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Aviation History
2002
2002 - 2375.PDF
AIRVENTURE ACQUISITION Diamond clinches trainer contract Flying school departs from tradition to provide aircraft for course aimed at supplying US carriers with first officers Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Uni versity has selected Diamond Aircraft to provide trainers for a new graduate first-officer flight- training programme to be launched next February. The course, which will be offered by Embry-Riddle's Aviation & Space Technology Academy (ASTA), is designed to school trainee pilots with no flying experi ence for first-officer positions on regional jets with US carriers. The deal is a departure for Embry-Riddle, which has tradition ally selected established aircraft from Cessna and Piper for its train ing programmes. ASTA's director of flight operations Steven Kulinski says: "The Cessna and the Piper models were certified in the 1960s and they really haven't changed since then. [The Diamonds] more closely replicate the regional jet glass cockpit." Embry-Riddle will purchase 10 DA40-180 DiamondStars and will be the North American launch customer for the diesel-powered DA-42 TwinStar. This twin-engined aircraft was rolled out in Europe three months ago and it was launched in the USA at AirVenture. Three Piper Seminoles will initially be used to provide multi-engine training for the new programme until the DA-42 enters service. The first flight of the DA-42 is set for the fourth quarter, with Euro pean Joint Aviation Authorities and US Federal Aviation Administration certification scheduled for 2004 and early 2005, respectively. Following delivery of the TwinStars, Embry- Riddle says it may also swap the 10 avgas-powered DiamondStars, due for delivery next year, for diesel- powered models. The ASTA course includes about 450h of flying time and lOOh of regional jet simulator time over 10 to 12 months. ASTA is also plan ning to purchase a Bombardier CRJ flight training device and an 840m2 (9,000ft2) hangar owned by Regency Air in St Augustine, Florida. The school plans to estab lish hiring agreements with several US regionals and says the course is tailored to meet their specifica tions. ASTA says it will pre-screen candidates and only accept stu dents who would be hired by its airline partners. UPGRADE Socata to deliver better TBM700 by year-end EADS Socata is offering an upgraded variant of its TBM700 single-engined turboprop, but says it has no plans to develop new aircraft types despite increasing competition from a flurry of companies seeking to carve a slice of the lucrative light turbine aircraft market. For an extra $115,000, the TBM 700C2, introduced at AirVenture, offers a 370kg (8151b) increase in maximum take-off weight to 3,360kg, additional luggage space behind the pressurised cabin and a new Honeywell air conditioning system. Socata expects to certificate the new version in the third quarter and begin deliveries by year-end. Chief executive Philippe DeBrun says the TBM and smaller TB piston- aircraft series, introduced in 1991, are still "quite new" and there are no plans to build new types. The company is keeping pace with aircraft production, which is growing at around 17% a year, as well as subcontracting work from Airbus and Embraer, he adds. Meanwhile, fewer than five months after it acquired the bankrupt Mooney pis ton single line, Mooney Aerospace has begun aggressively to seek expansion into the turbine market. The move is part of the company's plan to offer a com plete line of four- and six-seat turbine and piston-powered aircraft, says company chief executive Roy Norris. Eclipse Aviation and Ibis Aerospace are also vying for a share of the turbine market with the Eclipse 500 personal jet and Ae270 single-engined turboprop, respectively. The first flight of the 500 will "certainly take place within a month", chief executive Vern Raburn says, while the Ae270 is on schedule to receive UK Civil Aviation Authority and US Federal Aviation Administration certification next year. Ibis recently completed a design review of the seven-seat Ae270, which con firms the aircraft can meet performance targets set out during its development programme. These include a 270kt (500km/h) maximum cruise speed; 3,800kg maximum take-off weight and a 66kt stall speed. Cessna is expected to announce plans to develop a new light jet at next month's National Business Aviation Association convention. The aircraft will fit below its entry level CJ1. Cessna already offers the 206 Caravan single- engined turboprop. EMERGENCY PARACHUTE BRS wins Skyhawk certificate Ballistic Recovery Systems (BRS) has been awarded a supplemental type certificate allowing it to install its whole-frame emergency para chute system on the Cessna 172 Skyhawk series. This is the fourth approval for BRS which also produces parachute systems for retrofit to the Cessna 150/152 and standard installation in the Cirrus SR20/SR22. www.flightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 6-12 AUGUST 2002 23
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