The FAA awarded early development contracts for its NEXCOM (next generation air/ground communication) program to Harris Corp. and ITT Industries. The 20-month contracts are valued at $21 million for Harris and $16 million for ITT. The FAA said the NEXCOM program, which will integrate data link with digital voice communications, is aimed at making more efficient use of the available frequency spectrum.
Elliott Aviation, Moline, Ill., obtained an STC for a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 Continuum avionics system on a Hawker 700, bringing the total number of Pro Line 21 Continuum certifications to 14. Western Aviation in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and Duncan Aviation in Lincoln, Neb., also hold STCs for Hawker 700 Pro Line 21 Continuum retrofits.
Manchester Airport in England tested a new biometric system to monitor access to administrative areas at the airport. A group of about 60 airport staffers tried out the Hand Geometry Recognition system to confirm their identities instead of using swipe cards and door codes, airport officials said in January. The test, which was to run until Feb. 14, was done in conjunction with Human Recognition Systems, a Liverpool company that specializes in biometric technology and its application to security.
Jet Aviation off the block. The Hirschmann Group has decided not to sell Jet Aviation, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, after reviewing a number of offers for the company. ``I would like to inform you that this evaluation process has ended and our shareholders have decided not to accept any of the proposals set forth by potential buyers,'' said Thomas M. Hirschmann, chairman and CEO of the Hirschmann Group of Companies.
Raytheon Aircraft Corp. reported sharply improved results for 2002, turning a huge operating loss in 2001 into a tiny one last year. The Wichita-based aircraft manufacturer posted an operating loss of $760 million for 2001 as the company wrote off millions of dollars in commuter airline aircraft. In the 12 months just ended, however, RAC had an operating loss of just $4 million. Aircraft sales fell from $2.57 billion in 2001 to $2.15 billion in 2002.
Ibis Aerospace Ltd., Kerrville, Texas, has named Chris Danner director of product support for its Ae270 Propjet program. Danner recently held a similar position at Sino Swearingen Aircraft Co.
George F. ``Rick'' Adam anticipates that Adam Aircraft will deliver 125 aircraft over the next three years and plans to build them in Pueblo, Colo. CEO Adam said the Colorado governor's Office of Economic Development has approved a $193,536 job training grant, and the Colorado Economic Development Commission has preliminarily approved a $448,000 incentive grant. Adam was recently nominated for an Aviation Week Laurel award for ``setting a new benchmark in how aircraft are designed, built, tested and produced at reasonable cost.
Aviation Week's AviationNow.com Web portal has a new look, feel and an expanded menu of information. AviationNow.com is the most widely used Web site for aviation and aerospace professionals, with more than 400,000 users per month and nearly three million page views, says publisher Mark Lipowicz. ``With the new design, all the Aviation Week magazines and business intelligence services are featured front and center on the AviationNow.com home page, so users of the site can get right to the content they want.''
TAG Aviation has a 99-year lease to operate Farnborough Airport as the United Kingdom's first dedicated corporate jet airport. A new $14.8 million control tower became operational on November 22 and a CAA License was granted in late January.
Elliott Aviation opened a 48,000-square-foot paint and completions facility at Moline International Airport (MLI) with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception on Feb. 13. Elliott Aviation President Wynn Elliott and Director of Operations Alan Nitchman led guided tours of the facility, which offers custom interior designs and completions, avionics and noise reduction modifications, and paint. The centerpiece of the new facility is a state-of-the-art 5,600-square-foot downdraft paint booth capable of handling aircraft up to the Hawker Horizon and Citation X.
ADS: Automatic Dependent Surveillance (also known as ADS-A). A satcom link between the aircraft's FMS and an ATC ground-based computer in which the aircraft's GPS-calculated position is automatically transmitted on a pre-selected periodic basis, providing controllers with a computer-generated display showing the aircraft's near-real-time position, i.e., a virtual display or ``pseudo-radar'' plot in remote areas (like over the ocean) where radar coverage is not possible.
