In anticipation of the next major re-equipment deadline for business jets, Cessna Aircraft Co. has released Class A Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) service bulletins (SBs) for many Citation models. In addition, the airframe manufacturer planned to issue Class B solutions in October for all Model 500s. Class A SBs have been issued for the CitationJet Mark V and Mark VIII, Bravo Mark VII and VIII, Ultra Mark VII and VIII, and Citation II Mark VIII.
August 30 -- Shortly after lifting off a mountain landing area near Los Angeles, the pilot of a public-use Sikorsky S-70A helicopter heard a loud bang, followed by a slight yaw, and then saw that the number-two engine instrumentation was indicating a loss of power. He immediately diverted to the Whiteman Airport, and performed an uneventful run-on landing.
There was a time when conscientious aviators carried a chamois to strain fuel while filling their aircraft's tanks. The most common contaminants then were water, rust and anything else that managed to get into the fuel can. As technology advanced, we came to rely on filtration systems in the tanker trucks and aboard the aircraft to defend against unwelcome and unseen things in the fuel. Periodic sampling of the fuel truck and fuel bunkers added to the comfort level. But perhaps we have become too comfortable with that arrangement.
P&WC's new premium overhaul and repair warranty for operators of its popular PT6A and JT15D series is available for engines operated in business and general aviation markets, and overhauled or repaired by the P&WC Service Center Network. It provides 100-percent coverage, including engine-mounted accessories for the full manufacturer's recommended TBO, or 10 years, whichever occurs first. The warranty also provides for the use of a rental engine at the customer's operating cost during the overhaul or repair of a covered engine.
FlightSafety International demonstrated at the NBAA Convention an ingenious program for pilots to identify their own hypoxia symptoms. Developed in conjunction with the Mayo Clinic, FSI's Hypoxia Awareness Training demonstration employed a portable unit that replaces oxygen with an increasing proportion of nitrogen. Breathed through a face mask to simulate an ascent to 22,500 feet, the resulting symptoms of hypoxia become apparent over time. Sluggishness, apathy and lethargy are all common, often coupled with a deceptive sense of well-being.
Midcoast Aviation has a new program to assist Hawker operators affected by Raytheon Aircraft's Communique #05-12 that accelerates landing gear overhaul requirements. Midcoast has made several purchases of landing gear components, increasing its inventory to more than $1.5 million. Gear repair and overhaul can be performed at Midcoast in conjunction with other airframe work or gear can be shipped to Midcoast to be worked as a stand-alone project. Midcoast has four landing gear sets for exchange, a service provided within five days.
Texas-based Meggitt/S-TEC has received an STC for installation in Cessna 425 turboprops of the Magic electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) and engine instrument display system (EIDS) combined with a Magic 2100 digital flight control system (DFCS). This STC represents a continuation of the avionics maker's strategy of providing glass-cockpit retrofits for twin turboprops.
The biggest problem in inspecting fuel tanks is access. Aircraft with access covers are easier to get in, but harder to inspect. Aircraft with plank type panels take longer to access and are easier to inspect but take longer to re-install. Once you gain access, you need to know what to look for, like discolored or porous sealant, tiny pinholes that could indicate more damage below the surface. If you find a problem, you need to be able to repair it quickly and effectively. This type of expertise has given rise to specialist fuel tank service companies.
THE TEXAS WEATHER WAS just about perfect for the day's training mission in the Beaumont area. Visibility was 7 miles, the wind easterly at 9 knots, the skies cloudless below 12,000 feet and the temperature 27C. It was Saturday, Sept. 20, 2003, and the Hawker Siddeley HS-125-700A maneuvering overhead was crewed by two Starflite Aviation line pilots and an instructor. The line pilots were preparing for FAR Part 135 competency and proficiency checks scheduled for the following week.
With the FAA TAWS deadline of March 29, 2005, looming, Sandel Avionics is expanding its production capacity to meet increased demand for its popular ST3400 TAWS unit. Installed on more than 30 turbine aircraft models, the ST3400 recently received STCs for use on the Challenger 600/601/604. Certifications are in progress for other turbine aircraft, including the Gulfstream I, II and III, Beechjet/Hawker 400, Jetstream 31 and 32, Embraer 120, Airbus A300 and Boeing 727.
Cessna reports that more than 900 Citation jet owners within the United States have not yet taken steps to comply with the imminent RVSM requirements. This, despite the fact that the manufacturer has STCs available for every Citation model barring Citation I's up to s.n. 275, and even those aircraft have a kit available from Honeywell. Cessna has pledged to hold the price of RVSM upgrade kits if they are ordered before Dec. 31 with a firm installation schedule. After that, the company says, the price will increase.
