All General aviation articles – Page 680
-
News
Cirrus confident in SR-20
CIRRUS DESIGN SAYS that it is "very comfortable" with the performance of its new SR-20 light aircraft, following an initial flight just one week before its public debut at Sun'n Fun. President and designer Alan Klapmeier says that $2,500 deposits are being taken on the $130,000, all-composite, four-seater. ...
-
News
HAMC to equip Y-12 for airline work
HARBIN Aircraft Manufacturing (HAMC) of China is planning further modifications to the Y-12 IV turboprop, following the aircraft's type certification by the US Federal Aviation Administration. The aircraft received FAR Part 23 approval in late March, in a move which HAMC hopes will boost sales in the US ...
-
News
More than one niche?
When it was launched at the 1990 National Business Aircraft Association show in the USA, the PC-XII was offered as a high-performance, low-operating-cost corporate/utility aircraft. Now, Pilatus is working with other large single-turboprop manufacturers Cessna and Aerospatiale to modify the certification rules so that the aircraft can be operated commercially ...
-
News
An invasion of privacy
Private aviation is, understandably, regarded as just that: private. Pilots often consider it their right to disregard established practices, especially outside controlled or busy airspace. As private pilots cannot be denied privacy and freedom, the only effective method of softening their resistance to regulation and safe practices is ...
-
News
Protests likely over WAAS decision
THE US FEDERAL Aviation Administration has eliminated all but one of the four competitors for the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) and begun negotiations to award the $500 million contract to a team led by Wilcox Electric. The WAAS will increase the integrity, availability and accuracy of the ...
-
News
Snecma's losses treble as restructuring continues
SNECMA'S LOSSES MORE than trebled in 1994 as the French engine manufacturer bore the brunt of heavy restructuring costs and new programme costs. Sales are also expected to plummet. The group finally revealed that it had lost nearly Fr2.2 billion ($440 million) in 1994, confirming earlier projections of ...
-
News
USA and Russia struggle over certification deal
U S AND RUSSIAN Aviation Officials, are trying to break a log jam of certification issues, threatening the future of joint manufacturing ventures in the region. The projects are hampered by the lack of a bilateral certification agreement between the US Federal Aviation Administration and the Russian Department ...
-
News
Bad Reviews
THE CURRENT CASE in Norway concerning the 1990 crash of a Wideroe Flyveselskap DHC-6 Twin Otter is the latest in a long line of challenges to accident reports. In this case, as in the others, the controversy stems more from the procedures for making a challenge than from the scientific ...
-
News
Switzerland to run GPS approach trial
SWISS REGIONAL airline Crossair and Swisscontrol plan a two-phase evaluation of global-positioning-system (GPS) landing systems, beginning in late 1995. The programme, to be completed by early 1996, could result in approval of one of the first GPS precision-approaches in Europe. In the first phase, two Crossair Saab 2000s ...
-
News
AlliedSignal releases mini-APU details
ALLIEDSIGNAL HAS revealed details of a mini auxiliary power unit (APU), the RE100, which it is offering to Cessna for the Citation Excel and proposing for other corporate aircraft. The RE100 is a smaller version of the 36-150 APU used on the Falcon 900 and others. It measures ...
-
News
All sides reach agreement on latest offer for Piper
THE LONG-RUNNING saga, over the sale of bankrupt Piper Aircraft, appears to be drawing to a close, with a deal now in place, which would see the light-aircraft manufacturer acquired for $95 million. Teledyne Industries, along with Investment Company Dimeling, Schreiber & Park (DS&P) have formed a new ...
-
News
Orenda to certificate piston engine for King Air 90
HAWKER SIDDELEY Canada's Orenda division is to seek certification of the new Orenda Series piston engine on the Raytheon Beech King Air 90 under an agreement with US modification centre Stevens Aviation. Toronto-based Orenda will supply two 450kW (600hp) OE-600A liquid-cooled, twin-turbo-charged, Vee-8 engines in July for ...
-
News
Opus 280 restarts
ASL HAGFOR AERO has restarted production of the Opus 280 single-engine trainer, following receipt of its JAR very light aircraft type certificate. Production work stopped in 1994 after certification took longer than expected. Two partially built airframes are on schedule for delivery in June to the Bromma Flight ...
-
News
FAA breaks new ground with Y-12 approval
THE US FEDERAL Aviation Administration has issued its first type-certificate for an aircraft designed and produced in China - the Harbin Y-12 IV. Its Part 23 approval of the twin-turboprop airliner forms part of a larger programme to bring the Civil Aviation Administration of China's (CAAC) airworthiness regulations ...
-
News
Ice and poor management hit Viscount
THE OFFICIAL UK report on 1994's fatal crash of a Vickers Viscount freighter, following multiple engine ice-ingestion, severely criticises the crew's actions and the airline's emergency checklist. Two of the 36-year-old aircraft's four Rolls-Royce Dart turboprops flamed out after ingesting ice at 18,000ft (5,500m). The crew of the ...
-
News
Fatalities In Kiwi Crash
A Beechcraft Queenair belonging to Kiwi West Aviation crashed near Hamilton in New Zealand on 29 March, killing all six passengers and crew. The twin-engine aircraft, under contract to Air New Zealand subsidiary Eagle Airways, was heading for New Plymouth when it crashed shortly after taking-off from Hamilton. ...
-
News
Sweden looks at range of duties for CL-215
SWEDEN IS LOOKING for two water bombers - probably Canadair CL-215s or CL-215Ts - to combat forest fires between May and the end of August. The move follows a feasibility study, which also examined possible alternative uses for the aircraft, including Coast Guard activity and joint operations with neighbouring countries. ...
-
News
Eurocopter equips BO105s for Bahrain
EUROCOPTER Deutschland has prepared two naval BO105s ordered for Bahrain's armed forces - the first result of research by the company which identified interest in low-cost naval versions of lightweight helicopters, The "Peace Bow" helicopters, delivered in late 1994, are fitted with the Bendix RDR 1500B radar for ...
-
News
Vietnam on for sell-off
The wide-ranging ambitions of Vietnam Airlines are set to receive a boost in the near future with an expected government decision to clear the way for partial privatisation, including a measure of foreign investment. At presstime, airline officials were awaiting details of a planning package which is expected ...
-
News
Sunny prospects
The future of the European charter industry looks bright despite increased threats from liberalisation and low-cost scheduled competition. Paul Holubowicz reports on the sector's considerable strengths.The imminent demise of the European charter sector has been regularly predicted since the 1970s, when 'charter' was often considered to be synonymous with a ...