Air France has designated four of its Concordes for donation to deserving aviation homes. The last Air France Concorde public performance was at the Paris Air Show. This aircraft was then handed over to the Musee de l'Air de l'Espace at Le Bourget Airport. The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., is acquiring a Concorde, while the remaining two are destined for the Technik Museum Speyer, Germany and the Airbus museum, which is currently being constructed at Toulouse, France.
Averitt Air, Nashville, has named Neal Ropp director of maintenance. Ropp was previously director of maintenance for Mercury Air Center in Jackson, Miss.
Forty-five years ago the first jetliners entered service, making possible 450-plus KTAS airport-to-airport travel speeds. In less than a decade, eight- to nine-hour transcontinental flights shrank to five hours or less. Nonstop jet service between hundreds of city pairs revolutionized the productivity of the world's business travelers. Fast-forward to 2003. Commercial jet travel efficiency has become something of an oxymoron.
TRY TO REACH SOMEONE during business hours and they're invariably heading for a meeting, actually in a meeting, or heading back from a meeting that ran longer than anticipated. Meetings -- be they conducted through computer networks, conference calls, or face-to-face aboard one of the business jets we shepherd across the sky -- are essential to the normal conduct of business. For a meeting to be effective, it must have structure, following a set agenda and time lines.
Piaggio Aero Industries presented its FY 2002 results to shareholders on June 20. Revenues increased by 7 percent, in excess of $231 million, and gross operating profit is came to $36 million, up 24 percent. The board said North America is the largest market for its P180 turboprop with 14 units delivered in 2002 compared to 13 in 2001 and six in 2000. The company has a current backlog of 18 units and forecasts delivering 22 units in 2003.
The government classifies human waste as hazardous material (HAZMAT), and failure to handle it properly can lead to expensive violations. Therefore, if you service your own waste systems, the government gives you the following advice: (1) Do not discharge lavatory waste to sanitary sewer connections other than at approved airport facilities. (2) Drain the aircraft connecting hose as completely as possible into the storage tanks after servicing an aircraft. Properly secure all hoses, valves and equipment when transporting waste to eliminate leakage and spills.
B/CA asked Universal Weather and Aviation for tips on how operators can work with their handling services to save money. Universal's Kevin Tipton responded with these points: -- Verify with your flight support services company or dedicated [i.e., local] handling agent at least one day in advance that they're advised of your most current schedule, and confirm they're coordinating with Eurocontrol to ensure all airway and airport slots are in place. This will help avoid any potential change or cancellation fees due to slot delays and reduce your overall operating costs.
Sporty's' new Air-Scan SP-125 AM/FM radio enables pilots and aviation buffs to listen to ballgames, talk-radio or music and never miss an exciting aviation transmission with the unit's exclusive ``Aviation Interrupt'' feature. The SP-125 scans up to five aviation channels, and when a signal is detected on any of them, the AM or FM program is interrupted for the aviation transmission.
Flight Options announced that it has completed a financial recapitalization agreement with Raytheon Co.'s wholly owned subsidiary, Raytheon Travel Air, and other investors that results in Raytheon owning approximately 65 percent interest in Flight Options LLC. As part of the recapitalization agreement, Raytheon exchanged certain Flight Options LLC debt it holds for equity.
The NBAA should also benefit from Longmuir's past service in the executive branch. She worked closely with White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card when both were at the DOT in the George H.W. Bush administration -- Card was DOT secretary -- and is acquainted with a number of other individuals who serve in the current administration. Asked about FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, who also worked under the senior Bush, Longmuir responded that she has ``the greatest respect'' for Blakey, who she said has a great sense of the big picture.
The Bombardier Challenger 300 is the first new aircraft to be equipped with the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 CNS. The VHF-4000 voice/data transceiver accommodates VHF Data Link (VDL) Mode 2, with growth to support VDL Mode 3 and Mode 4, enabling new capabilities such as automated digital messaging, automatic flight plan loading and the transmission of graphical weather information. A high-speed digital interface carries both data and audio, which is managed and consolidated by the Collins RIU-4000 radio interface unit.
FlightSafety International expects to break ground on a new eight-bay training facility -- dedicated to corporate aviation training -- at Farnborough Airport as soon as construction contracts are finalized. It is scheduled to be ready for training in 2004. This dovetails nicely with TAG Aviation's commitment to develop the former military airfield as ``London's business aviation airport,'' according to an FSI spokesman. The company is surveying customers now to determine what model aircraft simulators to install first, according to the spokesman.
Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) is becoming quite an aviation activist. The Senate Commerce Committee's reauthorization legislation doesn't provide specific relief for general aviation businesses impacted by 9/11 and the subsequent security fallout, but Lott, chairman of the Aviation Subcommittee, said that issue would be revisited as the bill makes its way through Congress. ``I think the House bill [see below] is obviously better at general aviation than our bill and we're going to be taking a look at that,'' Lott told Aviation Week editors.
