AgustaWestland is planning a final assembly line for its new twin light-intermediate category AW169 at its Philadelphia facility. Assembly of the helicopter is to begin there in May 2014, with first customer delivery in early 2015. The Italian/British manufacturer expects to ramp up Philadelphia production to 20 helicopters per year by 2017. The new line will be scalable based on demand. AgustaWestland's facilities in Vergiate, Italy and Yeovil, U.K., will also be involved in AW169 production.
Rockwell Collins' HGS Flight app for the iPad, unveiled last year is now available with a Mandarin language option. Through a quick update via the Apple iTunes App Store or as a first-time download, users will have the option to view text in Mandarin, as well as use new flight sensitivity control. The app features synthetic vision to allow users to see a virtual view of terrain no matter what the weather conditions may be.
Steve Orr (Supervisory Special Agent/Pilot (Ret.) Drug Enforcement Administration Houston, Texas )
Thank you so much for your detailed, informative and comprehensive analysis of the Gulfstream G650 (April 2013, page 24). I do not know how long it took me to read it, but I was impressed with the facts that, as a professional pilot, I demand in an article. I read about six periodicals a month about flying and after reading a terrible article on the Bombardier 6000 in another magazine I decided to write to you. Excellent work and this is why I subscribe to BCA.
EmptyLegMarket, an online marketplace for empty-leg flights, launched a mobile version of its website. The mobile website has the same listings that are on the full version of the company's website, however the mobile version has been optimized for viewing on various mobile devices.
NetJets is taking a cautious approach toward its operations in China, beginning with its management of whole aircraft for clients there, says Chairman and CEO Jordan Hansell. He acknowledges other companies have announced plans to begin fractional operations in China, and says he's interested in watching how that develops. But the nature of the Chinese regulatory structure “does not lend itself to the flexibility” of fractional operations, he tells Aviation Week.
While Dassault's business jet deliveries dropped in the first quarter, the company expects shipments to improve throughout the year and remain on track to reach the highest total in three years. Dassault expects to deliver 70 Falcons this year, up slightly from the 66 delivered in 2012 and 63 in 2011, company executives say. As Dassault worked to certify its newest Falcon 2000 models, deliveries were down nearly 50% in the first quarter to eight, compared with 15 in the first quarter of 2012.
London Gatwick Airport has reopened a helicopter landing site after a 12-year absence. Based at the end of taxiway Uniform on the west side of the airport, the helicopter aiming point (HAP) reopens after two years of feasibility discussions and joint planning between Gatwick officials and Signature Flight Support.
Cessna recently completed the mating of the wing and fuselage of the first production unit Citation M2. The light jet, a step up from the company's Mustang very light jet, is on track for certification in the second half of this year. Wing mating clears the way for engine installation and preparation for function testing of the aircraft systems, including avionics, hydraulics and flight controls. The M2, powered by Williams FJ44-1AP-21 engines producing 1,965 lbst, will have a maximum cruising speed of 400 kt., a 1,300-nm range and the ability to take off in 3,250 ft.
Fokker Services VIP Completions and DynamicSource AB have developed an iOS application to run Fortran Takeoff and Landing SCAP modules on the iPad. The app allows an operator to make the performance calculation shortly before takeoff thereby allowing the incorporation of last minute changes such as aircraft loading or runway conditions. The app is being used by commercial operators with the performance calculation and is now available for large cabin and airline-class business aircraft operators. Price: Free Fokker Services
CSI Aviation launched a more innovative and customer friendly website in support of its growing marketing efforts. The website enables customers to clearly view the company's value-added aviation management services from arranging charter, managing aviation programs, to using mission-specific aircraft for mapping and data collection and surveillance. The company also has a new logo. CSI Aviation Albuquerque, N.M. www.csiaviation.com
Gulfstream enhanced its Field and Airborne Support Teams (FAST) replacing two Gulfstream G100s with two G150s. A G100 serves as a backup. Other enhancements include adding a third shift of two pilots and naming a new chief pilot, Tenille Cromwell. Gulfstream FAST has made more than 3,400 mission flights and surpassed 10,000 flight hours. The team uses more than 20 vehicles throughout the U.S. and Europe, including a pair of specially outfitted rapid response trucks.
Qatar Executive, a division of Qatar Airways, has received approvals from the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority to conduct base maintenance services for Bombardier Challenger 604, 605 and Global series aircraft. The business jet subsidiary can now perform heavy maintenance checks at its 6,400-sq.- meter hangar at Doha International Airport. Their licensed engineers and technicians can also be dispatched throughout the region to resolve AOG issues. The Maintenance Service Center operates 24/7. Qatar Executive Doha International Airport
Becoming a professional aircraft maintenance technician is a long and difficult process. The price is also very high. Many of us struggled for years to save enough money to afford A&P School, or gave years of our lives serving in the military. Many did both. But earning that license was just the price of admission, an opportunity to get your foot in the door. Finding that all-important first job was the next hurdle.
