreement, eventually could operate 245 CRJs in its existing and expanding route network.
Dassault Falcon Jet says it's ``on track'' to receive Category II certification of a Flight Dynamics head-up display for the Falcon 900EX in the first quarter of 1999. Cat III certification is scheduled in the third quarter. The Falcon 2000 received Cat III approval earlier (July, page 20). Approximately 50 percent of all Falcon 2000 operators and as many as 85 percent of Falcon 900EX operators have purchased the HUD option, according to Dassault officials.
The average age of the 335 fixed-wing business jets operated by Fortune 100 companies is 9.1 years, according to a recent study by Aviation Research Group/U.S. in Cincinnati. The average age of the entire U.S. fleet of business jets is 16 years, according to GAMA. ARG/U.S. says the Fortune 100 fleet largely comprises older Citations, Falcons and Gulfstreams.
Inflight Excellence, a relative newcomer among the crewmember emergency training vendors, is making the move into regularly scheduled events and has published a schedule of course dates for the remainder of this year and early spring 1999 (see Calendar, page 114). The Mission Viejo, Calif. company has been conducting its emergency training and executive cabin service courses on an on-request basis for two years, relying on word of mouth for repeat business.
Really Quiet LLC inMojave, Calif. says it expects to receive certification in fall 1999 of an FAR Part 36, Stage 3 hush kit for Gulfstream us and Ills. Spokesperson George Ottendorf says the kit will not impact the aircraft's range and, in fact, will increase takeoff thrust performance by five percent. Price is about $1.5 million installed.
New Global Express and Challenger 604 operators will now receive Air Security's SecuraFlite package for one year at no charge. The SecuraFlite package consists of security awareness training at the customer's location, security alerts and assessments, a hotline for security counseling, and various security products, including a free cellular phone for each trip. Bombardier and Air Security of Houston are discussing the possibility of extending the service to new operators of Learjet 31A, 45 and 60 aircraft.
West Star Aviation (Grand Junction, Colo.)--Randy Raedlein came aboard this maintenance facility as turbine service sales representative for the company's Northwest Region, and will be based near Boise, Idaho.
Sun-Air Aviation said it will build a ``modern aviation complex'' on four acres of land at California's Camarillo Airport. The facility will consist of a 100-by-200-foot hangar, a two-story executive terminal and a parking lot. The terminal will include separate passenger and crew lounges, and a flight planning room with computerized weather data. Construction is scheduled to start in mid 1999 and conclude within one year.
NTSB wants the FAA to require FAR Part 135 scheduled passenger flights (those conducted in aircraft with fewer than 10 passenger seats) to file IFR when operating at night. Such a restriction is required for Part 121 operations. The Safety Board based the recommendation, in part, on its investigation of a ``black hole'' accident involving a Cessna 402 operating as Air Sunshine Flight 319, that crashed into the Caribbean Sea southwest of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, on February 8, 1997.
Available from JETPorter is the JP-1 electric tug that handles aircraft up to 30,000 pounds. (Standard equipment on the JP-1 is a two-speed transmission, integral 12V-28V GPU, dual braking system, onboard battery charger and diagnostic system. A nosewheel lift cradle eliminates the need for tow bars or adapters. Under development is the JP-2 that will handle aircraft up to 125,000 pounds. JP-1 price: $16,950. JETPorter, P.O. Box 4205, Salem, Ore. 97302. (503) 304-2215; fax: (503) 304-0196.
Rekkof Aircraft (that is Fokker spelled backward) will decide shortly whether to re-launch production of the Fokker 70/100 family of regional jets. The final approval must come from the firm's financial backers through its newly established Swiss Trust.
The Michigan DOT's Bureau of Aeronautics has purchased Romeo Airport, located north of Detroit, for a reported $5 million. Now the state is considering nine bids it has received for the management of the airport and the operation of the FBO, formerly Romeo Aviation. Romeo Aviation is vacating, and the jobs will be awarded under separate contracts, although it's conceivable that one company could land the entire management/FBO package.
WHAT IS AN UPSET? -- Pitch attitude greater than 25 nose-up. -- Pitch attitude greater than 10 nose-down. -- Bank angle greater than 45. -- Within normal flight parameters, but at an airspeed inappropriate for the conditions. Source: Airplane Upset Recovery Training Aid Upset Training Providers Calspan Operation of Flight Research Group Buffalo, N.Y. (716) 631-6966 Flight Research, Inc. Mojave, Calif. (805) 824-4136
Fairbanks Automated FSS has put hundreds of photographs of Alaskan airports on its web site (www.alaska.faa.gov/fai/afss/airports.htm). Each image (most in color) is annotated with information, such as the common traffic advisory frequency, latitude/longitude, elevation, and lengths and widths of runways. Most airports also have notes on operating condition. Photos are dated so pilots can learn the currency of data. The collection is organized by geographic area and listed by airport identifier.
Simuflite Training International (Dallas)--Charles Carson, former president of this business-aviation training provider, is the new president of Ypsilanti, Mich.-based American International Airways, a charter freight and passenger carrier. No successor at SimuFlite had been named at press time.
New base prices for Mooney aircraft now include the formerly optional Classic package as standard equipment. The Classic package includes an autopilot, GPS receiver and other items, but not deicing. Beginning in the 1999 model year, the base prices are $439,000 for the M20M Bravo, $384,000 for the M20R Ovation and $319,000 for the new M20S Eagle (which will replace the M20J Allegro). The deicing option has an installed price of $44,500 for Bravos and $50,800 for Ovations, including a standby alternator.
FAA has proposed an AD that would require inspection of up to 10,500 Puritan-Bennett Series C351-2000 passenger and portable oxygen masks. The agency is concerned about tears in the face cushions after three airplane manufacturers reported they were found during routine inspections. Comments on the proposal are due November 26. For more information, contact the FAA's Michael Imbler in Wichita at (316) 946-4147. Puritan-Bennett will repair or replace defective masks at no cost to the operator, the FAA said.
A 60,000-square-foot aircraft painting facility is scheduled for completion in December at Garrett Aviation on Capital Airport in Springfield, Ill. New hangars will accommodate four to five aircraft up to DC-9 size or up to eight smaller jets simultaneously, compared to the present facility, which is limited to one larger aircraft and one smaller one simultaneously. The increased capacity means Garrett can paint an additional 20-22 aircraft yearly for an annual goal of 50 aircraft.
Bombardier Aerospace selected Marshall Aerospace in Cambridge, England as the first independent authorized service facility in Europe for the Global Express ultra long-range business jet .
Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. has launched a full-scale research and development effort to create a certifiable prototype of a four-place, piston-powered light aircraft. Dubbed the Toyota Advanced Aircraft, the plane will be constructed entirely of composite media. The R&D project is being conducted under the auspices of Toyota Motor Sales, the automaker's U.S. subsidiary, and is headquartered in the Toyota Technical Center in the Los Angeles suburb of Gardena.
