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Aviation History
1994
1994 - 0606.PDF
GENERAL AVIATION Turbines will replace pistons in US fleet The US Federal Aviation Administration annual forecast of US general-aviation activity between 1994 and 2005 predicts that the turbine- powered fixed-wing fleet is ex pected to grow faster than the piston-aircraft portion. In 1993, there were about 8,726 turbine-powered aircraft in the fixed-wing general- aviation fleet, representing only 5.1% of the total fleet. By 2005, it is projected this will grow to 11,600 — 7.2% of the fleet. Similarly, there were 3,541 turbine-powered helicopters in the US fleet in 1993 — 62% of the total. By 2005 it is esti mated that there will be 5,800 turbine-powered units — 76% of the helicopter fleet. Piston- powered rotorcraft numbers are expected to fall from 2,211 to 1,800 over the same period. The active helicopter fleet is NEWS IN BRIEF QATAR PIPERS The Doha, Qatar-based Gulf States Civil Aviation College has purchased seven Piper Archer II piston singles for mid-1994 delivery, to join three Archer lis and five Piper Seneca II piston twins. HUNTING SUPPORT Hunting Aviation of Sin gapore is to sell and support McDonnell Douglas Heli copter Systems MD 500- series and MD Explorer helicopters in South-East Asia, China, South Korea, Taiwan and selected Middle East countries. CESSNA SERVICE Portland, Oregon-based Flightcraft has been ap pointed a Cessna Citation service centre. HAWKER ORDER Executive Jet Aviation has converted five options held on Hawker 1000s. The US operator took delivery of six of the aircraft in 1993 and has nine more on option. expected to reach 7,600 in 2005, from the 5,753 of 1993 — an average annual growth rate of 2.4% in the fleet during the forecast period. The number of turboprop aircraft is expected to grow from 4,704 in 1993 to 6,500 in 2005. Jet aircraft numbers are projected to jump from 4,022 in 1993 to 5,100 in 2005. The general-aviation piston fleet is predicted to decline in absolute terms over the 12-year forecast period. Single-engined piston- aircraft numbers are expected to slip from 143,580 in 1993 to 131,100 in 2005. Multi-engined piston aircraft numbers are ex pected to fall from 18,536 to 17,600 over the same time. The report shows the decline of the sector in the years be tween 1990 and 1993 where the number of active aircraft and hours flown slid by 6% and 19%, respectively. The number of student pilots was down 16%, while the number of private pilots fell by 4%. Shipments of general-avia tion aircraft were down by 47%, but their value was up by nearly 8% during this same four-year period because of a large increase in the unit value of the aircraft being shipped. The active general-aviation fleet is estimated to have to talled 184,430 on 1 January, 1993, a decline of 7% from the previous year's estimate. These aircraft were flown an esti mated 26 million hours in 1993 — down by 6% on 1992. In fiscal year 1993, the num ber of general-aircraft ship ments totalled 811, down by 9% from 1992. Sales increased by 5%, to nearly $2 billion, with the increase reflecting the higher value of the aircraft being shipped. Shipment of 207 turboprop aircraft repre sented a 23% increase on 1993. Exports of general-aviation aircraft (355 units) were flat, but export revenue totalled $765 million, up by 12% over billings in 1992. Exports ac counted for almost 44% of the total general-aviation ship ments and 39% of total reve nues in FY1993. D Flight Visions starts work on HUD Flight Visions has begun the engineering work needed to certificate its FV-2000 head-up display (HUD) on Cessna's 500-series Citation business jet. The HUD is certificated on the Beech King Air A100 and work is under way to install the FV-2000 on a King Air C90B, while a system has been sold on a Venezuelan oper ator's King Air B200. Sugar Grove, Illinois-based Flight Visions hopes to certifi cate the FV-2000 on a single- KLM ERA wants S-92 instead of Pumas Netherlands-based heli copter operator KLM ERA has cancelled its two options on Eurocopter Super Puma II helicopters. The company is urging Sikorsky to launch the compet ing S-92 machine, to which the US manufacturer has not made a final commitment. KLM ERA director of opera tions Jan Nip says: "We have returned our Super Puma II options and we have told Sikorsky that, and made it clear that we would be interested in the S-92." He explains: "Our market has not moved towards the Super Puma II. There is no interest from our customers in paying more when they feel they are not receiving anything extra in return." • KLM wants Sikorsky to offer S-92 as stablemate for its S-76 fleet. pilot 500-series Citation at the end of the third quarter of this year. The company has demon strated its FV-2000-equipped King Air to Beech, Cessna and Learjet in the hope of having the $50,000 HUD added to their optional-equipment lists. Beech is seeking approval to offer the HUD as an option, Flight Visions says. Turbo West, the Arizona- based fixed-base operator, meanwhile, is installing the FV-2000 in its King Air C90B demonstrator aircraft, which it plans to fly at the end of March. The HUD will be inter faced with a Rockwell-Collins electronic flight-instrument system, Flight Visions says. The HUD has been demon strated to the National Guard, which is seeking an evaluation unit for flight trials on its Beech C-12 military King Air, the company says. In addition, Texas-based AMS plans to cer tificate the FV-2000 on the Gulfstream III for an operator with a fleet of the business jets. The FV-2000 is certificated also on the Bell 230 helicopter and is undergoing evaluation by the Chilean navy. Texas- based Helidyne is now working to certificate the Flight Visions HUD on the Eurocopter AS.365 and Bell 412. Discussions are under way with Sikorsky on the S-76, which, if successful, would mark the first time that the FV-2000 has been specified by an aircraft manufacturer. • 20 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 9 - 15 March, 1994
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