While the FAA has agreed to permit operation of large aircraft such as the Boeing Business Jet under FAR Part 135 as long as they meet weight and seat limitations, the DOT has taken a different stance. In September, the DOT told Birmingham, Ala.-based MEDJet International that it was not authorized to use the BBJ for commercial purposes because it did not have the appropriate certificate authority. MEDJet originally applied to the DOT for certificates of public convenience and necessity, saying it intended to operate the BBJ commercially under Part 121.
Elliott Aviation and Ultra Electronics have been awarded Supplemental Type Certification for a new Active Noise and Vibration Control System for the Raytheon Beech King Air B200. The system, which has been jointly developed by the two companies, significantly reduces propeller noise throughout the aircraft, with the reduction in noise being especially dramatic in the cockpit and noteworthy throughout the cabin.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla., promoted Guy McClurkan to vice president of affiliate operations. McClurkan will oversee the development and operation of business such as providing new sources of funding, expanding training operations and increasing the university's global reach. He will also be responsible for management of the Aviation&Space Technology Academy.
Wausau Financial Systems is now offering its KnowledgeCard IDS system to corporate flight departments. The system features include full-color image capture, biometrics such as embedded fingerprinting, and 2-D barcoding. The software allows the user to export high-security encrypted files to any of the KnowledgeCard sites located around the world. Price: $1,500 portable reader; $5.50 to $11.50 per card Wausau Financial Systems 9 Indianhead Dr. Mosinee, WI 54455 Phone: (800) 937-0017; Fax: (715) 241-2288
Regional giant Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA) is attempting to become a player in the corporate shuttle and on-demand charter market with the launch of its new ACA Private Shuttle unit.
Bombardier is already capitalizing on its Indy Racing League relationship offering Learjet 40 buyers an optional custom interior with special colors, leather upholstery, graphite and metallic accents, and seat backs embossed with the IRL logo. But wait! That's not all! Each $150,000 interior comes with four passes to the Bombardier Pagoda at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for each of the three Bombardier-sponsored racing events at the ``Brickyard.''
Cessna will not attend the 2003 Paris Air Show on June 15-22, but the company does plan to send a significant representation of its products and personnel to EBACE in Geneva, Switzerland, May 7-9. Cessna Chairman Russ Meyer put the cost differential between the two shows at ``a factor of 10 to one.''
Because of their box-like cabins and favorable operating numbers, some turboprop singles have become the darlings of the emergency medical services (EMS) community, especially among companies serving rural markets requiring short-field performance on rough surfaces.
P&WC's service network has a new fly-in repair and service center at Bridgeport, W.Va. Pratt&Whitney Engine Services has built a 22,000-square-foot hangar at the Harrison Marion Regional Airport in Bridgeport. The facility can provide quick-turnaround service, such as on-wing hot section inspections, or repairs ranging from lightning strikes to propeller damage. It also includes a quick-turnaround heavy engine maintenance (HEMA) line. The facility includes customer lounge and crew rest areas.
Dassault Falcon Little Rock won the WSO Concerned Company/ Corporation Award, Safety, from the World Safety Organization. The award recognizes companies for their ``superior attention to and concern for the safety of their employees.'' This is the second year in a row DF-LIT has received the award.
Edited by David RimmerMike Vines, in Birmingham, England
The future of the Farnborough F1 single-engine turboprop air-taxi hangs in the balance yet again, as its new owners attempt to raise $155 million in the next six to nine months. Farnborough Aircraft Corp. Ltd. (FACL) took over from Farnborough-Aircraft.com earlier this year when the company's management failed to attract more investment capital.
Honeywell TCAS (Change 7) installed on both aircraft functioned properly in the minutes leading up to the July 1, 2002, midair near Uberlingen, Germany, but failures at the Zurich ATC system seem to have set up the Tupolev TU-154M and the Boeing 757-200 for disaster.
StarPort, an FBO at Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB), Sanford, Fla., has begun construction of a 45,500-square-foot maintenance facility scheduled to open in March 2003. ``We believe that now is a good time to make a strong statement -- one that shows our belief in the strength and resilience of the business aviation market,'' said Nelson Cambata, president of Cambata Aviation International, which is StarPort's parent company.
Piaggio's P.180 Avanti set a new Class C-1.E point-to-point speed record on its way to September's NBAA Convention. Flying from Fort Worth's Meacham International Airport to Orlando Executive Airport, the sleek pusher turboprop twin covered the 865 nm distance in two hours, 25 minutes, averaging 361 knots. The aircraft was piloted by Bill Hauprich, Piaggio America's director of engineering and standards, along with Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Jim Holcombe as his copilot.
