All General aviation articles – Page 603
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Air Methods equips
Air Methods of Colorado has received contracts from the UK's Police Aviation Services (PAS) and Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters in the USA for multi-function interiors for installation in Boeing MD Explorers. Source: Flight International
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Light twin, right price
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC When Bell introduced the Model 407 light single-turbine helicopter it was essentially competing with itself, or rather with the longevity of its popular Model 206 JetRanger/LongRanger family. With the new Model 427 light twin, the company is breaking new ground, and competing with helicopters from established manufacturers. ...
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GEC voices fears over European mega-mergers
Ian Sheppard/LONDON A new report from GEC- Marconi highlights fears within the UK avionics sector that it may lose out in the pending consolidation of the European aerospace industry with its interests potentially swamped by those of the aircraft manufacturers within proposed mega-mergers. Senior sources at GEC, ...
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Durability problems threaten Lycoming piston engine
Textron Lycoming is evaluating whether to continue development of the IO-580 piston engine, following Cessna's decision to switch to the company's IO-540 to power its 206 Stationair piston single. Cessna decided to change engines after the turbocharged TIO-580 failed endurance testing. The switch-over has delayed deliveries of the 206 ...
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Italy breaks waterbomber sales drought
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Bombardier anticipates additional orders for its CL-415 waterbomber this year, after breaking a year-long sales drought with the follow-on purchase of two aircraft by Italy's civil protection department. The company is confident that it will find customers for most of the 21 aircraft remaining from the first ...
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ICAO examines global aviation impact model
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is considering adopting a model developed by Dutch civil-aviation authority, the RLD, to predict the environmental and socio-political effects of aviation regulatory decisions. Richard Hancox, project manager for UK transportation modelling specialist MVA, believes that Project AERO represents "the only detailed global model ...
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Japanese banking crisis reins in aircraft financing
Kevin O'Toole/LONDON Japan's banks are predicting an extended reduction in their aircraft financing activity in the wake of the country's banking crisis and the demise of their favoured funding vehicle, the Japanese leveraged lease. Japanese banks have historically accounted for as much as 20-25% of the world's airliner ...
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Fairchild Dornier wins corporate 328JET orders
Fairchild Dornier has won six orders from four customers for its 328JET in executive jet and air ambulance configurations. Tyrolean Jet Service of Innsbruck, Austria, has become the launch customer, with an order for one aircraft in its corporate version, plus one for an air ambulance, to be delivered ...
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Cirrus begins SR20 certification
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Cirrus Design hopes to begin deliveries of its SR20 light aircraft early in the second half of 1998, about six months behind schedule. The company flew the first production prototype on 28 January and is aiming for certification by mid-year. The exact certification schedule will be established ...
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Investors rap Mesa for SJ30-2 distribution deal
Troubled US regional airline operator Mesa Air Group is coming under fire from investors for its year-old agreement to distribute the Sino Swearingen Aircraft (SSAC)SJ30-2 business jet. Wholly owned subsidiary Four Corners Aviation (FCA), a fixed-base operator located at Mesa's Farmington, New Mexico, headquarters, signed the distributorship agreement in ...
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Raytheon hands back MU-2 to Mitsubishi
Raytheon Aircraft has handed over product support for its MU-2 twin-engined turboprop to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America (MHIA), so that it can concentrate on new product lines. The MU-2 production line was halted in 1986, after more than 30 years, when US manufacturer Mitsubishi Aircraft International was dissolved. Raytheon ...
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NBAA asks members to ground Stage 1 aircraft
Members of the US National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA) are being asked to stop operating business jets meeting Stage 1 noise limits by 2005. The NBAA board has passed a resolution calling for members "to refrain from adding Stage 1 aircraft to their fleets, beginning in January 2000, and furthermore ...
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Citation deliveries
Cessna delivered 180 Citation business jets in 1997, up from 122 in 1996. Including 78 single-turboprop Caravan Is and 360 piston singles, the company shipped 618 aircraft in 199. Business-jet deliveries during 1997 consisted of 63 CitationJets; 28 Citation Bravos; 53 Citation V Ultras; eight mid-size Citation VIIs; and 28 ...
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EJM expands fleet
Cincinatti, Ohio-based Executive Jet Management (EJM) has added four business jets - a Cessna CitationJet, Citation S/II, and two Citation V Ultras - to its fleet of 24 managed aircraft. EJM, an affiliate of Executive Jet, plans to add a further 20 managed aircraft in 1998. Source: Flight International
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Safety-authority plans detailed
Julian Moxon and Alan George/BRUSSELS New details of the planned European Air Safety Authority (EASA) have been revealed by European transport Commissioner Neil Kinnock. In spite of the progress, he admits that there remain "several very difficult political issues" to be resolved. The European Commission (EC) has called ...
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Turbine-helicopter deliveries increase
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Deliveries of turbine-powered helicopters increased in 1997, buoyed by sales of new light single- and twin-engined aircraft. Bell shipped no fewer than 140 of its new single-turbine Model 407s in 1997, while Eurocopter delivered 28 of its new EC135 light twins. Bell led deliveries in 1997, shipping ...
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Cockpit inadequacies
David Learmount/LONDON Those who argue that there is a degradation of basic flying skills in line pilots ascribe it to many things, the favourite being flightdeck automation. Parc Aviation consultant Capt Russell Kane, a former Aer Lingus captain, says that there is evidence that giving undue importance to cockpit ...
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NetJets Europe takes Citation VIIs
Netjets Europe has taken delivery of two Citation VII medium-sized, twin-engined business jets, which will form part of the company's fractional-ownership fleet. Netjets Europe, a joint venture between Air Luxor of Portugal, US Executive Jet Aviation and Switzerland's Zimex Aviation, says that shares in the Citation VIIs are "sold ...
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Engine change delays Stationair deliveries
Cessna has announced nearly a year-long delay in initial customer deliveries of its 206 Stationair and Turbo Stationair six-seat utility aircraft, following its decision to replace the Textron Lycoming IO- and TIO-580 engines with IO- and TIO-540 variants because of reliability and service life issues. The setback came to ...
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Cessna singles owners must replace silencers
Owners of more than 300 Cessna 172R Skyhawks delivered since shipments restarted in January 1997 have been ordered to replace the exhaust silencers. The US Federal Aviation Administration issued an airworthiness directive (AD) on 13 January mandating replacement of the silencers, made by Aeroquip, because of leaking welds. The ...