Lloyd Executive Aviation Services started corporate handling operations at Britain's Manchester Airport in early May. Lloyd Executive will operate alongside Manchester's only dedicated FBO, Northern Executive Aviation, which also offers corporate aircraft handling, executive aircraft charter and maintenance. Company owner Simon Lloyd says he will offer a totally flexible and competitively priced operation. The company is offering a 24/365 dedicated executive ground handling service and will act as a supervision agent for larger corporate aircraft movements.
Consolidation was expected in the burgeoning online charter reservation industry, and true to form, it came as part of the fallout in the late 1990s dot-com collapse. ``Booking online is an alternative to fractional ownership, too, but the playing field has been cleared out since we got into it in the late 1990s,'' Nate McKelvey, CEO of CharterAuction.Com, observed. ``Few are left today: Skyjet still exists but is part of Bombardier, which also absorbed AirCharterOnline.
The Air Group has added five jets to its West Coast fleet: a Gulfstream V, a Global Express and a Challenger 601-3A based in Seattle; a Gulfstream IV-SP based in Santa Ana, Calif.; and a Gulfstream IV-SP based in Van Nuys, Calif. The Air Group fleet has grown by 15 aircraft in the past year. For more information, visit www.theairgroup.com.
Executive Jet Management, Cincinnati, has announced changes to its senior management team. Jeff Cropper, senior vice president of charter services, will assume client services responsibilities in addition to his current duties. Robert Garrymore, senior vice president of client services, will be responsible for client relations and sales staffs. Tristan Lewis is now serving in the newly created position of national vice president of client services. John McCormick assumes the position of national vice president of managed aircraft sales.
Federal flight deck officers (FFDOs) should be able to carry guns on their person as regular law enforcement officers do, Air Line Pilots Association President Duane Woerth told House lawmakers. The law says FFDOs must store their guns in a lock box in a nondescript bag until inside the cockpit, and if an FFDO deadheads or commutes, the bag must go into the cargo hold.
Lufthansa Technik has been designated an authorized BBJ service center by Boeing Business Jets -- not surprising, since it has already completed three BBJs for PrivatAir. The agreement was signed at EBACE in Geneva. This gives European operators a choice of three BBJ service centers, the other two being Jet Aviation's facilities at Basel and Geneva.
The NBAA expressed deep concern to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft that the multi-step process that foreign nationals must follow to obtain permission for flight training in the United States effectively encourages pilots to seek training in other countries. While the association says it supports the concept of background checks for foreign pilots, it is urging the Department of Justice to work with the flight-training industry to allow U.S. allies worldwide to benefit by receiving flight training from American companies.
These three graphs are designed to provide a broad sketch of the Gulfstream 550's performance, based upon preliminary estimates from Gulfstream's engineering team. Do not use these data for flight planning. Such data will be available for operators from Gulfstream when the aircraft enters service late this year. Time and Fuel vs. Distance -- This graph shows the performance of the G550 at 0.80 Mach recommended long-range cruise and 0.85 Mach normal cruise. The average best range cruise may be slightly slower.
Bombardier Flexjet is offering 60 flight hours, up from 50 hours, in its basic package for fractional clients purchasing one-sixteenth shares in new Bombardier Challenger 604s. The company says most other fractional programs include just 50 flight hours in a basic one-sixteenth fractional ownership share. The change is effective immediately and retroactive for current clients.
Raytheon's first Integrated Terminal Weather System (ITWS) for the FAA was commissioned on April 10 at Kansas City International Airport (KCI) and will be available to assist air traffic controllers before the onset of the region's severe weather season. Current FAA plans call for 34 ITWS systems for 45 major airports that experience severe weather conditions. ITWS provides automated weather information for use by air traffic controllers and supervisors in airport terminal airspace (60 miles around the airport).
Elliott Aviation is now a Michelin Aircraft Tire Authorized Service Center. After completing training, Elliott service technicians can process tire warranty claims right on the shop floor. Company President Wynn Elliott said that receiving Michelin's endorsement ``reaffirms our commitment to our customers to provide excellent customer service with total completions, modifications and service capabilities.'' Elliott Aviation has facilities in Moline, Ill.; Des Moines, Iowa; Minneapolis; and Omaha.
The first European installation of Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 Continuum avionics is under way on a Hawker 700, the company reports. The installation is being completed by Gulfstream Aerospace, U.K., with STC certification expected this summer. The Hawker 700 installation features a four-display Collins FDS-2000 Flight Display System, Collins TCAS-4000 Traffic Alert Collision Avoidance System and dual Collins AHS-3000 Attitude Heading Reference Systems. The system is also equipped to meet European requirements for Mode S Elementary Surveillance.
