Nov. 1 -- A University of Arkansas-operated Rockwell 690B sustained substantial damage after the top portion of the airplane's rudder separated during cruise flight. The commercial pilot and his two passengers were not injured. IMC prevailed.
GAC member and NATA President James Coyne said it's time to start playing ``hardball'' over some of the airspace and airport access restrictions -- particularly at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Speaking with the Weekly of Business Aviation, he summed up the ongoing temporary flight restrictions in one word -- ``stupid'' -- asking why an airplane flying at 3,100 feet is considered less of a security threat than an airplane flying at 3,000 feet, or why an airplane taking off from Richmond, Va., is considered safer than one from DCA.
Adam Aircraft completed 100 hours of flight testing on the A500, the company's 250-knot, pressurized, six-place, twin-piston aircraft. The aircraft, powered by two Teledyne Continental TSIO 550E engines, has had 50 test flights, which account for about 30 percent of the tests that Adam Aircraft plans to perform on serial number 0001, said Glenn Maben, flight-test pilot and lead powerplant engineer. The aircraft has reached an altitude of 25,000 feet and an airspeed of 220 knots. The A500 is scheduled for delivery in the second quarter of this year.
Comair Aviation Academy in Florida now has European JAA approval to provide pilot training in conjunction with Atlantic Flight Training in the United Kingdom to students who plan to fly professionally in Europe. The modular training course combines British classroom instruction with flight training in the United States. ``Comair Aviation Academy offers airline-oriented pilot training that is depended on by companies from all over the world,'' said Susan Burrell, Comair president.
The FAA will ask Congress to create a five-member commission to oversee a consolidation of some of the agency's facilities and services. The FAA wants to use the Defense Department's Base Closure and Realignment Act as a model to ``create a fair process by which the FAA can realign and consolidate its services and facilities to help reduce FAA capital, operating, maintenance and administrative costs on an agency-wide basis with no adverse effect on safety,'' the agency said in a draft of recommended legislation to Congress.
Standard Aero has opened a new ``regional service facility'' at the Calgary International Airport in Alberta, Canada. ``This new operation will allow Standard Aero to provide the customer base with much-needed in-region maintenance and repair services,'' commented Andy Preston, director of service operations.
TSH One, Inc., Hollywood, Fla., a full-service aircraft and air charter brokerage firm specializing in executive and corporate aviation, has appointed Christine Y. Blair as sales executive for aircraft sales and leases, as well as for air charter, in Georgetown, Texas.
The Regional Airline Association (RAA), Washington, D.C., board of directors elected Skip Barnette, president of Atlantic Southeast Airlines (Delta Connection), as chairman of the association. Phil Trenary was elected vice chairman; Peter Bowler was elected treasurer; and Rick Leach was elected secretary.
This year's Aviation Dilly is available online at www.aviationnow.com/dilly. Aviation Dilly is a satirical holiday tradition with the staff of our affiliate Aviation Daily and other Aviation Week publications. The annual spoof dates back to the 1950s. Aviation Daily and AviationNow.com Editor in Chief Jim Matthews stated, "We sincerely hope you enjoy our good-natured poke at the happenings and institutions that make up this besieged business we all love.
A customized single-engine MD 500E has been delivered to Suzi Q Corp. in the Philippines, MDHI announced. The helicopter will be based at Manila Domestic Airport and will ferry company executives to the corporation's land holdings and business interests in the metropolitan Manila area. The aircraft is equipped with a high-efficiency air-conditioning system. The helicopter also features an auxiliary fuel management system, moving map displays and an electronic noise-canceling intercom system. MDHI outfitted the helicopter.
Messier-Dowty, Velizy, France, has appointed Laurent Schneider-Maunoury as vice president of operations. Messier-Dowty designs, develops and manufactures landing gear systems.
The U.S. Air Force has ordered 35 additional T-6A Texan II trainer aircraft from Raytheon, exercising the first option in the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System contract. The follow-on contract is valued at $169.9 million and is the first of four one-year options that the U.S. military holds. Raytheon will start delivery of the 35 aircraft in the first option in April 2005.
