Executive Jet Management, Inc., Cincinnati, has named Jeffrey A. Reid vice president of information technology. Additionally, the company has hired four charter service personnel to staff its new Charter Services office at Teterboro Airport, N.J. The new representatives are Daniel Flynn, Vincent Knitowski, Jane Stern and Stephen Fiscus. The four previously worked for Jet Aviation Business Jets at Teterboro.
As aircraft age, so do their electrical systems, and that can make for shocking surprises. The crew of a Boeing 727 got just such a surprise one day right after takeoff. White smoke came billowing out of the cabin vents, obscuring visibility and sending a bolt of fear through passengers and cabin attendants alike. Fortunately the crew was able to quickly dump fuel and return for a hasty emergency landing before the situation got out of control. The problem appeared to be chaffed electrical power cables that had shorted out.
Dassault Falcon Jet has begun a $30 million overhaul of the Wilmington, Del., service center it acquired from Atlantic Aviation two years ago. Upgrades include the construction of a 40,000-square-foot paint facility able to handle 70 aircraft annually, refurbishment of a 20,000-square-foot maintenance hangar, and new offices. The New Castle County Airport (ILG) center has already completed the conversion of a hangar into a structural repair center with tooling to fabricate slats, leading edges and other key components for all Falcon models.
In direct current (DC), the electricity flows in one direction only. In alternating current (AC), the flow of electrons reverses. The frequency of AC is the rate at which these reversals occur. Most modern jets and turboprops use both DC and AC, and the reasons are practical, if not immediately obvious. AC current is more efficient to make and distribute. Alternators can provide electricity at lower rpms than DC generators. Resistance to AC current decreases at high voltages, so high voltage AC can be distributed efficiently with smaller, lighter cables.
ExpressJet CEO Jim Ream told analysts in New York in late January that he doesn't foresee adding larger regional jets like the Embraer 170 and 190 to the airline's fleet of 30- to 50-seat Embraer RJs. Continental's scope clause agreement with its pilots restricts the fleet composition of its Houston-based partner. ExpressJet has its compensation rates locked in with Continental through 2004.
Corporate Jets, Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz., has elected John J. Frevola as president and chief operating officer. Frevola began his career with Corporate Jets in 1980.
GAMA Aviation of Farnborough, England, has added a BBJ to its portfolio of large managed corporate jets. The company expects to fly the Bermudan-registered BBJ about 300 hours per year, which is about the same as averaged by its Gulfstream IV. Roughly the same amount of hours are expected to be flown on its new Gulfstream V, scheduled to arrive at Farnborough in February. GAMA Aviation has been managing the Gulfstream IV since October 2001 and the BBJ since December 2002.
Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc., Houston, has named Dave Diulus as vice president for its UVair Fuel Division. Diulus, who has been with Universal for over 15 years, most recently served as senior manager of sales and marketing for the company. In addition, Universal has recruited two new sales representatives, Angie Bauzo-Guzman and Felix Vinklarek.
The FAA is seeking comments on the privatization of New Orleans Lakefront Airport, which would become the second airport to enter the FAA's privatization program. Federal officials announced on Jan. 16 the opening of the 60-day comment period on a plan to grant Santa Monica, Calif.-based American Airports a 50-year lease to run NEW. So far Stewart International Airport (SWF) in Newburgh, N.Y., is the only airport in the United States privatized under the pilot program.
This arguably is the best time to buy a used business jet in more than two decades. Why? There's a record flood-stage glut of used aircraft on the market. Buyers grin when bulls charge and brokers growl. You can have your choice, for instance, of dozens of 1970s-vintage Citations, Falcons and Learjets for around $1.5 million. Such entry-level fanjets can fly one to two miles higher and 100 to 200 knots faster than most turboprops, plus they have guaranteed one-engine-inoperative (OEI) takeoff, climb and balked landing performance.
Reports continue to circulate that Raytheon and Flight Options are close to an agreement under which Raytheon -- which previously merged its Travel Air fractional program into Flight Options in return for a 49.9-percent stake -- would assume majority control of the Cleveland-based fractional provider, but a Raytheon spokesman told The Weekly of Business Aviation that nothing has yet changed in the Raytheon/Flight Options relationship. Kenn Ricci, Flight Options CEO, previously said an agreement could be finalized by mid-February. (See B/CA, February, page 22.)
Oxford Airport's aircraft engineering and aircraft sales divisions reverted to their former operating name of CSE Aviation in January. The re-re-branding comes after the BBA Aviation Group (parent of Signature Flight Support) bought the airfield, its flight school and GA aircraft engineering facilities in 2000. The Signature branding into this market had caused some confusion within the U.K. general aviation community.
