Fairchild Dornier gained Canadian type certification for the 328 turboprop, and delivered one to Shell Canada for use as a 32-seat corporate shuttle. The FAA and JAA certified the 328 in 1993; around 100 are in service.
Singapore Airlines has ordered two additional Bombardier Learjet 45 aircraft, bringing its total to six of the type. The Asian airline uses the light jets for pilot training and landing currency for long-haul crews, and transitioned from the Learjet 31A to the 45 in 1998. Captain Maurice de Vaz, senior vice president of flight operations, says 150 new pilots will enter the company's ab initio flight training program this year, to crew 15 new widebody aircraft.
The integrated avionics suites found in modern business aircraft come in a variety of sizes -- mostly industry-standard boxes. Deciding which to choose depends on the aircraft and the complexity of the avionics in-stalled. The large-format display tubes found in the integrated cockpit systems of high-end aircraft are replacing many electromechanical instruments. Standard-size cutouts for Collins Pro Line 4 display tubes are 7.0 by 6.0 inches or 7.25 by 7.25 inches.
Although the FAA is proclaiming its three-year-old Safer Skies accident reduction and prevention program a success, acting NTSB Chair Carol Carmody told a recent congressional hearing that the agency must take more far-reaching steps to protect against runway incursions and air traffic controller errors. The number of runway incursions this year is ahead of last year's number at the same point, with 81 incidents through March 19.
The year 2001 has finally arrived, and while we may not have a moon base or manned expeditions to the planets yet, some of the technology flying -- or soon to be -- in business aircraft would have delighted Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke when they were filming ``2001: A Space Odyssey'' in the 1960s. On a more down-to-earth level, strategic alliances and mergers continue to reshape the business aviation landscape.
During recent years, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has conducted investigations into the practice of certain industries in fixing and advertising list prices. It is the position of the FTC that it is deceptive to the public and against the law for list prices of any product to be specified or advertised in a trade area if the majority of sales are made at less than those prices.
The Garrett Aviation Division of General Electric and Honeywell are offering an engine upgrade for the Hawker 700 business jet to boost thrust around 10 percent while improving performance under ``hot and high'' conditions. The program upgrades the Hawker's original TFE731-3 engine to -4 configuration, raising its takeoff thrust rating from 3,700 to 4,080 pounds. Price of the conversion is around $1.37 million, though participants in Honeywell's Maintenance Service Plan (MSP) could pay less, based on the hours flown since their last maintenance event.
A Hawaii helicopter pilot experienced a tough checkride in late March. The FAA said the pilot of an Agusta A109A was performing an FAA checkride when the rotorcraft made a hard landing on the runway, bounced and rolled over on its right side. According to a preliminary NTSB report, the FAA inspector was simulating a ``stuck pedal'' scenario when the accident occurred. No injuries were reported.
British Airways (BA) plans to acquire British Regional Airlines (BRAL) and Manx Airlines in a $113 million deal that gives BA control of two thirds of the U.K.'s domestic airline market. BA plans to merge BRAL and Manx operations into those of Brymon Airways, another BA unit. The three respective route networks are complementary, BA says, and no services will be lost. Isle of Man services will continue to operate in Manx colors, according to BA.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) has introduced legislation designed to help ease airspace congestion by streamlining the environmental review process for airport ex-pansion, initiating a ``more thoughtful approach'' to airline scheduling and other initiatives. General aviation officials joined nearly every other segment of the aviation industry in supporting the legislation's attempt to expedite the review process that airports must endure before they can add runways, taxiways, new terminals and other capacity-enhancing infrastructure.
Scott Aviation, West Chicago, has named Julie Marrella as its charter director. A graduate of DePaul University, Marrella is a member of Women in Corporate Aviation and Women in Aviation, International.
The National Association of State Aviation Officials, Silver Spring, Md., says four U.S. students are among the winners of its worldwide aviation art contest.
Manufacturer, Model and Type Designation In some cases, the airplane manufacturer's name is abbreviated, but the company's full name and address can be found in the ``Airframe Suppliers Directory'' on page 132. The model name and the type designation also are included in this group. B/CA Equipped Price
Ibis Aerospace has priced the high-performance version of its Ae270 propjet at $2.195 million and revised the price of the base Ae270P model to $1.995 million. Both aircraft are single-engine, pressurized turboprops accommodating up to 10 people, including crew, and are intended as an upgrade for Socata TBM 700 and New Piper Meridian owners, or as an alternative to the Pilatus PC-12. Equipped with a single Pratt&Whitney Canada PT6A-66A engine, the Ae270HP offers higher cruising speed and service ceiling than the PT6A-42A-powered Ae270P.
Few pilots are better qualified to discuss the dangers of alcohol than Lyle Prouse, the Northwest Airlines captain whose fall from grace made national headlines 11 years ago.
Universal Weather and Aviation has named Greg Evans as president and CEO. Over the past 22 years, Evans has held various positions with Universal in the area of marketing, sales and flight operations. He was responsible for the company's expansion into Europe and Asia and helped bring its services ``online.'' Founded in 1959 by Tom Evans, Universal provides worldwide weather forecasting, flight planning, contract fuel program, service network and related software programs.
Jet Aviation, Teterboro, has named Vernon Bieraugel as vice president Teterboro FBO services and vice president U.S. facility services. Additionally, Paul Engl has been promoted to director of flight operations for the company's U.S. operations.
FlightSafety International and MedAire are teaming up to provide medical training classes for aviation personnel. ``Management of Inflight Illness and Injury'' will focus on handling medical events in flight, including the use of CPR and automated external defibrillators, as well as human anatomy, altitude physiology, oxygen systems and properly assessing the severity of inflight illness and injuries. The program will be offered as a two-day initial course and one-day recurrent class at MedAire's Dallas training center.
With the newly certified Premier I now cleared for full-scale production, Ray-theon is expected to push development of its ``super midsize'' Hawker Horizon and ``light midsize'' Hawker 450, unveiled in fall 2000 at the NBAA convention in New Orleans. ``We learned a lot with the Premier I, and those lessons will be applied to the other two aircraft,'' said Hansel Tookes, chairman and CEO of Raytheon Aircraft, speaking in Washington, D.C. at the Premier I's first public display since certification.
