Survival Flight, Ann Arbor, Mich., lead mechanic George Davis has received a Certified Medical Transport Executive (CMTE) designation from the Association of Air Medical Services.
Downturn? What downturn? Exec-Air at Hancock International Airport (SYR) in Syracuse, N.Y., has opened a $2.5 million 33,000-square-foot maintenance and avionics hangar, and is pushing hard to fill it. ``When we designed the facility we wanted to have the capability of bringing in an Airbus A319,'' said Mark Geremia, ExecAir president. ``We currently perform maintenance and fueling services for Delta, Continental and United, and have a variety of maintenance and flight services for corporate and single piston operators.''
Japan Aviation Services has advised that new flight-tracking procedures, primarily intended to contain aircraft noise, are now in effect at Narita. Corridors have been established along the approach and departure centerlines of Runway 16/34. The corridors are 4.5 km (2.4 nm) at their widest point and extend approximately 15 km (8.1 nm) from the airport. Source: Air Routing
We were three hours out of JFK when I started kicking myself for turning down an exhibitor's offer of an empty seat aboard their aircraft bound for the Paris Air Show. Not literally, of course -- I could hardly have managed it with my feet pinned under a pile of food and drink-splattered carryons and a fully reclined seatback three inches from my face.
Construction of the first FBO for newly named Liverpool John Lennon Airport started in late July and is due to be completed by early December. Ravenair unit Liverpool Aviation Services will run the new facility, which includes a VIP lounge, conference room, and operations and crew room facilities. Jeff Nuttall, Ravenair's managing director, said the FBO will have its own dedicated fuel supply for Jet-A and avgas. The company said it relocated from Manchester International Airport to Liverpool due to construction of Manchester's second runway.
The Aviation Employee Placement Service (AEPS), an online employment service, has scheduled two additional AirFair career fairs. The first, in the Chicago area, is scheduled for August 17 and 18 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. AEPS also plans an AirFair at the Phoenix Civic Plaza in Arizona on September 21 and 22. AirFairs feature recruiters from a variety of aviation employers, including manufacturers, fractional operators, and regional and major airlines.
JetServe PDK, a new independent FBO, has opened for business at DeKalb Peachtree Airport (PDK) outside Atlanta and will exclusively serve transient corporate and private jet aircraft, their passengers and crews. The 5,000-square-foot terminal facility has a ``country-club style'' decor and a 10,000-square-foot hangar for use by visiting turbine aircraft. Future plans for the FBO include development of two adjacent acres for additional parking and hangar space.
Galaxy Aviation has broken ground on three 12,000-square-foot hangars at its Witham Field (SUA) headquarters in Stuart, Fla. Stuart's proximity to West Palm Beach and the area's brisk demand for corporate aviation facilities led to the need for expanded facilities, the FBO says. Each hangar also will have attached office space for lease to corporate operators.
If you've been flying professionally for a while your hangar-flying repertoire probably includes tales of a lightning strike or two. If your encounter was like most of the thousands that occur around the world each year, the event was scary, but benign. You, your passengers, the airplane and its systems probably escaped none the worse for wear.
Photograph: David Hurley, CEO, PrivatAir Group When Geneva-based PrivatAir acquired Flight Services Group earlier this year, it installed FSG founder Hurley as head of the entire operation. PrivatAir now manages or owns 57 aircraft, including three BBJs, a Boeing 757, a 737-300 and five FBOs. 1What are you going to do with all those Boeings? Hurley: Executive charter, board meetings and special events. We're already booking for the Athens Olympics in 2004. We see great potential in the shuttle business.
Saab Aircraft Leasing and Piedmont Hawthorne are teaming up to market corporate versions of the Saab 340A and 340B turboprops. Piedmont Hawthorne is reconfiguring one of the leasing company's aircraft as a corporate demonstrator, which it expects to be completed this fall. Like many turboprops in the regional airliner market, the Saab 340 is out of production. Saab, like other turboprop manufacturers, is scrambling to find new applications for aircraft in their portfolios such as corporate short-haul shuttles.
