Hawaii's governor-elect said five general aviation airports should stay open. With her November election victory, Linda Lingle will become Hawaii's first female governor. Current Gov. Ben Cayetano was criticized by the AOPA in October when he announced his plan to privatize or close Dillingham, Waimea-Kohala, Upolu, Kapalua and Port Allen airports. In recent news reports, Lingle indicated she wants to stop some ideas the Cayetano administration proposed, such as closing smaller airports. ``I think it's a bad idea anyhow, to be closing those airports.
Cessna Aircraft recently celebrated the delivery of its 100th Model 525A CJ2, a benchmark in the life of a business airplane. Recently B/CA surveyed operators to determine how well the aircraft is living up to their expectations. Almost all operators gave the CJ2 a qualified thumbs up. Indeed, not one of the dozens of operators with whom we spoke was dissatisfied with the overall performance and utility of the CJ2, even though most had gripes about something -- airframe, engine, avionics or systems.
Garrett Aviation Services has announced William ``Butch'' Howell as the winner of the Harley-Davidson ``V-Rod'' motorcycle giveaway at the NBAA Convention in Orlando earlier this year. Howell is director of aircraft maintenance for Wachovia Flight Operations, operating as HawkAire, of Charlotte, N.C. JetCorp announced John Heller as the winner of two tickets to the 2003 Super Bowl. Heller, who is employed by McCormick&Co. in Middle River, Md., was selected at random during a drawing held by JetCorp at September's NBAA Convention.
It's not just the Gooney Birds. Concerned that restrictions associated with the National Wildlife Refuge on Midway Island/Sand Island have given Henderson Field an unwelcoming image, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has instituted an outreach program to make sure people know the airport is still open. A plaintive FWS action report details its efforts and the results over a recent 10-day period.
Sino Swearingen SJ30-2 flight testing continues with envelope expansion flights to 0.83 Mach and 49,000 feet. Production aircraft serial number 0002 flew to its VMO/MMO on Sept. 23 and climbed to and flew level at 49,000 feet on October 10. Sino Swearingen chief test pilot Carroll Beeler flew both flights and reported no handling problems in either the high-speed or high-altitude regimes. Dr. Carl Chen, the company's recently appointed president and CEO, said that fuel burn at 49,000 feet was 300 pph per side.
Champion Aerospace, Liberty, S.C., has promoted Jim Liddle to director of operations. Liddle, who has been with the company for seven years, is responsible for manufacturing engineering, quality engineering and support functions, and manufacturing operations.
Firemen, security staff and operational support workers employed by the British Airports Authority (BAA) in November voted to conduct six one-day strikes. The job actions were set for Nov. 28, Dec. 2, 10, 15 and 23, and Jan. 2, with workers walking out for 24 hours beginning at 0600 on each of the strike days. BAA members of the Transport&General Workers Union (T&G) rejected a pay offer of 6.3 percent over two years and 65 percent voted for the strike plan.
Bombardier Aerospace, Dallas, has appointed Trevor Cornwell as vice president, strategy and business development, of Bombardier Business Jet Solutions. Cornwell will add these responsibilities to his current role as president and CEO of Bombardier Skyjet.
Embraer has delivered the first eight extra-long-range ERJ-145XRs to launch customer ExpressJet for Continental Express. The airline was expected to take delivery of 18 of the 2,000-nm range aircraft by year-end. Continental Express placed 104 firm orders and holds options on a further 100. The 50-seat XR is designed to open up minimal-risk ``long thin'' routes that can bypass congested U.S. hub airports. The aircraft features a belly fuel tank and winglets to improve fuel economy and provide better hot-and-high performance.
Pegasus Interactive has introduced its VFLITE Garmin GNS 530/430 Interactive Guide. The software provides realistic product simulation, including over 90 minutes of detailed movies, a feedback system with training and solo modes and on-screen ``pop-up'' prompts. The program is a standalone interactive guide that is Windows and Macintosh compatible. In addition, the Plus version of the software includes Garmin's original GNS 530/430 simulator and has progress tracking so users can assess their learning retention.
