Cessna Aircraft is producing a limited number of Millennium Edition Skyhawk SPs, Skylanes, Stationairs and Turbo Stationairs. The aircraft will be equipped with redesigned leather interiors, special exterior striping, Goodyear Flight Custom II tires and the Honeywell Bendix/King KLN 94 IFR GPS system. Priced $6,000 to $7,000 above the usual standard-equipped prices, availability is limited to 65 Skyhawks, 60 Skylanes, 10 Stationairs and 20 Turbo Stationairs.
The recommendations of the Fractional Ownership Advisory Rulemaking Committee were undergoing final revisions as B/CA went to press, and the committee's product -- said to run some 30,000 words -- was expected to be delivered to the FAA by February 25, according to FOARC Chairman Jim Christiansen. The committee has asked the FAA to give the suggested regulatory changes contained in its recommendations high priority, and Christiansen said he hopes a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking will be published by the end of this month.
Crossair has leased a 66-seat British Aerospace ATP turboprop from British World Airlines, due to fleet shortages triggered by its maintenance backlog. Basel-based Crossair says it has assembled ``an international team of experts'' to study its ``operational and technical aspects'' following the fatal January 10 crash of a company Saab 340B.
NASA is working with Rockwell Collins, Jeppesen and American Airlines to develop satellite-based, real-time weather capability for airliners and corporate aircraft. The tests will be conducted aboard two American Boeing 777s, equipped with satellite receivers and laptop computers displaying graphical weather information supplied by Jeppesen. Crews will test the setup from April through November on flights between the United States and Asia.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University named its Daytona Beach Instructional Center in honor of the late Willie Miller, a longtime supporter of the university and former member of the NBAA, Wings Club, Aviation/Space Writers Association and other aviation organizations.
The first SJ30-2 in production configuration is coming together at Sino Swearingen's San Antonio facility. Major fuselage components for aircraft 002 are in place, and the first set of wings is expected to be delivered from Gamesa in Spain in this quarter. First flight is now scheduled for the third quarter. A second aircraft, TF-2 -- the static test article -- also is in assembly.
Here's how a couple of operators described their experiences with airborne television systems mounted in their business jets: -- An operator of a Midwestern-based Falcon 900 equipped with Airshow TV reports that his flight department is generally happy with the system, although some overheating problems with the multiple receiver/decoder unit (MRDU) have been experienced during ground operations due to the aircraft-specific mounting of the unit.
American Eagle plans to appeal a Dallas jury's decision to award $10 million to a former pilot who said he was wrongfully terminated for refusing to fly in icing conditions. The airline said Michael LaGrotte was fired for his ``failure to follow procedures,'' and accused him of lying on his employment application regarding prior drug use and other infractions.
AOPA-Australia is coordinating a class-action suit against Mobil in the wake of that country's fuel contamination crisis in late 1999. The group is working with Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the oil giant to bring about a quick solution to the problem that resulted in an AD grounding nearly 5,000 piston aircraft. The suit stems from tainted fuel produced at Mobil's Victoria refinery.
Sikorsky's ongoing efforts to sell its new S-92 Helibus apparently have met with success, in the form of preliminary sales agreements with two Canadian operators. Cougar Helicopters of St. Johns, Newfoundland has signed a letter of intent to acquire up to five of the 19-passenger helicopters, while Vancouver-based Helijet has signed an agreement ``leading to the placement'' of an undisclosed number of S-92s into its airline operation.
We're victims of our own success -- speeding up the pace of business, I mean. It started with the Wrights. Trains, ships and cars weren't fast enough -- we had to have airplanes.
Litton Industries is selling its Weather Services International (WSI) subsidiary to privately held Landmark Communications for $120 million. WSI, which supplies aviation weather briefings under a service known as PILOTBrief, as well as weather forecasting for other industries, will remain in suburban Boston under current President Mark Gildersleeve. Landmark owns the Weather Channel, two television stations and other media interests, and is a WSI customer.
John Lawson, Bombardier Aerospace's president for business aircraft sales, has retired, but will continue to serve in what the manufacturer calls a ``senior advisory capacity.'' In announcing his retirement, Lawson cited the launch of the Global Express as the ``thrill of my career in aviation.'' Lawson is being replaced by Peter Edwards, Bombardier's senior vice president for international sales. Edwards has been with the company since 1995, when he joined as vice president for international sales for the Challenger and Global Express.
Danish regional SAS Commuter welcomes the first of 19 ordered Bombardier Dash 8 Q400s with a traditional ``christening'' by water cannon at the airline's Copenhagen facilities. The 76-seat aircraft averaged 360 knots on its flight from Bombardier's Toronto plant to Denmark, via Goose Bay, Labrador and Keflavik, Iceland. The Q400 received FAA certification in February, JAA certification in December 1999, and Transport Canada certification in June 1999.
Users of Microsoft's new Flight Simulator 2000 will see a couple of familiar aviation faces when they begin flying: John and Martha King. The husband and wife team appears in the ``getting started'' portion of the simulation software. John King says he hopes the software and a new video the school has produced for Microsoft help encourage more people to participate in general aviation.
Extex will now accept direct orders for parts it makes for the Allison 250 engines that power various light helicopters and turboprop aircraft. Called Extex-Direct, the new program is a response to supply-partner Aviall's signing of an exclusive, 10-year supplier arrangement with Rolls-Royce in November 1999. Previously, Aviall was the sole source of Extex-made A250 parts.
The FAA has certified UPS Aviation Technologies' MX20 multi-function display. The MX20 is intended to increase pilots' situational awareness, with ground proximity warnings and graphical representation of terrain and navigational aids. UPS says the MX20 also can display navigation data for IFR operations, thunderstorm detection system data and uplinked weather information, and is certified for ADS-B reports. The FAA will use the new unit on 130 aircraft in the Alaska Capstone program to demonstrate ADS-B.
Business aviation is much in the news in Silicon Valley, most recently in the well-publicized, unanimous decision by the Apple board of directors to give chairman Steve Jobs a Gulfstream V in recognition of the turnaround he engineered over the last two and one-half years.
Mercury Air Center plans to dedicate its new FBO facility at Burbank Airport (BUR) in California on March 10. The culmination of several years of planning and construction, the design incorporates a new terminal, a new hangar and more than one-half million square feet of ramp space.
As a result of an alliance with Echo Flight, Garmin International's GNS 430 and GNS 530 GPS/Comm units soon will be capable of providing NEXRAD weather radar data and e-mail service in flight. Using a new transceiver to interface with the GARMIN units, Echo Flight will provide current location weather, en-route weather and destination forecasts on a subscription basis. Service is planned for the second quarter. Price: $2,495, transceiver; $40/month (est.), subscription Garmin International 1200 E. 151st St. Olathe, Kan. 66062
Kestral Aviation has acquired Alma, Mich.-based Hansen Flying Service and XL Leasing. Hansen, an aircraft charter and management company, operates a Cessna Citation Bravo and a Citation 501.
