The recent legal victory scored by environmentalist groups in their attempt to end the sale, distribution and use of aviation gasoline in California has captured the attention of several federal agencies. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt told attendees at the NATA Aviation Business Roundtable that the Department of Justice is weighing whether it should get involved in the matter. Under consideration is whether California-imposed fines and/or restrictions would overstep the state's jurisdiction and conflict with federal regulation.
With overwhelming evidence of severe interference, the FCC should promptly rule that LightSquared can never use its frequencies closest to those used for GPS, says a coalition opposed to the company's plans to use the satellite communications spectrum for a terrestrial broadband wireless network.
Speeding up NextGen air traffic control systems is not being impeded by the technology itself, but the inability to develop processes and procedures to support the technology, GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce says in testimony to the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee. Bunce, who testified Nov. 7 during a T&I field hearing on NextGen, says FAA needs to leverage research resources from various accounts to expedite deployment.
Flexjet has submitted a letter of intent to the FAA to use the iPad 2 as an electronic flight bag (EFB). Full approval, expected by mid-2012, would cover iPad 2 use for viewing navigational charts, aircraft publications and other flight documents. Flexjet is hoping to obtain interim authorization early next year.
Sikorsky announced that Transport Canada had certified the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210S engine that will power Sikorsky's new S-76D helicopter. P&WC and Sikorsky are subsidiaries of United Technologies. The engine has accumulated more than 8,700 hr. in test cells and flight tests. S-76D senior program manager Tim Fox said delivery of the first aircraft to the launch customer is slated for 2012.
Gulfstream and FlightSafety International are offering a complimentary preview of FlightSafety's Gulfstream G350/G450/G500/G550 Ground Handling and Servicing eLearning course for FBO managers for the rest of this year. The course reinforces how ground handlers should move and service Gulfstream aircraft. Best practices developed and used by Gulfstream employees are emphasized to help mitigate risks.
Embraer, Boeing and Brazil's São Paulo State Research Foundation (FAPESP), are conducting a study that will outline “the unique opportunities and challenges of creating a cost-effective, bio-derived and sustainable jet-fuel production and distribution industry in Brazil.” When completed in late 2012, the report, which will include a technology and sustainability road map, will be made public. Brazilian commercial carriers Azul, GOL, TAM and Trip will be strategic advisors to the study partners.
Daher-Socata rolled out its 600th series production TBM turboprop aircraft, a TBM 850, during a ceremony at Daher-Socata's factory in Tarbes, France. The milestone aircraft is destined for a customer in the Northwestern U.S. The company first certified the TBM 700 single turboprop in 1990 and delivered the 300th in June 2004. The aircraft evolved into the TBM 850 with an 850-hp engine in 2006. The fleet has amassed nearly 900,000 flight hours.
Recent NBAA updates and notes in your Intelligence section have passed on a request by FAA that cockpit crews heed mention of runway construction activity on the ATIS. I remember a time when the ATIS was a fantastic aid to crews approaching a busy terminal area because it usually contained ONLY info that had probably changed since the crew's preflight briefing (weather, approach in use and any notams issued in the last 24 hr.) and typically lasted about 15 seconds.
RUAG Aviation, which operates an authorized Cessna Service Center in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, has won European Aviation Safety Agency Part 145 approval to provide base and line maintenance for the CitationJet 4. The facility, near Munich, also is authorized to work on CJ4s flown by operators based in Aruba, Bermuda, Bosnia, the Cayman Islands, Canada and Qatar. RUAG expects to add other country approvals.
Organizers of a recent 2011 Westchester Aviation/Aerospace Expo reported that 850 area high and middle school students attended the two-day event, intended to expose youngsters to the variety of occupations and skills embodied in aviation. The event, hosted by PepsiCo in its corporate hangar at Westchester County, N.Y., Airport Oct. 21-22, involved workshops, presentations and hands-on activities ranging from robot face off and wind tunnel display, to flight simulator flying and a space shuttle discussion.
Jeppesen received an FAA Type 1 Letter of Acceptance endorsement for its processing of navigation obstacle data. The endorsement letter, the first for navigational obstacle data processing, notes that Jeppesen complies with FAA Advisory Circular 20-153A Acceptance of Aeronautical Data Processes and Associated Databases, as well as RTCA/DO-200A Standards for Processing Aeronautical Data. The Jeppesen obstacle database contains about 750,000 obstacle data points worldwide.
