Israel is not the only user of armored farm and construction equipment. Air Tractor has delivered the first of eight highly modified AT-802 turboprop aerial application aircraft to the U.S. State Department for narcotic crop eradication in Colombia. Instead of the familiar yellow, the AT-802 is painted navy blue and features bulletproofing material around the engine compartment and cockpit. It also features self-sealing fuel tanks and bulletproof glass in the windshield. There's a fire suppression system, and the cockpit instrument panel is night vision system compatible.
Question: RNAV approaches with TAAs depict holding pattern course-reversals. When is it necessary to fly the racetrack? -- A Falcon 900 pilot Answer: The short answer is, ``not very often in a TAA environment'' -- but the subject merits additional discussion. Terminal Arrival Areas -- aka TAAs -- provide pilots and ATC with excellent tools for RNAV approach operations. TAAs are designed to facilitate the transition from the en route phase of flight into the terminal environment.
The FAA received more than 2,000 comments in response to its light-sport aircraft proposal. A majority expressed support, but some maintenance personnel remained concerned about the possibility of relaxed safety standards in the proposed rule. The FAA released the notice of proposed rulemaking on Feb. 5 for a three-month comment period that ended May 6.
Two Great Lakes Airlines Beech 1900Ds were destroyed on May 14 when fire swept a hangar at the airline's heavy-maintenance facility at Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Grand Island. According to airline CEO Doug Voss, the aircraft were valued at $4 million apiece. Great Lakes' fleet includes 40 Beech 1900Ds, as well as four 1900C models and eight Embraer Brasilias. The cause of the fire, which occurred during completion of a new hangar door, is under investigation.
Frank Robinson has delivered a $1 million check to Peter Wright Jr., chairman of the American Helicopter Museum, earmarked for the museum to purchase the entire building it now partially leases at Brandywine Airport in West Chester, Pa. Robinson is founder and president of the Robinson Helicopter Co. Wright founded the museum project in 1993 and opened the doors in 1996. After the purchase of the entire building and its five-acre site, the museum will have ample room to expand the scope of its exhibits and accommodate visitor growth.
The Air Group has added a Bombardier Global Express to its charter fleet. The aircraft, based in Windsor Locks, Conn., outside Hartford, is only the second Global Express to be available for charter in the United States. The Air Group is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in Teterboro; Chicago; St. Louis; San Francisco; Denver; Santa Ana and Santa Barbara, Calif.; Honolulu and West Palm Beach. The Web site is www.theairgroup.com.
The Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA) and AirLog Imaging are offering PAMA members a service to store documentation of individual employment activities on CD-ROM. The MxTx on CD -- Maintenance Technician on CD -- program allows complete duplication of individual records for personal record keeping. The program archives an individual's aviation maintenance experience in a compact form that provides protection against fire, flood and other losses.
Positron Systems, Inc. announced it can detect fatigue damage buried in second layer materials without disassembling the material. Their tests were conducted through the wing skin using wing spar samples provided by Sandia National Laboratories' Airworthiness NDI Validation Center. Positron Systems' process is called Photon Induced Positron Annihilation (PIPA). During testing, a specimen composed of a wing spar and the exterior surface of the wing was analyzed. Known damage in the second layer around a taper lock fastener hole was identified.
Edited by David RimmerMike Vines, in Birmingham, England
BAE Systems Regional Aircraft is relaunching itself as a service business following last year's cancellation of the Avro RJX program and the ending of regional aircraft manufacturing by the company.
Production at Bombardier's Challenger and RJ lines resumed in early May after workers voted to accept an arbitration settlement ending a three-week strike.
Continental Express has converted to all-jet service at its Newark International Airport (EWR) hub. The carrier dropped its last remaining ATR 42 flights at the airport in early May, transitioning to Embraer Regional Jets on flights to Albany, N.Y.; Baltimore; Burlington, Vt.; Portland, Maine; Syracuse, N.Y.; and Washington/Dulles.
Single-engine helicopters continue to hold a strong position in the U.S. law enforcement market, according to MD Helicopters, Inc. of Mesa, Ariz. The company announced two completed sales: a MD 500E to the Columbus, Ohio, police department and a MD 600N to police in Indianapolis. It says four other single-engine sales to law enforcement agencies are in the final stages. Officials stated that despite the availability of larger, heavier twin-engine helicopters, agencies with prior single-engine operating experience are comfortable with the smaller, very agile machines.