In 1997, a United Airlines Boeing 747 en route from Tokyo to Honolulu was cruising at FL 330 some two plus hours after departure when it started to encounter clear air turbulence (CAT), not unusual for this part of the globe. But suddenly the CAT became a tiger, tossing passengers out of their seats, flinging flight attendants about the galleys and overturning food service carts. Overhead luggage bins flew open, bags were flung out and anything not bolted or belted became an unguided missile.
DURING DINNER WITH Gordon Bethune, CEO of Continental Airlines, at the Waldorf Astoria the other night, I was struck by several things. First, the dessert, a fluffy chocolate gateau, was unexpectedly delicious. Second, for a guy known for unabashed and unexpurgated candor, Bethune didn't have much to say. And third, an awful lot of people -- about 900, actually -- had, like me, showed up to hear him speak.
Five Directors Elected to NBAA Board. The voting membership of the NBAA elected five directors to three-year terms during its annual meeting: Randal J. Hudon of BellSouth Corporate Aviation and Travel Services, Jeffrey W. Lee of IBM Corp., John H. Ratcliff of Ford Motor Co., George A. Saling of Altria Corporate Services, Inc., and Douglas Schwartz of AT&T Aviation.
Ottawa-based EMS Satcom, a division of EMS Technologies, will develop custom avionics for Honeywell and Thales Avionics' new HS-720 high-speed data system. Under the terms of a seven-year agreement signed on Sept. 8, EMS Satcom's avionics will complement Honeywell/Thales MCS-4000/7000 satcom systems. The predicted value of the deal is more than $50 million over the next five years. EMS will supply high-power amplifiers and high-speed data units for use with Inmarsat Swift64 satcoms.
The Vaisala Group offers the FAA-approved WS425 Ultrasonic Wind Sensor for use with all models of its Automated Weather Observing System. The WS425 has no moving parts and requires no periodic maintenance. The system uses ultrasound to determine horizontal wind speed and direction by utilizing transit time, which is the time it takes for one ultrasound wave to travel from one transducer to another depending on wind speed. Price: Contact Vaisala Vaisala Inc. Columbus Office 7450 Industrial Parkway
Beech 18: A Civil & Military History by Robert Parmenter offers a comprehensive look at over 70 years of this historic aircraft. Containing 567 pages and 730 photographs (350 in color), and weighing in at over six pounds, the book combines personal stories of aviators who flew the Twin Beech and exhaustive technical detail, a must have for the twin Beech enthusiast. Price: $69.95 Staggerwing Museum P.O. Box 550 Tullahoma, TN 37388 (931) 455-1974 www.staggerwing.com
There are dozens of firms that now offer engine retrofits, upgrades and modifications that promise to enhance runway performance, boost cruise speed, improve fuel economy, extend scheduled maintenance intervals and/or lower direct operating costs for business airplanes.
IN NORTHERN NEW MEXICO, the summer of 1996 was long, hot and worrisome. The U.S. Forest Service deployed 20 of its elite smokejumpers, along with a turboprop-powered DC-3 and its pilots, to Santa Fe hoping to provide rapid initial response to any fire that might ignite in the parched Ponderosa pine forests that stretched for miles across the mountainous landscape. I was one of those pilots. One gorgeous evening we watched with keen, professional interest as a picturesque cumulonimbus cloud shot bolts of lightning across the dark sky. The team's spirits were up.
EADS Socata (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) -- Mark A. Diaz is the new Northwest area sales manager for the manufacturer of the TBM 700 single-engine turboprop. Based at Portland, Ore.'s Troutdale Airport, Diaz will cover Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Washington, Wyoming and western Canada.
Jet Aviation has an AOG initiative for the United States. ``We developed JetResponse to assist our customers in maintenance emergencies so they will be able to get airborne as quickly as possible. The program provides a 24-hour maintenance rescue service when untimely incidents take place,'' said Jet Aviation's Gary Dempsey.
Gulfstream's G150 mockup at the NBAA Convention gave showgoers a first look at the Pro Line 21 avionics suite, including its four 13.3-inch diagonal displays that dominate the instrument panel. The glareshield houses the left and right side display controllers, flanking a digital flight guidance control panel in the center. TCAS and terrain visual alerts automatically pop up on the displays. A solid-state, three-in-one Thales electronic standby instrument system replaces the electro-mechanical standby flight instruments in the G100.
As the traditionally slow summer season ended, it was unclear if the used-aircraft market would be able to regain the sales momentum it had enjoyed in early 2004, although some industry observers are hoping that activity will pick up, as it often does, toward the end of the year.
AvCraft has renewed its push to market the Envoy corporate version of its 328Jet. With a firm rollout date set for April 2005, AvCraft's CEO Ben Bartel is confident that the company will achieve the credibility required to move the program forward. ``The importance of the first aircraft coming off the production line next year can't be over-emphasized,'' said Bartel. ``We have a number of sales prospects that will move forward to firm orders once that happens.
