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| Mitsubishi Freight Planes: Training & Safety | back to top |  |
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FAA Adopts MU-2B Standards
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The FAA has adopted a final rule that imposes standardized training requirements and operational procedures aimed at curbing an increase in the number of accidents by Mitsubishi MU-2B aircraft. The
aircraft, which use spoilers for roll control rather than ailerons, were involved in a spate of accidents in 2004 and 2005, prompting calls by some to ground the fleet. Defenders of the ubiquitous
freight hauler argued there was nothing inherently wrong with the airplane, but agreed pilots needed to understand its quirks. The FAA’s response is a Special Federal Air Regulation that creates
a common training regimen for pilots new to the high-wing twin turboprop. There’s also a new standardized cockpit checklist and the requirement that all aircraft have the revised Airplane Flight
Manual. Finally, the autopilot has to be working on all flights except in certain (rare) special conditions. “The FAA studies enormous amounts of data looking for trends,” FAA Associate
Administrator for Aviation Safety Nick Sabatini said in a news release. “When we saw the rising accident rate for the MU-2B, we decided to take appropriate actions to bring the plane up to an
acceptable level of safety.”
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| Be Type-Rated When Your Eclipse 500 Arrives | back to top | |
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Eclipse Type Rating Options
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Eclipse 500 customers can learn how to fly their shiny new jets without even leaving the ground. Eclipse announced Tuesday that its training provider Higher Power Aviation has received FAA approval to
grant type ratings under its Part 142 training certificate and that the entire curriculum will be carried out on the full-motion simulator that was approved a couple of weeks ago. "Using a simulator
for a customer's entire type rating means we no longer have to schedule training around aircraft availability or weather conditions," said CEO Vern Raburn. For those who would prefer to actually fly
an airplane to get their type ratings, Sabena Airline Training Academy, of Mesa, Ariz., will start taking students in March. Sabena will offer three-week courses with two to four future Eclipse pilots
taking the course at a time. In June, the company will get a second Eclipse and double the intake rate. Sabena is the first third-party training provider approved by the FAA to issue type ratings. Its
regular business is ab initio-to-first officer training for European and Indian airlines. Sabena’s Eclipses will be doing double duty. They’ll also be used for jet familiarization in the
airline curriculum.
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| Quest Kodiak Update | back to top | |
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Quest Delivers First Kodiak
Related Content: |
It’s not every day a new aircraft design is delivered to a paying customer and the folks at Quest Aircraft in Sandpoint, Idaho, were celebrating that milestone last week. The company handed over
the first revenue-generating aircraft to Spirit Air in a ceremony that involved the whole plant. Spirit Air was the first to lay down a deposit for the Kodiak in 2005, and taking delivery within three
years is remarkable for anyone, let alone a somewhat idealistic start-up. There’s no question Quest is in business to make money off the Kodiak but it’s where that profit ends up that’s
different. Quest will use the money it makes to subsidize the provision of Kodiaks to missionary organizations working in developing countries. So, it’s not surprising that the aircraft is built
for unimproved strips with STOL capabilities that allow it to haul bulky cargo in a useful load of 3,325 pounds off the runway in about 700 feet. Spirit will use the PT-6-powered, glass-paneled Kodiak
in backcountry operations in Alaska and Idaho and to carry commuters and freight.
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| The Turboprop with Jet Avionics | back to top | |
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Latest King Air C90 Certified
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Hawker Beechcraft says it’s already delivered 10 copies of its King Air C90GTi, which was introduced at last year’s European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in May. Fuel
prices are driving a surge in turboprop sales and the latest in the line of the smallest King Air model puts a jet-style cockpit up front. The C90GTi is equipped with the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21
avionics suite, the same used in bigger King Airs and some of the company’s jets. Hawker Beechcraft touts the C90GTi as an alternative to very light jets in the same price range, noting its
seven-passenger cabin and private rear lavatory. The new electronics are built around three eight inch by 10 inch liquid crystal displays that handle all navigation, communication and data functions
imaginable. In addition to the Collins suite, the aircraft has updated Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-135A engines.
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| Networking on the Go — For the Internet Age | back to top | |
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Making The Most Of Business Travel?
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Private aircraft may be the ultimate business timesaver but now there’s a Web site dedicated to ratcheting up that efficiency a little more.
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| Future Cessna Jets to Offer Owners More Room | back to top | |
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Cessna Large Cabin Jet No Longer A "Concept"
The company promised to release more details of the program at a news conference on Feb. 6 in Washington, D.C. |
Cessna Aircraft Co. said on Thursday it will move ahead with its Large Cabin Concept jet aircraft. The aircraft will have intercontinental range and will be the largest ever in Cessna's fleet. "I'm
ecstatic to announce we are extending the Citation line upward and grateful for the patience of the customers who have urged Cessna to add a large cabin Citation," said Cessna CEO Jack Pelton. The
company has been showing a mock-up of the concept since late 2006 and customer feedback will be incorporated into the final design, Pelton said. "We have invested a great deal of time in evaluating
this concept to determine a solid business case and involved customers very early in this program. We're confident our efforts will result in an aircraft that is right for the marketplace," he
said.
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| Who's Where | back to top | |
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RICK ADAM FOUNDS COMPOSITES FIRM
ANDREW BROOM GOES TO HAWKER BEECHCRAFT |
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| AVweb Media: Look, Listen and Learn | back to top | |
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Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos On November 2, 2007, an F-15C with the 110th Fighter Squadron (of the 131st Fighter Wing) broke up while conducting an air-to-air training mission. This video, produced by Glenn Pew
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for AVweb, covers the military investigative board's findings.| The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is You! | back to top | |
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AVweb's Newstips Address ...
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Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something that 130,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news
tips via email to | Names Behind the News | back to top | |
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Meet the AVwebBiz TeamAVwebBiz is a weekly summary of the latest business aviation news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the internet's aviation magazine and news service.
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