Joseph B. (Doc) Hartranft, Jr., 86, the first president of the AOPA, died Feb. 22 in Annapolis, Md. Hartranft was one of six founders of the AOPA in Philadelphia in 1939, a time when ``the military's concerns about impending world war threatened the freedom of civilian aviation,'' according to AOPA President Phil Boyer.
Every year, just before the end of July, senior executives at Banyan Air Service in South Florida anxiously await the mail, watching for their insurance renewal. Typically days before the policy's expiration, the renewal arrives, and the mail-watchers breathe a sigh of relief. But not completely. Invariably, the premiums go up. The limits go down -- way down. And Don Campion, president of the FBO, wonders how much worse it can get. Or, rather, will get.
Karl G. Harr, 79, the president of the Aerospace Industries Association for almost three decades, died March 5 at a Washington, D.C., area hospital following a stroke. Harr became president of the AIA in 1963, serving as the aerospace industry's voice in Washington. He headed the association until retiring in 1987.
AgustaWestland selected Telephonics RDR-1600 WX and SAR radar to equip Denmark's EH-101 helicopters. Telephonics, of East Farmingdale, N.Y., will deliver 14 RDR-1600 systems through 2005.
Corrosion Technologies Corp. is now offering a new line of chemical application equipment for aircraft. The sprayers have no moving parts and operate on 80 psi of shop air. The applicators can spray liquids ranging in viscosity from light solvents to heavy fluids, drawn from reservoirs of one quart to five gallons in size. The wands range from one-eighth of an inch outside diameter by five inches in length to one-quarter-inch outside diameter by eight feet in length. In addition, Corrosion Technologies said it can make custom wands for special requirements.
Atlantic Aviation has reached an agreement with REW Investments of Houston to purchase the former Million Air facilities at Igor Sikorsky Memorial Airport (BDR), Bridgeport, Conn.; Hartford-Brainard Airport (HFD), Hartford, Conn.; and Republic Airport (FRG), Farmingdale, N.Y. and it will sell REW its Million Air-Interlink stock interests.
S-B Industries is offering maintainers an alternative to blind rivet tools. RiveDrill attaches quickly to cordless electric, electric and pneumatic power drills, converting them into blind rivet guns. In addition, the manufacturer claims, RiveDrill sets double the amount of rivets compared to manual tools in a given amount of time -- up to 14 rivets per minute compared to only seven rivets per minute set by standard hand tools.
The FAA will use a graphical system from Jeppesen to create, maintain and distribute TFR information to FSS specialists in a form where they can clearly see the boundaries of restricted airspace in both IFR and VFR contexts. As noted in March Intelligence (page 27), the AOPA has complained loudly about short-notice impositions of TFRs and that NOTAM text describing TFR boundaries could often not be deciphered, even by FSS specialists.
Electronic Flight Bags (EFB) are probably the wave of the future, despite the horrendous certification challenges experienced by Gulfstream with its first such system (B/CA, March, page 50). EFBs can come in an infinite variety of configurations and capabilities. The makers' creativity will combine with user demand to overcome the current lack of standards and recalcitrant ASOs.
Two Gulfstream demo pilots unofficially set a new speed record in a G-VSP on the way home from the Asian Aerospace show in Singapore, scooting from Tokyo-Narita to Washington-Dulles in 11 hours, 54 minutes. Gregory Sheldon and Robert McKenney flew the 6,739-mile leg averaging 492 knots. The previous record was set by a USAF KC-135 in 1958.
Icarus Instruments has introduced its latest satellite telephone system, Sky Connect. The system, which uses a 2.4-GHz cordless handset, links callers through the Iridium satellite network and provides voice and data access. The cost of the worldwide service is $1.50 per minute, and the system can accommodate up to four cordless handsets. When in use, the caller can use the phone anywhere on the aircraft and as far as 300 feet away from the airplane when on the ground. In addition, the handset provides 10 hours of continuous talk time power and 150 hours of standby time.
