It had always been ICAO’s intent that civil user services provided by the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) should be free of charges or user mandates, except for certain optional applications such as fee-bearing accuracy enhancements with performance guarantees. Europe’s Galileo is expected to offer such optional enhancements. But Russia has announced that it will mandate the carriage of receivers for its Glonass constellation in all aircraft on its civil aircraft register. GPS may also be used, but only when integrated with a Glonass receiver and its adjuncts.
Spaceflight
December 11, 2012 - 2:52pm
At MEBA 2012 (Stand 588), OnAir announced that it has selected PATS Aircraft Systems of Georgetown, Del., as an OnAir completion center. PATS specializes in Boeing BBJ completions and auxiliary fuel tank installations and is installing Mobile OnAir in a 737-900ER BBJ. “We are seeing a high demand from VIP jet operators for in-flight connectivity,” said John Eichten, PATS senior vice president of sales and marketing. “PATS prides itself on finding innovative and industry-leading ways to satisfy our customers’ requirements, and our partnership with OnAir is a good example of that.”
December 10, 2012 - 10:20am
Here at MEBA 2012 (Stand 588), OnAir announced that it has selected PATS Aircraft Systems of Georgetown, Del., as an OnAir completion center. PATS specializes in Boeing BBJ completions and auxiliary fuel tank installations and is installing Mobile OnAir in a 737-900ER BBJ. “We are seeing a high demand from VIP jet operators for in-flight connectivity,” said John Eichten, PATS senior vice president of sales and marketing. “PATS prides itself on finding innovative and industry-leading ways to satisfy our customers’ requirements, and our partnership with OnAir is a good example of that.”
December 10, 2012 - 10:10am
The U.S. aerospace industry’s sales tally grew by 3.4 percent this year, to $218 billion, led by a strong performance in the civil sector, according to preliminary estimates released by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) on December 5. The figure marks the industry’s ninth consecutive year of growth.
November 6, 2012 - 5:10am
Tamarack Aerospace has unveiled the first of what it promises will be a series of active winglet systems designed to relieve wing bending loads caused by winglets. The company’s active technology load alleviation system (Atlas) should be certified and available for installation on Cirrus SR22 G1 and G2 piston singles early next year, but Tamarack is also testing Atlas, which includes new winglets, on a Cessna CitationJet 525. Tamarack brought the Atlas-equipped CitationJet to the NBAA Convention in Orlando and gave demonstration rides during the show.
November 5, 2012 - 3:39pm
Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan said he worries about the flying skills of pilots today. The type-rated Learjet 45 pilot, who was the last man to walk on the moon, commented to AIN at last month’s Bombardier Safety Standdown in Wichita, “I worry about the complacency that technology is imposing on pilots. Pilots tend to become overwhelmed with all the lights on these glass panels and forget they still have a responsibility to fly the airplane.” Cernan believes that part of the solution is pilots being honest about their flying skills and their shortcomings.
November 3, 2012 - 5:25am
By all accounts, the 1996 genesis of Bombardier’s Safety Standdown, an event that now regularly draws nearly 500 aviators to Wichita annually, was rather humble. Bob Agostino, director of Bombardier’s Flight Operations at the time and a trained accident investigator, asked his pilots for their thoughts after a particularly difficult accident investigation. One of them, Air Force veteran Dave Sullivan, explained how the military dealt with similar issues.
October 31, 2012 - 12:00pm
A Cessna Citation X equipped with Winglet Technology (Booth No. 1743) elliptical winglets set an unofficial speed record October 28 by flying 3,479 nm nonstop from Anchorage to Miami in seven hours and 13 minutes at an average speed of 482 knots. Details of the flight have been submitted to the National Aeronautic Association for review and certification for jet aircraft in the Class.I.I.(35,274 to 44,092 pounds mtow) category. The aircraft was flown by Al Larson and Chuck Feaga.
October 30, 2012 - 1:10pm
Tamarack Aerospace Group (Booth No. 4171) revealed during its press conference yesterday that it is taking deposits at NBAA’12 for its active technology load alleviation system (Atlas) active winglet system for the Cessna Citation CJ1. “We’re accepting $10,000 refundable deposits here at the show,” said Brian Willet, vice president of sales and flight operations for the company. “The cost of the Atlas kit is estimated to be $196,000, and we are projecting it will take 80 manhours to install the active winglets,” he continued.
October 15, 2012 - 3:07pm
The FBI’s National Aviation Safety Officer, Special Agent Troy Smith, was named the first recipient of the Eugene Cernan Safety Standdown Award at the October 10 Bombardier Safety Standdown annual banquet in Wichita. Smith, who began his FBI flying career while assigned to the San Francisco field office, told the audience, “Before I applied for the FBI’s top aviation safety job, I had no previous formal training in aviation safety.
