Execaire, Montreal, Canada, has won Cessna's top sales award for the second time in three years. The Citation ASR Award is presented to the international authorized sales representative (ASR) with the highest dollar volume sold between successive NBAA Conventions. Execaire is Canada's only ASR for the Citation line of business jets. Execaire is a division of the Innotech-Execaire Aviation Group.
The U.S. government's restrictions on training foreign pilots may be creating opportunities elsewhere. National Airways and Finance Corp. (NAC) -- an Imperial Group Co. -- has concluded negotiations for the acquisition of 43 Air School, a pilot academy based in Port Alfred, South Africa. Martin Banner, NAC's CEO, said the acquisition is part of an effort to become a world player in the field of ab initio pilot training.
Adam Aircraft, developer of the A500 push/pull piston twin, has achieved organizational designated airworthiness representative (ODAR) status from the FAA, allowing the company to perform its own conformity inspections for manufacturing processes and aircraft parts. Accordingly, the company appointed Mike Schumann and Bill Eckler, manager of quality assurance, as ODARs. The company also said it will participate in NASA's Small Aircraft Transportation System research program.
It is generally conceded among aircraft noise experts that one of the greatest contributions to reducing airport noise was the NBAA's formulation of a set of noise-abatement procedures that have essentially become a world standard.
Cessna Aircraft earned FAR Part 25 transport category type certification for its Citation 500 fanjet in September 1971 and for its Model 550 Citation II in March 1978. Part 25 aircraft must have at least two crewmembers in the cockpit because of the need to have a back-up in the event of crew incapacitation. The pilot-in-command must have an aircraft type-rating, but the second-in-command need only meet the requirements of Part 61.55.
(1) Make a commitment to attend regular FAR Part 142 training with high standards that will genuinely test your proficiency. A daylight VFR check and rubber stamp sign-off by a local FAA designee isn't in your best interest if you want to be the safest possible pilot. (2) Maintain good instrument and multiengine flying skills. Show up for proficiency training with a mastery of those basic skills. Instrument refresher training isn't the best use of simulator time. Simulator time should be devoted to scenarios that are too risky to duplicate in an airplane.
There's a new FBO at Hagerstown (Md.) Regional Airport. Sovereign Air is a sister company to the long-established repair station, Aviation Resources DE, Inc. (ARDI), which operates at an adjoining facility. With Sovereign Air's fueling, cleaning, catering and deicing, the two operate together as a full-service facility for transient and locally based aircraft. Sovereign Air is a Phillips branded facility pumping Jet-A and 100LL and stocking a full line of Phillips aviation lubricants. For more information, call Dennis R. McCabe at (301) 665-1294.
Bird-X, Inc. is now offering an anti-goose device -- GooseBuster -- that uses recorded alert and alarm calls of wild Canada geese to rid airports of the befouling fowl. The device covers up to 21 acres with two units, or up to seven acres with one unit. The system consists of a control unit, four directional speakers with 100-foot cords, and a 24-hour timer. The GooseBuster design is based on field studies conducted by Dr. Philip Whitford, a noted expert on the subject of animal behavior. Price: $850 Bird-X, Inc. 300 N. Elizabeth St.
In anticipation of ``decreased passenger loads and lower aircraft usage in the fall,'' Mesaba Airlines says it will furlough about 50 pilots through January 2003 and close crew bases in Wausau and Rhinelander, Wis., by the end of the year. ``We regret the need to make these decisions,'' said Mesaba COO John Spanjers, who continued, ``They are necessary given the current economic realities of the airline industry.''
Honeywell and Aerosim are jointly developing new PC-based training software for the Primus Epic avionics suite. The system permits flight crews to practice Primus Epic procedures on a PC rather than on more expensive flight simulators and cockpit procedures trainers. Features and functionality of the software are expected to mirror what flight crews experience in flight. Honeywell Vice President Adrian Paull praised the authenticity of the planned software at the recent NBAA convention.
Bombardier and Rockwell Collins announced they will develop the integrated cabin electronics package for the Global 5000 intercontinental business jet using Rockwell Collins' new Airshow 21 cabin electronics system. The systems architecture will feature a redundant communications backbone to support cabin environmental, management, entertainment and ``global office'' functions. The system's ethernet-based local area network (LAN) will provide multiple users with ``off-board'' data connectivity, and access to printers, fax machines and shared files.
