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Aviation History
2003
2003 - 2280.PDF
EXPRESS SERVICE Jet Aviation's Geneva base has been designated an authorised service centre for the Bombardier Global Express. Jet Aviation says the Global Express fleet operating in Europe contin ues to grow and there are 80 of the type in service worldwide. CAMP PURCHASE Maintenance data specialist Camp Systems International has signed an agreement to acquire aviation research com pany Amstat. Under the contract Amstat will continue to operate from its New Jersey base as an independent subsidiary. COMPLETION PLANS French completion specialist EADS Sogerma anticipates tripling its VIP interiors business over the next three years. The Toulouse-based company, which has signed a deal with Airbus to complete the A319 Corporate Jetliner Prestige family, also plans to increase its widebody body airliner VIP conversions. NBAA SHOW REPORT PRODUCTION AvCraft negotiates to secure 328JET wing assembly line Production could be relocated to Oberphaffenhofen production plant or outsourced AvCraft is close to completing a deal with defunct Fairchild Dornier's former US subsidiary for wing production of the 328JET and Envoy 3 super mid-size business jet. Leesburg, Virginia-based AvCraft is understood to be in advanced negotiations with M7 Aerospace, which took over control of Fairchild Dornier's US facilities in San Antonio, Texas. Options are thought to include relocation of the wing shop to the main 328 plant in Oberphaffenhofen, near Munich, Germany, or outsourcing to a third party, possibly as part of US offset programmes. AvCraft chief executive Ben Bartel says production of the regional jet is close to resumption, and that renewed sales activities will focus on the $14.8 million Envoy 3 sector. The company already has around 10 "serious expressions of interest" for the 32- seat corporate shuttle variant and several potential customers for the 19-seat VIP shuttle configuration, Bartel says. Sales activities will focus on the Envoy Key to resuming production is securing a deal with M7, which has been agreed in principle and is being finalised by lawyers, he adds. In a bid to improve reliability, engi neers at Oberphaffenhofen have identified five parts responsible for 90% of all technical issues and are aiming to issue service bulletins with replacement components before year-end. AvCraft recommenced deliveries of the Fairchild Dornier backlog of semi- assembled and complete aircraft in August with a delivery to Hainan • Airlines and is set to I deliver an additional i nine aircraft by the end 3 sector of January. OPERATIONS Single-engine turboprops win instrument flight rules approval The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) operations panel has granted conditional approval for commercial operations of single-engine tur bine-powered aircraft in instrument flight rules conditions (SEIFR) and recommends that these operations be adopted by the organisation's air navi gation committee. The endorsement is a major breakthrough for the manufacturers of single engine turboprop aircraft, particularly Cessna, EADS Socata, New Piper and Pilatus, and could lead to a jump in single-engine commercial transport sales as new markets emerge globally. "If the air navigation committee approves the recommendation we expect the ICAO rule will become standard by early 2005," says Langhorne Bond, former US FAA administrator and principal of international pressure group Single Engine Turboprop Alliance (SETA), which is funded by the leading sin gle-engine aircraft builders. "While many civil aviation authorities strictly adhere to ICAO standards, there are still a few Luddites such as the UK CAA and the German LBA which continue to create obstacles for commercial single-engine turbine operators," Bond adds. The ICAO operations panel has recommended a number of onboard safety items that must be satisfied before a single-engine turbine aircraft may be operated in adverse weather conditions, Bond says. These include a radar altimeter, automatic monitoring of engine performance and a global position system programme that determines the nearest suitable emergency landing alternative. SETA is also working in parallel to change the European Joint Aviation Requirements (JAR) governing such commercial operations and expects a new JAR to be adopted early next year. SUPPORT Elliott launches Total Aircraft Solutions' deal Moline, Illinois-based Elliott Aviation has launched "Total Aircraft Solutions" - an all- embracing package of modifica tions, completions, parts, mainte nance support, aircraft manage ment, flight support services and supplementary type certificates (STCs) for Raytheon's Beech King Air, Premier and Hawker families as well as for owners of Cessna Citation 550/560s. The company already holds STCs on more than 60 upgrades and modifications, and has another 15 currently under way. New upgrades revealed at NBAA last week include a cockpit mod ernisation for the Cessna Citation 550/560 models using Universal Avionics 890R flat-panel integrated displays. The upgrade is designed to meet the forthcoming RVSM (reduced vertical separation min ima) and TAWS (terrain awareness warning system) mandates, and includes 890R primary and naviga tion displays. Elliott has also teamed with Honeywell to offer a suite of avionics to enable Beechjet 400 and Mitsubishi Diamond 1 and 1A operators to also meet RVSM and TAWS requirements. RVSM equipment will include Honey well's AZ-252 advanced air data computer, AM-250 altimeter, BA- 250 altimeter display and AL/VN- 800 altitude alert controller, and will be available in the first quarter of 2004. Elliott says the RVSM upgrade can be installed as a standalone package or can also be expanded to include Honeywell's enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS), traffic alert and collision avoidance system and a cockpit display. 22 14-20 OCTOBER 2003 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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