A NetJets fractional owner donated 75 flight hours to the Corporate Angel Network charity that arranges free flights to and from treatment for cancer patients using empty seats on corporate aircraft. Charlie Lynch, a NetJets vice president, said the donation, valued at more than $270,000, was made anonymously by the fractional aircraft owner, who lives in Greenwich, Conn.
The ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital will make an appearance at EAA AirVenture, the Experimental Aircraft Association gathering at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis., on July 29-Aug. 4. The ORBIS aircraft, a DC-10 fitted with examination and operating rooms, is a teaching hospital for eye care and flies to developing nations around the world, providing hands-on training to local ophthalmologists, nurses and other health care specialists. Since 1982, when it began operations with a DC-8, ORBIS has completed more than 480 programs in 81 countries.
One advantage of participating in a program like the TSAAC (Transportation Security Administration Access Certificate) is that the vetting process can place a magnifying glass on an operator's existing security plan, verifying its strengths and exposing potential problems or weaknesses.
The ARC process will include two very large and critically important committees -- Applicability and Operations, with 30 and 33 members, respectively, reports The Weekly of Business Aviation. Other committees will range from three to 12 members, focusing on International Operations, FAR Part 125, Airworthiness, Airmanship, Aeromedical, Training, and Equipment and Technology. Many contend that rule changes would be best implemented with a minimum impact on Part 91, as it is basically sound as is.
The issue of fingerprinting and deep background checks of the type required for commercial flight crews and FAR Part 91 operators engaged in security vetting programs like the TSA's TSAAC is fraught with controversy. Even pilots and mechanics with nothing to hide don't like it. Well, get used to it. The word B/CA has from a reliable source is that eventually all licensed pilots will eventually be required to be printed and checked as part of TSA mandate.
Struggling Swiss International Air Lines cut its Embraer regional jet order to 30 from 60. Swiss negotiated a new deal with regional jet maker Embraer to order 30 Embraer 170s and 195s -- 15 of each -- and take options on 20 more. It's a serious blow to Embraer, the company says, although it still has orders from General Electric Capital Aviation Services, Jet Airways, Alitalia and CSA Czech Airlines. Swiss is also delaying the first delivery, originally planned for August 2003, by a year and will take delivery of four aircraft in 2004 and eight in 2005.
As one of his last acts as Gulfstream president, Bill Boisture confirmed that Gulfstream and officials of Israel Aircraft Industries met about six weeks ago and reached a decision to slow down the Gulfstream 150 program.
WE ALL SAW THOSE unforgettable images of the aircraft and the terrible destruction wreaked. We marveled at the bold, audacious and precise application of American power. And in the end, despite all the caterwauling, the invaders stood triumphant in the rubble. No, this is not about the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne, but rather the Midnight Marauders of the 2nd City -- Daley's dogs. Upon receiving a photo detailing those deep and vulgar channels hacked through the runway at Chicago's lovely Merrill C.
In 2001, civil helicopter deliveries increased by 8.7 percent and revenues rose approximately 14.5 percent. Deliveries for 2002 were expected to remain flat, with approximately 530 new rotorcraft going to operators. But the market was not that kind and instead took just 490 new civil aircraft, a 7.5 percent decline. ``The rotorcraft industry is in a period of transition marked by uncertain demand, a shifting regulatory environment and over capacity,'' Teal Group analyst Richard Aboulafia reported recently.
The NBAA conducted three training sessions for about two dozen operators at Teterboro Airport (TEB) in New Jersey, so the operators can apply to the Transportation Security Administration for a TSA Access Certificate (TSAAC). Certificate holders will be allowed to bypass the waiver requirements for international operations. (See ``TSAAC: Business Aviation's New Ticket to Enter?'' page 200). The NBAA hopes that the TSAAC also may eventually give operators access to restricted airspace equivalent to that of airlines, association President Jack Olcott said.
The FAA contends it is the most improved government agency in the 2002 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey -- scoring a nine-point gain thanks to surveyed commercial pilots who gave the agency a rating of 64 out of 100. ACSI was created in 1994 and tracks economic trends for companies, industry trade associations and government agencies.
Viad Corp., Phoenix, has named Dale Eide chief pilot. John W. (Jay) Calchera retired as chief pilot on Dec. 31, 2002. Calchera was with the company for 30 years, flying its Gulfstream II, III and IV aircraft.
The crew of a twin-engine corporate jet on a passenger-carrying flight was cruising at FL 410 over Minnesota when something began to go wrong. The crew noticed that the hydraulic pressure was dropping slowly through 1,200 psi. Approximately 10 minutes later, the pressure had dropped to 1,000 psi, and the ``low hydraulic pressure'' light illuminated. As the captain wrote in his NASA ASRS report, ``We reviewed the abnormal checklist and discussed the options. I decided to make a precautionary landing at Lincoln, Neb.
JB&A Aviation, Inc., Houston, has appointed Leslie Space to the position of sales associate. Space will establish a new JB&A regional office in Coral Gables, Fla.
Despite the common function of transmitting hydraulic pressure, not all hydraulic fluids are created equal. In fact, major differences separate the various types of hydraulic fluid, and filling a system with the wrong stuff can truly wreak havoc. Pilots and mechanics must exercise extreme care to not use the wrong type of hydraulic fluid in an aircraft system. In the early days of aviation hydraulics, systems used vegetable oil or castor oil as the working fluid, which were compatible with the natural rubber seals and hoses of the day.
Manufacturer and Model This block includes the manufacturer's name and the aircraft's model name and technical designation. For more information on manufacturers, see ``Airframe Suppliers Directory,'' on page 117. B/CA Equipped Price This is the current price of the aircraft with the equipment stipulated in the ``B/CA Helicopter Minimum Equipment List,'' and is shown for comparison purposes only. In most cases, the price is provided by the manufacturer; exceptions are so noted.
Bryan T. Moss, vice chairman of Gulfstream Aerospace, was named president of the Savannah, Ga., business jet manufacturer on April 11 by Gulfstream's parent, General Dynamics, after W.W. (Bill) Boisture resigned from the position.
Texas Aviation Services' Bell 407 auxiliary cockpit lighting system offers compatibility with night-vision goggles. The system uses patented Spiders ANVIS White LED light modules to illuminate certain instruments and Shadows filters for avionics displays and the master caution panel. Texas Aviation Services claims that Spiders technology improves instrument read- ability and costs significantly less than traditional systems. The system is used by Bell Helicopter's Training Academy in its FAR Part 141 night-vision pilot training program.
MedAire and British Midland Airways made aviation medical history recently when physicians in MedAire's MedLink Global Response Center in Phoenix, reading an electrocardiogram (ECG) transmitted from an aircraft cruising at 37,000 feet, diagnosed a heart attack in progress and advised appropriate treatment. This was apparently the first time a passenger's vital sign data were successfully transmitted and used to identify and treat a heart attack victim in flight.
