The Sept. 30, 2015 deadline for integrating unmanned aircraft into U.S. civil airspace, set in the new FAA reauthorization bill, is expected initially to be met using ground-based sense-and-avoid (GBSAA), a Pentagon official says. Using ground radars, GBSAA will allow “routine access” to airspace for unmanned aircraft transiting between their bases and restricted areas used for training, says Steven Pennington, U.S. Air Force director of bases, ranges and airspace.
EASA has finished its initial evaluation of the Gulfstream G650 in preparation for certification. As of Jan. 25, the four Gulfstream G650 aircraft in the flight-test program had accumulated more than 2,675 flight hours over 820 flights. The aircraft is expected to enter service in the middle of this year. The G650 received a provisional type certificate from the FAA on Nov. 18, 2011, with the full FAA type certificate expected by mid-year.
At the invitation of the U.S. DOT, representatives from the NBAA and GAMA met with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation's transportation working group to explain the benefits of business aviation and provide suggestions on oversight as the market expands in the region. A key point of emphasis was that business aviation is not in competition with airlines, notes Doug Carr, vice president of safety, security and regulation for the NBAA.
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March 5 — About 1210 CST, a Sikorsky 269C (N1099N) operated by a private pilot received substantial damage when it impacted terrain during a forced landing near Staples, Texas. The personal flight was in VFR conditions. No flight plan was on file. The pilot and passenger reported no injuries. The flight's origin and destination are unknown. According to an initial pilot statement, he heard a “pop” sound and the helicopter yawed. He performed a forced landing and the helicopter hit the ground hard.
FAA Flight Standards Deputy Director John McGraw has noted that “Congress [is] being a lot more directive and specific in the struggle to balance environmental interests and operations.” McGraw says he is unsure how the FAA is going to be able to respond to the number of rulemakings that Congress has charged the agency to undertake, and says it may take the agency some time to get through all of them.
Russian MRO provider Engineering LLC is buying Epic Aircraft, the Bend, Ore., producer of the Escape and Epic LT turboprop kit aircraft. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Epic Aircraft CEO Douglas King will retain his position under the new ownership, and Engineering LLC has assembled a board of industry executives to help manage the transition. The companies say the acquisition will position Epic for growth.
The International Civil Aviation Organization has published a manual, Flight Safety and Volcanic Ash (Doc 9974), providing guidance on the handling of aircraft operations when there is forecast volcanic ash contamination. The manual was developed by the ICAO International Volcanic Ash Task Force (IVATF) that was established following the 2010 eruptions of the Eyjafjallajökul volcano in Iceland. ICAO Secretary General Raymond Benjamin said, “[Eyjafjallajökul] forced us to align our guidance material with the latest technological and scientific developments.
The NTSB is proposing to alter the review procedures for FAA enforcement applications and to facilitate electronic filings. An NPRM, published in the Feb. 9 Federal Register, follows a December 2010 ANPRM that covered the standard of review for emergency determinations, discovery and information exchange, and electronic filing of documents. The NPRM questioned whether the agency should change its standard position that FAA's allegations against a party are true for the purposes of a five-day review of the emergency status of a revocation.
I am deeply disturbed by your comments about the FAA administrator's premature departure due to a DUI incident in December last year (Washington Watch, January 2012, page 63). As an FAA certificate holder (ATP and CFI) for over 22 years, it does matter to me who is at the top of the world's largest and probably most-influential civil aviation administration.
The distance from Dubai to Kabul is just over 1,000 nm. That's about two and a half hours in a Hawker 400XP — more than enough time to contemplate what might be awaiting in Afghanistan's war-ravaged capital. I know the unsettling feeling, because I made the trip in August 2007 on assignment for Aviation Week & Space Technology.
