TAG Aviation recently introduced iPad–based electronic flight bag (EFB) technology to its Switzerland-based fleet, featuring Jeppesen Mobile FlightDeck. Jeppesen will help to eliminate paper-based information from TAG's operations and increase overall operational efficiency. The company aims to achieve savings in fuel consumption by reducing the weight of each pilot's flight bag. On average, these can weigh from 40 to 50 lb. each. Jeppesen www.jeppesen.com
"Boosting DCA" (Washington Watch, February 2014, page 59) is the first article regarding Reagan Washington National Airport that hasn't totally ignored the fact that access to DCA is still severely limited. I've been getting very tired of aviation publications extolling TSA's superb efforts at relaxing the guidelines at DCA every time a new gateway airport is added. You are right on in acknowledging that there has been progress, but we are a long way from where we should be.
The PC-12 you flew in “Finnoff PC-12 Upgrade” is based at Boulder Municipal Airport in Colorado, not California; and Boulder City Airport is in Nevada. Boulder, Colo.
The long running fight for control of Santa Monica, Calif., Airport entered a pitched legal battle recently to determine the future of the facility, a key general aviation field outside Los Angeles — and possibly put hundreds more airports in jeopardy. Late last October the city filed suit with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California seeking to control the fate of SMO, insisting it has “unencumbered title” to the airport property and can do with it “as it chooses.” The municipality wants the option to close the airport after July 2015.
Luxembourg-based Luxaviation has acquired Unijet, a leading French business aviation operator, through its Belgian subsidiary, Abelag. Based at Le Bourget in Paris, Unijet provides the group access to Europe's foremost business aviation airport. With the acquisition, the new group increases its staff to 350 employees and its fleet to 60 business aircraft based in Benelux, Germany and France.
Henry Ogrodzinski, the president and CEO of the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) and a longtime industry advocate, died at his home in Washington, D.C. Jan. 22 after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 65. A gentlemanly and friendly persuader, the genial “Henry O” spent his entire professional career in aviation, working with NASAO, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and Gulfstream Aerospace, among others.
Recent high-profile aircraft accidents, most notably the Asiana 214 crash at San Francisco in July 2013, have air safety mavens asking tough questions about the state of flight crews' stick, rudder and energy management skills. Periodic refresher training most often focuses on instrument and night proficiency, systems knowledge and the perfunctory engine failure scenarios. But most refresher training only pays token attention to basic VFR piloting.
Organizers of the 2014 Asian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (ABACE), set for April 15-17, report exhibitor registrations early this year were far ahead of last year's pace and have expanded the exhibit hall and pavilion to allow for more booths at the Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Centre. ABACE is produced through a partnership between the Shanghai Airport Authority and National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), and co-hosted by NBAA, the Asian Business Aviation Association and the Shanghai Exhibition Center.
Southeast Aerospace, Melbourne, Fla., appointed Darrel Davies regional representative for Canada. He will help expand SEA's service in the Canadian helicopter market.
New charter operator World Health Jets of Jackson, Miss., has contracted with JDA Aviation Technology Solutions (JDA) for the company's 135Pro product. The program is a low-cost FAR Part 135 certification support program designed to simplify the certification process and lower costs. It includes manuals tailored to help new charter operators and corporate flight departments satisfy FAA requirements and while obtaining full-time support from the JDA expert 135 team. Visit www.jdasolutions.aero for more information.
While aircraft design and certification has certainly minimized the occurrence of Mach Tuck, there are many important lessons to be remembered from earlier investigations that apply to swept-wing training.
Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, announced that James “Jim” Walker has joined the company as vice president and managing director of Asia Pacific reporting to Colin Mahoney, senior vice president, International and Service Solutions.
The National Transportation Safety Board said in its determination of probable cause for the loss of Beech E90, N987GM, that “Contributing to the accident was the failure of air traffic control personnel to use available radar information to provide the pilot with a timely warning that he was about to encounter extreme precipitation and weather along his route of flight or to provide alternative routing to the pilot.”
