Owners of Part 145 repair stations were granted a brief reprieve by the FAA, which again delayed implementation of the new Part 145 regulations, this time until January 31, 2004.

The new delay came about as a result of petitions from the Aircraft Electronics Association, the Aeronautical Repair Station Association, and the National Air Transportation Association. The previous implementation date of October 6, 2003 was thought to be too soon to allow companies to comply with the new regulations. The advisory circular that recommends how to meet the requirements of the new regulations wasn’t published until July 3, which didn’t leave much time for the transition to the new rules.

The Aviation Suppliers Association (ASA) applauded the delay: "The industry has waited a long time for the revised Part 145, and a brief delay to ensure that the introduction of the new rule proceeds smoothly is time well spent."

For those who have been putting off complying with the new Part 145, the primary requirement is creation of two new manuals, according to the ASA: "The new rule eliminates the traditional Inspection Procedures Manual, or IPM, and introduces in its place two new manuals–a Repair Station Manual (which was essentially an operations manual) and a Quality Control Manual (similar to the IPM but including a variety of new features as well)."

Stage III Demos Superbly Silent Speys

At the NBAA Convention on October 8, Stage III Technologies hosted a live demonstration of the quiet-flying capabilities of the Stage III Gulfstream II/III hushkit system.

The demo was held at Orlando Executive Airport and involved two flybys by an ordinary GII and a GII on whose Spey engines a Stage III hushkit was installed.

The hushkit consists of a fuselage-mounted ejector plus new cascade-type thrust reversers. Price before production installations begin in February is $1.795 million, at which time price goes up to $2 million.

Stage III’s hushkit has no takeoff thrust, climb, or weight penalty. "The only negative result of the installation," accoding to the company, "will be a small amount of cruise penalty due to the drag the installation creates. We expect it will be less than 5 percent."

During the demonstration, the two GIIs flew low over the runway, then climbed out at takeoff power in front of the assembled crowd. The unmodified GII’s Rolls-Royce Spey engines produced the expected ear-shattering noise that sounds like air molecules being ripped apart. A handheld Radio Shack noise meter registered 102 A-weighted decibels as the unmodified GII flew by.

The contrast between the hushkitted GII and the ordinary GII was remarkable. The Stage III GII sounded much like a GIV; there was no more "ripping" noise and one didn’t feel compelled to plug their ears as it flew over. The handheld noise meter said 94 decibels.

While Stage III noise rules don’t apply to jets like the GII that weigh less than 75,000 pounds, there are concerns that airports will not be friendly to noisy airplanes. "It’s a good time to buy a GII," said Todd Stimmel, Stage III president and CEO, "with prices [currently] down." For $8 million, a buyer could own a GII with a Stage III hushkit and RVSM and TAWS equipment, he added, which is half the price of a used GIV.

Stage III Technologies was expecting FAA certification of the hushkit shortly after the NBAA show. Installations will take four weeks at first, then less than three weeks. Western Jet and Aeroshear Aviation in Van Nuys, California will perform the first installations.

As further incentive for GII/GIII operators to buy the Stage III hushkit, Stage III Technologies is also planning to develop a Gulfstream life-extension modification program that will add 10,000 hours to the GII/GIII life limit. This could be bundled in to the pricing of the hushkit, although formal details of this program were not available at NBAA.

Former Midwest Airlines vice president of maintenance and engineering Bill Brown has joined Atlantic Coast Airlines as senior vice president of maintenance and operations. Brown, an A&P mechanic with a masters degree in business administraion, most recently was senior vice president of sales and marketing at Miami-based Avborne.

Register Those 406 ELTs or Suffer the Consequences

In the current rush to meet the FAA’s January 1, 2004 emergency locator transmitter (ELT) installation compliance deadline, many owner/operators who are selecting to install the new 406 MHz digital ELTs are forgetting to properly register the units.

"Owners need to register their beacon. If they don’t, they’re defeating the purpose of having the 406 in the first place," explained Wendell Neumeyer, marketing manager for Artex Aircraft Systems. "And I can tell you that a substantial number of 406 ELT owners–not airline or fleet operators, but bizjet owners–have not registered or reportedly not registered their units."

Neumeyer said that it is critically important for installation technicians and avionics shop operators to proactively tell their customers that they need to register these units immediately. "We put all kinds of labels and cards in the packaging with the units, but technicians and/or the customers don’t understand the critical importance of this step," he said. "I guess they think it’s just another marketing tool. But it is a critical step in making the 406 ELT an effective life-saving tool."

