When Deborah Hersman, chair of the NTSB, addressed the international media in the initial days after the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 accident at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), there was a sense of shock within the professional pilot ranks when she announced that the Boeing 777 was “significantly” below its final approach speed shortly before it struck the seawall short of Runway 28L. After all, if the aircraft was that unstabilized, why didn't the pilots go around?
The political math is not complicated. The U.S. government and most of the states are broke. Most people don't own aircraft. So, there won't be a populist revolt if in their quest for more revenue the IRS and counterparts at the state level target business aircraft for audits.
Nextant Aerospace is returning to Beechcraft products to add a second airframe to its remanufacturing business. This time it's targeting the King Air C90. Nextant has teamed with both General Electric and Garmin to offer what it calls the G90XT, a C90 fitted with GE H80 engines in place of the current Pratt & Whitney PT6As and with Garmin's G1000 avionics suite instead of the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 platform. While the Cleveland, Ohio, modifier's move to add another Beechcraft aircraft to its product line is not a surprise, the choice of the King Air is.
Magellan Jets has introduced a new 25-hr. Wi-Fi Jet card, underscoring the importance of Wi-Fi capabilities on charter aircraft. The card guarantees flights aboard later model midsize or super-midsize jets that are equipped with Wi-Fi. “Wi-Fi is arguably the biggest market driver in charter today, and the 25-hr. Wi-Fi Jet Card addresses that demand perfectly,” says Magellan CEO Joshua Hebert.
Universal Avionics announced its Control Display Unit (CDU) emulator iPad application for the Flight Management System (FMS) Trainer software. It's available for the iPad and supports life-size touch-sensitive emulation of Universal's 4-in. CDU, 5-in. CDU and Multi-function CDU. The app sends the FMS trainer CDU display screen to the iPad, and key pushes from the simulated CDU are then sent back to the FMS Trainer via a wireless network. The CDU emulator app allows operators to experience realistic, hands-on training in FMS operations.
Constant Aviation recently secured a supplemental type certificate for installation of a Wi-Fi system, along with Aircell's Gogo Biz inflight Internet system, on an executive configured Boeing 737-200. The installation marked an expansion of the facility's in-house capabilities and STCs. Constant already has STCs for the installation of Gogo Biz inflight Internet aboard Gulfstream, Embraer, Beechcraft, Hawker and Cessna Citation aircraft.
Garmin International announced a premium GPS watch designed specifically for aviators. The D2 features Garmin's signature direct-to and nearest navigation functions, as well as a built-in altimeter with adjustable baro setting, altitude alerting capabilities, display of both local and Zulu/UTC time, and the ability to seamlessly integrate with the Garmin Pilot app, VIRB action camera, and many more functions. The price of the D2 is $449.00 and it should be available this month,
Luma Technologies has completed development of their latest addition to the Lumatech line of LED annunciator panels for the King Air family and is set to offer a forty-five station variant tailor to the C90A and newer models. Designated the LT-4545, it is a one-for-one drop-in replacement for the existing incandescent annunciators incorporated into the C90 glareshield. Luma Technologies www.lumatech.com
Pan Am's service and engineering support for the Mystere 20 will not include the crews, Alvin P. Adams told the NBAA. “We are not going to crew or man these airplanes with Pan American people. We've always been misquoted on this.”
Sept. 11 — At 0923 EDT, a Bender Mustang II (N691LB) was destroyed when it collided with terrain and a hangar after takeoff from Smoketown Airport (S37), Smoketown, Penn. The private pilot/owner/builder was seriously injured, and the airplane was consumed by post-crash fire. It was VFR and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which was originating at the time of the accident. Witnesses indicated the airplane had just lifted from Runway 28 at “full power” when the wings rocked steeply to the left first, and then to the right.
Rockwell Collins has opened a new customer support center with increased staffing levels, expanded hours and enhanced technology that will provide commercial aviation customers with a higher level of service through a single point of contact. The center is staffed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time, 365 days a year, and has staff on-call for after-hours support. Customer calls are answered by an expanded team of product support managers with specialized training tools and are equipped to answer questions immediately with a goal of resolution within 24 hr.