Embraer has delivered the first Phenom 300 light executive jet to Baruna AG, with a ceremony at Embraer's headquarters in São José dos Campos, Brazil. The aircraft will be managed by Jet Aviation Business Jets' aircraft charter division and will be based in Zurich to serve the European market.
Eurocopter has successfully tested a hybrid helicopter that combines a turboshaft engine with an electric motor to increase the safety margin of a single-engine helicopter during an autorotation. The demonstrator helicopter is a modified light single-engine AS350. In the event of an engine failure, the electric motor provides power to the rotor.
In recent years, I've spent a lot of time in Europe shuttling our company's customers to product demonstrations and briefings. In doing so, I've become quite familiar with navigating the region — sifting through the various accents of the controllers, deciphering the intricate arrival and departure procedures, and once on the ground, maneuvering in and out of roundabouts, and when in the U.K., bravely driving on the “wrong” side of the road.
So what do you think would happen if a commercial entity proposed creating a new wireless communications network that threatened to disrupt the Global Positioning System, causing catastrophic GPS signal losses for military, government, industrial and private users — jamming everything from smart bombs to oil tankers to Toyotas — and undermining the foundation of the FAA's NextGen ATC system?
Freestream Aircraft Ltd., an international used aircraft broker, has opened offices in Hong Kong and Beijing to better serve the growing market for business jets in Asia. “Business jet use is accelerating as the Asian economies continue to grow and realize their vast potential,” says Alireza Ittihadieh, CEO of Freestream. “Doing business in person is preferred in this region. Our offices here will enable business jet buyers and sellers to work directly, face to face.”
The prolonged recovery of the used business jet market has faltered in recent months, taking a “frustrating” step backward, according to market research firm Amstat. Historically high inventories of previously owned aircraft have been considered a major stumbling block to the industry's overall recovery. However, Amstat stresses that those inventories have been coming down, albeit slowly. “Over the long haul, conditions are getting better more often than they're getting worse,” said Amstat Executive Vice President Tom Benson.
Blackhawk, the Waco, Texas, provider of turboprop engine upgrades, has received a Brazilian STC for its Cessna 208B Caravan XP42A performance package, which enables Blackhawk to install the XP42A upgrade into Cessna Caravans licensed to operate in the South American country. Blackhawk officials say Brazil has one of the largest fleets of Caravans flying in commercial, civil, military and law enforcement roles. The Brazilian approval follows certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency in September and approval from the FAA in June.
BLR Aerospace of Everett, Wash., has earned certification of a new LED lighting system for King Air 200s equipped with the company's winglets. The FAA-certified advanced LED lighting system also is available for all King Air 200GT, 250 and 300 series aircraft. Approval of the light system from both the European Aviation Safety Agency and Brazil's Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil is expected soon, says BLR. In addition, the company expects to win an FAA STC in early 2012 for installation of the lights on King Air 90s.
Jettech, the aviation systems design firm that specializes in developing Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) aftermarket solutions, has been awarded an STC for installation of a glass cockpit in Piper Cheyenne III, IIIA and 400LS aircraft. The package includes dual Garmin G600 RVSM primary instrumentation with RVSM-capable air data computers. Garmin GTN 650 and 750 instruments are available as an additional installation.
Clint Bowyer, a Kansas native and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, has signed an order for upgrades to his Beechcraft Premier IA. Bowyer is the launch customer for a synthetic vision system (SVS) upgrade to his Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 displays, addition of new aftermarket winglets by Winglet Technology and installation of an Aircell ATG 5000 system, which provides high-speed wireless Internet service in flight.
Paul Newman's estate has put the late movie star's 1981 Sabreliner 65 up for sale. The white and blue aircraft, serial number 465-56, has a total time of less than 5,000 hr., its Honeywell TFE731 engines are on the MSP Gold maintenance plan, and the aircraft was reportedly pampered by Newman, its second owner, since he acquired it in 1995.
Garmin International has received European Aviation Safety Agency approval for the installation of its Electronic Stability and Protection (ESP) and Iridium data link in G1000-equipped King Air 200 and B200 aircraft.
