Improving Upon A Great Airframe

On Tuesday, Cirrus announced the launch of the new SR22-G2. The model designation itself connotes the second generation of the relatively new SR22 airframe that is currently the best-selling personal aviation aircraft model in the world. So, how did Cirrus improve upon an already top-notch model? The SR22-G2 boasts a new fuselage with numerous enhancements and interior appointments, including Secure Latch™ doors, a new interior and a 6-Point engine mount among other enhancements.

Booths Already Sold Out

The Aircraft Electronics Association's 47th Annual International Convention and Trade Show is just a few weeks ago and selling like hot cakes. With over 220 booth spaces filled and registrations reaching close to 1,300, the show is expected to be the biggest turn-out ever. Hundreds of manufacturers of avionics, instruments, airframe and test equipment along with shop owners, managers and technicians will be coming to the 2004 convention, which will be held March 29th through April 1st at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel. Best of all, as the official online news source for the event, ANN will provide extensive coverage in addition to exhibiting on the convention floor. Stop by booth#333 and say hello!

Canadian Halifax Bomber Believed Intact Off Ireland

Karl Kjarsgaard wants to raise a Halifax bomber located nearly a mile (1.6 km) below the surface of the North Atlantic and put it on display at the Nanton Air Museum in Alberta. It's not an idle fantasy. Kjarsgaard believes the plane in the Atlantic -- Halifax LW170 -- is intact. What's more important, he said, is its historical significance -- it was an RCAF plane and flew 28 combat operations over Germany and France from May to August 1944.He notes that of the 39,000 bombing missions flown by Canadian squadrons during the war, 28,000 were flown in Halifaxes. He said he also wants the plane to be a memorial to nearly 800 Americans who died while flying for Canada, almost 10 percent of those who enlisted with the RCAF when th

Manufacturer Seeks to Regain Top Ranking

Bell Helicopter is trying to regain its footing after holding a distant second place slot in worldwide civil helicopter sales for five consecutive years. When the world helicopter industry gathers for the HAI Expo in Las Vegas next week, a lot of people will want to hear management's plan for introducing products that will fire up sales. Bell Chief Executive Mike Redenbaugh says he won't disappoint. For the first time in years, he said Bell has more to offer its customers than vague promises. Although Bell won't unveil an all-new helicopter model, Redenbaugh says he will announce a plan for developing new and improved models at the Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo trade show Sunday.

DeltaHawk And Kurt Manufacturing Sign Deal

DeltaHawk Engines LLC and Kurt Manufacturing Company announced the signing of their contractual agreement for the production of DeltaHawk Diesel Aircraft Engines. Under the agreement, Kurt will manufacture engines designed by DeltaHawk, to be marketed through DeltaHawks International Distribution System. The engines will range from 150 to 200 plus horsepower, all operating on jet fuel rather than aviation gasoline. Initially available to the experimental aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) markets in 2004, FAA certification is anticipated in 2005. Engines built under the agreement will be commercially available starting in the third quarter of 2004.

Company Adds Three Airlines To United Express Program

On Monday, United Airlines named Chautauqua Airlines, Republic Airlines and Shuttle America as new United Express partners. The Regionals will begin operating as United Express later this year. Under the agreement, Chautauqua will operate 16 50-seat regional jets, Republic Airlines will fly 16 70-seat RJs and Shuttle America will operate 10 Saab 340s. The 32 RJs and 10 turboprops will serve United's Washington Dulles and Chicago O'Hare hubs as well as "a number of other smaller markets" in the US. The agreements with Chautauqua and Republic expire in 2014 while the contract with Shuttle America runs through 2005 and includes a renewal option.

Last Year Proved Much Better Than 2002

While Boeing continues to take a beating in virtually every segment of its operation, Airbus parent EADS seems to be doing just fine. EADS posted a net profit of eur152 million ($185.4 million) for 2003, compared to a net loss of eur299 million in the prior year when results were impacted by eur936 million in goodwill charges. Owing to "strong growth in its defense business and better than expected performance at Airbus," operating profit reached eur1.54 billion, up 8 percent on 2002 and above a previous forecast of eur1.43 billion. Airbus out paced Boeing for the first time as it delivered 305 aircraft in 2003, up slightly from 303 units in 2002. It received 254 net orders compared to 233 in the prior year. The fourth quarter was "partic

US Airways, LOT Accept First Jets

Embraer announced Monday that U.S. launch customer US Airways has taken delivery of its first two 170 airliners. The company ordered 85 Embraer 170 jets and took options on an additional 50 in May 2003. US Airways -- the nation's seventh largest airline -- plans to put the airplanes into service in early April. In addition to the US airways launch, Embraer also announced that Poland's LOT Polish Airlines has taken delivery of its first Embraer 170 airliner. The airplane, leased from GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), is  to be placed into service before the end of March. The Embraer 170 was awarded type certification from Brazilian, U.S. and European authorities last February, paving the way for deliveries to start in key markets

