Duncan Aviation's paint and interior completions design group has captured top awards in the American Society of Interior Designers' interior design contest.
Panel-mount GPS boxes that use PCMCIA and Garmin data cartridges will be the first applications for an online database update service being developed by Jeppesen. A Testmetrix data card writer will transfer the update to the data card or cartridge from PC-compatible computers. While Jeppesen will start taking orders for the service in late 1998, the company was mum on the retail price, the time schedule for implementation, and other applications such as business aircraft FMS database updates.
NTSB is seeking the cause of the crash of a Sabreliner 80 on July 18 near Florence, Kan. The accident killed the two pilots (the only people on board): Stan Roth, president of Executive Aircraft Corp. in Wichita, and his brother Jim.
A new program from Sabreliner Corp. is designed to reduce inspection intervals, maintenance downtime and operating costs, as well as provide a five-year warranty against structural corrosion. The "Sabre 2000" program also adds 5,000 hours of service to aircraft currently with a 10,000-hour life limit. Entry into the program requires a baseline inspection of an operator's aircraft and a sign-in fee ranging from $127,000 to $250,000.
The Universal Lift from Air Technical Industries can be converted to eight units from one, ranging from a forklift to an extended gooseneck boom crane. Six other attachments can convert the unit into a crane, platform lift, cable lift shovel bucket, personnel maintenance lift, and coil reel and roll lifter. Pricing depends upon the customer's choice of lifting attachments, power methods and wheel options. Example: A battery-operated, self-propelled unit with one attachment sells for $3,600; an all-up lift, $17,000.
(www. duncanaviation.com/compnts/components)-Now online is Duncan's frequently requested Capabilities Guide, which lists all of the company's avionics, instrument, accessory and propeller overhaul and repair capabilities, as well as Duncan's non- destructive testing and calibration services.
Meriam Instrument has developed a pitot-static tester that simulates altitude, climb and airspeed. The Model 370PSK can perform leak-test functions with one keystroke. Airspeed accuracy reads at +/-0.05 percent of full scale; altitude accuracy is plus/minus seven feet at sea level and +/-26 feet at 36,000 feet. Displays are backlit to improve readability. Kit price: $5,995. Meriam Instrument, 10920 Madison Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102. (216) 281-1100; fax: (216) 281-0228.
Raytheon Aircraft Services, serving the general aviation fleet with 15 locations, is the recipient of the 1998 Phillips 66 Aviation "Wings of Excellence" statuette for its contributions and commitment to the industry. AlliedSignal delivered to Eurocopter the first prototype of the company's new, combined solid-state flight data and cockpit voice recorder. It will be available in the new EC 155 medium-lift helicopter.
All but one of the dozen King Air C90Bs produced under a joint marketing venture between Raytheon Aircraft and Jaguar Cars have been sold, and Raytheon hopes to sell the last at the Farnborough Air Show this month. And while the year-long agreement between the companies won't be extended, many of the enhancements to the C90 will be added to the production line for 1999 (February, page 43). Among the features being carried forward is a new seat design with additional padding and special leather upholstery, enhanced sidewalls and thicker carpets.
(www.hammondscos.com)-This fuel additive and fluid additive injector equipment company's new site includes fuel quality and handling tips, product information and ordering data and technical support.
Jouve Data Management, Inc. has added AirGTI Task manager to its AirGTI software product suite. The program is designed to help aircraft maintenance planners maintain regulatory compliance and controls that are aircraft tail-number specific. The program, which can run stand-alone or can be integrated with other maintenance support systems, also generates corrective action task cards, comes with its own browser, provides reports, and can be used with popular word processors and graphics editors. Phone: (949) 474-4200; fax: (949) 474-4201.
Specialized Transport International, a company performing fixed-wing and helicopter maintenance and modification work on light and heavy aircraft, signed a comprehensive agreement with FLIR Systems, Inc. to provide them with Installation support services.
The AOPA Air Safety Foundation's Seminar-in-a-Box provides pilots with five different do-it-yourself safety programs. Topics include Collision Avoidance and Non-Towered Airports, Airspace Refresher, Never Again (reenacting actual accidents and incidents), and Trigger Tape I and Trigger Tape II (presenting six video scenarios of accidents waiting to happen, to trigger discussion). Kits contain a video or slides, a guide for presenters, handouts for participants and even a door prize video.
Thirty years out of the aviation scene, the four-place, twin-engine Derringer is trying to make a comeback. Derringer Aircraft Co. in Mojave, Calif. is offering the Derringer GT to the business market. A prototype, powered by 200 hp Lycoming engines flat-rated to 160 hp, is now in flight testing, with production aircraft expected to be available in January 1999. The price of the VFR version Derringer GT is $349,000.
Federal Express selected Miami, Fla.-based Pan Am International Flight Academy to provide crew training (pilots and mechanics) for the Ayres Loadmaster LM200, a large-capacity, twin-turboprop, single-propeller aircraft scheduled to enter service in December 1999 (July, page 22). The Academy will build a Level D simulator training facility in Memphis. Meanwhile, the company was purchased recently from a private investor group by an affiliation of Academy management and the Boston investment firm of J.W. Childs.
This year, two of the major U.S. government agencies responsible for aviation-the FAA and NASA-are celebrating their 40th anniversary. Both were founded during the administration of President Dwight D. "Ike" Eisenhower.
NTSB pared down its "Most Wanted" list of safety recommendations from 21 items in 1997 to just 10. Aviation remains the subject of four items: explosive mixtures in fuel tanks, human fatigue, airframe icing and runway incursions. Removed from the list are recommendations covering flight data recorders, pilot background checks and wake turbulence.
FlightSafety International (Flushing, N.Y.)-This aviation personnel training organization appointed managers at four of its regional learning centers: Marlin Schaefer, manager of the Raytheon Aircraft training facility in Wichita; John Bennett, manager of the de Havilland aircraft center in Toronto; Al Ramsey, manager of the Houston Learning Center; and Jean-Luc Lechantre, manager of the company's facility at Le Bourget Airport, Paris. Doug Bowen joined the company as worldwide sales manager for maintenance technician training programs.
Although TCAS II Change 7.0 software is not yet commercially available, the FAA has been conducting demonstrations in its B-727 that allow pilots to see the differences between the old and the new TCAS II software. "The purpose of these flights is to let the Industry see for itself the actual differences between V6.04A and V7.0 logic in a configuration that can't
A shared ownership program for Cessna singles is being test marketed by the manufacturer in Indianapolis and Salt Lake City. The company may announce a nationwide program at the NBAA convention in October.
Starting this year, the national General Aviation Awards Program includes an aviation technician category in addition to the maintenance technician and flight instructor categories. The add-on is partly driven by the sponsors' intent to expand the arena of competition, said Fred Kirby, the NBAA's manager of technical services. Further, the new category enables the program to keep in step with a proposed rule change that would replace the terms "mechanic" and "repairman" with "aviation maintenance technician" and "aviation repair specialist" (See Briefing, page 46).
Premier Air Center in East Alton, Ill. has received certification for non-destructive testing on Citations using eddy current, magnetic particle and liquid penetrant methods.
