When the experts speak about ``causal factors,'' ``circumstantial factors'' and ``consequences'' they are using precise terms that we need to understand to assimilate what they are trying to tell us. Causal factor -- This is an event or item judged to be directly instrumental in the causal chain of events leading to the accident. An accident may have been attributed to any number of causal factors. Typical causal factors are ``system failure affecting controll-ability'' or ``fast and high approach'' or ``interaction with equipment.''
Transport Canada has certified the Orenda recip engine for the de Havilland DHC-3 Otter, giving an aging workhorse a new lease on life. FAA certification is expected within a year. Air Wilga of Laval, Quebec will perform the modifications in conjunction with Orenda Recip. Anticipated benefits of the mod include increased speed, fuel economy and range, as well as lower operational and maintenance costs. More than 460 Otters were built between 1951 and 1967, and several hundred still ply Canada's remote areas.
A LET-410 turboprop operated by Aviones Taxi Aereo crashed on takeoff from Tobios Bolanos Airport in Costa Rica on January 15, killing four and injuring 27, including former CIA director Admiral Stansfield Turner. The NTSB is assisting Costa Rica's Civil Aviation Board in its investigation.
Under the terms of a new one-year deal, Maytag Aircraft, a subsidiary of Mercury Air Group, will provide base operating support services at Westover Air Reserve Base in Springfield, Mo. Services will include fueling, traffic and airfield management and meteorological services.
In an effort to correct alleged ``deficiencies'' in the training of corporate operators on the use of software-based aircraft systems, the Flight Safety Foundation's (FSF) corporate advisory committee has recommended new standards for operators and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
Gulf Coast Avionics is planning a golf tournament to kick off the annual Sun 'n Fun fly-in. Entry fee for the April 7 tournament is $75, with proceeds benefiting the Florida Aviation Safety Foundation and the Sun 'n Fun Aviation Foundation. Further information is available from Gulf Coast at (863) 709-9714.
Hartzell Propeller owner and chairman James W. Brown, Jr.'s two sons have been named co-presidents of the Ohio-based manufacturer. James W. Brown III, who's been with the company since 1990, will head engineering and customer services, while his brother, Joseph, who joined in 1993, will oversee operations. Chairman Brown bought Hartzell, which traces its aviation routes to Orville Wright in the early 1900s, from TRW in 1988.
Indigo Air, the Chicago-based firm planning public charters between Teterboro and Chicago Midway aboard Dassault Falcon 20s, has received its FAR Part 135 certificate and has begun operating corporate charters with a single Falcon 20. The company plans to add three additional aircraft by the end of April and begin offering public charters by late spring. Indigo founder Matt Anderssen says the company is close to an ``amicable'' settlement of a $10 million lawsuit filed by Swedish aircraft leasing company Indigo Aviation AB for trademark infringement.
Comair has named Susan Burrell as president of its Comair Aviation Academy in Sanford, Fla. Former President Gary D. Green will continue as the academy's CEO. Burrell joined the academy in 1993 as director of marketing.
Conair Aerospace of Abbotsford, British Columbia will perform major repair and modification work on nine of Aloha Airlines' 21 Boeing 737-200 aircraft. The work includes lap joint modifications to all nine aircraft, and Supplemental Structural Inspection work on four of the aircraft. The first of the 737s arrived in January; completion of the last is planned for November. To support expansion of its MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) business, Conair plans to open its new, 250,000-square-foot facility in October.
Salaries for aviation faculty at member schools of the University Aviation Association (UAA) are increasing, but still lag behind those of other college professors, according to a study by the organization. Assistant professors at aviation schools averaged $48,790 annually -- a 28-percent increase over the last study a decade ago -- while their peers at non-aviation schools averaged about $50,000. While salaries increased, enrollment and the number of aviation programs both declined 10 to 15 percent.
North American Jet is open for business at Chicago's Palwaukee Airport (PWK). Located 40 minutes from downtown Chicago, the new FBO offers a 10,000-square-foot terminal building, a 22,000-square-foot hangar, and 90,000 square feet of ramp space. The company operates a second FBO at Kenosha, Wis. (ENW), but will base its maintenance, charter, aircraft management and sales operation at PWK.
Raytheon says FAA certification of its new Premier I business jet will be delayed until the ``late spring,'' so the aircraft's flight control system can be modified to the agency's satisfaction. The manufacturer has agreed to increase the lateral distance between the Premier I's rudder and elevator control cables and move the hydraulic fluid reservoir forward, to reduce the chance that an uncontained engine failure could disable all three systems.
