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Aviation History
1998
1998 - 2813.PDF
GENERAL AVIATION Bombardier extends fractional ownership project to Europe KATE SARSFIELD/LONDON BOMBARDIER IS planning to launch its Business Jet Sol utions fractional ownership pro gramme in Europe by the end of the year. An announcement could be made at the National Business Aviation Convention in October. The Dallas, US-based pro gramme, arguably the world's sec ond largest fractional ownership scheme, will become the third shared aircraft operator in the region, following industry leader Executive Jet (EJA), which laun ched its Netjets Europe pro gramme in June 1996. The smaller specialist company Corpavia Club was set up the same year, offering shares in two Raytheon Beechjet 400As from its Geneva, Switz erland, base. Although Bombardier declines to disclose details of the pro gramme before the launch, it is likely to be similar in nature to Xetjets Europe, which operates three Cessna Citation SIIs and four Citation 650s. The company, a joint venture between EJA, Air Luxor of Portugal and Zimex Aviation of Switzerland, is also scheduled to take delivery of its first of 20 Raytheon Hawker 800XPs in the first quarter of 1999, and the first "of many" Dassault Falcon 2000s in the year 2000. Bombardier has been eyeing up the European business aircraft market to build on the success of its US operation which uses Challengers, Learjet 60s and 3 Is. The Canadian manufacturer last year abandoned plans to establish a charter operation on the continent with joint venture partner Lufthansa CityLine. "Research told us that there were not enough customers who were interested in this service," says die German air line. Bombardier already has a business jet maintenance tie-up with Lufthansa Technik. J Kaman warns K-MAX users on fuel pump failure KAMAN HAS alerted K-MAX operators that the first fatal crash of the external lift helicopter, in Germany early in September, may have been caused by a fuel pump failure. The company is meeting engine manufacturer AlliedSignal to decide what action should be taken. The single-seat, single-engined helicopter, operated by Helog of Switzerland, crashed 20km (12 miles) south of Kempten during a logging operation, killing the pilot. The K-M\X is powered by aT53- 17A-1 turboshaft. In a notice to operators, Kaman reports the preliminary finding of German accident inspectors, say ing "...disassembly and inspection of the engine fuel control assembly has apparently revealed a failure of the primary and secondary fuel pump splines". There have been two previous crashes involving the K-MAX, both non-fatal. One, at Kaman ear lier this year, involved a US Federal Aviation Administration pilot who dug one wheel into the ground and flipped the helicopter over during familiarisation training. The cause of the other crash, also earlier tliis year and involving a K-MAX oper ated by Oregon-based Grizzly Mountain Aviation, has not been formally determined, but it is believed the pilot may have inad vertently shut down the engine. J Beriev makes first flight with Be-200 BERIEV COMPLETED a 30min first flight of the Be-200 twin-turbofan amphibian on 24 September at the Irkutsk Aviation Production Organisation airfield in Irkutsk, Siberia. Four days later the prototype made a second test flight, during which the aircraft reached a maximum speed of 216kt (400km/h). Tagenrog, Russia-based Beriev has clocked up five orders for the Be-200 which will be available in firefighting, passenger, search and rescue and air ambulance configurations. NEWS IN BRIEF • FINANCE WIDENED Cessna Finance is realigning and expanding its domestic and international financing activities for the manufactur er's Caravans, Citations and piston singles, focusing sup port for sales of the latter to Cessna pilot centres and flight schools. • GALAXY PHASING IN Galaxy Aerospace plans to ease service introduction of its Galaxy business jet next year by having a pilot, main tenance technician and field service representative stay with each new operator for two weeks after delivery, dis counting initial spares and performing a free mainte nance check after 150h. • NEW GPS Northstar Technologies has introduced a global position ing system (GPS) trainer to enable Raytheon Beech Bonanza and Baron pilots to practise GPS approaches. The company expects the simulator, which operates with its M3 GPS navigator, to be used by some 750 pilots this year. • SHARE LANDMARK Raytheon Aircraft's Travel Air fractional-ownership subsidiary has sold its 100th share, just over one year since beginning operations. The Travel Air fleet now consists of 27 aircraft: seven Raytheon Beech King Air 200s, 13 Beechjet 400As and seven Hawker 800XPs. • CIRRUS TESTS Cirrus Design has success fully completed development tests on the crew seats for its SR20 business aircraft. Final FAA evaluation on the seat tests was planned to have taken place by 5 October. Duluth, Minnesota-based Cirrus, has received more than 200 orders for the four- seat SR20, which is due for certification by December. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 7 - 13 October 1998 25
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