Securaplane Technologies has released its DVR-01 digital video recorder for airborne applications. The DVR-01 is a stand-alone recorder that also integrates with Securaplane's aircraft security and video camera systems. The 3.0-pound device can digitally archive up to six hours of video data that is retrievable via an ethernet port for playback. Securaplane claims that time-stamped and text-labeled images can be accessed in an instant. Price: Call for pricing Securaplane Technologies 10800 N. Mavinee Dr.
A replica of Clyde Cessna's first airplane, Silverwing, was hung at Exploration Place in Wichita. Silverwing, which was built and flown by Cessna in 1911, will be on display for 18 months as part of the ``Centennial of Powered Flight'' project. Although the actual aircraft no longer exists, several replicas have been built. The replica hanging at Exploration Place, built by Cessna employees in the 1960s, is approximately 26 feet long, with a 26-foot wingspan.
Premier Aircraft Sales, formerly Signature Combs Aircraft Sales, has teamed with the Mooney Airplane Co. as a Mooney Team Representative (MTR). Premier's territory will cover Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. The Mooney/MTR relationship affiliates with aviation professionals who are familiar with a given territory to facilitate sales and professionally represent Mooney, while still providing end customers the lower price resulting from buying directly from the manufacturer.
General Soft-Skill Requirements The general soft-skill requirements section comprises those qualities needed in the maintenance professional that are not aircraft related. Interpersonal Skills -- Technicians must learn the interpersonal skills that everyone is judged by. The skills shall include, but are not limited to, communications, image, leadership, organization, ethics, conflict resolution and customer service. Communications -- Communications is further classified into verbal skill and written skills.
Unison Industries has published the new Autolite Aviation Spark Plugs Installation and Maintenance Manual (Unison document L-1710). The manual provides detailed information on spark plug installation techniques and maintenance procedures, and the company says it is an essential document for Autolite Aviation Spark Plug users, aviation technicians, aircraft owners, maintenance and overhaul facilities, flight schools and FBOs. The spark plug manual will be provided to subscribers of Unison's F-1100 Slick Service Manual.
Total Aircraft Services (TAS) has received an STC for its tail-mounted installation of the Max-Viz EVS-1000 in Bombardier Challenger CL-601 aircraft. The EVS-1000 uses an uncooled infrared sensor as a camera to provide real-time video to a cockpit monitor display. TAS has priced the complete EVS-1000 system installation, including equipment, parts, wiring, STC paperwork and installation labor anywhere in the continental United States, at $129,000. The system can be installed in three days. Self-installation kits are available for immediate shipment.
Nu-Tech Industries, Inc., Grandview, Mo., has named David Soper president of this subsidiary of the Triumph Group. Soper joined Nu-Tech in 1997 and was operations manager at the time of his promotion. He will report to Jeffry Frisby, president of Triumph Aerospace Systems Group.
Turbomeca customers in North America now have a Canadian-approved option when it comes to having their Arriel 1 engines repaired and overhauled. Turbomeca Canada Inc. (TMC) recently received an Approved Maintenance Organization Certificate from Transport Canada, granting it authority to perform full repair and overhaul services on the Arriel 1 engine family.
Business aviation interests have taken the initiative to propose a realistic FAR Part 91 operator security vetting process to the TSA -- which, to its credit, has accepted it on a trial basis. Termed TSAAC (``TEE-sac''), for Transportation Security Administration Access Certificate, the security plan could eventually serve as a template for all Part 91 operations within the National Airspace System (NAS).
Two senior Enstrom Helicopter executives have departed the company. President and CEO Steven P. Daniels and Vice President Frank Gallagher left after ``Significant communication problems had developed with company ownership,'' according to an Enstrom press release. Peter H. Parsinen has been appointed president for an interim period while a replacement search is conducted. Parsinen is the CEO of TPG International, a sales and marketing consulting firm specializing in helicopter products.
FAR Part 91's Subpart K, the new rules for fractional providers, finally arrived at the White House Office of Management and Budget for review. Senior FAA officials signed off on the package in fall 2002, but what was supposed to be a 90-day review at the DOT ran on for more than six months. When asked about the status of the fractional rule last month, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey told The Weekly of Business Aviation it was among several FAA regulatory actions that had gotten hung up, adding that she was attempting to get them cut loose and finalized.
London Heathrow is the first airport to install a system that can detect the smallest traces of explosives on a person and warn security staff within seconds. The Smiths Detection Sentinel II Portal can screen up to 420 people per hour. Air passes over the passenger, releasing any particles naturally absorbed by, or clinging to, the person's clothing or body. The particles are then drawn into the instrument for analysis using ion mobility spectrometry. During the analysis, a digital camera takes up to three pictures of the person, which can be printed as a record.
Life support for the major airlines has been proposed by Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), the ranking Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He recently introduced legislation that would help the airlines with war risk insurance, extend the federal loan guarantee program to provide fuel credits, and reimburse carriers for air traffic losses and security-related activities. Oberstar's bill, the Aviation Industry Stabilization Act of 2003, is cosponsored by Rep.
Piedmont Hawthorne Aviation, Winston-Salem, N.C., has announced several personnel changes. Jim McNeill has been named general manager of the Washington-Dulles, Va. (IAD) location. Andrew Storey was promoted to general manager at the company's Toronto, Canada (YYZ) location (Shell Aero Center). Markus Brucks now fills the position of operational manager at the Toronto location. Bill Shoe has been promoted to general manager at the Winston-Salem (INT) headquarters. Isaac Lee is now general manager of the Norfolk, Va. (ORF) FBO.
Triumph Group, which manufactures components and subassemblies for aircraft and engines, said on April 11 that it is realigning its operating structure to reduce five operating divisions into three. The company also said that effective March 31 it designated its Metals Group as a discontinued operation.
A dizzying array of new technologies, situational awareness capabilities and information are making their way into the cockpit. To help sort it all out, we took a step back (not backward) and looked at how all this stuff is being presented to pilots. We realized that the multifunction display is becoming the centerpiece of modern aircraft situational awareness.
Pans-OPS Software has been developed to enhance the accuracy and safety of instrument flight procedures. The software, which incorporates the updated ICAO Collision Risk Model and other operational features, calculates the probability of collision with obstacles by an airplane on an ILS approach and the possible ensuing missed approach. It has been designed to provide risk computations and minimum parameters acceptable to a specific set of conditions and runway environments.
