Commander Aircraft Co. has filed for bankruptcy protection. Commander's parent, American General, Inc., made the announcement on Dec. 27, 2002, stating that Commander would continue operations under Chapter 11 court protection while it reorganizes its business. Specifically, Commander will continue to support its single-engine Commander aircraft customers with maintenance, parts and refurbishment services and will build a limited number of new aircraft to order.
Jet Aviation Basel has outfitted a VIP DC-8-72 for its own charter fleet. The aircraft has been completely refurbished at the Basel completion shop and is configured for 36 passengers. It has all the usual passenger amenities plus a master bedroom and bath, shower, conference room, sitting lounge, a midship bar and two passenger lavatories. Jet says the range is 6,200 nm with 12-hour endurance.
Turboprops were involved in 44 accidents, which included 16 fatal accidents and 39 passenger and crew fatalities in 2002. In 2001, there were 46 turboprop accidents, 17 of which were fatal, resulting in 51 fatalities. As with business jets, this was an overall improvement in 2002 versus 2001.
Q: Why do some RNAV DPs require one-mile CDI scaling or use of the flight director? A: The short answer is that tighter navigation performance is required, but perhaps this would be a good time to review some characteristics of RNAV departure procedures (DPs). Level One and Level Two Departures Generally speaking, the FAA tries to design RNAV procedures to be as inclusive as possible, that is, they try to accommodate the broadest spectrum of RNAV equipment. Public RNAV DPs published by the FAA come in two flavors: Level One (RNP-1.0) and Level Two (RNP-2.0).
Nav Canada increased customer service charges by 3 percent effective Jan. 1, except for annual and quarterly charges, which will increase by the same percentage, effective March 1. In addition to the rate adjustments, a new weight group will be implemented for the daily charge applicable to propeller aircraft. This change will be made to reflect the fact that larger propeller aircraft, with significantly larger capacities, have entered the marketplace since the daily charge was first established in 1999.
Even UAVs must follow Rule Number One. Autonomous ``see and avoid'' capability will be essential for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as they become more prevalent on future battlefields, according to Joseph Thomas, vice president of UAV programs for AAI Corp. ``That's your first responsibility -- to keep your head on the swivel, make sure you see what's out there, and avoid it. Now a UAV can't do that . . .
In Rescue Pilot, distinguished naval aviator Dan McKinnon brings to life the dramatic at-sea helicopter rescues in which he participated during his anything but peaceful peacetime service in the U.S. Navy. Helicopter flight in the 1950s was still in its infancy, so pilots like McKinnon had to learn as they went along. Rough water, treacherous weather and risky conditions were all part of a day's work.
THE FOLLOWING PILOTS ARE hereby excused from reading these pearls: (a) USAF, USN and USMC fighter pilots; (b) instructors in aerobatics; (c) physician-pilots who already know everything about everything; and (d) all smart-ass pilots who are an accident going someplace to happen. Prime example: A few years ago the owner of a prosperous manufacturing company in Elmira, N.Y., owned a V-tail Bonanza that he flew himself. On this cold winter afternoon he showed up at the airport to fly to New York.
Back in the 1950s, one of the most common themes revisited time and again in the pulp of technology periodicals like Mechanix Illustrated, Popular Mechanics and Popular Science was the personal helicopter. Typified by an extrapolation of Stanley Hiller's diminutive Hornet, whose rotor was powered by the thrust of miniscule ramjets mounted at the blade tips, everyman's rotary-wing steed shared the garage with a futuristic Oldsmobile and took off and landed in the driveway or from a backyard pad. Why not?
Thuraya was founded in 1997 by a consortium of businessmen in Abu Dhabi, UAE. It provides satellite, cellular (GSM) and location determination (GPS) service through a single dual-mode handset about the size of first generation cell phones of 15 years ago. The Thuraya handset allows voice, data, fax and messaging service anywhere within the coverage area of Europe, the Middle East, North and Central Africa, the CIS and South Asia. Thuraya is not well known in North and South America because it does not offer service in those areas.
Executive Fliteways, Inc., Long Island, N.Y., has announced three new appointments. Andrew E. Ladouceur is vice president; James Prinzivalli is director of dispatch; and Ari T. Sarmento is director of training.
