A thrilling new type of recreation adventure awaits users of the SoloTrek Exo-Skeletor Flying Vehicle (XFV). This prototype vehicle is designed to enable the adventurer to take off straight up into the air, travel for up to an hour and a half, and then land anywhere. Using ordinary automotive fuel, the XFV is planned to reach speeds of up to 70 knots, and traverse distances of up to 130 nm. SoloTrek says the XFV has been designed to be safe, easy to fly and easy to maintain.
Constructed on the site of the original 1952 Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) terminal, AvCenter PIT has opened its Business Aviation Center dedicated to supporting private and corporate aircraft. The $13 million center features 40,000 square feet of hangar space and 11,000 square feet of terminal space. The heated hangar can handle Boeing 757-size aircraft and has an independent maintenance facility with avionics services.The main terminal has a private VIP conference suite, pilot's lounge offering crew briefing and a game room with a pool table.
The Battle of Britain will be fought all over again at this year's NBAA Convention in New Orleans (September 18-20), as FBOs ringing the U.K. capital slug it out to attract transatlantic traffic. Congestion, limited slot availability and high landing fees at Heathrow and Gatwick airports have conspired to brighten the business aviation prospects of London's satellite fields -- with Biggin Hill the latest to shine.
The next all-new engine from Pratt&Whitney Canada will be the PW800, a geared turbofan aimed at 70- to 100-passenger regional airliners and large business jets. If it sounds familiar, it is. The PW800 is the next step in bringing the company's Advanced Fan Technology (AFT) Integrator engine to market, following a successful series of tests in anticipation of first flight in first quarter 2002.
The FAA has adopted nearly all of the proposals developed by the Fractional Ownership Aviation Rulemaking Committee (FOARC), the 27-member industry panel convened to develop regulatory guidelines for fractional ownership operations.
Cobham PLC is acquiring EFIS manufacturer Sierra Flight Systems for an undisclosed sum. Sierra says its synthetic vision EFIS is revolutionary, featuring a virtual reality, 3-D terrain display. Most competitive systems are ``computer displays that merely mimic traditional mechanical instruments.'' Sierra Flight Systems displays are geared for aircraft ranging from high-end single-engine general aviation aircraft through light jets.
An FAA study has revealed that the number of ``severe'' runway incursion incidents at U.S. airports is more or less constant from year to year, but minor incursion events are increasing at a rapid rate. The findings come as part of a study of runway incursion trends at U.S. tower-controlled airports between 1997 and 2000 -- the FAA's first attempt to measure the relative severity of runway incursion incidents as a step toward addressing the issue.
Premier Turbines, Cahokia, Ill., has named Brian Harrington as TFE731 service and support manager in the Central United States and Mike McGowan as TFE731 service and support manager for the West Coast region.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has upheld a lower court ruling that validates common standards for determining how companies can deduct costs associated with personal use of a company-owned aircraft. The focus of the case is Sutherland Lumber-Southwest, a retail lumber chain based in Kansas City, Mo., that used its 1976 Learjet for both business and pleasure.
Modernizing the U.S. air traffic control system is a lot like trying to reach Teterboro in a business jet on a stormy afternoon -- lots of people have the same goal, but nobody knows how many twists and turns to expect before they'll finally arrive. Most of the key players agree that space-based technology is the key to the future, and the DOT and, more recently, Boeing each have come up with plans to speed the transition from ground-based aids to satellite navigation.
British Airways began test-flying a modified Concorde in mid-July in the hope of regaining certification for the world's only passenger-carrying supersonic transport later this year. The first flight, a three-hour, 20-minute trip originating at London Heathrow and ending at RAF Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire, was to determine what effects, if any, retrofits on the Concorde's landing gear and fuel tanks have on the its flight characteristics.
Latin America has become a major market for Bell Helicopter Textron, which has sold more than 100 new aircraft to commercial and government operators there in the past two years. The machines are being employed in a variety of roles, including drug interdiction, crop fumigation, offshore oil support, disaster relief and general transport. At the top of the list, Mexico's Procuraduria General de la Republica (PGR) recently took delivery of 24 new Bell 206L-4 Long Rangers, to be employed in the anti-drug role.