Midcoast Aviation Vice Chairman Gary Driggers has been elected chairman of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) board of directors. A 14-year Midcoast Aviation executive, Driggers is an ATP-rated pilot with more than 10,000 hours flight time, including two tours of duty flying helicopter gunships in Vietnam. Joining the NATA board are three new members: Abilene Aero President Joe Crawford, Elliott Aviation President Wynn Elliott and Elizabeth Haskins, president and CEO of Signature Flight Support.
Flightcom Corp. has announced a new version of its Denali Active Noise Reduction (ANR) headset that uses aircraft power, eliminating the need for a battery box. With the ``Panel Power'' option, a single, five-key quick-disconnect plug replaces the mic and headphone plugs. The custom jack can be wired in parallel with existing headset jacks. The headset comes complete with an installation kit, including a wiring harness, that is compatible with 12- or 24-volt DC aircraft systems. An in-line ANR on/off switch provides ``fail-operative'' capability.
The Corporate Angel Network (CAN) benefited from two separate volunteer efforts -- one of them involving B/CA -- that generated $130,000 for the aviation charity. On May 6, the annual Greater Washington Aviation Open golf and tennis tournament was held at the Indian Spring Country Club in Silver Spring, Md. Donations from tourney participants plus an auction of gift airline tickets and other items generated $101,000 for CAN. (See Intelligence, page 25.)
The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill will be closing Horace Williams Airport (IGX) as ``quickly as possible.'' ``Ultimately, we had to weigh all of the financial commitments involved in operating the airport,'' said UNC Chancellor James Moeser. ``Shutting down clearly emerged as the most responsible action.''
The Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) attempt at regulating charter industry security is a vague, unsubstantiated rule that is full of pitfalls, industry officials told the newly formed agency last week. The measure calls for security programs for charter air carriers that operate aircraft weighing 12,500 pounds or more. A chief concern of Jeb Burnside, vice president for government and industry affairs for the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), is the application of what NATA calls ``airline-style'' security to all charter operators.
The 131st British Open golf championship will see David Duval defending his title against Tiger Woods and Greg Norman, who has won the British Open twice. Both Woods and Duval will be making their first competitive appearance at Muirfield. The East Lothian links are where Jack Nicklaus won his first Open Championship in 1966.
TAG Aviation, San Francisco, has named Ann Holmes as the company's director of cabin safety and service. In this newly created position, Holmes will be responsible for developing training programs, procedures and service standards. Holmes, who began her career as a flight attendant and later founded a quarterly publication for flight attendants, most recently held a similar cabin management service position at Gulfstream Aerospace.
Atlantic Southeast Airlines will increase its presence at Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon with the planned construction of a 7,500-square-foot technical training center. The training facility will house classrooms and office space, as well as additional room for equipment and parts storage. Macon is also home to ASA's 60,000-square-foot maintenance headquarters.
Nordam Group President Robin Siegfried and Chief Operating Officer Ken Lackey have been named co-CEOs of the Tulsa-based company, replacing Ray H. Siegfried, who will remain as chairman. Ray Siegfried announced the changes soon after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In announcing the changes, the chairman also declared that ``we have no plans nor intent to sell or partner with any other company,'' adding that the company will remain under the control of the Siegfried family.
Brazil -- As of April 2, there have been 104,469 cases of dengue fever, resulting in 40 deaths in the state of Rio de Janeiro. In addition, there have been 460 cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever, and 29 deaths in the city, as reported by Brazil's municipal health authority. Dengue fever is commonly seen in Brazil, but these figures represent a significant increase in cases for Rio de Janeiro when compared to recent years. Many other countries in South and Central America and other tropical and subtropical regions of the world are also reporting increased dengue activity.
The FAA has issued a report analyzing the issues behind the failure of NPRM 65/66, which focused on revising certification standards for aviation technicians. The evaluation was conducted by the agency's Human Factors in Aviation Safety group in conjunction with Galaxy Scientific, a contractor specializing in human factors.
Edited by David RimmerMike Vines, at ILA, Berlin, Germany
Eurocopter President and CEO Jean-Francois Bigay hosted his company's 10th anniversary celebration by cutting a huge birthday cake at the recent ILA show in Berlin, Germany.
Gulfstream Aerospace is going to make a minor wing modification to the first 16 GVs to remedy a certification compliance issue stemming from FAA and JAR certification methodologies for determining ultimate wing loading. Gulfstream President Bill Boisture told The Weekly of Business Aviation that the first 16 aircraft wing sets received formed sheet-metal stiffeners as a post-production modification to meet compliance requirements.
