Keystone Helicopter Corp., headquartered in West Chester, Pa., has signed a five-year agreement with Air Evac Lifeteam to provide overhaul and repair services for the aeromedical helicopter operator's Rolls-Royce Model 250 engines. Air Evac Lifeteam, founded in West Plains, Mo., operates 42 helicopters from 36 bases in 10 states in the Midwest and South.
IBM Euroflight is the first European flight department to be issued an International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) Certificate of Registration. First introduced in May 2002, IS-BAO is a code of best practices designed to help flight departments worldwide achieve the highest level of safety and professionalism. IBM has operational bases in Paris and at Westchester Country Airport (HPN) in New York.
National Air Services, Saudi Arabia, which operates the NetJets Middle East program as well as its own corporate charter arm, recently appointed Rob D. DiCastri as chief financial officer and director of corporate development. Hossam Andijani has been promoted to financial controller. William J. Begue has been hired as director of maintenance.
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, the new 760,000-square-foot ``annex'' to the National Air and Space Museum, opened to the public on Dec. 15, 2003, at Dulles International Airport (IAD). Museum organizers chose that date as the opening day in order to avoid any conflict with the Dec. 17 Centennial of Flight activities in Kitty Hawk, N.C. The center is named after its benefactor, the founder and CEO of the International Lease Finance Corp. It will eventually house 200 aircraft ranging from the Concorde and SR-71 Blackbird to a Piper J-3 Cub.
During aviation's adolescence, the general public was enthralled with the doings of Charles Lindbergh, Jimmy Doolittle, Jackie Cochrane and others as they drove their airplanes ever higher, faster and farther and learned to make their way through the most challenging conditions. Here was a group of swashbuckling air pioneers rushing into the unknown at breathtaking speed, and the man on the street was eager to know about all of it.
The NTSB released its final report on the Wellstone King Air crash (see Cause and Circumstance, page 79). The probable cause, according to the report, was ``the flight crew's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which led to an aerodynamic stall from which they did not recover.'' The safety recommendations made by the NTSB include establishing an approved crew resource management training program for dual-pilot operations in FAR Part 135 on-demand charter operations. The full report is at www.ntsb.gov/publictn/ 2003/AAR0303.htm.
The FAA has formally established its new umbrella, performance-based, air traffic organization (ATO), which includes air traffic control operations and flight service stations among its ``business units.'' The ATO's chief operating officer, Russell Chew, stated that his organization is committed to containing costs while serving the system's ``customers,'' promising to listen to and involve users (see Washington, page 84). AOPA President Phil Boyer said that his organization will hold Chew to his word.
The Aviation Security Advisory Committee's (ASAC) General Aviation Airport Security Working Group recently released a 17-page report that contains guidelines for airport operators to enhance security measures already in place.
The RAA also announced the promotion of Faye Malarkey to vice president, Legislative Affairs. Previously director of Legislative Affairs, Malarkey will continue to serve as the RAA's primary lobbyist with increased responsibility for industry affairs. She has been with the association since 1997.
The Dubai International Aerospace Exhibition and Airshow is emerging as a challenger to the Singapore Aerospace Exposition. The Dubai event's sizzling ramp was home to around 85 aircraft, of which about 50 percent were corporate, regional airliner or general aviation related.
It seems obvious: For a transportation service to succeed, first and foremost it must be safe. In aviation, that means the pilots must be well trained and proficient in operating their aircraft. And yet . . . With the cessation of hostilities in 1945, the stage was set. All at once there were war surplus transports, patrol planes and bombers available for purchase by civilians at a fraction of their true worth. There were thousands of ex-military pilots available to fly them.
The State of Qatar has acquired a Boeing 727-294A on behalf of the Republic of Mauritania. The extensively modified VIP aircraft will be operated by Air Mauritanie on behalf of the Mauritanian Government. Safir (Pty) Ltd. of South Africa modified this low-time, 24-year-old aircraft with winglets, hushkits, auxiliary fuel tanks and a complete avionics upgrade for compliance with the latest JAA regulations.
