Hawker Beechcraft Global Customer Support has appointed Gama Support Services at Farnborough Airport, U.K., to its worldwide network of limited service centers to support its Beechcraft King Air 200, 250, 300 and 350 aircraft and Beechcraft Premier business jets. In addition, Gama Support Services will support the Beechcraft Baron and Bonanza products as a fully authorized service center.
With ground vibration tests complete, on Prototype No. 1, the Embraer Legacy 500 is moving toward its first flight in the third quarter and the beginning of its flight-test campaign. The Legacy 500 is scheduled to enter service between fourth quarter 2013 and first quarter 2014. Embraer expects to roll out Prototype No. 2 soon followed by engine run and ground tests of the 500's Honeywell HTF-7500E engine. The Prototype No. 3 fuselage is complete.
The FAA has granted TSO approval for Universal Avionics' third generation Airborne Datalink System, UniLink UL-800/801 Communications Management Unit (CMU). UniLink UL-800/801 Airborne Datalink features: FANS 1/A+ Compliance, Controller Pilot Data Link Communications Capability (CPDLC), multiple media routing, full ACARS/CMU functionality, ADS-C Auto-Position Reporting and hi-res weather graphics. The UL-800/801 interfaces with Universal Avionics' current FMS product line with either 4-in. or 5-in. Control Display Units.
For less than one-quarter of the price of a new single-engine turboprop, you can fly a Mitsubishi MU-2B that will cruise close to 300 KTAS and consume about the same amount of fuel. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries built eight short-body models between 1965 and 1985 under two type certificates. Most desirable are the MU-2-26 “M”, -26A “P” and -40 “Solitaire” because they have the highest MTOWs.
Cessna unveiled the super mid-size Citation Longitude at EBACE. The Longitude will share its fuselage cross section with the Citation Latitude. Cessna is targeting FAA type certification and initial customer deliveries in the fourth quarter 2017. Some aero design features developed for Columbus will be incorporated in the Longitude, including its huge T-tail empennage, area-rule loft contours and moderately swept wing. The new aircraft will be powered by the Snecma Silvercrest, a clean-sheet 8,500- to 12,000-lb.
Garmin will supply the avionics package for the Longitude. If it's similar to the one that will be installed in the Citation Latitude, it will feature three 14-in. screens and four touch-screen controllers quite similar to the system being installed in the new Citation Ten. The displays feature RGB LED backlight lighting that automatically adjusts for correct white balance for the life of the display. The screens have a 10,000:1 dimming ratio that accommodates the brightest daylight and darkest night ambient light conditions.
Hawker Beechcraft has secured initial court approval that the company says will enable it to continue its ordinary business while the company proceeds with its prearranged Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The court approval enables the Wichita manufacturer to pay employees, vendors and suppliers, using $400 million in debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing to meet its obligations. The plan will eliminate $2.5 billion in debt and about $125 million in annual interest expense, Hawker Beechcraft says.
Thus far, we've talked about eliminating or minimizing sound. But for some operators, maximizing a cabin's audio qualities is of great importance. For those whose key passengers expect nothing less than an airborne symphony hall, IMAX theater, arena event or just some quiet meditation, a fourth way may be the path to audio bliss.
Rockwell Collins announced the opening of its Berlin Ascend flight information solutions office, which will provide flight support services for European business aircraft operators. The new office is in the General Aviation Terminal area at the new Berlin Brandenburg International Airport.
While modern business aircraft cabins offer superlative levels of comfort, they can be relatively noisy environments. Loud noise levels or even sporadic low-level noise over time can cause hearing impairment, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, annoyance, sleep disturbances and overall decreased performance. Obviously, operators should take steps to mitigate passenger noise exposure in their aircraft cabin.
Dassault has approval from the FAA for steep approaches on all Falcon 900 EASy and Falcon 2000 EASy series aircraft. Both models had already received steep approach certification from EASA. With the most recent approvals, the entire current production Falcon fleet is now certified for steep approaches, which permits aircraft to operate at restricted airports with approach angles of up to 6 deg.
I have been fortunate enough over the last 25 yr. to work closely with several first responder organizations — fire, police and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. The passing years have witnessed an important shift in attitudes toward risk. I remember an old greybeard Coast Guardsman telling me, “You got to go out, but you don't have to come back.” That mindset has given way entirely to a mantra uttered by all first responders that states, “Everybody gets to go home.” Let's spread the word.
