BOMBARDIER's LEARJET 60 has been approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration for operation on North Atlantic routes with reduced vertical-separation minima (RVSM) - the first mid-sized business jet to comply with the regulations introduced in March. A $13,500 service bulletin, enabling compliance with the RVSM altimetry requirements, was to be available by the end of June, the company says.
So far, Bombardier's Canadair Challenger and Dassault's Falcon 50, 900 and 2000 business jets have been approved for RVSM operations, while Gulfstream is still working on approval for its aircraft. Cessna, meanwhile, expects to have RVSM service bulletins for its mid-sized Citation VII available by November, to be followed by the end of the year by bulletins for the Citation III and X, with RVSM approvals for the rest of its range to be completed by mid-1998.
Bombardier has begun flight tests required for steep-approach approval to enable its Canadair Challenger 604 to be operated into London City Airport.
Dassault already has approval for several of its Falcon business jets. Approval of the 604 is expected by late 1997.
The Canadian company, meanwhile, has announced plans for an optional lower maximum take-off weight (MTOW) for the 604, which will reduce navigation and landing costs in Europe.
A service bulletin allowing the 17,240kg MTOW - compared with the standard 21,590kg - is scheduled to be available in the third quarter and is expected to save operators $50-90/h, "-making the aircraft comparable to the Falcon 2000 on many European routes", the company says.
Source: Flight International
