Honeywell recently received approval from France's DGAC and the U.S. FAA for retrofitting TFE731-40 turbofan engines to the Dassault Falcon 50, essentially transforming the older Falcon tri-jet into a Falcon 50EX. The $5.3 million upgrade package includes engines, increased rudder authority and other systems modifications. The conversion also requires retrofitting the aircraft with a $2.3 million Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 avionics package. Honeywell, though, plans to offer customers an up to $1 million trade-in credit for their old -3 engines.
The author of last year's landmark AIR-21 legislation has been named chief financial officer of the FAA. Agency Administrator Jane Garvey says Chris Berman's experience as a senior aide on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and his 13 years in federal government budgeting will ``certainly assist him in taking on a job of this magnitude.'' As assistant administrator and CFO, Berman will serve as a key advisor to Garvey on financial and administrative issues, as well as oversee an operating and capital budget in excess of $13 billion.
What? Never heard of Charles Taylor? Few have, and that's part of the problem besetting aviation maintenance today. A hands-on mechanical wizard, Charles E. Taylor was the man who built the engine that lifted the Wright Brothers into the air for the very first time. Taylor was the man who put the power into powered flight. He belongs in aviation's pantheon, and yet he's virtually unknown. A mere footnote, the first in what has become a kind of permanent placement for the technicians who keep `em flying.
The FAA has granted Level D certification to SimuFlite Training International's Gulfstream V simulator. The Dallas-based GE subsidiary also has flight simulators available for the G-II/-IIB, G-III and G-IV/-IVSP. The new CAE simulator features Honeywell avionics including FMS, color weather radar, HUD and an AlliedSignal EGPWS.
NASA and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) have teamed up to produce a book for budding aviators in the 10- to 15-year-old set. Written by Flying magazine's Lane Wallace, Wild Blue Wonders: Exploring the Magic of Flight covers aerodynamics, aircraft design and other facets of aviation for what Wallace termed ``an underserved demographic.'' Chuck Yeager, a longtime participant in and honorary chairman of the EAA's Young Eagles program, wrote the foreword for the new book.
Embraer's 44-seat ERJ-140 has been certified by Brazilian civil aviation authorities with the manufacturer anticipating FAA certification of the aircraft as B/CA went to press. ERJ-140 launch customer American Eagle was slated to take delivery of the first aircraft in late July. In addition to American Eagle's 139-aircraft order, Embraer recently announced firm ERJ-140 orders from Trans States and Chautauqua Airlines. Both carriers will operate the aircraft on American Airlines code-share service.
Two single-engine turboprops successfully ditched in early July after experiencing engine failure. In the first instance, a Cessna 208B Caravan en route from Freeport, Bahamas, lost engine power and landed in the Atlantic Ocean about 20 miles east of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. According to preliminary NTSB reports, the ATP-rated pilot said the engine ``came to a screeching halt'' while cruising at 6,500 feet in VFR conditions. Neither of the Caravan's two occupants was injured.
The U.S. business jet fleet suffered a substantial increase in accidents and incidents in the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2000, according to Robert E. Breiling Associates, Inc. of Boca Raton, Fla. The six-month totals included 15 accidents -- four of them fatal -- resulting in the loss of 23 lives. U.S.-Registered Business Jet Accidents/Incidents (Six Months 2001 vs. Six Months 2000) Business Jets
I just read that there are hundreds, thousands maybe, of used business jets for sale. And not just the old geezers -- the Lear 23s, DH-125s, Jet Commanders, Sabres and such -- but Astras, Gulfstreams, Citations, Falcons and even BBJs sparkling as when they were brand new, which wasn't all that long ago. I admit surprise.
Actor Harrison Ford piloted his Bell 407 helicopter to save a missing hiker near his Jackson, Wyo., home. The Indiana Jones films star helped locate and rescue the 13-year-old Boy Scout who lost his way during a hike near Yellowstone National Park. Ford, an avid pilot and owner of several aircraft, rescued another hiker in July 2000 when she became incapacitated by dehydration and altitude sickness on an Idaho mountain. The actor is said to be a regular volunteer in local search-and-rescue missions.
Embraer has received seven additional orders for its Legacy corporate jet, which is scheduled for certification and first customer deliveries in the third quarter of this year. The Brazilian manufacturer now reports 37 firm orders and 34 options for the ERJ-135 derivative, which is available in corporate shuttle and executive configurations. Embraer recently sold the first Legacy to a Brazilian customer, a financial services provider whose executive-configured jet is slated for delivery in April 2002.
Honeywell's next-generation light turbofan program is progressing toward full-scale development, the manufacturer says. The planned TFE731 replacement will offer 3,000- to 6,000-pound-thrust range and significantly lower maintenance and manufacturing costs. The new engine has 25-percent fewer stages, half the blade count and design features to simplify maintenance procedures.
