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Aviation History
1991
1991 - 1287.PDF
OPERATIONS: GENERAL AVIATION New supplier feeeps Aerostars flying Aerostar supports Piper Service support for the Piper Aerostar piston twin is to be provided by Aerostar Aircraft (AAC) of Spokane, Washington, following the company's acqui sition of all type certificates (including supplementals) for the marque from Piper Aircraft. AAC has been set up by Stephen Speer and James Christy, owners of Spokane- based Machen, which specialises in Aerostar support and after- market products for the more than 1,000 examples of the air craft still flying. Piper will sell Aerostar parts until its current inventory is depleted and will supply AAC indefinitely until all support re sponsibilities are assumed. The manufacturer will also provide Aerostar pilot training at Vero Beach, Florida. Christy says that AAC's first priority is "...to as sure an uninterrupted and plen tiful supply of factory-new replacement parts". Piper bought the Aerostar type certificate from Ted Smith in 1978. Five different models were produced and production ceased in 1985. • Piper has appointed two ad ditional distribution outlets in Europe. Airlinz Flugzeugwar- tungs at Linz Airport, Horsch- ing, will sell the Piper range in Austria, while in Hungary, Mul- tiprof, part of Gepgyar Aeronau tical Complex at Szigethalom, is the representative. D MBB strengthens in US EMS market New public-service and util ity helicopters entering service in North and Central America and the Caribbean in clude four MBB Helicopter products and a single Bell. MBB Helicopter continues its penetration of the emergency- medical services (EMS) market with a BO.105CBS delivered to the California Shock/Trauma Air Rescue for operations around San Francisco, and a BK.117 which has replaced a BO.105 operated by Omniflight Helicopters for the Air Care Team in Orlando, Florida. Two further 105s have en tered service in the region. Na tional Helicopter Services, a joint venture between the Gov ernment and National Gas Company of Trinidad and To bago, will use a 105CBS for offshore oil operations. Mexican charter operator Executive Air Transports (TAESA) has taken a second 105LS for operations around Mexico City. As well as the two helicopters, TAESA flies 25 Learjets, 11 Jetstars, seven Boe ing 727s and five other business aircraft. The US Park Police has intro duced Eagled One, a Bell 412 which will serve as a multi- mission aircraft for law enforce ment, EMS and Government personnel transport. • Meyer: 'New not old' c essna chairman and chief executive Russ Meyer wants to ban older, badly main tained or poorly equipped air craft from the US air-traffic sys tem, and to raise pilot and operational standards in an ef fort to overcome a poor safety reeord that could kill the US light-aircraft industry. "If we do not cut our accident rate by 50% or more, you will not see a light-aircraft industry in the USA, at least in the next five to ten years — and maybe not ever," Meyer told pi lots and execu tives at Flight Safety Founda tion's corpo rate-aviation safety seminar in New York. Since light aviation pro vides many of tomorrow's air line pilots, Meyer sees the country's safety performance as particularly un fortunate. "I think it would be a terrible blow to the future of the aviation industry as a whole if we allow this deterioration to continue," he says. "The young people in this country who are interested in a career in aviation are learning to fly in aircraft that, on average, are more than 25 years old" he added. The Cessna chairman attrib utes the poor safety record Meyer: safety th partly to a Government "hands- off mentality. He wants a com prehensive programme moving away from that mentality and changing regulations to create a business environment for young aviators and engineers. "It will increase the cost of flying...and will place more re sponsibility on all of us in the industry, including the Federal Aviation Administration. I hope we will have the courage to change the "hands-off" mental ity, because that is the only way to sharply re duce the acci dent rate. Meyer wants old aircraft in poor condition banned from the system, no in strument flight rules (IFR) oper ations without backup power for primary in struments, sub stantially in creased IFR pilot real to industry proficiency, weather radar for IFR aircraft above 10,000ft (3,000m) and additional train ing for pilots of multi-engine aircraft (including annual simu lator time and emphasis on engine-out procedures). "The future of the US light- aircraft industry is not up to the lawyers, judges, insurance carri ers, legislators, or anyone out side the industry, it is up to us," he says. • 'Spend on navsat', advises AOPA Transition to satellite-based air navigation and establish ment of auxiliary flight-service stations in the USA are prime candidates for public invest ment, according to the US Air craft owners and Pilots Associa tion (AOPA). "Given the fragile economic condition of the entire [US] aviation community, and tight constraints on Government spending...setting funding prior ities and sharply focusing public spending must be at the fore front of fiscal thinking," says AOPA government and technical affairs senior vice-president Stephen Bassett. Testifying to the US House of Representatives appropriations subcommittee on transport, Bas sett has called for an appropria tion of $10 million for addi tional research into satellite- based navigation. The Aircraft Owners and Pi lots Association is also calling for abolition of the microwave landing system (MLS). • PLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 22 - 28 May, 1991 II
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