The FAA will hold off forming the new Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) that will take a comprehensive look at FAR Part 135, Part 125 and associated regulations (see Intelligence, B/CA, December 2002, page 26) until Congress approves a fiscal 2003 appropriation for the FAA. While it is operating under a continuing funding resolution, the agency can't start any new projects -- including ARC meetings. The FAA originally hoped the committee could meet Jan. 14 to 16.
The PW308C is baselined at 3,000 hours for hot section inspection and a TBO of 7,000 hours. The engine will be offered with an on-condition maintenance program, and warranty protection of five years or 3,000 hours for the engines, and five years or 5,000 hours for the nacelles and thrust reversers. P&WC also offers its Eagle Service Plan extended maintenance program, and JSSI offers its engine plan; both average around $150 per flight hour. JSSI offers an airframe ``tip-to-tail'' program for about $500 per flight hour.
IF YOU WANT TO MEET A MAN who really does ``enjoy what I'm doing,'' find Nick Sabatini and get him talking about the Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) program. For those who may not know, Nick is the associate administrator for regulation and certification at the FAA. FOQA is the private sector/government program designed to prevent aviation accidents by carefully examining trend monitoring data from flight recorders to detect dangerous conditions.
Medaire, Inc. will provide more medical support services for NetJets Europe. NetJets Europe already subscribes to MedAire's MedLink 24-hour emergency physician consultation service. An expanded contract will also include flight crew medical training and emergency medical kits.
Eagle Creek Aviation Services, Inc., Indianapolis, has added Chad Winings as sales and marketing manager. Winings will oversee the sales and marketing of all aircraft and aircraft-related services.
Cessna announced it will lay off another 1,500 workers at its Wichita facilities, the latest in a series of personnel drawdowns to balance employment levels with aircraft production schedules. The layoffs, affecting ``all pay categories,'' represent about 15 percent of the present Wichita work force of 10,000. So far, the company says it has no plans for additional layoffs at its plants in Independence, Kan., and Columbus, Ga. In late November, Cessna announced that layoffs were likely in Wichita due to a probable decline in jet production this year.
Aviation Partners Boeing has signed Goodrich Corp. as an approved installer of its Blended Winglet Performance Enhancement System for Boeing 737-700/800 aircraft, including the BBJ. The winglet installations will be performed at Goodrich's Everett, Wash., facility.
CTT now offers its Zonal Comfort System moisture management device for business aviation. Based on evaporative cooling technology, Zonal Comfort is extremely energy-efficient, and uses a method that effectively precludes the transfer of bacteria within the aircraft. The dual-purpose system increases humidity for greater comfort and counters condensation problems. The drying system combats condensation in the thermal and acoustic insulation of the aircraft, thereby extending the insulation's service life and reducing maintenance costs.
The captain as PNF during emergencies evolves from the following realities: (1) Training will not prevent all errors from occurring. (2) People make mistakes. (3) The person doing is the one who makes the most mistakes. (4) People make errors because they do not understand the problem and therefore choose an inapplicable course of action, or because they do understand but choose the wrong course of action. (5) People do not make ``bad decisions'' on purpose.
BAE Systems Corporate Air Travel is cutting its shuttle fleet from eight to four aircraft, and firing 10 of its pilots to reduce costs and make the operation revenue-neutral. ``Our current pilot pool will be reduced from 26 to 16 by January,'' said Managing Director ``Nobby'' Clark, who confirmed that ``talks are ongoing and close to completion with commercial aircraft operators due to take over some of the shuttle routes.'' The company currently operates two Jetstream 31s, an ATP, four Hawker 800s and a 66-seat BAE 146-100.
Business aviation pros understand that commercial flight service and handling providers can play an essential role in the smooth operation of hundreds, if not thousands of corporate flights every day. And their value isn't limited to heavy iron operators who frequently make landfall in far corners of the world. Business aircraft operators of all stripes rely on them, too.
Million Air Charter, Teterboro, N.J., has hired Charlie Geiger as the new vice president of flight operations. He brings over 27 years of aviation experience to the position.
The FAA issued a revised NOTAM permitting pilots based at one of the three ``DC-3'' airports and with the proper security clearances to fly between College Park Airport (CGS), Potomac Airfield (VKX) and Washington Executive/Hyde Field (W32) in the Washington special flight rules area. However, transient aircraft are still banned from the three airports. Previously, aircraft based at the fields could fly only to and from their home airports.