'The Flying Office' Appeals To Younger Crowd

NBAA has released a new children's book titled The Flying Office: Aviation Goes to Work. This publication will be used in conjunction with the NBAA AvKids (Aviation for Kids) Program, which incorporates science, math, geography and language arts skills to help students in grades 2 through 5 understand aviation, particularly business aviation. Authored by Cassandra J. Bosco and Robert A. Searles, and illustrated by Mike Perry, The Flying Office is designed to teach elementary-school children about business aviation, the uses of business aircraft and aviation careers. Colorful illustrations and photos show a range of business aviation scenes, which accompany engaging stories about how aviation helps businesses and everyday people. The

Hanadi Hindi Hopes To Fly For National Airline

In a country where women are not allowed to drive, 25-year-old Hanadi Hindi hopes to become the first female to fly one of Saudi Arabia's commerical jets. Hanadi is not quite ready to sit in the cockpit of a Saudi Arabian Airlines jumbo jet as yet. At the moment, she only has a Private Pilot’s License (PPL) but she says she is determined to go on to take a Commercial Pilot’s License and an Instrument Rating (CPL and IR) from the same school — the Mideast Aviation Academy in Jordan. Her father, Zakaria Hindi, a retired civil servant, is currently arranging the financing of her costly pursuit. But judging from the fact that he was the driving force behind her flying ambitions, the chances are that money will not gr

Photo May Lead to Cause Of Craft's Demise 

European scientists said Monday they are examining an image of its Beagle 2 Mars lander, taken moments after it separated from its mothership and later was lost, that also shows an unidentified object. The mysterious blot on the photograph is being scrutinized as one of several potential reasons for the failure of the mission — Europe's first attempt to land a probe on the Red Planet. Mission controllers said they were also considering the possibility that Beagle 2 simply crashed onto the surface of Mars because its atmosphere was less dense than expected. Scientists said they are examining photographs of the landing site that show four bright spots, dubbed the "string of pearls," that might be the remains of Beagle 2. Beag

Mars Rover Fails To Dig Hole In Rock   

The sophisticated grinding tool deployed by NASA's rover Opportunity was apparently no match for a chunk of Martian rock. The rover was to use its rock abrasion tool Sunday to grind away at a Martian outcropping dubbed "Flat Rock," but the tool left "no discernible impression on the rock," NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory reported. NASA scientists now hope to learn more about the rock's makeup by scraping its exterior. All indications are that the tool is working, NASA said. Researchers also plan to have Opportunity use its alpha particle X-ray spectrometer to identify the rock's chemical elements before attempting to grind away at it again later this week.

An Explosive Situation

NOTAM:  4/1869  Issued:  03/08/2004 20:35  Effective:  03/12/2004 12:00 - 03/12/2004 22:00  State:  IN  Facility:  ZID - INDIANAPOLIS (ARTCC),IN.  Type:  HAZARDS  Description:  CHARLESTON, IN. 

Breaking Down High-flying Barriers

China will recruit women astronauts for future manned space missions as a result of pressure from a leading women's organization, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday. A proposal by Gu Xiulian, president of the All-China Women's Federation, to allow women to fly on space missions has been approved by the central government, Xinhua reported. China's space craft designers will have to make minor changes to future space ships to accommodate women, the report said. The report said hundreds of Chinese women pilots have joined the country's civil aviation and air force since 1951.

Aero-News: Quote of the Day

"We're introducing the SR22-G2 today because we have the technology, capability and desire to engineer improvements into our product that make it a better value for the customer. In fact, I think our launch advertising sums up the SR22-G2 best - it really shouldn't take fifty years for a product to evolve." Source: Cirrus CEO Alan Klapmeier commenting on the company's introduction of the new SR22-G2, an improved version of the popular SR22 airframe. The SR22-G2 boasts a new fuselage with numerous enhancements and interior appointments.

AD NUMBER: 2004-05-19

MANUFACTURER: Boeing SUBJECT: Rear Spar Attach Pins, Bolts SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) that is applicable to all Boeing Model 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, and -900 series airplanes. This action requires an inspection of the rear spar attach pins and front spar attach bolts that attach the horizontal stabilizers to the horizontal stabilizer center section for damage; and follow-on or corrective actions, as applicable.

AD NUMBER: 2004-05-16

MANUFACTURER: Boeing SUBJECT: Aft Bulkhead SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Boeing Model 767-200 and -300 series airplanes, that requires repetitive inspections of the aft pressure bulkhead web, and corrective action, if necessary. This action is necessary to detect and correct fatigue cracks in the aft pressure bulkhead web, which could result in uncontrolled rapid decompression.

AD NUMBER: 2004-04-10

MANUFACTURER: Airbus SUBJECT: Landing Gear Selector Valves SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to all Airbus Model A300B2 and A300 B4 series airplanes; A300 B4-600, B4-600R, C4-605R Variant F, and F4-600R (collectively called A300-600); and A310 series airplanes. This AD requires, for certain airplanes, identifying the part number of the landing gear selector valves. For all airplanes, this AD requires repetitive maintenance tasks or operational tests of the landing gear selector valves, and replacing discrepant valves with certain new valves.

AD NUMBER: 2004-05-15

MANUFACTURER: Dassault SUBJECT: EFIS Displays SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Dassault Model Mystere-Falcon 900 series airplanes, that requires revising the Abnormal Procedures section of the airplane flight manual to advise the flightcrew to avoid use of certain display modes during approaches. This AD also requires replacing certain symbol generators of the Electronic Flight Information System (EFIS) with modified symbol generators.