All General aviation articles – Page 640
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News
Documentation shortfalls force IPTN to delay certification N250
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara (IPTN) has been forced to delay the maiden flight of its first N250-100 certification prototype, as the result of component documentation falling below US Federal Aviation Administration requirements. The second prototype N250, had been due to fly in May, but ...
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ASTAAS closes down
THE AUSTRALIAN Government has shut down ASTA Aircraft Services (ASTAAS) after failing to find a buyer for the loss-making maintenance operation. ASTAAS, which employed around 450 people, was one of two units left over after the 1995 privatisation of the ASTA aerospace business in 1995. The other unit, ...
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ILS will continue with syntin fuel for Proton
The high-performance Russian hydrocarbon-based propellant, syntin, will continue to be used on the Block D fourth stage of the ILS International Launch Services Proton booster for all currently contracted launches, despite no longer being used on the Soyuz U2 booster, to save costs. The Soyuz U2 will continue ...
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FBO industry reshapes
From the USA to the UK, fixed-base operators have been changing hands as industry consolidation continues. In August, Mercury Air Group completed the acquisition of five FBOs from Raytheon Aircraft Services for $8.25 million. The sites involved are at Ontario International Airport in California; Georgia's Hartsfield International and Peachtree-DeKalb Airports ...
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USA transfers equipment to boster anti-drug operations
Aircraft and other military equipment worth $112 million (£70 million) are to be transferred to Latin American and Caribbean nations for anti-drug operations under plans announced by the US Government. US Congress has been notified of proposals to transfer surplus Bell UH-1H helicopters and Fairchild C-26 observation aircraft ...
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Lockheed Martin considers a floatplane version of Hercules
Graham Warwick/ATLANTA LOCKHEED MARTIN is studying a floatplane version of the C-130J Hercules 2 transport and says that there is significant interest in the concept from US Navy special-forces. The scheme involves a removable catamaran hull attached to the underside of an otherwise unmodified C-130J. Conversion ...
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FSI gets UK approval
FLIGHTSAFETY International's (FSI) Vero Beach, Florida-based Flight Academy has received UK Civil Aviation Authority approval of its fully integrated pilot-training programme based on Civil Aviation Publication (CAP) 509. The move allows FSI to expand its existing CAA-approval for training modules into an ab initio programme. UK flight schools ...
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American directive
The US Federal Aviation Administration has issued an airworthiness directive requiring replacement of wing front-strut attachment fittings on American Champion Model 7KCAB, 7ECA and 7GCBC Explorer (formerly Citabria), 8KCAB Super Decathlon and 8GCBC Scout light aircraft. Source: Flight International
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Taxing times ahead
Finally, business is getting better for fixed-base operators, but there are new threats to their survival. Karen Walker/ATLANTA If prizes were to be handed out to those industries which have seemed most without hope in recent years, then the fixed-base-operator (FBO) business would probably walk away with ...
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FAA faces TCAS 4 decision
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The future of the US Federal Aviation Administration's work on the next-generation traffic-alert and collision- avoidance system (TCAS) hangs in the balance as agency officials prepare to present FAA administrator David Hinson with their findings on research into the TCAS 4. Terminating the ...
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MDHS plans to produce MD902 Explorer in 1997
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES McDONNELL DOUGLAS Helicopter Systems (MDHS) is to phase out production of the MD900 Explorer in 1997 and replace it with a more advanced version, the MD902. The US company is upgrading the Explorer largely in response to competition from Bell, with its 427, ...
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Pinch is on down under
Air New Zealand must be pondering the real value of its imminent stake in Australia's Ansett after the Melbourne-based carrier plunged into the red in the second half. The New Zealand flag carrier has disclosed it will pay TNT A$325 million (US$260 million) for its 50 per cent ...
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FAA may hike startup cost
These are expensive times for startup carriers in the US. The Federal Aviation Administration has added to existing financial concerns, created by the drying up of capital and public mistrust, with proposals that would raise the cost of government scrutiny. The FAA remains stung by criticism of its ...
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Capital cost of noise gag
The UK government has angered longhaul operators by imposing stringent noise limits at all three London airports, which will severely discriminate against B747 operators, including Stage 3 B747-400s. The limits imposed by the UK Department of Transport will reduce noise levels out of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted by ...
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FlightSafety International sets up joint helicopter training-centre with Petroleum Helicopters
FLIGHTSAFETY International (FSI) has teamed with Petroleum Helicopters (PHI) to establish a helicopter training-centre at Lafayette, Louisiana. FSI has agreed to relocate its helicopter training-centre from Alliance Airport in Fort Worth, Texas, to PHI's headquarters at Lafayette Louisiana Regional Airport. The two companies agreed to collaborate on helicopter training in ...
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Gulfstream plans to put EVS in GIV picture
GULFSTREAM will demonstrate an enhanced-vision system (EVS) for the Gulfstream IV- SP business jet at the US National Business Aircraft Association convention in Orlando, Florida, in November. The company has selected Kollsman to develop an infra-red sensor, with the image to be shown on a Honeywell/GEC-Marconi head-up display (HUD). ...
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Rybinsk design and production plants
RYBINSK MOTORS production plant and RKBM Rybinsk Machinebuilding Design Bureau are to merge. Rybinsk Motors, is a leading Russian manufacturer, of Aviadvigatel D-30 turbofans powering Ilyushin Il-76s and Il-62Ms, and Tupolev Tu-154Ms. The plant has a long-term co-operation agreement with General Electric and has begun parts ...
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USA prepares operations databank
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC and David Learmount/LONDON THE PROTOTYPE for a massive new US national safety database has started operation. The system will be able to filter downloaded operational data from digital flight-data recorders (DFDRs) for events which have safety significance, and store them centrally for trend analysis and ...
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Cessna flight-tests Stationair prototype
CESSNA IS FLIGHT-TESTING THE prototype Turbo 206 Stationair, which will be the third of its piston-single types to re-enter production. The T206 is powered by a Textron Lycoming TIO-580 turbocharged engine. Initial flights will be used to evaluate the new engine and instrumentation. Cessna says that engine power response and ...
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FAA moves to tighten rules for new carriers
THE US FEDERAL Aviation Administration's to intensify its oversight of new air carriers following the ValuJet McDonnell Douglas DC-9 crash in May in Florida and a subsequent review of the carrier's operations. This will include regulating the use of outside aircraft maintenance firms and limiting their growth rates. ...