CAE SimuFlite has teamed with Summit Solutions to offer management, communications and leadership courses that are approved for the NBAA's Professional Development Program (PDP). Under the new alliance, professional development consultant Summit Solutions will conduct the courses at SimuFlite's Dallas facility. Upon course completion, participants will receive NBAA PDP certificates.
The U.S. Department of Justice finally published background check procedures for foreign pilots seeking initial training on aircraft with a max gross weight of 12,500 pounds or more. The new rules were published on Feb. 13, one week after Senate Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Trent Lott (R-Miss.) agreed to look into the DOJ's inaction.
Feb. 13 -- A Cessna Caravan 208 flown by the U.S. government crashed in rebel territory near Florencia, Colombia. Engine failure is suspected as the cause of the crash. As we went to press, fears existed that the four American passengers and the one Colombian passenger were taken by rebels, officials say. No bodies were found among the wreckage, according to Colombian army troops. Jan. 30 -- A Beech 200 had a landing-gear collapse upon landing rollout. Although the pilot reported no injuries, the airplane sustained substantial damage. Jan.
New Piper Aircraft began another round of layoffs and lowered its production estimates. The Vero Beach, Fla., airplane maker is cutting employment by 150 and lowering its planned production from just over 300 aircraft to 252. New Piper spokesman Mark Miller said the layoffs are ``directly attributable'' to the Textron Lycoming situation. The FAA grounded certain Lycoming-powered aircraft and Lycoming suspended production of certain Lycoming engines after problems with the crankshafts were discovered.
Ourjet, a new aircraft charter company, has started operations from Farnborough Airport with four aircraft acquired from the Official Receivers of the bankrupt Chauffair fleet. Chauffair Ltd. went into receivership on Jan. 14, 2002, with debts estimated at around $19 million. Ourjet's fleet consists of two Hawker 125-800s, one 125-700 and a Cessna Citation V. ``The takeover of Chauffair's assets inked in late November and December [2002] saw the necessary AOC [Air Operators Certificate] gained.
Outerlink Corp. announced that 12 air medical operators installed its satellite-based automatic flight following system. The Outerlink system enables both automatic flight following and real-time data messaging between air ambulance aircraft, ground dispatchers and hospital emergency rooms. The flight following system not only provides immediate aircraft status information, it also provides a historical record of actual flight paths, which is very helpful for billing purposes, the company says.
Multiflight, in partnership with its home base landlords at Leeds/Bradford Airport, Yorkshire, is about to start building two new hangars providing over 19,685 square feet of space, a new Business Executive Aviation Terminal and new taxiway and apron on the south side of the airport. It is believed that one of the hangars will house Multiflight's new BBJ2, while the other will offer line maintenance for large air transport aircraft.
The issue of U.S. intelligence primacy has been decided with the CIA directed to establish and operate a new terrorist threat integration center to evaluate and analyze all pertinent intell data from the diverse array of civil and military agencies, including the CIA, that collect it. Early word from government officials is that the new center will be physically separate from the CIA headquarters compound. Some readers may recall that the original charter of the CIA, as its name implies, was to coordinate the nation's intelligence activities.
The TSA is extending until at least April 1 the deadline for FAR Part 135 operators with aircraft weighing over 12,500 pounds to implement new security programs under the agency's ``Twelve-Five'' rule. Until the reprieve, the National Air Transportation Association had been inundated with calls from air charter operators facing an early February deadline for setting up mandatory security programs, but who had not seen the final guidance on implementing those programs.
GAMA's 2003 outlook accompanying its 2002 report notes strong fundamental indicators of underlying industry strength. GAMA's Bolen notes that the industry, from bottom to top, has coped well with the potentially disastrous security issue. Actually, as some point out, the issue was not general aviation security, but GA as a danger to the rest of society. Industry associations, individually and collectively, in the form of the General Aviation Coalition, are credited with effectively keeping the truth out in front of legislators, regulators and the public.
A difficult year is now history for MD Helicopters, Inc. (MDHI), which joined other manufacturers in reporting a decline in 2002 deliveries. MDHI delivered 15 helicopters in 2002, according to Chairman and CEO Henk Schaeken, who led the MDHI contingent at February's Heli-Expo in Dallas. The 2002 delivery total included five MD 500Es, four MD Explorers, four MD 520Ns and two MD 600N helicopters. ``In terms of deliveries, it was a disappointing year,'' Schaeken said.
Premier Turbines, St. Louis, Mo., has hired Rick Hollandsworth as TFE731 engine operations manager. A licensed A&P mechanic with more than 20 years of aviation experience in maintenance and management positions, Hollandsworth will oversee the company's Honeywell TFE731 Major Periodic Inspection program.
Turbomeca Engine Corp., Grand Prairie, Texas, has named Russ Spray president and chief executive officer. Spray will also serve as president and CEO of Mictroturbo, Inc., which occupies the same facility as Turbomeca Engine Corp.
