Midcoast Aviation is the 2005 recipient of FlightSafety International's Award of Excellence. The annual award honors individuals or companies that promote and support commitment to ongoing maintenance training. Midcoast is only the second repair station or service center to receive this award since its inception in 1996.
The pace of aircraft conception and development has been robust throughout the economic malaise that had beset the industry for too long. And now that most indicators suggest interest in business aircraft is rising steadily, there are a host of new and evolutionary designs ready to accommodate.
Finally, in addition to GPS and Tang, the faux orange juice consumed by Apollo astronauts, we finally got something out of the space program nearly everyone can use.
Avidyne Corp. also announced that New Piper Aircraft selected its FlightMax Entegra integrated flight deck for the Meridian single-engine turboprop. The Meridian becomes the first turbine-powered aircraft in production with the Entegra system.
FAR Part 145 repair stations now have until April 6, 2006, to have an approved training program in place. The FAA called the one-year delay necessary because the agency has not yet released guidance material to help repair stations develop appropriate training programs. ``The delayed date will give repair stations sufficient time to develop their programs and will give the FAA time to evaluate and approve them,'' the agency said.
Aviation Technology Group, Inc. announced that the Javelin demonstrator prototype, currently in final assembly, was lowered onto its landing gear April 14. In addition, the fighter-like aircraft's side panels on the main structure have been installed permanently. Functional testing has been done on the fuel system, and preliminary air and fluid checks are finished. The hinges on the canopy system have been installed and the latch mechanism is in the process of completion. The aileron and flap control systems are finalized and operational.
THE FAA MAY SOON CLAIM that certain flight operations are ``illegal fractionals.'' FAR Part 91, Subpart K became effective Nov. 17, 2003, but existing fractional operations were allowed to operate without management specifications until Feb. 17, 2005.
The FAA finalized an agreement with the National Association of Air Traffic Specialists (NAATS) union to provide career assistance to automated flight service station employees affected by the recent A-76 outsourcing decision. The FAA said the agreement ``benefits all parties equally'' and includes ``not only . . . a generous compensation package if they leave federal service, but also . . . ample time to prepare for such a transition and seek other federal employment.'' Kate Breen, president of NAATS, said the agreement ``gives people some benefits. Is it a gold watch?
A new en route air traffic control training system was accepted by the FAA's Air Traffic Organization (ATO) two weeks ahead of schedule. The Initial Academy Training System (IATS) will provide both en route domestic and oceanic ATC training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City. IATS will use the same display system consoles and simulations of the host computer system and the associated voice switching and control system of equipment used in operational FAA facilities.
Eighteen-year-old Martin Halstead has started his own scheduled airline, Alpha 1 Airways, between university cities of Oxford and Cambridge in Britain. The company offers two roundtrips per day using eight-seat Piper Navajo Chieftains owned and flown by Oxford-based AirMed. Halstead says that his company can call upon eight Navajos from AirMed as the airline expands. Fares will cost up to $93 one-way for the 20-minute, 63-mile flight. No scheduled air service has operated between the cities since the 1930s and 1940s.
When most pilots hear ``PSA,'' they probably think of either the regional airline now using that name or Pacific Southwest Airlines, the classic former West Coast airline that always wore a smile. Eventually, though, those three initials will mean something entirely different to every male aviator, just as they now do to me.
Like other OEMs accessing SRTM topography, Rockwell Collins is using the unedited public-release data set, in combination with other data sources, for cross-checking or to fill in holes where spotty information existed before. But the avionics manufacturer would never use SRTM as a sole source for database construction due to its voids limitation, caused by insufficient radar returns in some areas during the 2000 radar-mapping mission.
Bombardier posted a net loss for the second consecutive year and suspended dividend payments to holders of its common stock. Company officials were attempting to accentuate the positive in conferences with reporters and financial analysts on March 31, however, noting the loss was considerably less than the previous year. For the year ended Jan. 31, 2005, Bombardier reported a loss from continuing operations of $85 million (U.S.), or six cents per share, compared with a loss of $166 million, or 11 cents per share, for fiscal 2004.
Cessna reports that during a three-week period between March and mid-April it received over 450 orders for single-engine aircraft. With 2005 production sold, these aircraft are all scheduled to deliver in 2006. ``We attribute this influx of orders to two things,'' said Phil Michel, vice president of marketing. ``First, our customers are excited about flying . . . with the all-glass, fully integrated Garmin G1000 avionics suite. Cessna's single-engine piston aircraft and Garmin's G1000 are a natural fit.
Corporate Jets Inc., an FBO in Scottsdale, Ariz., opened a new flight crew lounge that covers more than 3,000 square feet and includes full kitchen facilities, private bathrooms and quiet rooms. The lounge is also equipped with flight planning areas and a conference room. Corporate Jets is an Avfuel dealer.
Years ago when the vacuum tube was the cutting edge of technology, mechanics were able to repair just about anything on an aircraft with basic hand tools and a little common sense. As aircraft technology advanced, specialized knowledge, tooling or test equipment became a necessary part of the repair equation. In many cases, OEMs alone could conduct component repair. This monopoly fostered the creation of third-party repair shops, and in turn, the creation of the certificated repair station as regulated by FAR Part 145.
Brazil's ministry of tourism is preparing to unveil an ambitious open skies plan for South America's ``Southern Cone'' that calls for opening up airspace to increase routes and frequencies to stimulate regional tourism. Rio de Janeiro's daily O Globo reports the strategic goal is to make Brazil into the airline hub of the region. Brazil's tourism minister, Walfrido Mares Guia, said such a plan would cut airline costs and stimulate competition while providing service to all cities that might generate significant passenger traffic.
