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Aviation History
2001
2001 - 3128.PDF
IN BRIE; GV-SP FLIES Gulfstream flew the prototype next-generation GV-SP for the first time on 31 August, four weeks ahead of schedule. The aircraft, a modified GV, features the Honeywell Primus Epic- based PlaneView cockpit, which includes large flat-panel displays, cursor control devices, head-up display and enhanced- vision sensor. Certification of the GV-SP is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2002. GROEN APPROVAL The Saudi Arabian Government has approved the formation of Obayya & Groen Brothers Saudi (OGB-SA), a joint venture between US gyroplane develop ers Groen Brothers Aviation and Al-Obayya, an investment com pany owned by Saudi prince Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. OGB-SA will market and support the Hawk 4 four- seat gyroplane now under development, and could eventu ally become a production facility. SIMULATOR MOVES Environmental Tectonics has delivered a GAT-II general avia tion simulator to FlightSafety International's Vera Beach, Florida, pilot academy to support spatial disorientation training. The GAT II features a three-axis motion base and photo-realistic visual system and allows instru ment flight rules training. CESSNA ON CD Advantext has been licensed to produce and distribute CD-ROM technical publications for Cessna's propeller-driven air craft. The Reading, Pennsylvania-based company, will release the first two of nine CDs this quarter, adding to its library of Bell, Lycoming, Maule, Mooney and Piper electronic technical publications. CHARTER X UPDATE Air Charter Guide has intro duced the latest version of its CharterX online charter information management soft ware and reservation network service. Charter X allows operators to input aircraft and availability data via the website aircharterguide.com. BUSINESS AND GENERAL AVIATION TECHNOLOGY GUY NORRIS / LOS ANGELES Aviation Partners starts winglet flight tests on Hawker 800 Results at the high end of our expectations, says company's chief executive Aviation Partners has begun flight tests of a winglet-equipped Ray theon Hawker 800 and says initial flight tests results are at "the high end of expectations so far". Although formal fuel consump tion tests are just beginning, Aviation Partners' chief executive Joe Clark says early signs indicate between a 5% and 7% drag reduc tion. More specific details of the performance improvements are expected to be announced at next week's National Business Aviation Association show in New Orleans where the aircraft will be formally unveiled. The 1.14m (45in) high compos ite blended winglets require the removal of a large section of the Hawker's prominent aileron horn balance, and the addition of lead and tungsten-carbide leading edge weights to re-balance the aileron. Installation of the winglets, which weigh 16kg (351b) each in their current test format, is ex pected to cost "around $350,000" in their finished format, says Clark who plans to begin taking orders "straight away". Flight tests and certification are slated for completion within 11 months, with first deliveries plann ed around August or September next year. Around 30h of flight tests have been amassed to date, with the air craft climbing directly to 41,000ft (12,500m) following take-off for the first time from Boeing Field at maximum weight. "We climb about 671m higher than the base line aircraft," says Aviation Part ners' test pilot Rick Millson, who says handling qualities are no dif ferent from the standard. "We could reduce take-off speed by 3kt [5.55km/h] to 4kts and improve second segment climb rate by 10% and 15%," he adds. Range improvements of 280km (150nm) to 370km are also expected, says Aviation Partners. CHARTER Summit takes up Challenger US business aircraft management and charter company Summit Aviation has added a Bombardier Challenger 604 to its managed charter fleet. The 10-seater is the first long-range type to join East Farmingdale, New York-based Summit's fleet, which includes Raytheon Hawker 125-700/800s and a Eurocopter AS350 helicopter. AVIONICS Weather data oomes to the cockpit Satellite-based weather data is set to become widely available in general aviation cockpits by early next year, as two new systems come on to the market. Avionics manufacturer Garmin International has teamed with EchoFlight to provide weather data direct to aircraft over the Orbcomm satellite system, while Satellink Technologies has unveiled plans for a satellite direct broadcast infor mation service. Garmin's new GDL 49 satellite datalink transceiver will allow GA pilots to receive EchoFlight's weather service via Orbcomm low- Earth-orbit satellites on a request/ reply basis. The subscription service will enable Garmin's GNS 400/500- series moving-map navigation sys tems to display textual and graphical weather anywhere in continental USA, without the alti tude restrictions affecting ground- based flight information datalinks. The $3,500 GDL 49 is expected to be available in the fourth quarter. Satellink's Merlin real-time weather service will take advantage of the broadband capabilities of existing direct television broadcast satellites. Updates to a range of tex tual and graphical weather prod ucts will be broadcast every few seconds via satellite to a portable receiver/processor on the aircraft which will interface with an exist ing cockpit display. Because the system is receive- only, the airborne hardware is expected to cost less than $1,500, with a basic subscription fee of $30 a month. 28 11-17 SEPTEMBER 2001 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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