Milwaukee officials expect a new ground runup enclosure at General Mitchell International Airport (MKE) to reduce noise from engine maintenance runups by 75 percent. The three-sided hangar-like structure was built on a 24-inch-thick concrete pad with 157 tons of structural steel and 2,400 acoustic panels. The $4.5 million project cost about $500,000 less than first estimates. Local officials said aircraft maintenance accounts for 677 jobs producing $26.5 million in wages at the airport.
In trying to ascertain the long-term availability of 100LL avgas, many sources B/CA contacted, including FBO retailers, said the fuel was so specialized and so environmentally unpopular that it would disappear in the foreseeable future. Some of these sources, we should note, had vested interest in ethanol or represented a faction of aviation that did not have a large number of 100LL users in its fold.
Privatair added four aircraft to its charter fleet. A Gulfstream II and Gulfstream IV-SP are based in Stratford, Conn.; a Citation S-II is based in Teterboro, N.J., and a Hawker 125-800 is based in Van Nuys, Calif.
Corporate Rotable&Supply, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has added Regina Malec to its team. Malec will handle warranty claims and the management of consignment inventories.
Eclipse also announced the start of construction on a new 50,000-square-foot friction stir-welding facility in Albuquerque, scheduled to be completed in spring 2003. The facility is in addition to Eclipse's plans for a new permanent facility at Double Eagle Airport. Eventually the company hopes to produce up to 1,500 aircraft per year.
Raytheon Aircraft is offering steep discounts on some $80 million in excess parts inventory. Raytheon Aircraft Parts Inventory&Distribution Co. (RAPID) is conducting the sale of Beechcraft, Hawker and aftermarket spare parts through Dec. 31, offering discounts of up to 90 percent on some items. Customers can log on to RAPID's Web site, www.raytheonaircraftparts.com, to search through 46,000 part and kit numbers available for current and out-of-production aircraft.
Banyan Air Service, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has appointed Mike O'Keeffe to head its new aircraft sales division. Banyan is a full-service FBO located on Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE).
Law enforcement officers are generally OK with guns in cockpits. Nearly 73 percent of U.S. police chiefs and sheriffs believe commercial airline pilots should be allowed to carry firearms in the cockpit, according to a survey released Nov. 12 by the National Association of Chiefs of Police. The survey polled 22,587 officers.
The Transportation Security Administration is working with the AOPA to launch a security hotline this month for people to report suspicious activity in or around airports. The AOPA will enlist the help of pilots through its Airport Watch program to report security breaches. ``We appreciate the AOPA's proactive approach to enhance security for the general aviation community,'' said acting TSA Administrator James Loy.
As B/CA went to press, USAIG aviation insurers provided this statement concerning coverage for fractional ownership liability exposure: ``USAIG is currently involved as the underwriter for several of the major fractional ownership operators. The [fractional ownership provider] purchases both physical damage and liability coverage for each aircraft in the program. The fractional owners are included as a `named insured' in regard to their aircraft.
Piaggio's Avanti twin-engine pusher-prop received Transport Canada clearance to operate in reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) airspace. Piaggio is seeking similar approval from the FAA for U.S. RVSM operations.
The NBAA said its Nov. 14 business aviation forum and static display at Meacham Field in Fort Worth drew some 1,500 attendees for a day of seminars and the opportunity to view 27 business aircraft on static display. Officials said they received ``a lot of positive feedback'' from registrants and representatives of more than 50 exhibiting companies about the one-day event. The NBAA staged a similar event earlier this year in the Chicago area.
IT WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST events to take place in Bell County, Ky., in recent memory, drawing more attention than the Great American Dulcimer Convention out at Pine Mountain State Park. The word was out: ``Glacier Girl'' was going to fly. Someone estimated that 20,000 people crowded onto Middlesboro Airport (1A6) that Saturday in late October to see it happen.
It began with a straightforward inquiry. As head of flight operations for Bombardier Learjet, Bob Agostino was looking for a way to improve awareness among his demonstration pilots, thus maximizing operational safety while at the same time expanding his group's capabilities. He asked David Sullivan, one of the senior Learjet pilots, for suggestions; he picked well.