FAA Flight Standards Service Director John Allen is working to help expedite the process for business aircraft operators to obtain approvals for reduced vertical separation minimums (RVSM). Allen, speaking during the Air Charter Safety Foundation's 2012 Air Charter Safety Symposium on Feb. 29, agreed the agency has fallen behind on the work, but said, “I'll expect improvements,” moving forward. NBAA Vice President, Safety, Security and Regulation Doug Carr notes that as RVSM has become more commonplace, applications for approval have mounted.
The FADEC-equipped -3AP is one of Williams' most-advanced versions of the FJ44 turbofan family, producing 2,300 lb. of thrust for takeoff and weighing only 510 lb. Compared to earlier -3 engines, the -3AP incorporates many aerodynamic and durability improvements, plus it weighs 8% less and has 3% better specific fuel consumption. A fuel/oil heat exchanger eliminates the need for an anti-icing fuel additive.
The prototype Cessna Citation M2 made its first flight in early March. With Cessna engineering test pilot Peter Fisher at the controls, the flight lasted a little more than an hour and a half, and included tests of the avionics system, autopilot, aircraft systems and instrument approaches. The new light jet fills the gap between the Citation Mustang and the Citation CJ family. FAA FAR Part 23 certification is expected in the first half of 2013, with deliveries in the second half of 2013.
The Deccan Chronical reports the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will set up a Central Air Traffic Flow Management center at New Delhi for controlling Indian airspace from a single facility. “We will complete the integration of the entire upper space in the country by this year-end,” said AAI Air Navigation Services member V. Somasundaram.
Nav Canada announced its traffic figures for February 2012 measured in weighted charging units for en route, terminal and oceanic air navigation services, in comparison to the last fiscal year. The traffic in February 2012 increased by an average of 3.6% compared to the same month in 2011.
According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the U.S. government's main audit agency, the FAA has to do a much better job of managing the big modernization programs that are essential to the success of the NextGen air traffic management system. A new GAO report the finds that although the FAA is improving in this area, there are still many cases where it is not following cost estimate and scheduling best practices. Specifically, the FAA should pay better attention to obtaining independent cost estimates, says the GAO.
Government and industry officials need to collaborate on ways to mitigate runway incursions before another disaster happens, says NTSB Commissioner Christopher Hart. “If we don't get our hands around this problem — and we don't have our hands around this — sooner or later it's going to happen again,” Hart told the Air Charter Safety Foundation's 2012 Air Charter Safety Symposium in February.
Bombardier's Learjet celebrated a milestone when the 400th manufactured Learjet 60, a Model 60XR, was delivered Feb. 28 to Cinépolis, a corporation based in Morelia, Mexico. Cinépolis operates 265 cinemas in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Brazil and India.
General aviation in China has a strong long-term future, but it's important not to confuse its initial spike in orders with that market's long-term character, which may be very different. So says aviation analyst Brian Foley. “Dreams of a limitless upside must be tempered with realism.
Rockwell Collins is entering the piston electronic control unit (ECU) business with a new dual-channel ECU that will be on the BRP Powertrain's new Rotax 912 iS piston engine. The Austrian engine maker celebrated the launch of the new four-cylinder,100-hp engine at the BRP (Bombardier Recreational Products) Powertrain factory in Gunskirchen, Austria. Designed for light sport aircraft (LSA), the 912 iS will provide up to 70% better fuel efficiency compared with other engines in the LSA market, BRP says.
Priester Aviation has added three new aircraft to its private jet charter fleet. The new aircraft include a Gulfstream G550, Citation CJ4 and Pilatus PC-12 NG, which will be supported by Priester's aircraft management and charter program. The 16-passenger Gulfstream G550 will be Priester's 16th large-cabin aircraft.
Cessna's third-generation CitationJet, the CJ1+, is a considerably improved version of the original aircraft, thanks to its more powerful engines, a 100-lb. MTOW increase and slightly better fuel efficiency. Compared to the original CitationJet and second-generation CJ1, this aircraft can climb directly to FL 410 in 27 min., less than half the time, cruise up to 20 to 30-kt. faster and fly 75-nm farther. It also has vastly improved hot-and-high airport takeoff performance.
