All Points Distributing's newest addition to its Vertex Standard line of handheld aviation products is the VXA-300 Pilot III nav/com. The unit features European 8.33 KHz channel spacing (receive only); one-touch squelch control; VOR/CDI navigation display; a new PA mode; built-in VOX for ``hot mic'' operation; Dual Watch Monitor mode, which allows pilots to monitor two channels at the same time; a stopwatch and countdown timer feature; and NOAA weather.
FlightSafety's Melbourne, Australia-based Dash 8-Q100/200/300 full-flight simulator received its certification from Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) at the ICAO Level ``D'' standard. The Dash 8 simulator is located at the Ansett Flight Simulator Center at Tullamarine. The Australian certification was also witnessed by the CAA of New Zealand.
Cirrus Design Corp. increased its stake in aircraft parachute specialist Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc. (BRS) to 15.3 percent, making the Duluth, Minn., airplane maker the second largest shareholder of BRS. Cirrus exercised the last of four sets of options to purchase an additional 650,000 shares of BRS stock. The option was triggered after Cirrus sales exceeded the original contract goal, BRS said.
He championed product liability reform. He fought against the aircraft luxury tax. He's negotiated a balance between air tourism and national parks. And he also believed that corporate aviation has taken a free ride at the expense of the middle-class taxpayer. Whatever his position, Washington, and often the nation, knew exactly where Sen. John McCain stood.
Selected accidents and incidents in February 2005 The following NTSB information is preliminary, subject to change and may contain errors. Feb. 1 -- While attempting to transition from the ground to a hover, at the Lancaster Airport (LNS), Lancaster, Pa., a Bell 206B was substantially damaged. The certificated private pilot was not injured.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla., named Martin Schaaf the new executive director of its Commercial Airline Pilot Training (CAPT) program. Schaaf joined Embry-Riddle from Alteon, a Boeing Co. subsidiary, where he was general manager and director of technical training at the company's Miami training center.
Skytruck Co., the U.S. distributor for the newly certified M28 Skytruck, has taken delivery of its brand-new demonstration aircraft. Skytruck President Lance Maclean flew the aircraft back from the factory in late January. Maclean said that Skytruck has reached an agreement to lease part of a new 12,000-square-foot hangar/office facility that is being constructed at the Immokalee Airport, just east of Naples. ``When it is completed, the new facility will initially house our spares inventory,'' he said.
Brisk sales and growing backlogs for new business aircraft have helped push prices of many used airplanes higher and depleted the inventory of the most popular late-model previously owned aircraft. Recently released statistics on new aircraft sales in 2004 indicate that last year was one of the best in general aviation sales history. GAMA said billings of its member companies rose 19 percent in 2004, compared with 2003. GAMA shipments were up more than 10 percent overall, with turboprop deliveries jumping 18 percent and jet shipments climbing 14 percent.
Kansas City Aviation Center (Olathe, Kan.) -- Don Peterson was promoted to director of aircraft sales at Kansas City Aviation Center (KCAC). He will be responsible for all of KCAC's national sales activities, including sales of new Pilatus and Piper aircraft and marketing various previously owned airplanes. A five-year veteran of the company, Peterson most recently served as the Midwest regional director for Pilatus Aircraft.
Columbia Air Services added a new 20,000-square-foot hangar and 6,000-square-foot FBO building to its site in Groton, Conn. The new facilities include meeting rooms, crew lounges and a passenger area. Columbia plans to formally dedicate the facilities in the spring. Opening of the new facilities coincides with the aviation services company's 25th anniversary. Columbia said it plans this year to take delivery of an Adam Aircraft A500 centerline thrust twin. The company will host the Malibu/Mirage Owners and Pilots Association 2005 Convention.
Bell/Agusta Aerospace Co. traces its beginning to 1952, when Bell licensed Agusta to produce its signature AB47 helicopter. Agusta has been manufacturing Bell products under license ever since.
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics awarded author Dennis Newton the 2005 Losey Atmospheric Sciences Award ``for an outstanding career of research, leadership and practical guidance in the field of inflight icing and hazardous weather affecting aviation.''
