The FAA's draft legislation includes management changes that would permit the appointment of the deputy administrator and fill certain vacancies on the Federal Aviation Management Advisory Council (MAC) without Senate conformation. The FAA is the only transportation mode administration within the DOT that has a deputy administrator whose appointment requires Senate confirmation. The White House recently nominated Robert Sturgell to the position, which has not had a permanent officer since Linda Daschle during the Clinton administration.
The delay is just fine with GA industry officials who have read the draft notice of invitation to participate in the ARC. They are concerned that language describing the review is overly broad; so broad that there would be unintended consequences affecting FAR Parts 91 and 121. Several industry associations will use the delay to press the FAA to tighten the descriptive language before the notice is published in the Federal Register.
Embraer cut its 2002 delivery projection from 135 to 132 after two customers requested delivery delays. One airline customer put off two aircraft until April 2003, and one Legacy corporate aircraft will slide from its original delivery date to early this year, the company said. Deliveries should rise during the next two years, according to an Embraer forecast released in December 2002. The company expects to deliver 148 aircraft this year, rising to 155 in 2004. Embraer's firm order backlog is worth about $9 billion.
Air Wisconsin has placed a firm order for six additional Bombardier CRJ200 regional jet aircraft as a result of its recently inaugurated code-share relationship with AirTran Airways. The transaction, valued at $140 million U.S. ($213 million Cdn.), represents the conversion of six of 26 conditional orders held by the Appleton, Wis.-based airline. It increases the airline's firm order list to 64 aircraft, of which 27 have been delivered. Air Wisconsin retains 20 conditional orders and 75 options on Bombardier CRJ aircraft.
Mercury Air Centers, Inc., Atlanta, has appointed two aviation veterans to its advisory board of directors: Kenn Ricci, chairman and CEO of Flight Options, and Dick Dodson, former president and CEO of BBA Aviation Services. Mercury Air Centers operates 18 FBOs nationwide.
GateOne is the new name for the Jet Centers FBO chain. CEO Thomas Matthews, who founded the company in 1994, says he wants to develop GateOne into a luxury brand identity. The company has grown from its original Fort Worth Meacham International (FTW) location in Texas through acquisitions at what Matthews says were underserved markets.
Pilatus Business Aircraft, Broomfield, Colo., promoted Piotr ``Pete'' Wolak to the newly created position of vice president, customer service. In addition, Mike Rector was promoted to manager, production.
The first 30 Falcon 2000EX aircraft will share the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 avionics package fitted to the Falcon 50EX and 2000. Four large-format CRT displays dominate the panel, complemented by three Thales Electronic Instrument Engine Displays in the center. The standard package also includes a full suite of dual Pro Line 4 radios, a solid-state, Doppler turbulence detection weather radar, dual FMS-6100 FMSes and Honeywell Laseref IV IRSes.
PrivatAir, Stratford, Conn., has appointed Aurelie Branchereau as director of marketing communications. Branchereau is based in PrivatAir's Geneva headquarters.
Embraer has delivered the fourth and fifth EMB-145 SA aircraft to the FAB (Fora Aerea Brasileira) for the Amazon Vigilance System, which will ultimately be comprised of five EMB-145 SA surveillance aircraft and three EMB-145 RS remote-sensing aircraft.
Congress may create a committee to oversee the Homeland Security Department and aviation and airport security, David Schaffer, House Transportation Aviation Subcommittee chief counsel, recently told the American Association of Airport Executives. Schaffer said the issue wouldn't be resolved until this month, and that his committee would proceed as though it will have jurisdiction over transportation security issues until the matter is settled.
MDHI proudly notes that if you need another reason to see the latest James Bond movie, ``Die Another Day,'' you can go to see two of its Notar helicopters in action. Early in the film, a villain hijacks an MD Explorer twin to make a getaway, and an MD 600N single-engine does its thing in the film's closing sequence. MDHI distributor, Eastern Atlantic Helicopters in Shoreham, England, supplied the aircraft used in the film.
Rockwell Collins says its Multi-Mode Receiver (MMR) with integrated VOR, ILS, Marker Beacon, GPS and Microwave Landing System (MLS) functionality has received TSO approval. The unit is suitable for both civil and military aircraft. In November 2001, Collins successfully completed flight tests of the industry's first MLS receiver fully integrated into an MMR to demonstrate the Category IIIb capabilities of an integrated MLS module.