My father was a fine doctor and skilled surgeon. In college at Chapel Hill, I decided to follow in his footsteps, so I went to my advisor to adjust my curriculum commensurately. He advised me to come back ``next Monday, December 8th.'' Certain unexpected activities on the intervening Sunday, however, changed every young man's life in the United States. My two brothers were already in the service, and I enlisted as an aviation cadet in the U.S. Navy.
Reno-based Asset Research Corp. is working on the design of a supersonic business jet that could be built with existing engines and would be practical without exotic low-boom technology. Company founder and president Richard Tracy says that his strategy is to team with an airframe and an engine supplier to build the new airplane.
Gulf Coast Avionics Corp., in Lakeland Fla., has a new Internet domain name, www.gca.aero. The company, which does a substantial amount of business through its online avionics catalog, said it wanted to move out of the glutted ``dot-com'' category into the recently available ``dot-aero'' category exclusively reserved for the aviation community. Gulf Coast Avionics is a major supplier of avionics, instruments and pilot supplies to customers around the world.
Meguiar's, Inc. has introduced its Gold Class Rich Leather Cleaner/Conditioner spray to clean, moisturize and protect fine leather. The spray contains moisturizers and nutrients, including aloe, to help prevent leather from drying out and cracking; in addition, it has UV protectors to help prevent premature aging and fading. The cleaner/conditioner is available in a 16-ounce spray bottle and can be used on numerous leather surfaces including automobile, truck, marine and aircraft interiors; luggage; briefcases; furniture; and handbags.
In a strong vote of confidence, Sino Swearingen's existing shareholders have ponied up last stage financing themselves -- not seeking outside money to complete certification and delivery of the SJ30-2, according to Chuen-Huei Tsai, chairman of the board of Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corp. Tsai said, "Our investors are committed to funding the program to complete certification and delivery of the SJ30-2 business jet as soon as possible." The company claims firm orders for 150 aircraft.
Goodrich Corp., Charlotte, N.C., named Jeff Yaker as president of turbomachinery products in Chandler, Ariz. Yaker was formerly president of the company's Universal Propulsion Co. subsidiary in Phoenix. Mike Heidorn has assumed the presidency at Universal and will oversee the company's ejection seat and restraint products.
Cessna's CitationShares is now offering a program aimed at companies that might need to fly between 25 and 50 hours per year. The Platinum Traveler Program costs $109,000 per 15-month period, during which the first 25 occupied hours are included. After that, additional 25 hours per period are available at savings of 50 percent. Travelers pay only for the hours they are on the aircraft -- CJ1s and Bravos -- with no positioning fees.
Although the Transportation Security Administration extended until the end of September the deadline for charter operators to review security procedure guidance applicable to aircraft weighing 95,000 pounds and up, as of mid-September there was no guidance to review. It had not even been distributed to FAA principal operations inspectors who were in turn expected to disseminate it to the operators.
The U.S. National Aeronautical and Space Administration has selected Bombardier Flexjet to provide fractional ownership business jet transportation services to the organization for a two-year test period, according to Clifford Dickman, president of Bombardier Business Jet Solutions. The agreement provides NASA with a one-half share of a Bombardier Learjet 31A and a one-sixteenth share of a Learjet 60, equivalent to about 450 flight hours.
Despite wariness on Wall Street and trepidation among major OEMs about thinning demand for new aircraft, the NBAA's 55th Annual Meeting and Convention in September drew a record 1,011 exhibitors and a more than respectable 27,785 attendees. Unlike last year's somber mini-convention in New Orleans, this year's Orlando event included the announcement of several new aircraft, major orders and also industry forecasts that pointed to a more robust future. Among the major developments during the Sept. 10-12 gathering:
The airborne office is taking a leap into the future -- at least on extra, extra-large aircraft. Lufthansa Technik (LHT) and Cisco Systems are developing a high-speed, wireless LAN that will be linked to a multi-user, multi-channel communications management unit.
