According to data compiled by business aviation consultants Robert E. Breiling Associates Inc., of the 215 Hawker 125-700s that have been delivered, 10 of them, or 4.7 percent of the fleet, have been involved in accidents. By comparison, within the overall business jet fleet, an average of 6.7 percent of aircraft suffer mishaps.
The National Air Transportation Association is relaunching its Web site with a new domain name (www.nata.aero) and a ``Members Only'' section. The previous address, www.nata-online.org, will automatically redirect visitors to the new site. The members section will include NATA's Legislative Reports, Regulatory Reports, Action Calls and archived E-News in addition to its other features.
During recent years, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has conducted investigations into the practice of certain industries in fixing and advertising list prices. It is the position of the FTC that it is deceptive to the public and against the law for list prices of any product to be specified or advertised in a trade area if the majority of sales are made at less than those prices.
Meanwhile, the staff soldiers on. On March 15, the NBAA submitted comments on the FAA proposed rule to require additional flight planning and aircraft certification standards for FAR Part 135 on-demand charter flights traveling outside the United States. Of primary concern for the NBAA was the FAA's estimate of benefits of its proposed rule, which would exceed $770 million. The NBAA has been unable to identify how the agency developed this benefit evaluation. For more information, contact the NBAA's Mike Nichols at [email protected].
NetJets Inc., Woodbridge, N.J., has hired David Miller as senior vice president of fleet management. Miller has held positions with GE Aircraft Engines, IMP Group International and SPAR Aerospace. Most recently he was senior vice president and general manager of L-3 Communications/EMP Systems.
Keystone Aviation Services of Waterbury-Oxford, Conn., Airport (OXC) is now an Avfuel dealer. Keystone's is the largest corporate jet facility in the Nutmeg state, with over 130,000 square feet of hangar space, 60,000 square feet of office space, and a newly renovated passenger terminal. The FBO plans to break ground this spring on another 84,000-square-foot corporate hangar facility that is expected to be ready for occupancy at year-end.
TSH One, the Bahamas-based corporate aircraft sales and acquisition firm and air charter broker, has changed its name to TSH One Aero. The company, which is headquartered in Nassau, was founded and is headed by Thierry S. Huguenin, an industry veteran of 12 years.
One of the most essential tools in any cockpit is the weather radar system, but if you're like many pilots transitioning to a new aircraft or new radar, you're likely to discover that the training provided on the use of that critical tool is minimal at best. For many pilots, the proper use of radar is something that's picked up along the way, with very little formal training included in the process.
There's a new FBO at the Marion, Ohio, Municipal Airport (MNN). Taylor's Aviation opened its doors in February, operated by the folks from Taylor's Industries' flight department, which bases its Sabre 60 there. Taylor's is an Avfuel dealer offering AvTrip points and Avfuel contract fuel prices. It is set up with a crew lounge with satellite TV, WSI weather and a computer with a high-speed Internet connection. The operation features crew cars and an Enterprise rental franchise, heated hangar, GPU and local air freight delivery.
Midcoast Aviation broke ground for a new 46,000-square-foot paint hangar at St. Louis Downtown Airport. Construction is slated for completion in October. The facility will use the latest downdraft air system technology, improving paint efficiency levels and quality, Midcoast officials said. ``Environmental conditions are critical to paint quality, as airborne contaminants interfere with good paint application and adhesion, which are essential to appearance and corrosion resistance,'' said Danny Farnham, senior director of modifications for Midcoast.
Bell Helicopter has relocated the company's commercial sales and marketing offices to the former Gulfstream Aerospace facility at Fort Worth Alliance Airport. The move is part of the transfer of more than 300 company employees into the 161,000-square-foot facility, which includes office, hangar and warehouse space. The facility, which is being leased for 15 years, also will serve as the delivery center and training school for the BA609 when deliveries of the tilt-rotor begin.
There's much more to sorting out the weather picture than just the presence of radar echoes. Many times, it's the additional information we get from visual sightings and weather reports that help us analyze what shows up on the scope or MFD. Even more importantly, we need to know not only what an echo represents right now, but how the situation will change by the time we get there. Remember that in the right conditions, a cell can grow from innocuous to severe in just a few minutes.
The NTSB faulted Bombardier's flight test procedures and the pilot's actions in the crash of a Canadair Challenger 604 on Oct. 10, 2000. The pilot and flight test engineer were killed in the crash and ensuing fire, and the copilot died 36 days later as a result of his injuries. The NTSB said the probable cause of the accident ``was the pilot's excessive takeoff rotation, during an aft center of gravity takeoff, a rearward migration of fuel during acceleration and takeoff and consequent shift in the airplane's aft c.g. to aft of the aft c.g.
WELL, IT WASN'T MY mother, but somebody's mother may make it wunna these days. My own mother was scared of two things -- mice and airplanes. She always made me promise to fly low and slow, as she associated these two modes with safety.
NATA elects three to board. Dean Harton, president and CEO of Piedmont Hawthorne Holdings; Jim Spinder, president and COO of Atlantic Aero; and Bill Koch, chief operating officer and president of SevenBar Enterprises, were elected to the board of directors of the National Air Transportation Association at the NATA convention in Las Vegas, April 18 through 20. Harton joined Hawthorne Aviation in 1968 as a pilot.
While Kathy Perfetti, the FAA's project manager for the FAR Part 135/125 Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), was preparing for arguably the most comprehensive revision of Part 135 in the agency's history, air charter operators were equally hard at work drafting their own recommendations for consideration.
PEOPLE EQUATE PROGRESS with all kinds of things: DNA research, housing starts, declining death rates, and, of course, EZSquirt. I remember my first encounter with the latter. The family was gathered at the table, the kids bright-eyed and giggly as I carried burgers in from the grill. One child grabbed the container and, with his siblings glancing from burger to parents and back again, squeezed. Out came goo of a green hue unfound in nature. ``What is that?'' I asked, with what must have been a satisfying note of adult alarm.
Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance (AWAM), Edgewater, Fla., has elected Don Canova to its board of directors. Canova is currently a heavy maintenance manager at Delta in Atlanta.
Dassault hopes to cut interior completions of the new Falcon 7X to under three months by using the latest CATIA 3D. The virtual design tool, created by Dassault Systemes, gives owners the opportunity to conduct a virtual reality interior walk-around of their virtual aircraft. They will be able to change furniture positions, view different color schemes and textures in 3D and resolve interior layout issues.
In the pre-9/11 world, as fractional ownership began to accelerate beyond most people's reckoning, the February 1998 B/CA pondered the potential impact the eventual divestiture of hundreds of used fractional aircraft would have on the overall values of pre-owned business jets.
Adam Aircraft announced that the FAA has accepted the A500 Transition Training Syllabus as meeting the requirements of the FAA Industry Training Standard (FITS) program. FITS is a new approach to training pilots for mission scenarios specific to the way an aircraft is utilized -- as opposed to maneuver-based training methods. FITS is intended to enhance the critical thinking, flight management and decision-making skills necessary to safely operate technically advanced complex aircraft like the A500.
EMS Technologies is marketing a new emergency locator transmitter that operates on both 406 MHz and 121.5 MHz and is COSPAS-SARSAT certified. The new EMS 406-1 ELT weighs just over two pounds and has a six-year battery life cycle.
Harrods Aviation of London Stansted was awarded Global Express Authorized Service Facility status by Bombardier. Harrods' London Luton base secured the same status one year ago.