Columbus, Ohio-based AirNet Express became the latest operator to sign a hiring agreement with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). Under the terms of the deal, AirNet and the university will screen job candidates entering their junior year, during which students will receive instruction on AirNet procedures as well as a ``customized curriculum'' to prepare them for employment with the carrier. Minimum hiring standard is 1,100 flight hours. AirNet operates courier flights using twin-engine piston aircraft and Learjets.
The FAA issued an airworthiness directive (AD) for operators of Socata TBM 700, Mitsubishi MU2B, Twin Commander 600 series, GAF Nomad and Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante aircraft equipped with pneumatic deicing boots. The AD, which affects approximately 1,500 aircraft, directs flight crews to activate deicing boots at the first sign of ice or upon alert from the aircraft's ice detection system. This action is a follow-on to previous ADs resulting from the fatal 1997 crash of a Comair Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia near Monroe, Mich.
Valley Oil Co. of Salem, Ore., is promoting an array of FBO services as VASI (Value Added Service Innovations). VASI includes marketing and advertising support, discounted legal services, line service training, regional seminars and quality assurance programs. For more information, contact Robin Hilliker at (888) 633-4334.
Ranger Aviation recently broke ground on three ``deluxe'' hangars at Kissimmee Municipal Airport (ISM) near Orlando, with the first scheduled for completion this month. Leasing opportunities will be available on a limited basis. For more information, contact Kip Bonar at (407) 870-9033.
Hansel E. Tookes has been named president and chief executive officer of Raytheon Aircraft. He succeeds Art Wegner, who is now chairman. Tookes' planned ascension to CEO was announced in September 1999 when he joined the company as president and chief operating officer. Wegner and Tookes both worked at United Technologies (UTC) prior to joining Raytheon. Wegner was president of UTC's aerospace and defense sector in 1993 when he left to become president and CEO of Raytheon subsidiary Beech Aircraft.
A new computer database will help FAA inspectors ensure that aircraft flight manuals are complete, correct and have the latest revisions incorporated and logged. Only FAR Part 25 (transport category) airplanes will be listed on the database at first, though Part 23, 27 and 29 aircraft will be included as the system is refined. Using the system, inspectors will be able to document ``implementation by the operator and surveillance by the inspector,'' the FAA says.
CarinaStar of Hilton Head, S.C., has sold its first share -- a quarter share in a new Raytheon Beech Bonanza A36. While most fractional companies are focusing on turbine-powered aircraft flown by professional pilots, CarinaStar is selling primarily owner-flown A36s and Baron 58s. Quarter shares of the Bonanzas cost $149,500 while the Baron shares are priced at $249,500. Shareowners receive initial training at FlightSafety International and six-month recurrent training and can fly their aircraft 75 days annually. There is no limit on the hours flown in those 75 days.
The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) has elected new officers for its technical operations council. H.M. Reininga of Rockwell Collins replaces Lockheed Martin's Dr. William F. Ballhaus as chairman. David R. Reilly, General Dynamics' vice president of engineering, is vice chairman. The AIA is a trade association representing aircraft, engine and component manufacturers.
Felton Garrison is the new Midwestern regional sales manager at the company's Oklahoma City sales office. Michael Lewis is the new regional sales manager based at the company's Teterboro headquarters.
The Flight Safety Foundation's ALAR group recommends flight crews keep the radio altimeter set at 200 feet for all operations except CAT II and III approaches to provide extra CFIT protection. When this is done, ``minimums'' will be announced (or the DH light will illuminate) 15 seconds prior to impact on level terrain at normal approach descent rates (800 fpm). ``Minimums'' will be announced five seconds before impact with closure rates of 2,400 fpm due to high sink rates or rising terrain.
The Mexican Navy purchased a RotorWay Exec 162F helicopter for basic rotorcraft pilot training. RotorWay says the kit helicopter retails for $62,350 and takes 300-400 hours to build. Purchase price and operating costs may have been a factor in the purchase, with RotorWay claiming operating costs of $19 per hour exclusive of fuel, eight-gallon-per-hour fuel consumption, and the ability to use avgas, 92-octane automobile gas or a blend of the two. Around 475 162F kits have been delivered, of which 65 to 70 percent are believed to be flying.
Transport Canada awarded Level D certification to FlightSafety International's Raytheon Beech 1900D simulator at its Toronto training center. The company says five new centers are scheduled to open this year, including business aircraft centers in Atlanta, Little Rock and Dallas . . . Executive Jet Management added a San Diego-based Cessna Citation X to its charter fleet along with two Citation Excels for use by NetJets and in charter service.