Frank N. Piasecki, founder and president of the Piasecki Aircraft Corp. of Essington, Pa., received the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Trophy for Lifetime Achievement in ceremonies at the museum on March 9. Piasecki was honored ``for his distinguished career as a pioneer in helicopter design and development, and for his lifelong commitment to aerospace,'' said Jack Daily, director of the museum. Piasecki is responsible for the development of more than 23 different vertical-lift aircraft in a career than spans 60 years.
Most biological processes are cyclical. Our body's chemistry, the effectiveness of drugs, blood characteristics and even our sensitivity to pain vary at different times of our lives and different hours of the day. The most common of the body's rhythms is the circadian, or 24-hour rhythm, and it is directly related to the earth's rotation time. The stability of the circadian rhythm is remarkable.
Evelyn Bryan Johnson in May will be honored by the Tennessee Museum of Aviation and Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame at an event to celebrate her many contributions to aviation. Among the 95-year-old's accomplishments are 57,600 hours of flight time, logging more documented flight time than any other living person in the world. As an FAA Pilot Examiner since 1952, she has administered more than 9,000 flight checks. She has been manager of Morristown Airport since 1953.
Leading Edge Aviation Solutions, Grapevine, Texas, hired John McCormick as vice president of business development. McCormick, who previously held the title of national vice president of sales at Executive Jet Management, will open Leading Edge's new Chicago office.
448 Alliance LLC 2800 W. Mockingbird Lane Dallas, TX 75235-5805 Registered owner of N370V Darby Aviation dba AlphaJet International 1 Avalon Ave. N.W. Muscle Shoals, AL 35661 Holds Air Carrier Certificate and lists N370V in its fleet Platinum Jet Management 1715 N.W. 51st Place Hangar 70 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 Allegedly provided the crew and operated the last flight of N370V
Dassault staged a high-tech, high-concept debut for the new Falcon 7X in the Charles A. Lindbergh Memorial Hangar at Dassault's Merignac, France, facility on Feb. 15.
GAMA, Washington, D.C., hired Gregory J. Bowles as manager of engineering and maintenance. Bowles assumes responsibility for activities related to regulatory safety standards and continued airworthiness.
New Jersey-based EVASWorldwide received an STC for the installation of its emergency vision assistance system (EVAS) in Gulfstream 550 business jets. In case of a cockpit fire, EVAS provides a clear space of air through which a pilot can see flight instruments and out the front windshield in order to execute a safe landing.
Keystone Helicopter, West Chester, Pa., appointed Jim Munda vice president of engineering and Darrell Jones vice president of completions. Munda will be responsible for the company's designated alteration station (DAS) activity, business development and FAR compliance for all modifications. Jones will be responsible for green completions and the company's S-92 program.
Honeywell's seventh Turbine-Powered Civil Helicopter Purchase Outlook released at February's Heli-Expo, like its Rolls-Royce counterpart, shows that last year's projections have been met with this year's deliveries and that civil turbine helicopter deliveries during the five-year period of 2005 to 2009 are forecast to be 10 percent greater than the five-year period of 2000-2004. The study forecasts deliveries of 2,400 turbine helicopters from 2005 to 2009, and 5,550 in the 11-year period of 2005 to 2015, with an annual growth rate of 1 to 2 percent.
Bell Helicopter completed moving its Commercial Business Unit into more than 160,000 square feet of hangar and warehouse space at the Alliance, Texas, Airport. Bell's Customer Center and Customer Training Academy are based at the Alliance site, and the company employs about 300 people there. In addition to two hangars and warehouse space, the Alliance site includes office space for customers, and showrooms for helicopter design and configuration discussions.
CharterX now offers Version 5 of its charter search engine Industry XChange that will enable charter customers to have access to more than 1,000 business jets with availability data updated weekly by the operator. The system processes more than 1,500 full-flight searches each day. Users log into the system and search for flights, much like popular Internet travel search engines. There is no charge for the searches. Price: No charge -- users must register CharterX Corp. 4035 N.E. Sandy Blvd., Ste. 209 Portland, OR 97212
The FAA published its requirements for periodic inspections and record reviews for 4,000 to 5,000 older aircraft used in scheduled operations in the Feb. 2 Federal Register. The final rules dropped some of the potentially costly damage tolerance mandates for FAR Part 135 operators. The rule essentially requires detailed periodic inspections of multiengine aircraft that are 14 years or older and are operated in scheduled operations under Part 135, 121 or 129.
