A U.S. industry coalition traveled to the United Kingdom in late September to discuss the Civil Aviation Authority's inclination to treat fractional aircraft operators as commercial operators (B/CA, October, page 22). The Weekly of Business Aviation reports that one industry official left the meeting with the impression that the U.K. regulators appeared to define a commercial operation as anything that involved a contract for the use of aeronautical services. Under that definition, the official said, the overwhelming majority of U.S.
Both the FAA and industry realize there's a lot work yet to do when it comes to regulating or controlling the use of EFBs in the cockpit. Major issues confronting working groups include the process for installing and using various types of systems and the rules for displaying ``own-ship'' position -- the symbol or ``spotter'' that shows the location of your aircraft on the approach plate or airport chart.
Bill Boisture is the new president of NetJets, responsible for company operations in North America. Based at NetJet's operational headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, he will report directly to Richard T. Santulli, NetJets chairman and CEO. Boisture was most recently president of Gulfstream Aerospace and an executive vice president of General Dynamics, Gulfstream's parent. Prior to that, he headed British Aerospace Corporate Jets, Butler Aviation and SimuFlite Training International.
San Jose Jet Center has broken ground on a new addition to its complex to include an additional 46,000 square feet of hangar space and 16,000 square feet of office and terminal space. The California service company currently occupies 200,000 square feet of hangar and office space on 15 acres at Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC). This project increases the San Jose Jet Center's footprint to 22 acres. The company says the new facility is specifically designed to accommodate large groups such as corporate shuttle passengers and sports teams.
According to GAMA, the most positive aspect of the new Subpart K is that it recognizes fractional programs as private rather than commercial operations (see the items above). The association also praised the new rule for clearly defining fractional ownership, clarifying and assigning operational control responsibilities, and codifying many of the ``best practices'' now being voluntarily used by fractional ownership programs.
Air BP is offering a new line of aviation piston oils branded Castrol Aviator. They are available as a full range of monograde oils; straight grades S65, S80, S100 and S120; and Ashless Dispersant grades AD65, AD80, AD100 and AD120. In addition, all viscosity grades of the AD range contain the load- carrying/anti-scuff additive required by many types of Lycoming engines. Price: Contact retailer Air BP Lubricants Parsippany, NJ 07054 Phone: (973) 401-4350 Fax: (973) 401-4355 www.airbp.com
Sept. 27 -- An Embraer EMB-145, operating as American Eagle Flight 4873, was substantially damaged when it struck a garbage truck during pushback from Gate C/2 at La Guardia Air-port (LGA) in Flushing, N.Y. No injuries were reported. According to the FAA, the airplane was required to be pushed back at an angle, due to the location of the gate. Although a wing walker was present off of the right wing, one was not present for the left wing area, and during the pushback, the left wing hit the garbage truck, which was stationary. Sept.
Aviation modification and maintenance shops are beginning to see a notable increase in activity as flight departments work to keep older aircraft up and running. As a result, there could be a squeeze on availability of facilities, equipment and technical talent as large numbers of operators move to bring their aircraft into compliance with DRVSM and TAWS requirements that take effect in 2005. Rising demand for upgrades is already taking its toll.
A small Washington, D.C.-based association raised a firestorm last spring when it brought to Congress one of its long-standing issues that had idled for years. The Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) convinced House legislators to include a provision in a sweeping aviation bill that would have required original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to furnish maintenance manuals for any aircraft or aircraft part to any person required by the FARs to comply with the terms of the maintenance instructions.
ARINC Direct continues to expand its business aviation offerings. Upgrading its Skylink service to broadband, the company has developed a hardware package in conjunction with several partners that can increase the data rate to the aircraft to 3.5 Mbps -- quite enough for streaming video. The data rate up from the aircraft is a more modest 128 Kbps. In addition, ARINC Direct with its Aeritech and Shadin partners has added RVSM packages for the Learjet 35 and Cessna 650 aircraft to the packages it already announced for Cessna 500-series Citations.
The FAA has issued Star Aviation a Group Certification for RVSM equipment on the Cessna Citation 500/501/550/551 series aircraft, with Group Approval pending for the 560/S550. The installation kit uses the IS&S Analog Interface Unit and Air Data Display Units. The turnkey kit is available for both single- and dual-flight director aircraft equipped with the Sperry SPZ-500 autopilot. Star Aviation, an aircraft engineering and kit manufacturing firm, has formed a strategic partnership with Southern Avionics of Mobile, Ala., as Southern Star Avionics, L.L.C.
At least one Starship survives. Raytheon Aircraft has donated a Beech Starship to the Kansas Aviation Museum, located in Wichita at McConnell Air Force Base. ``This composite aircraft was a milestone in Kansas aviation that must be preserved and is a significant addition to the new Kansas Aviation Museum,'' said Don Grant, vice president of the museum board. ``We are grateful for Raytheon Aircraft's support and very generous donation of the Beech Starship.'' Raytheon effectively decommissioned the 50-ship Starship fleet in June because support costs were prohibitive.
The Challenger 300's instrument panel is dominated by four 12-by-10-inch LCDs, the largest Pro Line 21 display screens yet installed in any business aircraft. These screens provide 340 square inches of display area, plenty to drown the flight crew in data minutia. But Bombardier and Collins resisted the temptation and remained true to the quiet, dark cockpit concept. This panel is designed for flight operations, not entertainment value. Use of color is restrained and consistent. Backgrounds are gray and black, as appropriate for specific functions.