Eclipse Aviation has pushed back the development and certification milestones for its Eclipse 500 jet a few weeks, saying the move will allow more efficient use of the company's financial resources.
For any aircraft with a 4,000 nm-range traveling from Anchorage, Alaska, to Beijing, China, use of G212 is recommended due to its 95-percent reliability. If nonstop operations are not an option, consider using Khabarovsk as a fueling stop because it is located beneath G212 and is approximately two hours from Beijing. Note: The airport is closed from 1300 to 1500 hours local time. Source: Air Routing
Getting a handle on costs, and what drives them, is increasingly important in today's business environment, where managers face seemingly constant pressure to provide safe, efficient and cost-effective transportation. The Operations Planning Guide is a complement to the May Purchase Planning Handbook, and is intended to be used as a tool for developing and analyzing flight department activity and budgets. The operating cost data presented in the following tables are optimized for use as a benchmarking tool for analysis of your own costs.
MD Helicopters, Inc. (MDHI) recently sold the first two Explorers earmarked for the Indonesian offshore oil support mission, and the first two Explorers to enter the U.S. law enforcement market have joined New York's Suffolk County Police. The company expects to build 65 aircraft this year, including 27 Explor-er twins, and nine additional Explorers will be completed at MDHI's Mesa, Ariz,. plant.
Sikorsky now expects certification of the S-92 in November 2002. The flight test program has amassed more than 600 hours, including 50 on aircraft No. 5, the first to incorporate all of the airframe modifications since the start of the program. If the flight testing and development proceed according to the manufacturer's current schedule, 100 aircraft will be delivered in the first five years after certification, including seven in 2002 and up to two dozen in 2003.
ATR, manufacturer of the ATR 42 and 72 turboprops, believes that the virtual collapse in demand for regional turboprops is over and that the market has now stabilized. The company still faces fierce competition for market share from Bombardier and from the glut of used turboprops forced into retirement by the seemingly insatiable demand for regional jets. The company anticipates an annual market of 60 aircraft and is hopeful that the high cost of oil may force operators to reconsider turboprops for short-haul routes.
The Philippine government has announced a level-five alert for the area around Mayon Volcano in Albay Province. This alert level reflects the eruption in progress, frequent quakes, tremors and intense geological unrest. Philippine government officials have advised residents within the permanent six-km-radius danger zone to resettle to safer areas. Source: Universal Weather
DuPont Sontara window wipes were designed exclusively for use on aircraft windshields and passenger windows. The wipes are manufactured with tiny apertures in the fabric that create absorbent channels that help pull away dirt and grit, reducing the potential for scratching sensitive surfaces. DuPont also offers the Sontara production and maintenance cloth for all manufacturing and maintenance surface cleaning, preparation and bright work applications.
Trans States Airlines and Chautauqua Airlines will continue to provide regional jet service for American Airlines at the former TWA hub in St. Louis. Under the terms of the new multi-year deals, each of the regional carriers will deploy as many as 35 Embraer ERJ-140 aircraft on American code-share flights. American is still negotiating the terms of Trans States' turboprop feeder service contract in St. Louis.
A group of armed men abducted a U.S. businessman residing in Acapulco. The precise date of the abduction is unknown. The kidnappers, driving two separate vehicles, intercepted the businessman's car while he was driving along Acapulco's Miguel Aleman waterfront and forced him into one of their vehicles. The businessman has reportedly been living in Acapulco and operating his own real estate company since 1964. Source: Air Security
King Mswati III of Swaziland declared a state of emergency in June without explaining his decision. Under the state of emergency, bails for many crimes are eliminated, newspapers cannot contest publishing bans and the King is granted power to jail anyone who voices criticism against him. Human rights groups are seeking legal measures to overturn the decree because of the sweeping powers it gives to the King. Source: Air Security
Dassault Aviation is teaming with the French aerospace research institute Onera to pursue new development projects including quiet-aircraft technology that could resurrect plans for a supersonic business jet (SSBJ). Specifically the Dassault/Onera team will look at lowering drag, which would cut fuel consumption and reduce cabin noise caused by aircraft vibration. ``Development of a supersonic corporate jet may also result,'' the company said.