One frequently overlooked category of HAZMAT is company materials (COMAT). While we may be alert to hazardous materials carried by our passengers or shipped by customers on our aircraft, it's easy to overlook items that we carry for our own company.
In response to the ongoing battle between U.S. Customs and FAR Part 135 operators, the NBAA has instituted a new Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) submission service. The service permits operators to submit passenger and crew manifests to Customs and avoid possible $10,000 fines.
Scholarship-recipient pilot/mechanic Denise Waters has completed the SimuFlite 10-day Citation V maintenance course she was awarded through Women in Aviation International. Waters works for Air, Land&Sea, Ltd. of Brewerton, N.Y. In the past 15 years, SimuFlite has funded scholarships worth nearly $1 million.
FltOps maintenance tracking is only one component of Essential Air's operations management software. The maintenance function employs simple, Windows-based screens for entering inspection, replacement schedules and deferred maintenance. In addition, the software provides reports that present the maintainer with only relevant information. With FltOp's ``maintenance alerts,'' operators can view every inspection, component or deferred item in the fleet that's coming due in the next 14 flight hours, 14 cycles or 14 days.
While helicopter operators and users in other North American cities might long for one downtown public-use heliport, New York leads the continent -- and perhaps the developed world -- with three. According to the Helicopter Association International's Bill Sanderson, director of heliports and technical programs, only the Chicago and Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan areas come close, with two each -- and not all of them are downtown. For Chicago, Sanderson -- drawing on FAA
Air charter operators are seeing increased demand for their services in the early part of the year, especially among light-jet operators, according to a recent Air Charter Guide/Charter X survey. Of 102 U.S. operators and brokers that responded, 73 percent reported increased business, 16 percent said demand was unchanged, and the remaining 10 percent saw revenues decrease.
Established in 1988, C.A.L.M. Systems, Inc. (Computerized Aircraft Log Manager) says it has delivered maintenance software to over 450 aviation companies throughout the world with continually accepted input and advice from its customer base in 45 countries. C.A.L.M. updates all components on airframes, attached engines and auxiliary systems with a single entry of flight time, Hobbs meter reading or depart/arrive time.
``We haven't seen any of the reputed synergies that our competition has seen. And they seem to be seeing less of them now.'' AMR Chairman Don Carty on American Airlines' disinterest in creating a fractional jet ownership program. (In a February Wings Club address)
Skyway Airlines, the regional affiliate of Midwest Express Airlines, says it will defer deliveries of the Embraer Regional Jets it has ordered until January 2004. The airline originally planned to debut the new aircraft this month. Midwest Express Holdings, parent company of the two carriers, announced in April 2001 firm orders to purchase 20 new Boeing 717s and 20 ERJs. Skyways will initially fly the 44-seat ERJ140 but can revise the order to include other ERJ variants such as the 37-seat ERJ135 and 50-seat ERJ145.
Jet Aviation will team up with the Almulla Business Group to provide business aviation services in Dubai. Jet expects to open a facility there this year. Amulla Business Group is a holding company formed to attract new enterprises to the United Arab Emirates. It is owned by the Almulla family of Dubai, which also has major interests in luxury hotels and medical facilities.
Hysteria seems to have overcome members of the New York press corps amid reports that Mayor Michael Bloomberg got some PIC time in an NYPD Bell 412 helicopter on a routine flight between Staten Island and the Bronx. The billionaire mayor was unconcerned, telling reporters it's no big deal -- ``I fly helicopters more sophisticated than that all the time that I happen to own.'' The billionaire mayor's fleet includes an Agusta A109E and a Dassault Falcon 900B.
Standard Aero is scheduled to open, this month, a new General Electric CF34 engine maintenance facility in Winnipeg, Canada. The new center will offer in-house component re-manufacturing and refurbishments that meet or exceed the OEM's specifications. ``Our main focus surrounding this new facility and all of our present repair facilities is to ensure our processes reduce our customers' direct operating costs as well as deliver a product that is consistent with all safety and quality standards,'' said Paul Soubry, Standard Aero president.