NORTH Flight Data Systems of Arlington, Va., has received STC approval for the installation of their Lightweight Aircraft Recording (LARS) system in Eurocopter EC 155 series helicopters. Working with Metro Aviation, Inc., NORTH FDS integrated their voice, video and flight data recording system into the EC 155B1 airframe. The system provides six channels of audio, one channel of video, and in excess of 200 separate parameters of recorded digital aircraft data.
Cessna Aircraft signed a new agreement with the China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Company Ltd., (Caiga) and the Shijiazhuang Municipal Government that the company says is a framework to deliver Wichita-built Cessna Caravan single-engine turboprop utility aircraft to Caiga's Shijiazhuang factory for final assembly, painting, production flight tests and sale within China.
The American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) has recognized three individuals and one company for their contributions to the airport industry with awards presented at the association's 84th Annual Conference and Exposition in Phoenix. Bob Bogan, deputy executive director of Morristown Municipal Airport (N.J.), and Jim Rice, director of Michigan's Bishop International Airport, received the 2012 and 2013 Distinguished Services Awards, respectively. The Chair's Award was presented to Jim Elwood, director of Colorado's Aspen/Pitkin Country Airport.
Honeywell expects certification authorities to sign off on several of its in-development cockpit upgrades before the year-end , including programs for the Falcon 7X and Falcon 2000 EASy II avionics upgrade Honeywell is conducting with Dassault Aviation. This Dassault program follows the upgrade already developed for the Falcon 900, which adds synthetic vision functionality.
Pratt & Whitney Canada's PW210 engine has been selected by Eurocopter to power the next-generation X4 helicopter. The PW210-powered X4 is expected to enter into service by 2017. The engine will also power three other unspecified helicopters.
A new Bombardier Flight Deck iPad app for Challenger and Learjets provides an electronic flight manual that can automatically receive updates from Bombardier. Updates to all Bombardier flight manual revisions, including temporary revisions, are received and implemented at the push of a button. The system uses advanced encryption technology and provides the necessary FAA, EASA and Transport Canada audit trail for paperless operations.
As aircraft become even more com–plex, we tend to focus on improving aircraft systems knowledge, often at the expense of learning more about other important topics such as fatigue, teamwork and communication. To help busy technicians and managers keep up to speed on the importance of human factors concerns in the hangar, the FAA has a website that has collected information and training ideas with maintainers in mind. It's worth a visit: https://hfskyway.faa.gov/hfskyway/index.aspx
The FAA's multi-year process to clean up the civil aircraft registry last year by requiring all aircraft to re-register on a rolling schedule is now in effect. When the program was announced, the agency warned it would cancel registrations for any aircraft whose owner did not respond. The HAI discovered, “they weren't kidding.” Rotor News reported that HAI's Finance and Leasing Committee found some 300 helicopters with cancelled registrations. If any of those 300 is in active use, it's now illegal to fly them until they have been re-registered.
Nextant Aerospace announced a new manufacturing facility for the Nextant 400XT, FAA-certified remanufactured business jet. The newly acquired facility at Cleveland's Cuyahoga County Airport will accommodate an annual production rate of 48 aircraft, and will quadruple Nextant's production area and office space footprint. The facility features a large production hangar which can handle six aircraft simultaneously, a second hangar for aircraft delivery and completions and a third that will house an advanced aircraft painting operation.
Former FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt is expected to continue an aviation consulting career following the May 10 dismissal of drunk driving charges that led to his resignation from the agency in December 2011. A district court judge in Virginia dismissed the charges, ruling that the police had stopped him without sufficient reason. Babbitt said he plans to remain in aviation as a consultant.
The GAMA Board of Directors approved Air Tractor as its newest member, bringing the association's membership to 77. Air Tractor got its start as the Snow Aeronautical Company in 1951. In 1958, Leland Snow moved the production facilities to Olney, Texas, where Air Tractor is headquartered today. With over 2,700 aircraft flying, Air Tractor manufactures an extensive line of agriculture aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney piston or turbine engines. Air Tractor aircraft can be found working over fields and forests across the U.S.
I enjoyed your article on second-grade math (Washington Watch, April 2012, page 61). The only thing you could have added was the name of the culprit who caused this problem in the first place. That person would be the Un-Honorable Sen. Charles “Chuck” Grassley from Iowa. The aviation community in Iowa needs to spread the word about this scoundrel and get him voted out of office.
The European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE2012) concluded as one of the strongest EBACE shows yet. Organizers noted that as the third and final day of the show concluded May 16, 12,638 attendees had participated, representing 99 countries — both numbers on par with last year's show. 491 exhibitors were on hand, occupying a record-breaking 2,280 booth spaces across Halls 5, 6 and 7 of the Geneva Palexpo convention center. EBACE2012 featured 60 aircraft on static display.