Turbomeca has decided to invest heavily in customer support in North America, the French firm's largest geographic market and one with some of the most demanding operators. The new strategy entails building a new facility in Canada, probably near Montreal/Mirabel, to repair and overhaul Arriel and then Makila II engines. ``We decided to have a complete stand-alone zone in North America,'' said Emeric d'Arcimoles, Turbomeca's new chairman and CEO. ``No more engines will cross the ocean for repair -- that is not the case today.''
More than three months after pilots struck Comair, the Delta subsidiary resumed service with 10 aircraft serving 26 cities from its Cincinnati hub in early July. The carrier says it hopes to restore service to ``most'' destinations and recall ``most'' furloughed workers by the end of the year. With only 82 aircraft remaining in its fleet, Comair says it expects to be back to its pre-strike fleet of 119 aircraft in late 2002.
Lee Monson, Boeing Business Jets' sales vice president, will succeed Borge Boeskov as BBJ president, when the latter reaches Boeing's mandatory retirement age of 65 in June 2002. Boeskov's leadership and BBJ team efforts have resulted in 71 announced sales and 56 green aircraft deliveries to completion centers, four of which are BBJ2s. There are currently 32 BBJs in service. Eight to 10 more aircraft will enter service before the end of the year, according to Monson.
The first two prototypes of the Bell/Agusta BA609, the world's first civil tiltrotor, are nearing completion and first flight could happen before the end of the year. First to fly will be prototype No. 1, whose wing and fuselage were mated in November 2000 at Bell's plant in Arling-ton, Texas. Completion of prototypes No. 3 and No. 4 is slated for 2002, with first deliveries following in 2004.
All private flights operating into Buenos Aires Ezeiza Airport are required to submit pilot licenses, medical certificates and passport numbers before they arrive. In addition, required aircraft documentation includes airworthiness certificate, certificate of ownership and insurance policies. Source: Air Routing
Business aircraft owners and operators socked with rate increases over the past year should expect more hikes for the foreseeable future, insurance experts say. ``I don't see a relaxing of that for at least another year or two,'' Hal Williams, chairman of the board of NationAir Insurance Agencies, told B/CA recently. A 34-year aviation insurance veteran, Williams says rates are still a fraction of what they were when competition began heating up in the late 1980s.
As always, the number one factor that affects the price of fuel is crude oil costs. Crude oil makes up almost half the cost of each gallon of Jet-A, and the majority of the stuff comes from the 11 member nations of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The international cartel tries to adjust production to ensure their members good margins while satisfying demand around the world. OPEC's production influence on pricing has been evident for several years and it reached alarming proportions this past spring.
CitationShares and New World Aviation donated the use of three business aircraft to the Children of Chernobyl United States Charity Fund in late June. The two CitationShares Cessna Citation Bravos and New World's Gulfstream IV transported a total of 104 Russian children from JFK Airport in New York to St. Louis and Youngstown, Ohio, where they will undergo medical treatment and enjoy a summer respite from conditions in their homeland.
Bell Helicopter launched a new Web site to help match buyers and sellers of used helicopters. Known as BELLNET eXchange, the site is free for buyers and for basic listings by sellers. Sellers also can upgrade to paid listings, which include photographs and detailed aircraft spec sheets for as little as $100 per month. Bell says the site launched with 650 listings from 250 sellers. Helicopters on the site are not limited to those manufactured by Bell, the manufacturer added. Further information is available online at www.bellnetx.com.
BBA Aviation has completed its long-awaited acquisition of Ranger Aerospace's Aircraft Services International Group (ASIG). The commercial fueling operations of Signature, a BBA division, will be consolidated under the ASIG brand, creating the ``largest commercial fueling organization in the United States and number two worldwide,'' BBA says.
The Department of State warns U.S. citizens to defer all nonessential travel to Macedonia. The situation there is potentially dangerous as a result of armed attacks by ethnic Albanian extremists in the northwest of the country, most recently in the village of Aracinovo near Skopje. In addition, there have been incidents of violence in other areas of the country including anti-Albanian riots in Bitola. Source: U.S. State Department
ASA has updated its Guide to the Biennial Flight Review to reflect important regulatory, procedural and training changes. References for further study are provided throughout the book and reflect the recent release of new FAA publications. This book provides complete preparation for pilots taking the flight review and is a good resource for flight instructors conducting the review. The requirements for the flight review include at least one hour of ground instruction and one hour of flight instruction.
I never paid much attention to airport identifiers until a harried airline agent attached the wrong bag tag on my suitcase a few years ago. Until that incident, the FAA's system for designating airports seemed logical to me. After all, the three-letter identifiers for most of the U.S. hub airports are intuitive: SEA stands for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, MIA represents Miami International Airport and BOS signifies Boston's Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport.