A quarter century ago, a half dozen government agencies, high-powered think tanks and even some airline experts promised an aviation future chock full of breakthrough technologies. Future commercial aircraft would have wall-to-wall LCD glass cockpits with electronic chart libraries, plus enhanced and synthetic vision systems. The aircraft would be built with advanced manufacturing technologies. These and other technologies promised to make flying safer, more affordable and more efficient.
Without a doubt, the buzzword of the day is ``integrity.'' With each passing day, we find ourselves questioning the integrity of political leaders, corporate leaders, religious institutions and accounting services. As we dig deeper into what once looked shiny and sound, we find an underlying erosion that leaves us questioning the very underpinnings of our physical, social, moral and financial safety.
While government leaders refuse to detail specific terrorist threats that are driving general aviation airspace restrictions, security experts say there have indeed been threats. According to Air Security International, individuals with ties to Al Qaeda have tried to purchase a mothballed Boeing 727, charter aircraft and obtain diagrams of four ``large general aviation facilities'' located in New York, New Jersey, Denver and California.
Garmin International Inc. is now offering its GPSmap 196 GPS receiver, designed for multipurpose air, land and sea use. Successor to Garmin's popular GPS195, the new portable unit is WAAS capable and features detailed moving map graphics, HSI steering guidance, a Jeppesen database and many other pilot-friendly features, including a runway extension feature that works as a kind of localizer. The receiver has a 12-level grayscale, 3.75-inch diagonal display and a powerful processor that makes for rapid map draws and scrolling.
Delta Air Lines is targeting Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) for a major expansion of regional jet service. The carrier's Com-air and Atlantic Southeast Airlines subsidiaries will add service to eight cities on Nov. 1, including Charleston, S.C.; Columbus, Ohio; Huntsville, Ala.; as well as Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The carriers are adding three daily roundtrips from DCA to Atlanta, and one daily roundtrip to both Cincinnati and New York's JFK International Airport.
U.S. market interest in the higher-powered Ae270HP has persuaded Czech-Taiwanese Ibis Aerospace to freeze its PT6A-42 version of the design and bring forward the uprated model by one year to offer deliveries from early 2004 onward. Those among the 69 firm customers and option holders who had originally intended to obtain the standard aircraft have mostly been persuaded to follow suit.
DeCrane Aircraft Systems Integration Group has announced the delivery of its first Boeing BBJ-2 executive interior completion. The modifications were undertaken at the company's facility in Georgetown, Del., originally owned by Georgetown Aviation and later purchased by PATS, Inc. for use as a BBJ auxiliary fuel tank installation facility. Over a 10-month period, DeCrane added interior cabinetry, avionics, electrical systems, mechanical systems and a cabin management/entertainment system for an undisclosed customer.
August 26 -- A Bell 206L-3 LongRanger crashed in unknown circumstances while fighting a fire in Gunnison, Colo. One person sustained serious injuries in the crash while the other three people on board were unhurt. August 27 -- A Eurocopter AS350 B2 helicopter sustained substantial damage after a bird strike while at 5,100 feet approximately eight miles west of Toledo (Ohio) Express Airport. The helicop- ter returned to the airport without further incident.
ARINC, the world's leading provider of communications services to the airline industry, will begin offering those services to corporate jet operators in January 2003. The company's new ARINC Direct includes data link, safety, communications and information services. According to Ed Montgomery, ARINC vice president for aviation and air traffic services, ``Business aircraft with AFIS, TeleLink or UniLink service actually use ARINC's data link already -- they just don't know us as the provider.''
Edited by David RimmerMike Vines, in Birmingham, England
The proposed ARJ21 70- to 90-seat regional jet program has been given the go-ahead by the Chinese government and the selected engine is expected to be announced within the month, according to sources close to the program. Western integrated landing gear manufacturers have also held preliminary discussions with the China Aviation Industry Corp. (AVIC).
Developing existing relationships, CHC Helicopter Corp. was awarded a series of contract renewals and expansions valued at $57.6 million (Canadian) to provide helicopter support for operations in the Gulf of Thailand and the Persian Gulf. CHC won an 18-month contract from Chevron Offshore (Thailand) to provide a second Sikorsky S-76A++ to be based at U-Tapao, Thailand. The Thai Government Petroleum Authority also contracted for two S76A++ helicopters to be based in Songhkla.
