ATP has introduced its ATP Online Store, an online solution for purchasing and immediately accessing aviation technical and regulatory publication library subscriptions. The store integrates seamlessly with the ATP Aviation Hub online service to provide subscribers with immediate access and the capability to browse over 1,100 maintenance libraries from over 50 manufacturers and purchase the documentation they need online. Customers using ATP's Navigator V Desktop Platform also can quickly and efficiently download and install new libraries within minutes of purchase.
Steering clear of potentially hazardous storms is about to get much easier. The new generation of three-dimensional weather radars, such as Honeywell's RDR 4000 Intuvue, promise virtually to eliminate the black art of manual tilt control and radar return interpretation that can enable storms to lurk undetected. The Gulfstream G650 is the business aircraft to be equipped with the Intuvue radar, and more applications are expected.
China Daily reports that the country is planning to open airspace beginning next year and implement reforms over the next 10. The country reportedly is launching pilot projects in northeastern, southern central regions and seven pilot cities to open airspace below 1,000 meters to general aviation flights. Airspace restrictions, however, have been problematic for existing operators.
Gogo was granted a subordinate license from Industry Canada for Canada's air-to-ground radio frequency spectrum that enables Gogo to provide aircraft inflight connectivity over Canada. Gogo will operate on the same frequency over Canada as it does in the U.S., providing a seamless transition across borders. It also will service business aircraft currently using Aircell's Gogo Biz service. Aircell is a Gogo company.
Aiming to improve the consistency of the FAA's certification and approval processes, a government-industry committee tasked with drafting recommendations has received input from aviation groups to help meet its year-end deadline. The committee offered an online survey to stakeholders ending Sept. 25. The four-year FAA reauthorization signed into law in February mandated the creation of the Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) to examine differing regulatory interpretations practiced by the FAA's various Flight Standards District Offices and Aircraft Certification Offices.
Rockwell Collins' Airshow 3-D moving map is now available for download in the Apple iTunes App Store. The iPad app delivers an interactive way for business jet passengers to view the world around them and stay informed during their journey. Existing Airshow 4000 or Venue HD cabin management system users can take advantage of the new app for passengers' iPads.
Germany and the U.S. have signed an agreement to develop sustainable aviation biofuels on both sides of the Atlantic. The pact, signed at the ILA Berlin air show by German Federal Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer and U.S. Ambassador Philip Murphy, will serve as a guide to accelerate cooperation to bring “drop-in” biofuels to volume production. Unlike other sustainable fuel programs, drop-in biofuels are similar enough to hydrocarbon fuels to allow them to easily “drop in,” or replace, current fuel sources. The U.S.
The NTSB, citing a dozen incidents since 1993 involving large-aircraft wingtip collisions during taxiing, is urging the FAA and EASA to mandate anti-collision aids such as cameras that enable pilots to see their aircraft's wingtips from the flight deck without opening a cockpit window. The NTSB does not say which aircraft models need such systems, although it mentions Boeing's 747, 757, 767 and 777; McDonnell Douglas widebodies; and the Airbus A380 as likely candidates.
The used aircraft market is continuing to strengthen as the numbers of available aircraft shrink across the board, according a JetNet report on July activity. The percentage of the business jet fleet for sale dropped to 13.5% in July, a near low since the market plummeted in 2008, welcome news for business aircraft makers who have been waiting for the oversupply of used aircraft to dry up and spur demand for new aircraft. The 13.5% is a slight improvement over July 2011 — when it was 13.7% — but it marks a consistent downward trend.
The DOT Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is calling on the FAA to improve management of a program that requires airports to assess potential wildlife aircraft strikes. “The FAA has not developed robust inspection practices, and its inspectors do not have the technical expertise to effectively oversee the program,” the report says of the FAA's Wildlife Hazard Mitigation Program.
Denmark Jutting out of the Europe like a hand reaching for Sweden, Denmark is the smallest of the Scandinavian countries, at 27,000 sq. mi. (not including its possessions Greenland and the Faeroe Islands), about the size of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined.