Agusta Aerospace has delivered an A109 Power helicopter to the New Mexico State Police, the first in service with a U.S. police department. The helicopter is fitted with special police equipment for extensive night surveillance operations and also with special police avionics. The completion was accomplished at Agusta's Philadelphia, facility. The manufacturer says the A109 Power is certified for single-pilot IFR and is suited for high gross weight operations at high altitudes.
Dan Komnenovich has been promoted to president and chief operating officer of the major parts supplier Aviall Services. Komnenovich assumes his new responsibilities effective Jan. 1. He will continue to report to Paul E. Fulchino, chairman, president and CEO of Aviall, Inc.
Bombardier Aerospace Regional Aircraft has received an Excellence in E-Learning Award from brandon-hall.com for its computer-based training program for Bombardier CRJ700 maintenance technicians. Brandon-hall.com is an e-learning industry research and consulting firm. Now in its seventh year, the awards program showcases exceptional work in the e-learning industry by providing feedback and benchmarking to entrants in an overall effort to help advance the e-learning industry.
With the aviation industry focused on aircraft security, it might be easy to overlook ordinary detritus. But trash bins in passenger waiting rooms can easily conceal explosive devices without eliciting any notice whatsoever. To combat this opportunity, American Innovations has introduced its Bomb Resistant Waste Receptacles. Tested in accordance with the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center, the units are designed to keep spraying shrapnel and fragmentation from traveling great distances. Price: TBD American Innovations, Inc. 383 W. Rte.
Kudos to Executive Fliteways of Ronkonkoma, N.Y., for coming up with a great way to support the Corporate Angel Network (CAN), the volunteer group that arranges free travel on business aircraft for young cancer patients and family members traveling to and from treatment. ``We're a charter and management company, so it's difficult for us to directly provide seats for the network,'' said Mary Shea, Executive Fliteways sales director.
Securaplane Technologies is now offering a new digital video recorder for Dassault Falcon 900 series aircraft. The DVR-01 is a stand-alone system that directly integrates with existing Securaplane aircraft security and video camera systems. The unit can digitally archive up to six hours of video, retrievable through an integrated ethernet port. It weighs 3 pounds and can be installed in remote locations. Images that are downloaded are time-stamped and text is labeled so users can jump to a specific event. Price: Varies with installation Securaplane Technologies Inc.
The FAA and Transport Canada have approved technical and pilot training courses for the Bombardier Challenger 300. With the certifications, both pilot and technical training have commenced at the Bombardier Aerospace Training Center at Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport, Texas.
The FAA, FlightSafety, Honeywell and Dassault Falcon Jet are collaborating on developing the most effective approach to pilot training for Dassault's revolutionary EASy cockpit, beginning with the Falcon 900EX EASy. The new program will incorporate full-function training devices, dubbed Phoenix, and a Level D simulator. The Phoenix trainers are to begin operation at FlightSafety's Teterboro Learning Center this spring; the full-motion simulator is already in operation.
Anthony Velocci has been named editor-in-chief of Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine and editorial director of the Aviation Week Group, which includes B/CA. Velocci succeeds David North, who will retire after a 27-year career with the McGraw-Hill Companies. Velocci is currently senior business editor and northeast bureau chief of Aviation Week.
Tom Mahoney is FlightSafety International's new vice president of government relations. He has managed FSI's Falcon Jet Learning in Teterboro, N.J., for the past nine years. His promotion to the Washington post was prompted by the retirement of Al Gleske, who has spent 26 years with FlightSafety. J. Scott Hunter has been named to replace Mahoney at the Teterboro center.
The customer call was like any of the dozens received that busy day: Send the airplane to pick up Mr. Smith at Airport A and fly him to Airport B. Mr. Smith had been a regular, so there was nothing unusual about the request -- until the crew arrived at the FBO and discovered that Mr. Smith had not placed the call himself. Indeed, Mr. Smith hadn't done much of anything for himself that day, including breathe, which is why he was waiting within a coffin.