One of the most important resources for lightning strike information comes from flight crews who voluntarily report their encounters for inclusion in a database maintained by LTI. The program is called the Airlines Lightning Strike Project (ALSRP) and it receives financial support from several sources including the FAA's Hughes Technical Center. Recently the program has been expanded to capture data from regional carrier and corporate flight crews.
The new Bombardier Continental was about to fly as B/CA went to press. Development of the ``super midsize'' business jet is underway at Bombardier's Learjet plant in Wichita; the first flight was set to take place at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport (ICT) with Bombardier test pilot Jim Dwyer at the controls.
BAE Systems Canada has been renamed CMC Electronics, following the company's acquisition by ONCAP L.P., an investment firm formed by Canada's Onex Corp. and several pension funds and investment firms. Founded nearly a century ago, CMC Electronics began focusing on high-end electronics for commercial and defense sectors in the 1960s. The company was associated with the Marconi name until 2000 when it was renamed BAE Systems Canada. Honeywell recently selected CMC's new CMA-4024 GPS receiver for inclusion in several Honeywell aviation navigation products.
Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) plans to build a 41,600-square-foot regional jet maintenance facility next to Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport in Louisiana. The new facility will serve as the airline's primary overnight maintenance base for Canadair Regional Jets serving the Dallas/Fort Worth hub. Construction of the hangar is expected to begin this summer and will last about a year. When the hangar opens, ASA will employ more than 350 maintenance personnel at five maintenance facilities in three states, including a staff of 55 in Baton Rouge.
The FAA has downgraded the status of Trinidad and Tobago's civil aviation authority to a Category 2 from Category 1. The designation means that the country no longer complies with ICAO international aviation standards. No new carriers from the Caribbean nation may serve the United Status nor can existing carriers expand service here until the Category 1 status is restored, although existing service can continue under increased scrutiny from the FAA.
Pioneer Electric&Research has introduced a hardened digital multimeter featuring total harmonic distortion measuring on AC voltages. The Model PDM-550 has been designed for flight-line maintenance that requires a professional, rugged and easy-to-use meter. In addition, the instrument measures temperature, capacitance, true RMS, AC/DC voltage and current, resistance and continuity and has functions such as record, data hold, relative value, and a power down or sleep function that activates after 30 minutes of inactivity.
Safire Aircraft has named veteran aerospace executive Robert M. Kuhn as president and CEO. Kuhn held positions with Rockwell International, Hamilton Standard and Pratt&Whitney before heading up the West Palm Beach, Fla., manufacturer. Kuhn says that one of his main short-term goals will be ``to attract substantial financing'' to Safire. Dimitri Margaritoff, brother of Safire founder Michael Margaritoff, who was named chairman, president and CEO of the company in January, remains chairman.
The NBAA formed a new Standing Committee to coordinate the activities of local business aviation groups. Richard Schuller, chairman of the Arizona Business Aviation Association and head of Schuller Aerospace Services International, is interim chair of the new Local Business Aviation Organization Committee. Although the organizations are independent, the NBAA often facilitates their creation so they can address local and regional issues such as airport access and noise abatement and to help establish a relationship with neighboring communities.
Grob Aerospace has introduced a composite four-seat single-engine turboprop, known as the G140TP. The aircraft, which is powered by a Rolls-Royce Allison 250-B17F, is quoted at $890,000. Design to prototype stage was achieved in four months, Grob says.
NDT Systems' new ``Touch 'n Go'' ultrasonic thickness gauge features a color touch-screen operation of over 40 control knobs and switches. The new unit, called the NovaScope 5000, allows easy-touch storage and recall of all instrument setup parameters. When a function is selected on the screen, a single large knob on the front panel is used to act on the selected function. A scroll bar at the bottom automatically pops up when it can assist in defining certain functions. The NDT unit is suited for both contact spot gauging and non-contact gauging.
New Orleans International Airport is changing its name this month to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. The change takes place in a year that would have marked the jazz great's 100th birthday.
