The prototype AgustaWestland AW189 helicopter made its first flight in December 2011, ahead of schedule. The aircraft was launched at the 2011 Paris Air Show. AgustaWestland aims to achieve civil certification for the AW189 in 2013 and to start deliveries in early 2014. The first prototype will be used for avionics systems testing and certification of offshore equipment options, while the second prototype, set to fly this year, will be dedicated to a “load survey” program. The AW189 design is optimized for long-range offshore transport and SAR missions.
Safe Flight Instrument Corp. recently donated another $50,000 to Corporate Angel Network (CAN) in support of the charity, which arranges free flights to treatment for cancer patients using empty seats in business aircraft. A long time supporter of the program, the White Plains, N.Y.-based company is headed by Randall Greene, who also serves as CAN's chairman.
ImperialJet took delivery of a new Bombardier Challenger 605 business jet for the company's charter fleet. The company says it has seen strong demand for its Bombardier Challengers, particularly in Russia and Saudi Arabia. The company operates Challenger 850, 605 and 604 aircraft in addition to Learjet 60/60 XR and Gulfstream III jets. The company further has five Learjet 85s on order that are slated to enter service in 2014.
The FAA says the continuing failure of the U.S. Congress to pass a reauthorization bill is undermining confidence in the administration's ability to execute the Next Generation air traffic modernization plan. Pressing for immediate action, FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta says the hiatus “creates a climate of uncertainty.” The FAA is in its fourth year of operating under temporary funding, with Congress having passed more than 20 extensions in lieu of a full reauthorization bill.
In “Cabin Electronic Systems” (December, 2011) the listing for Audio International (subsidiary of DeCrane Aerospace) should actually have been Goodrich Interiors — Cabin Electronic Systems. Goodrich acquired the Audio International asset of DeCrane over a year ago.
Saab Sensis Corp. will install its airport surface surveillance technology at nine or more U.S. airports under a contract awarded by the FAA that could be worth up to $119 million. Sensis, a U.S. subsidiary of Saab, will install systems that fuse surveillance data from multiple sources, including multilateration and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B). This gives controllers a highly accurate picture of runway and taxiway movements, and the ability to detect conflicts and provide alerts.
Community leaders in Wichita are assembling a task force that will develop some “fairly aggressive strategies” to boost the aviation industry as the city wrestles with Boeing's January announcement that it will pull its defense, space and security operations out of Wichita and lay off or relocate up to 2,100 workers, says Suzie Ahlstrand, interim president of the Greater Wichita Economic Development Coalition (GWEDC).
Daher-Socata delivered 38 TBM850 single-engine aircraft last year, equaling the total of the year before. Deliveries to buyers in the U.S. continued to dominate, with 84% of deliveries topping the 76% that found their way to the U.S. in 2010. Latin America was the second largest market, with Asia-Pacific and Europe following. Europe was the second largest market in 2010. Daher-Socata says it was the fourth best year for the TBM.
Gulfstream Aerospace has enhanced the services available to operators with the addition of a mobile support vehicle and a renovated customer lobby at its Brunswick, Ga., facility. The specially outfitted truck includes an air compressor, generator and a laptop to sign off work in real time allowing technicians to perform or support many maintenance services and transport a range of replacement parts. The renovated lobby has Wi-Fi, a 52-in. HD television and new furniture, among other improvements. Brunswick's 25,000-sq.-ft.
West Star Aviation's facility in East Alton, Ill., was named an authorized service center for the GE CF34 engine. The authorization means the facility can provide service and support of the engine and supply related parts and products. West Star's facility in Grand Junction, Colo., has been an authorized GE service provider for more than 6 yr.
FAA issued Advisory Circular 90-114 regarding usage of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology in compliance with FAR 91.225 and 91.227. These regulations require aircraft operating in certain classes of airspace to be equipped with ADS-B Out beginning Jan. 1, 2020. The circular contains guidance on compliance, including an overview of the ADS-B system, general operating procedures and performance requirements.
Transport Canada has approved a 500-lb. gross weight increase for Bell Model 429 helicopter to 7,500 lb., the company says. As we go to press, Bell is seeking FAA and EASA validation. Responding to customer requests, Bell worked on the change for more than a year and spent the last several months validating data for the weight increase with Transport Canada. The improvement provides increases in range or longer loiter times — which the company notes can be particularly important for EMS and law enforcement, two key markets for the 429.
The NBAA expressed strong opposition to a European court's ruling in December 2011 that a plan by European regulators to tax carbon emissions from aircraft should apply to all aircraft operators across the international aviation community, including those based in the U.S. In a decision announced Dec. 21, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) said European authorities are authorized to obligate all operators, including the airlines and general aviation, to comply with the program, known as the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS).
After a steady decline in his health, the father of a colleague passed away not long ago. In the weeks that followed, the gentleman's survivors, a son and daughter, had to deal with all the details of his departure — accounts to close, notifications to various institutions, cleaning out a lifetime's collections of paperwork, photos, clothing, mementos. A long, melancholy process. The very last item on their To Do list was the biggie: Selling the house.
Regarding “Security Outlook, All eyes are focused on LASP II,” (January 2011, page 45) I doubt whether any business aviation insider believes the TSA's next NPRM for the revised LASP will be published successfully anytime soon.
TSA approved a five-year extension of its partnership with National Air Transportation Association Compliance Services (NATACS) to provide a range of general aviation security programs. The partnership recognizes NATACS as a Trusted Fingerprint Facility to process biographical and biometric information. The partnership, established in 2002, has been extended through December 2016. NATACS provides all pre-enrollment, enrollment, fingerprint collection, and secure data transmission for TSA-conducted background checks of aircrew members and flight students.
Eurocopter released improved performance specifications for its new EC175 helicopter scheduled to enter service by year-end. The company announced a baseline payload/radius-of-action with 16 passengers at 135 nm when configured for offshore oil and gas missions, a 30% increase compared with the initial performance baseline. For longer-range missions, EC175 can transport 12 passengers to a radius of action of 190 nm. An 18-passenger configuration option is under development with the goal of achieving a radius-of-action of 100 nm.
A unique “helipod” single-place helicopter design uses a shroud-ring to completely enclose coaxial short-span rotors. The shroud serves to shield counter-rotating blades to overcome lift dissymmetry and increase rotor efficiency. Helipod Inc. of California, which plans to build the ship in Japan, calls it a “shielding rotating wing biplane” and says the prototype will fly this summer.
The FAA wants to shift most controller-pilot messages — more than 1.2 million a day — to a digital text-based network. This will be one of the key enablers of the NextGen modernization effort, which requires aircraft to fly satellite-based procedures that are too complex for current ATC communications technology. The agency's Data Communications (Data Comm) program will make it quicker for controllers to send and revise clearances, as well as reducing frequency congestion and allowing the transmission of complex flight profiles.