The TSA Aviation Regulatory Inspection Division has a new address: TSA Headquarters East 11th Fl., TSA-7 Aviation Regulatory Inspection Air Carrier Inspections Division 400 7th St. S.W. Washington, DC 20590 Attention: Gail Richards (#1180S) or Lon Siro (#1183S) The TSA International Waiver Office has two fax numbers: Primary: (571) 227-1947 Secondary: (571) 227-2920 The TSA Domestic Waiver Office fax number: (571) 227-2948
Jon Winthrop CEO, The Air Group, Van Nuys, Calif. While selling typewriters and office equipment for IBM, Jon Winthrop was so intrigued by a customer that towed targets for the U.S. Air Force, he wound up pitching for them. That experience evolved into his co-founding in 1980 The Air Group, an aircraft management/charter company, with aircraft spread from Teterboro to Honolulu. 1 These have been challenging times. How's business? Winthrop: Our best charter year was 2000. That was off in 2001 and 2002, because of a terrible economy and people being afraid to travel.
Atlantic Aero installed and certified RVSM equipment on a Cessna Citation 550 under a licensing agreement that authorizes the company to use Garrett Aviation Services' comprehensive RVSM STC for the 500-Series Citations. The STC covers both single ($104,500 for parts and labor) and dual ($124,000 for parts and labor) flight director-equipped airplanes.
GAMA's 2002 year-end report appears to validate the cumulative predictions of the three industry forecasts issued in fall 2002 and summarized in October's B/CA (page 14), at least in terms of onset timing and the rate of decline in worldwide turbine-powered unit shipments.
Twenty-four hours later, the FAA and TSA imposed additional restrictions on airspace surrounding the national capital area. These were announced in a conference call with representatives from the general aviation community conducted by FAA Administrator Marion Blakey and TSA Chief Operating Officer Adm. John Shkor. The restrictions were not published in detail until the next day, Feb. 9, but took effect at 0600 EST on Feb. 10.
The incident began innocently enough. The Boeing 757-200 was making a CAT II approach to Runway 01R at the Gardermoen Airport near Oslo, Norway. ATIS weather reported winds variable from 010 at three knots, visibility 9,842.5 feet in light freezing drizzle, few clouds at 200 feet and a broken cloud base at 300 feet. However, the visibility temporarily decreased to 3,280.8 feet with vertical visibility of 200 feet. The flight was descending from the west when ATC gave the crew a runway change to 01L because 01R was closed to allow snow plowing.
Honeywell unveiled its annual turbine helicopter market outlook at the Helicopter Association International's Heli-Expo in February. The Fifth Turbine-Powered Civil Helicopter Market Outlook projects deliveries of approximately 2,600 new helicopters during the five-year period of 2003 to 2007, driven in part by increased demand in law enforcement and emergency medical services helicopters, which combined are expected to account for over half of all new helicopter applications during the forecast period.
Eclipse Aviation announced on Feb. 19 that it had chosen the 900-pound-thrust Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F to replace the Williams EJ22 on its Eclipse 500 twin jet. The P&WC engine will weigh about 70 pounds more than the 770-pound-thrust EJ22 but will provide better climb and cruise thrust, thereby boosting maximum cruise speed to 375 KTAS, a 20-knot increase. MTOW will increase to 5,500 pounds, allowing for an additional 180 to 200 pounds of fuel, needed to preserve range with the thirstier engines.
It was a busy night for John, a third-shift mechanic for an FAR Part 135 operator, and the work cards continued to pile up. He was wrapping up a brake rebuild and replacement on a King Air B200 when his manager asked him to help out with an oxygen system problem. John quickly completed the logbook entries on the King Air and carted his tools over to the next aircraft. Within minutes, John was up in the hell hole, getting ready to open the oxygen supply line.
Elliott Aviation won FAA STC approval for a Pro Line 21 Continuum retrofit avionics package in Hawker 700As. The installation includes new Collins FDS-2000 flat-panel displays and dual AHC-3000 attitude heading and reference systems, along with WXR-850 Doppler radar, a TCAS-4000 airborne collision avoidance system and Mark VIII enhanced ground proximity warning system.
A spokesman confirmed that Marshall Aerospace, Cambridge, England, will discontinue maintenance services for Gulfstream and Bombardier aircraft models, but continue as a Cessna Citation Service Center. The spokesman would not comment on either Gulfstream's or Bombardier's intentions, but reliable sources said that Gulfstream was negotiating with Signature Flight Support at Luton to set up an authorized service center relationship and organize an orderly transfer of work from Marshall to Signature.
Signature Flight Support, Orlando, Fl., has named John ``Cy'' Farmer, vice president of operations. He will be responsible for operational oversight and implementation of Signature's standards at over forty FSO locations in North America.