ADB Airfield Solutions has introduced AD-light Low Protrusion Taxiway Lights. The improved lights overcome drawbacks of older versions wherein no part of the prism is located below the surface of the ground, avoiding loss of photometry. They can be used in CAT I, II and III, as taxiway centerline lights, in straight and curved runway sections, on rapid exit taxiways, as stop bars and intermediate holding position lights, among other applications.
The amphibious de Havilland DHC-2 MK 1 Beaver (C-GCZA) departed on wheels from Pitt Meadows Airport, B.C., just east of Vancouver, at 1620 on May 13, 2012, with the pilot and three passengers on board, for a day VFR flight to Okanagan Lake, B.C., some 150 sm to the northeast. It touched down at the lake about 1 hr. and 40 min. later where a single passenger deplaned, as planned.
To learn more about IS-BAO, visit the International Business Aviation Council's website — www.ibac.org. There you will find information about the work that IBAC does and how to go about becoming IS-BAO registered. There is also helpful information and links to other safety related topics.
Jet Aviation's base in Zurich has moved into a new fixed-base operation built alongside the existing General Aviation Center in Zurich. The facility incorporates the new branding and corporate look that was unveiled earlier this year at Jet Aviation's Geneva FBO. The company also moved its operations center rampside, placing it closer to the customs and immigration area, and farther from the customer area.
TrueNorth Avionics has introduced the Stylus Wi-Fi handset. It's cradle fits into both TrueNorth's Simphone legacy and Stylus corded handset cut-outs offering a simplified upgrade path. The handset charges in the cradle via Power over Ethernet (PoE) or 28V power. The handset has Nickel-metal Hydride (MiMH) batteries to make certification easier and uses smart power management technology. Smart technology allows the handset to configure itself when placed in the cradle, retaining passenger preferences, regardless of the handset's location in the cabin before takeoff.
As winter approaches, flight crews are gearing up for the heart of the icing season. Virtually all of them are aware of the potentially lethal consequences of attempting to take off with airframe ice contamination. But some pilots think that minor ice contamination has little, if any, effect on aircraft performance.
Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF), Alexandria, Va., has selected Greg Kinsella, president and CEO of Key Air, to the ACSF Board of Governors. American Eurocopter, Grand Prairie, Texas, named Samuel Adcock to the post of vice president-general manager of the company's helicopter production plant in Columbus, Miss.
As the U.S. government's new fiscal year kicked off in October, Washington remained at budget war, and once again, the business aviation community became ensnared as a pawn in a much larger political debate. The acrimony over the budget resulted in the Oct. 1 shutdown of the federal government. That's now happened 18 times since the late 1970s. However, new this year was how the manner of the shutdown which affected a much greater portion of federal employees.
If possible: (1) Put the aircraft in a heated hangar. If left outside: (2) Park facing the wind and clamp on the covers. (3) Put liquids, gels, sauces, etc. in a warm place. (4) Drain potable and gray water systems (don't forget the self-filling coffee pot). Once operating: (5) Apply brakes several times while taxiing out. (6) Refer to braking action reports. (7) Use deice/anti-ice fluids, as appropriate.
First Aviation Services Inc., announced further investments into its wholly owned subsidiary Piedmont Propulsion Systems, LLC, making a multi-million dollar investment in an expanded pool of spare propellers for exchange or lease, as well as additional overhaul capabilities. Included are Dowty Model R408 assemblies to support the Bombardier Q400 and Hamilton Sundstrand Model 14SF to support Dash 8 and ATR aircraft.
FreeFlight Systems has developed an ADS-B Out upgrade for Garmin's GTX 330 Mode S transponder. FreeFlight, which signed a technology licensing agreement with Garmin, is interfacing its Model 1201 WAAS/GPS sensor with the GTX 330 to provide an additional 1090 MHz Extended Squitter (1090ES) ADS-B Out upgrade. The system, tested during the FAA's ADS-B Capstone Program, meets ADS-B and RNP accuracy, integrity and availability requirements worldwide.
Version 3.0 of AIRNC Direct's iPad app is now available. It includes an ARINC Direct website component that allows pilots to schedule documents for upload, and a component that give users access to all of their files on iPads and on the web. Documents can be assigned to a specific leg, aircraft or user, and can also be copied from one location to another. The app is available in the Apple App Store. ARINC Direct www.arinc.com