Think the unthinkable. Consider the grimmest of scenarios. Contemplate a crash. What's your contingency plan for handling an accident or a ditching with survivors on board? Could you execute it, if necessary? Have you ever thought about it?
In April a Gulfstream G650 set a city-pair speed record between Shanghai and Newark, N.J., by covering more than 6,855 nm (12,695 km) in 13 hr. and 32 minutes. The manufacturer said the aircraft departed Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport at 10:38 p.m. local time on April 18 with five passengers and four crewmembers on board. Once airborne, ATC held the aircraft below 31,000 ft. for an hour before it could climb to its normal cruising altitude of 41,000 to 51,000 ft. (12,500-15,500 meters).
The private aviation industry hasn't improved much in Western Europe over the past year, says aviation advisor Brian Foley. Amid austerity measures and weak economic news, there has been a cautious hesitance to take on the discretionary costs associated with private air travel. “The situation will drag on a bit longer,” notes Foley. “But one shouldn't lose perspective that Europe still remains the second largest business aviation market.” According to aircraft data base provider AMSTAT, the Western European business jet fleet has shrunk 2% since this time last year.
L-3 Aviation Products announced that Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. selected the GH-3001 Electronic Standby Instrument System (ESIS), Stormscope WX-500 Lightning Detection System and the PS-885 Emergency Power Supply (EPS) for its H-60 and S-70i helicopter platforms. This follow-on award is a five-year contract that spans from 2013 through 2017. Designed with military platforms in mind, the night vision goggle (NVG)-compatible GH-3001 ESIS provides accurate attitude, altitude, airspeed and heading cues in a compact unit.
Millennium International has expanded its service offerings to include Honeywell Primus avionics suite support. The move bolsters Millennium's support for Embraer ERJ 135/145 aircraft. Based near Kansas City, Millennium provides maintenance, repair and overhaul services for commercial, military and rotor-wing aircraft.
There's a showdown underway in the Silicon Valley involving big names, big jets, and big FBO chains. Business aircraft alighting at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) use Atlantic Aviation, a part of Australia's Macquarie Group. Atlantic says it has invested $60 million in upgrading the facility in the past five years. Nevertheless, on April 16 the city council voted 10-1 to accept a proposal by rival Signature Flight Support, owned by BBA of Britain, to develop a second FBO at the city-owned airport.
EASA has a far different requirement for supplemental oxygen aboard high flying jets. EU-OPS 1.770 (b)(iii) and (iv) only require that O2 masks “be within immediate reach of flight crew members” and that “quick donning” masks be installed for flight crewmembers in pressurized aircraft flying above 25,000 ft. Similarly, the ICAO Annex 6 3.4.4.2.2 rule for supplemental oxygen use essentially is the same as the EASA regulation. Canada, in contrast, requires one pilot to use an oxygen mask above FL 410, according to CAR 605.32.
House lawmakers are pushing for a dramatic overhaul of certification regulations for small aircraft. Reps. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Todd Rokita (R-Ind.) and Rick Nolan (D-Minn.) have introduced the Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013 that essentially calls for rewriting FAR Part 23 with the intention of halving certification costs while more than doubling safety. The rewrite has strong support from the highest levels of FAA and a number of international aviation authorities.
Garmin has an updated version of the Garmin Pilot app for the iPad and iPhone that incorporates Garmin's dynamic navigation maps. With the new dynamic maps, pilots can now choose between track-up or north-up moving map orientation. They will also have the option of track-up orientation on static sectionals on en route charts. Enhancements to Garmin Pilot's cloud computing technology enable seamless connectivity and information sharing between all Garmin Pilot-enabled devices.
There now are 260+ Phenom 100 aircraft in service. The aircraft went through some teething pains as first deliveries began in December 2008, but operators say it has evolved into a highly reliable means of business transportation in the last 30 months.
Windblade Corp. has introduced the Inogen Aviator G3. An extension of the existing Inogen Aviator product line, the G3 weighs only 4.8 lb., which is almost 3 lb. lighter than the Inogen One G2-1050. The unit concentrates oxygen from ambient air and can be used by a single user up to 15,000 ft. Features include: a battery that runs up to 2.5 hr.; four flow settings; 12-32 VDC power converter; AC power supply 100-240 volts, 50-60 Hz; meets FAA guidelines for supplemental oxygen; three-year warranty.