Bombardier's Learjet 75 reached another milestone with power applied to the first production aircraft's electrical systems on the Wichita production line the week of Aug. 21, as the aircraft progresses toward its 2013 entry-into-service. The Learjet 70 and Learjet 75 test aircraft are continuing their development work as the program moves forward.
Aircraft flight manuals are full of precision airport performance data and numbers obtained by aviation industry's most skilled and experienced test pilots.
Embraer's Phenom 100 executive jet has won a Validation of Type Certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). “Embraer has been strengthening its market position in China's executive aviation market over the past few years,” said Guan Dongyuan, president of Embraer China. “CAAC's certificate for the Phenom 100 is great news for Embraer and prospective customers.” The Phenom 100 accommodates up to eight occupants. Its range of 1,178 nm (2,182 km), with NBAA IFR fuel reserves, makes the aircraft capable of flying nonstop from Beijing to Tokyo.
Piper Aircraft appointed BAYMAP Aviation, Ankara, as its dealer for new aircraft in Turkey. BAYMAP is a subsidiary of Korfez Aerial Survey and Engineering Ltd. Co., which is active in Turkey, Libya, Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia.
“Righting the Wronged” (Washington Watch, September 2012, page 65) reminded me of a similar flight I had in October 2008 in a Cessna P-210. Departing Olive Branch, Miss., the weather en route to Dalhart, Texas, my first fuel stop, required an instrument flight plan, which was filed and accepted. Flight Service gave me the weather information as well as the NOTAMs available for Olive Branch and Dalhart.
Cessna promised to certify its new Citation Ten as the fastest business jet on the market with a speed of Mach 0.935, topping the Gulfstream G650's Mach 0.925. Cessna's original Citation X held the fastest business jet title at Mach 0.92 until Gulfstream unveiled the G650. Cessna unveiled the Ten follow-on during the 2010 NBAA Convention.
Gulfstream Aerospace has received a Type Certificate for the large-cabin, ultra-long-range G550 from the South African Civil Aviation Authority. The approval allows operators to register the aircraft in South Africa. The G550 fleet has accrued more than 650,000 flight hours and made more than 242,000 landings. At its high-speed cruise of Mach 0.85, the G550 will fly Cape Town to London in 12 hr.
Beijing and Shanghai are likely to get dedicated airports for business aviation, boosting growth prospects for the industry while relieving commercial airports of the accompanying airspace congestion. The director-general of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Li Jiaxiang, says building the two airports will be part of a set of policies that the agency is working on for the promotion of business aviation. “Business aviation needs greater convenience, speed and smoothness,” he noted at the Beijing International Business Aviation Show.
Washington has a few catch phrases that never seem to go away, with “budget deficit,” “debt ceiling,” and “budget cuts,” among the most persistent. Even in the best of times, doomsayers bemoan tight budgets, the need to slash programs and an inability to spend new money. This year is no different, only the talks are more dire. Washington will likely be in hyperdrive after the elections.
U.S. lawmakers will have to address privacy issues raised by the use of UAVs in domestic airspace, a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report says. “The prospect of drone use inside the United States raises far-reaching issues concerning the extent of government surveillance authority, the value of privacy in the digital age, and the role of Congress in reconciling these issues,” says the report, “Drones in Domestic Surveillance Operations: Fourth Amendment Implications and Legislative Responses,” released Sept. 6.
Gulfstream Aerospace has added eight technicians and an overnight shift from 10 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. at its Westfield, Mass. Service Center. The technicians can perform work for customers at the Westfield facility or can be dispatched for AOG situations within a 4 hr. drive.
Littleton, Colo.-based Jettech obtained FAA supplemental type certification (STC) for installation of Garmin's touchscreen GTN 650/750 GPS/NAV/COM on Cessna Citation 500 series aircraft. The STC covers Models 500, 501, 550, 551, S550 and 560 business jets and includes the installation of Garmin GTX 33's transponders, remote GMA35 audio panels, and GA35/37 antennas. In addition, the company says the STC facilitates WAAS approvals.