For the aviation industry, Jan. 13 marked the end of a long decade. That was the day that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at long last published its repair station security rule. The action was a bit tardy. After all, Congress had mandated it more than a decade ago, and then became so frustrated by agency inaction that it forbade the FAA from certifying any new foreign repair station until TSA released the rule. That ban has been in place since August 2008.
The Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) is expanding its categories of membership to include academic institutions and individual aviation professionals, including retirees. MEBAA Founding Chairman Ali Al Naqbi said, “Our additional categories will bolster our plans to introduce students to the business aviation industry and support those already working within aviation to develop their contacts and knowledge in their respective field of expertise.
Beechcraft is approaching initial deliveries of the Hawker 400XPR upgrade aircraft, with the first three undergoing final airframe modifications. The handover should occur in the first half of this year. The XPR mod involves installation of a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite (Garmin's G5000 suite is optional), replacing the original Pratt & Whitney JT-15D-5 engines with Williams International FJ44-4A-32 turbofans, and winglets, among other improvements.
A half century ago, the 280 kt., 1,800-nm range Howard 500 represented the pinnacle of business aviation's Big Piston Era. Durrell Unger “Dee” Howard of San Antonio, Texas, built 16 of these 5,000-hp beasts before losing the sales war to Leroy Grumman's new turboprop Gulfstream in the early 1960s.
RUAG has delivered the first Dornier 228-212 to the Venezuelan government at the end of January. This is the first of 10 Dornier 228s in passenger configuration ordered by that government and includes spare parts, ground equipment and training. The Dornier fleet will improve travel between remote areas and regional hubs, and will give residents in hard to reach areas greater access to medical care and government support.
Correction: Gulfstream Aerospace, Savannah, Ga., hired Kevin Brink and Scott Clarey as sales directors for North America. Kevin Dutton's name was misspelled under his photo in the February “On Duty” section.
It turns out 2013 was even harder for Sabreliner Corporation, which lost half of its business as a result of military budget cutting and defaulted on its bank loan. That, in turn, led to its sale to a Sabreliner Services LLC, which was reportedly formed recently by Innovative Capital Holdings LLC, a Florida investment firm. An investment group that included company Chairman F. Holmes Lamoreux previously had owned the company. As a result of the sale, Lamoreux is exiting, along with President Susan Aselage.
Air Medical Group Holdings (AMGH), one of the largest independent providers of helicopter air ambulance services, is buying 20 Bell 206L4s. Deliveries are scheduled to begin this year and continue through 2017.
Here are some tips from our readers: Hydraulic fluid can be extremely dangerous if you get it on your skin or in your eyes, so always wear appropriate protective gear when working around the stuff. Have a large bucket or two handy when opening a hydraulic line. Once the fluid starts coming out, it will keep flowing — and quickly. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling hydraulic fluid or hydraulic components, since even a tiny bit can burn your eyes or skin.
Dassault Falcon Jet, Teterboro, N.J., named Kristen Krueger sales manager for the Pacific Northwest. She has 13 years of industry experience, including as a regional ice president for sales at Netjets. Rhett Reavis is the new sales manager for the Mid-Atlantic and eastern Canada. He was formerly a regional sales manager for FlightSafety International.
Here are prominent references addressing the necessity for the Strategic Lateral Offset Procedure and how and where it can be flown: International Civil Aviation Organization, Document 4444, Air Traffic Management (PANS-ATM), Chapter 16 (“Miscellaneous Procedures”), Paragraph 5. This is the source document for the justification, implementation, definition, and execution of the Strategic Lateral Offset Procedure in oceanic and “remote continental” airspace. The section is short and to the point, including:
MyTurbine is a mobile app from Dallas Airmotive designed to easily connect customers anywhere in the world with information about engines being serviced, AOG support and much more. Convenient icons allow for quick navigation to the services most used by customers such as the company's First Support global customers. Users can check cost estimates and completions dates on engines in process, find service locations and contact sales reps among others features.