HERSCH, THERE MUST BE a special place in perdition complete with central heating for most Gulfstream I, Gulfstream II and HS-125 crewmen. I swear, if most of 'em ain't deef already, they is on the other side, which is dumb. You see it every day at most airports. The G-I is parked as close to the terminal as the law allows. The crew is in the cockpit, Bigdome arrives and the blades on the number-two engine start rotating when his foot hits the bottom step. As soon as the cabin door closes, the number-one engine is ignited.
AeroMechanical Services Ltd. and SmartSignal Corp. have integrated AeroMechanical's AFIRS and UpTime products with SmartSignal's condition-monitoring software to create a real-time engine and aircraft monitoring system for regional and business jets. Gary Conkright, president and CEO of SmartSignal, said the combination enables aircraft-specific maintenance strategies based on engine and APU health. AFIRS is an airborne autonomous flight information collection and reporting system that generates data reports.
The FAA wants to use part of ExpressJet's survey of passenger and baggage weights to determine average carryon baggage weights for smaller regional aircraft. ExpressJet was the first regional carrier to complete such a survey. In May, the FAA gave carriers 90 days to add 15 pounds per passenger to existing weight and balance programs as a short-term fix after limited surveys prompted by the Air Midwest Beech 1900D crash in Charlotte in January revealed the agency's passenger and luggage weight averages were too low.
FlightSafety International's new Gulfstream G550 simulator has received Level D certification from the FAA. Located at the company's Savannah Learning Center, the simulator replicates the ultra-long-range aircraft's four-screen PlaneView cockpit with cursor controls; it also features Gulfstream's pioneering enhanced vision system presented on a head-up display, TCAS and EGPWS. The simulator was made by FlightSafety's simulation division in Tulsa and its visual systems group in St. Louis.
ConocoPhillips Co. is expanding its line of aviation lubricants and fluids for general aviation to include a single-grade, anti-wear piston engine oil; an X/C line of new instrument, airframe and bearing greases; and two new mineral-oil-based hydraulics. The oil will be available in quarts or 55-gallon drums; because of its reformulation, operators will not have to mix in messy additives. The greases are designed to cover a wide range of applications and temperatures and come in either synthetic or mineral base form.
Bombardier Learjet 45 owners had to wait longer than originally hoped to get their grounded airplanes (B/CA, September, page 14) back in the air. The FAA grounded the Model 45s because of concern about possible fracture of a screw and acme nut in the horizontal stabilizer actuator assembly (HSAA). MPC Products Corp., supplier of the screw and nut, beefed up the design, but the FAA stated it did not have confidence in the material used for the replacement parts or in the manufacturing quality controls. After consultations on Aug.
Mooney Airplane Co. announced it turned a profit in July. The wholly owned subsidiary of Mooney Aerospace Group, Ltd. had a net income of $85,909 in July. The company reported net sales of $2.6 million and an 18-percent gross margin of $475,000. Company President J.
I really enjoyed Jim Cannon's ``Developing Management Skills, by the Book'' in the August issue (Practical Manager, page 120). Some of it had to be the commentary on some of our mutual past. But he gave credit where credit is due and he called it like it needs to be called. I guess the thing that I enjoyed most about the article was that he was not tooting his own horn as some do in our business publications. He offered sound advice from past experience and projected what is needed to be effective in the future.
Greenwood Aviation, at Ponca City, Okla., Municipal Airport (PNC) will sell aircraft operators up to 1,000 gallons of fuel at cost, plus a $100 pumping fee. Owner Chuck Greenwood developed the program to attract business and he says it's working. ``Sam Walton would be proud,'' he said. Every Monday morning Greenwood e-mails that week's price to his customers to compare with other regional prices, plus third-party discount fuel prices. Greenwood Aviation is a Phillips 66 dealer.
Controllers at Miami International Airport (MIA) say a new runway there is causing confusion among pilots. Runway 8/26, which opened Sept. 4, is an 8,600-foot strip located 800 feet to the north of the existing Runway 9L/27R. Because the new runway is to the left of and essentially parallel to 9L, pilots instructed to land on 9L have sometimes assumed that 9L is the new runway.
Corporate Rotable and Supply (CRS) of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., announced that its lead-the-fleet pair of A3579-000 generators installed on a Learjet 35 logged 1,800 hours without a removal. The first pair was installed in January 2002 on a Model 35 operated by BankAir Commuter Airlines and passed the 1,050-hour milestone in January 2003. The generator requires no inspections over its 3,000-hour TBO, which CRS says equates to nearly seven years of average flying. CRS holds STCs for installation on Learjet 35s, 36s and 55s.
UPON REACHING MY GATE at Denver International, I encountered a mob of travelers of every stripe and attire. As the boarding time neared, the gate agent announced the flight had been overbooked and that he would give free tickets to those who'd take a later flight. I considered the offer, but I had much work to do and climbed on board. Sitting in my window seat in the back of the 737, I studied each passenger who neared, wondering with whom I was to share extremely close space for the next four-plus hours. The fellow in the suit? The cowboy?