Customer registration information is used to ‘code’ the transponder and it is what search and rescue organizations would use to properly identify the aircraft’s type, ownership, base location, and other vital information.

The coding permits search-and-rescue coordination centers to contact the registered owner to verify if the aircraft is flying or safely in its hangar. This permits rapid response and in the event of an accidental alert, no time or manpower is wasted on a false alarm.

So, if you’ve done any 406 installations, do your customers a favor and contact them with a reminder about the importance of properly registering their beacons.

Free "Medal of Honor" Book Available at Jet Aviation FBOs

Flightcrews visiting Jet Aviation FBOs in the U.S. can sign up for a free copy of Medal of Honor: Portraits of Honor Beyond the Call of Duty through December 15, 2003.

Jet Aviation is giving away the book to memorialize Congressional Medal of Honor recipients. "This beautifully designed, limited coffee-table collectable offers fascinating insights into the lives of America’s greatest heroes," stated a Jet Aviation press release.

Quantities are limited, and the book will be mailed to crewmembers who sign up while visiting Jet Aviation’s FBOs in Bedford, Massachusetts, Teterboro, New Jersey, or West Palm Beach, Florida.

Helicopter MRO Surging in Europe

Some 42 helicopters were on show at Helitech 2003 in late September, providing solid evidence that the rotary-winged business is one of the fastest-growing in the U.K. The business is already backed by a large supporting industry, including numerous MRO companies, and this year 250 exhibitors from 22 countries were moved to participate. The outcome was attendance by more than 8,000 visitors from 75 countries.

Standard Aero of Winnipeg, Canada stood by its claim to be the largest independent small gas turbine engine and accessory repair and overhaul facility in the world and reported that business was flat, but on the up. Manny Atwal, director of marketing and helicopter customer support, noted that while business was now improving, during the past five years it has actually grown by 40 percent. Helicopter engine work is currently worth $50 million, or one-tenth of the total annual revenues, but is becoming an increasingly important part of the business.

The news from Rotortech Limited of the U.K. was the company’s concentration on its prime function of global helicopter maintenance and support. Business has been growing at a rate of 30 percent a year, with work coming from the civil, police, and offshore markets. Market studies have indicated there are good opportunities in the military and paramilitary fields, and the company is now entering these areas.

Engine cowls, interior trim kits, and other parts are now being manufactured on a growing scale, with composite engine cowls shown to be 50 percent lighter than their aluminum counterpart. Helicopter blade repair work may also be done but this is a highly competitive business and an order has to be substantial to be worthwhile. Michael Renouf, Rotortech business development manager, explained that the best business so far has come from the company’s core work of maintenance, repair, and support, which includes heavy checks, line checks, avionics installations, special operations fits, interior renovations, and painting. The company has its own purpose-built paint bay, together with avionics, electronics, and radio shops.

Martin Smith of AEM Limited noted that technology appeared to be changing at a faster pace, but with helicopter MRO work representing 25 to 30 percent of the company’s total, the workforce was abreast of developments. Established in 1959, AEM Limited is now a subsidiary of Umeco and has bases at Stansted Airport and Ramsgate, Kent. It supports regional and international airlines, helicopter operators, and airframe manufacturers. In 2003 turnover was some $25 million. Furthering growth, a Singapore office was opened in September.

At Helitech AEM was laying particular emphasis on its accessory repair and overhaul services, which include flying controls, instruments, landing gear, valves and pumps, and safety equipment. More than 2,000 components can now be covered on aircraft and helicopter types ranging from the Agusta A109 and Bell 204 to 222 series, to the Sikorsky S61 and S76, and the Eurocopter Dauphin, Ecureuil, Puma, Super Puma, and EC 135.

For H & S Aviation of Portsmouth, business was said to be "going up" from the bottom of the trough that had been reached earlier. For this long-established company, business has continued to grow over the past five years and is expected to be good again in 12-months’ time.

Offering extensive helicopter engine services ranging from the Rolls-Royce 250 to the GE CT58 and CT7-2/T700, H & S Aviation can trace its beginnings back to 1946 as Hants & Sussex Aviation. Now a member of the BBA Group, a name change was made some years ago when the company’s standing became well recognised. BBA-owned Dallas Airmotive is now a sister company, and through Dallas the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T engine is handled also. Services offered include whole engine support and provision of modules, components, and accessories. More than 700 engines and 900 propellers are being processed annually.

The 2004 Helitech Latin America is in Brazil in 2004.