Jet Aviation Teterboro has set up TSA-approved fingerprinting services to comply with the new ``Twelve-Five'' security regulations. The rule requires FBI criminal history background checks using fingerprints of pilots, flight engineers and flight navigators on private charter or commercial aircraft with an MTOW of 12,500 pounds or more. Jet Aviation arranged for several of its customer service representatives to complete the National Air Transportation Association's TSA-approved training program for fingerprinting.
Officials at the Chicagoland area airport in Gary, Ind. (GYY) lost no time in promoting their facility after Chicago Mayor Richard Daley destroyed the runway at Meigs Field (CGX) in Chicago. The Indiana facility issued a March 31 press release headlined ``Meigs Closes. Gary/Chicago Airport Is the Place to Be.'' GYY officials note that their airport has a 7,000-foot runway, an ILS and ``handling and fuel charges far below Meigs and easy 30-minute expressway access to McCormick Place.''
Deer Horn Aviation Ltd. said it acquired Avion Flight Centre at Midland International Airport (MAF), in Midland, Texas, and secured a 35-year land lease with the city of Midland for 39.5 acres. Combined, the company's assets include 400,000 square feet of hangar and office facilities and 320,000 gallons of fuel farm capacity. The FBO will retain the Avion name. Deer Horn Aviation provides aircraft charter, management, sales and maintenance. The maintenance department is an FAA Class III Repair Station and an Authorized Cessna Service Center.
Wi-Fi (802.11) access, the popular high-speed wireless networking technology, is rapidly spreading among public European locations like airports and hotels. Wi-Fi lets people access the Internet or e-mail from their laptop computers at public locations. Airport operator BAA, Intel and British Telecom in April launched Wi-Fi access in London Heathrow's Terminal One. The service already is available at Gatwick, Stansted and Aberdeen airports.
Considering the potential chaos that can ensue with a hydraulic system failure or malfunction, all possible efforts should be made to verify that the system is in proper working order prior to flight. The pilot's operating handbook (POH) and checklists provide the specific guidance for a particular aircraft, but a few general tips can also be helpful in terms of preflight problem prevention and in recognizing trouble before it becomes serious.
Meanwhile, Blakey met with her executive management team on April 5 to conduct a strategic planning meeting where goals, measures and initiatives for the FAA for the next five years were discussed. Among the agenda items were more than 300 comments from agency employees who responded to the administrator's call for input to the new five-year plan.
The FAA has issued Star Aviation multiple STCs to cover RVSM equipment installation on Cessna Citations. Star's installation kit is based on Innovative Systems & Solutions' analog interface and air data display units. This kit is available for single and dual flight director aircraft equipped with the Sperry SPZ-500 autopilot and encompasses the Citation 500-series line, excluding serial numbers 001--274. Star, which is based in Mobile, Ala., is pursuing Group certification for its kits, which were developed in partnership with Mobile's Southern Avionics.
The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) unveiled its 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction in a ceremony at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on March 18. The EAA's Flyer reproduction will re-enact the Wright brothers' first flight 100 years to the minute on Dec. 17, 2003, in Kill Devil Hills, N.C. The aircraft is the centerpiece of the EAA's Countdown to Kitty Hawk touring pavilion that was scheduled to debut at April's Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In at Lakeland, Fla.
Wisconsin Airport Management Association named Wisconsin Aviation CEO Jeffrey Baum Wisconsin Aviation Person of the Year. Baum was honored for initiating and completing construction of a $2.5 million, 15,000-square-foot General Aviation Executive Terminal at the Dane County Regional Airport in Madison.
LightWedge offers a unique approach to the traditional reading light. The 8.5-ounce device uses a 6.75-by-9.25-inch acrylic lens that, when placed directly on the page, reflects LED-generated light onto the reading surface. LightWedge uses four AAA batteries and can provide up to 40 hours of illumination. The manufacturer claims that the lens is difficult to crack and most scratches can be buffed away with a soft cloth. The company is currently developing a smaller version and a magnifier version.
The FAA granted the AOPA's request to participate in the Flight Service Station (FSS) Modernization Study that could change and modernize the way FSS services are provided to pilots. In a letter to the AOPA, the FAA outlined the association's role in shaping the future of flight service and agreed to conduct ongoing meetings with AOPA representatives during the development of the study. The AOPA is concerned that the current FSS system runs on obsolete computers from the 1970s and modernization efforts are behind schedule and over budget.
Preliminary statistics provided by Wichita's Aviation Data Service indicate that the number of previously owned turbine-powered aircraft delivered to retail customers worldwide in March declined 15 percent, compared with the number delivered in February. The March 2003 figure also was 23 percent below the March 2002 total. In fact, the March 2003 total was lower than the totals for the third month of any of the past three years.
Robert E. Breiling Associates' Business Aviation Safety Statistics for U.S.-operated business jet and turboprop aircraft showed little change for first quarter 2003, vs. the same period in 2002. During the three-month period, the turbine business fleet experienced 17 accidents -- of which seven were fatal to 15 passengers and crewmembers. In the first three months of 2002, there were 19 turbine-aircraft accidents, five of which were fatal to six passengers and crewmembers.
Schubach Aviation, San Diego, has hired Greg Gitchoff as a pilot. In his new position, he will operate the company's Hawker and Learjet. In addition, Daniel R. Hulen has been hired as director of flight standards.
Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA) just can't get a break. Buffeted by problems not of their own making, employees and management have hunkered down to weather the current storm. After ACA surmounted the lack of factory support for its Fairchild Dornier 328s by establishing direct relationships with parts suppliers, the United Airlines' bankruptcy dried up UAL's payments to ACA and froze ACA's fee per departure for its United Express operations at 2002 rates that ``do not adequately compensate the company,'' said an ACA announcement on April 14.
Stevens Aviation, Greenville, S.C. -- Stevens maintenance technician Floyd Mathews recently received two FAA awards: 2003 Southern Region Maintenance Technician of the Year and 2003 South Carolina District Maintenance Technician of the Year. Mathews has been a maintenance technician since 1958 and is a 35-year veteran of Stevens.