The new UV Global Networks member operates from the ExecuJet Australia headquarters location, Ramp 394, at Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (YSSY). Universal Aviation Australia provides and coordinates complete ground-handling services 24/7 for business aircraft in Sydney and throughout Australia. ExecuJet Australia offers support services to Universal Aviation Australia clients through its FAA- and Bermudan-approved aircraft maintenance facility.
THE NTSB IS RECOMMENDING that the FAA require helicopter pilots to obtain instrument ratings if they conduct commercial, passenger-carrying flights in areas where ``flat light,'' or whiteout conditions, routinely occur. The Safety Board believes that these pilots should demonstrate instrument proficiency on a regular basis and that their employers should add flat lighting operations safe practices to their training programs.
Unison Industries, Jacksonville, Fla., has named Michael Sanders vice president of engineering. Sanders is responsible for all U.S. and global design engineering, test and certification, and configuration management activities for Unison.
Enstrom has delivered four piston-powered 280FX training helicopters to the Venezuelan Guardia Nacional at Margarita Island, Venezuela. The 280FX Shark is manufactured at Enstrom's Menominee, Mich., facility. More than 300 have been delivered worldwide. Enstrom's Bayard Du Pont noted that the Venezuelan Guardia Nacional has operated Enstrom helicopters for more than 25 years.
Shoulder-launched SAMs don't necessarily have to be used near an airport, which makes their availability the paramount concern. So noted Rafi Ron, chairman and CEO of New Age Aviation Security and the former head of security for the Israel Airport Authority, during an interview for Airports newsletter. ``The threat in the U.S.
InspecTech Aero Service, Inc. has developed a new aircraft cabin window lamination that uses a suspended particle device (SPD), along with other components, that controls the amount of light that can pass through. The I-Shade incorporates a light control film along with a switchable reactive core that creates a 100-percent opaquing feature. The I-Shade uses readily available AC or DC aircraft electrical power at a low-power-consumption level.
The Pratt & Whitney Canada PW308, also used on Raytheon's Hawker Horizon, is an evolutionary, scaled-up version of the PW305 that made its debut in the early 1990s on the Learjet 60 and Hawker 1000. Other versions of the PW300 have been fitted to the Fairchild-Dornier 328JET and Gulfstream G200.
A Smithsonian Institution National Air & Space Museum Trophy has been awarded to aircraft innovator Stanley Hiller Jr., who is honored in the category of Lifetime Achievement.
Flight service/handlers provided B/CA with some examples of how things went awry for clients, and how they managed to step in and save the day. An Air Routing International client was recently traveling from Southeast Asia to Europe when the aircraft's windshield cracked. The operator diverted to Bangkok, where an Air Routing agent assisted in getting the windshield repaired and was able to expedite the local clearance so a relief aircraft could come in and take the passengers on to their destination.
VDC Electronics has developed three, fully automatic, s-stage, 12/14-volt battery chargers, designed to keep your lead/acid batteries fully charged. Dubbed, ``Charger with a brain,'' these maintenance chargers produce high-frequency pulses, keeping the sulfuric acid crystals called ``sulfidation'' from bonding to the surface of the battery's plates. In addition. The chargers' second stage keeps the battery at a full voltage level without over-charging it.
Bird-X's Stainless Spikes Needle Strips are designed to prevent birds from roosting or nesting on any surface. The ST302 hard surgical grade stainless- steel spikes protrude from a base in a five-inch spread so birds can't land. The strips are designed to resist harsh weather and chemical environments and their flexible design allows them to be installed on curves, corners or irregular surfaces. The strips are available in extra-wide seven-inch spreads or slim two-inch spreads and in varying lengths and colors. Price: $35 to $395 Bird-X 300 N. Elizabeth St.
The National Air & Space Museum's new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center remains on schedule for a December opening, and museum organizers expect to begin bringing in airplanes by the middle of March. Plans call for the B-29 Enola Gay to be the first aircraft to move into the Dulles International Airport-based facility. The center will display 200 aircraft on three levels, some 80 percent of the NASM's national collection.
