``Act as a reasonably prudent dispatcher, be knowledgeable, and have access to all relevant sources of information,'' aviation attorney Harry Riggs advised schedulers and dispatchers assembled in Las Vegas. One of the most popular sessions at the 2000 NBAA Schedulers&Dispatchers Conference was Riggs' presentation on scheduling and the law.
Signature Flight Support (Orlando) -- Dean Rush has been promoted to president of its Signature Combs Aircraft Sales division. Robert Gallop is named avionics manager at the company's Las Vegas maintenance center and Thomas Wyman is now avionics manager at Chicago Midway Airport. Paul Wallace is named technical services director at the Birmingham, Ala. maint nance center.
San Juan, Puerto Rico-based Servicios Aereos Profesionales is leasing a Raytheon Beech 1900C from the manufacturer for freight operations. The carrier currently operates four Beech 1900D and two 1900C aircraft.
Signature Flight Support parent BBA Group has acquired U.K-based Oxford Aviation from the Close Brothers Group investment partnership in a cash deal worth $88.64 million. Formerly known as CSE Aviation, Oxford owns Kidlington Airport, home of the Oxford Air Training School, and aviation maintenance facilities in Bournemouth, Gloucester and Dundee. Oxford recently developed a ``virtual training course'' that allows pilots to complete a substantial part of their ground school over the Internet.
Piedmont Hawthorne (Winston-Salem, N.C.) -- Paul Strack has been promoted to resale manager in its corporate aircraft sales department, and Deric Dymerski, Tom Zollars and Roger Davis are now regional managers of the company's FBOs. Julie Lang transitions from Piedmont's FAR Part 121 charter operation to become marketing administrator.
Reduced Vertical Separation Minimums (RVSM) are now in effect over the Pacific Ocean. Separation for RVSM-equipped aircraft is reduced from 2,000 to 1,000 feet between 29,000 and 39,000 feet. The FAA plans to expand affected altitudes to FL 410. European RVSM is not expected until early 2002.
Sino Swearingen (San Antonio) -- Roy C. McGraw joins the manufacturer as vice president of procurement. McGraw had been director of procurement for Gulfstream.
Wood Group Turbopower (Miami Lakes, Fla.) -- Fenton Appleby is promoted to director of PT6 sales and Jim Herbert is now director of customer service. Recent additions to the company include new regional sales manager for Midwestern sales Rich Carney, regional sales manager for Southern states Steve Gustus and Debbie Williams, who will head national telemarketing at the company's Millville, N.J., office.
Back when business aviation was beginning to blossom in the mid-1950s, most corporate operators were still flying piston-powered aircraft, either one of the new general aviation designs that had emerged after the war, such as the Beech Bonanza or Cessna 310, or converted military or airline transports, such as the Douglas DC-3/C-54 or Lock-heed Lodestar. Few airframe manufacturers were ready to invest the substantial sums needed to produce an all-new, turbine-powered aircraft designed solely for business transportation.
Ronkonkoma, N.Y.-based CAMP Systems International is enhancing Learjet 31, 35, 36, 45, 55 and 60 maintenance programs with the addition of illustrated work cards, Internet access and other options. The new cards will provide specific procedures for all scheduled inspections and maintenance tasks, including required tools, materials and references to the factory maintenance manual. Learjet maintenance programs also will be part of CAMP's planned AviSource system, which will offer Internet access to aircraft data and other optional functions.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's undergraduate civil engineering program received Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accreditation.
Farmingdale, N.Y.-based SAGE Parts has formed Sage Parts Plus, which comprises the assets of both SAGE Parts and Parts Plus Logistics. The companies all supply replacement parts for aircraft ground support equipment.
Because of the pivotal nature they play in coordinating flight operations, corporate scheduler/dispatchers have developed a special relationship with Corporate Angel Network, the White Plains, N.Y.-based charity that arranges free medical travel for cancer patients aboard business aircraft operated by participating donor companies. At past S&D conferences, it has been traditional for CAN representatives to pitch the good works and successes of the program.
The U.S. government has redesigned NOS (National Oceanic Service) approach charts with the goal of reducing pilots' head-down time during instrument approaches. The new plates are easier to read than existing NOS plates and present information in a logical format from top to bottom to aid in pre-approach briefings. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) plans to convert the charts on an airport-by-airport basis, so revisions will mix the old and new formats until the transition is complete.
Singapore Airlines has ordered six Cessna 172Rs for pilot training. The new aircraft will join five other Skyhawks at the Singapore Flying College, near Perth, Australia.
Raytheon Aircraft will provide on-site maintenance and technical support for 109 C-12 aircraft -- a derivative of the King Air 200 -- under the terms of a $695 million contract with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force.
Australia's general aviation community is slowly recovering from the worst fuel contamination crisis in that nation's history. Around 10 percent of the estimated 2,500 aircraft affected had been returned to service by early March, and Mobil Oil Australia had paid out more than $2 million in ``interim'' compensation.
For the first time since 1992, the FAA has received a clean financial audit from the DOT's inspector general. FAA Administrator Jane Garvey says the audit result is a ``tremendous step'' that means FAA finances now meet ``the standards of private industry for fiscal responsibility.'' The scope of the FAA's operations resembles some major industries, with more than 50,000 employees and $25.5 billion in assets.
Raytheon Aircraft is outfitting two special mission King Air B200s under a $11.4 million contract with the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command. The aircraft will be equipped with Zeiss Camera Systems for use in aerial mapping and photography. The company also has been chosen to provide logistics support for C-9s operated by the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marines. The one-year contract also includes six one-year options, bringing the potential value of the contract to over $474 million.