THE BUSINESS AVIATION community got some good news to begin the new year when the Transportation Security Administration agreed to substantially modify proposed rules on private charter passenger flight operations. As originally proposed, the TSA would have made passenger screening mandatory for all aircraft with maximum takeoff weights of 95,000 pounds or more.
``There have been many more people killed due to maintenance defects and lack of inspection and oversight than in all the terrorist acts combined in this country.'' Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House aviation subcommittee. AP ``It may be costlier, but the time I save makes it worth it. There are no schedules to deal with, no airport hassles or security lines.'' Jane Heenan, a Los Angeles executive, on air charter. Conde Nast Traveler ``It really is great service [for] those who can afford it.'' Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) on air charters.
Air taxi and commercial jet and turboprop operators had 28 total accidents, eight of which were fatal resulting in 16 fatalities, in 2002. In 2001 the accident count totaled 27, 11 of which were fatal involving 50 fatalities.
``If it's not something you do on a regular basis -- if it's unique to your operation -- then you need to prepare yourself accordingly,'' Gary Campbell, president of the National EMS Pilots Association (NEMSPA), warned helicopter pilots contemplating operations into temporary landing areas. Campbell also flies aeromedical missions (the now-preferred term for EMS ops) for EMS Air Services, Inc., of Canandaigua, N.Y.
Monte Belger, the retired FAA executive, has been named vice president, Transportation Systems Solutions, for Lockheed Martin Air Traffic Management. Belger, a 30-year veteran of the FAA, was acting deputy administrator for the agency from 1997 to 2002. During his tenure with the FAA he also was associate administrator for Air Traffic Services, responsible for day-to-day operations of the nation's airspace system, and supervised the FAA's modernization plan.
The new U.S. Customs office at Bradley International Airport (BDL) in Windsor Locks, Conn., is now open. In December 2002, the Customs office moved from the Southwest Airlines ramp to a new building adjacent to the deicing pads. The NBAA applauds its member companies and the Connecticut Business Aviation Group (CBAG) for their efforts in working with the BDL board of directors and Customs in making this happen.
Dec. 3, 2002 -- A Cessna 421C was destroyed upon crashing during a descent near Tajique, N.M. The commercial pilot was killed. According to the NTSB, at 1430 the dispatcher advised the pilot of possible icing conditions in the Albuquerque area. The airplane departed Alamogordo-White Sands Municipal Airport (ALM) at 1950. At 2126, the Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) lost radar contact with the aircraft. IMC prevailed at the time.
The National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) hopes to present a new set of general aviation security recommendations to the Transportation Security Administration. The recommendations, which include securing unattended aircraft, developing security plans for each airport, monitoring airport property and users, and prohibiting unauthorized access to the airport, were put together by a NASAO committee consisting of nine state government aviation directors.
Jet Aviation Zurich has expanded its refurbishment and engine maintenance capabilities. Working in concert with the company's Basel completion center, the facility recently refurbished a NetJets Citation VII as well as repainted and refurbished two Hawker 800s. Jet Zurich recently received Swiss and Saudi Arabian certification for heavy maintenance and hot-section inspections for Pratt & Whitney Canada PW500-series engines. The facility is also approved for heavy maintenance for the PW JT15D and PT6 engines as well as line maintenance for PW 305s.
Jet Aviation's U.S. Aircraft Charter Services has teamed with CharterX to provide detailed quotes for charter flights on its Web site. The CharterX computerized estimating system allows customers to get estimates on roundtrip or one-way, domestic and international flights. The estimates include an itinerary with a breakdown of per-hour flight time costs, landing fees per leg, total taxes, and the aircraft's flight range, speed and number of fuel stops. Travel time, distance, exterior and interior photos, and floor plans of each aircraft also are listed on the Web site.
In late December 2002, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) released a report by the Electric Power Research Institute indicating that U.S. nuclear power plants could withstand a deliberate crash by a large airliner. The study by ABS Consulting, a Houston-based risk management company, and ANATECH, a San Diego-based engineering consulting firm, used computer models based on a fully loaded Boeing 767-400 jet traveling at 350 mph, their assumed speed at which a hijacked jet struck the Pentagon based on analysis of camera video. Other estimates put the speed much higher.
