Reno/Tahoe International Airport's ``B'' Concourse will be renamed in honor of William and Moya Lear. Thomas J. Gribbin, chairman of the Airport Authority of Washoe County, Nev., called the renaming ``a fitting tribute for two aviation pioneers whose contributions to the Reno community have had a long and lasting impact.'' Airport officials also plan to display artifacts from the Lear family archives in an exhibition on the newly named concourse.
Deutsche Structured Finance (DSF) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the purchase of 50 Bombardier CRJ regional jets, plus options for 30 more. A definitive purchase contract is expected shortly for the firm order, which includes 30 70-seat CRJ700s and 20 86-seat CRJ900s. Model selection for the optional order is pending, but could include 50-, 70- or 90-seat CRJs. The firm order portion of the MOU is valued at $1.5 billion, with deliveries slated to begin in first quarter 2003 and extend through mid-2009. The option portion is worth around $1 billion.
``The term `sound' is used to describe the mechanical radiant energy that is transmitted by pressure waves in a medium [solid, liquid, or gas]. Sound waves are variations in air pressure above and below the ambient pressure, which describes the sensation perceived by the sense of hearing. All sounds have three distinctive variables: frequency, intensity [level], and duration,'' says Melchor J. Antunano, M.D., director of the FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute.
The FAA has added a comprehensive listing of Airworthiness Directives (ADs) to its Web site. Compiled by the agency's Flight Standards Service, the searchable listing includes all ADs from the 1940s to the present. The site can be accessed directly at www.airweb.faa.gov/rgl or through the FAA's home page at www.faa.gov.
AirNet Systems ordered five Cessna Caravan Super Cargomasters to replace a similar number of twin-engine pistons in its fleet. The Caravans, scheduled for delivery through 2003, join AirNet's mixed fleet of Learjet 25s and 35As, Piper Aerostars and Navajo Chieftans, Beech Barons and Cessna 310s. Initially the new aircraft will provide additional lift, but they will ultimately replace the Aerostars. The Columbus, Ohio-based air cargo carrier lauded the Caravan's ability to carry four times as much cargo as the Aerostars and at similar speeds.
Honeywell pushed back the certification schedule for its new AS900 engine program until early 2002 to incorporate what company executives called ``durability and maintainability'' enhancements. At the same time, Honeywell reorganized the management of the program and tapped 20-year company veteran Mike Redenbaugh to become vice president and general manager of the newly formed ``AS900 Enterprise.'' The decision to let the schedule slip came after company executives discussed the enhancements with
Photograph: Richard T. Santulli CEO, Executive Jet, Inc. A Brooklyn-raised mathematician, Richard Santulli ran Goldman Sachs Leasing Corp. before buying Executive Jet in 1984. Two years later, he began marketing NetJets, the original fractional aircraft ownership program and an idea of his own invention. Berkshire Hathaway acquired Executive Jet in 1998, leaving Santulli, 56, in charge. 1 NetJets has been phenomenally successful, but weren't there some hard times? Santulli: We were in big trouble in 1990.
Security of your aircraft at an unfamiliar airport could be improved if you spend the time to ask the appropriate people the right questions. This task can easily be accomplished by using a handler such as Universal Weather or Air Routing, but can just as easily be performed by your own flight operations personnel.
Fire Combat has introduced a compact, high-capacity fire-fighting rig designed for small airports and FBOs. Called Uni*Fire, the rig has enough capacity to provide up to seven minutes of continuous discharge. Along with the dry chemical and propellant, the Uni*Fire has a quick opening control valve, 50 to 300 feet of high-pressure hose, a fast-rewind hose reel and nozzles. The rig can carry from 500 to 2,000 pounds of dry chemical (Purple K, Monnex, A/B/C), which is propelled from nitrogen tanks. The rig comes standard in high-visibility red, white or yellow.
Twinjet Aircraft Sales Ltd., the operators of an Airbus A319 Corporate Jetliner out of Luton, England, has named Aviators of Bangalore to act as its exclusive representative in India. Aviators Managing Director Capt. Arun Sharma believes that the A319CJ will prove to be an ``invaluable tool'' for large corporations and senior management teams since it can fly direct to European business centers such as London or Paris from Bangalore or Hyderbad.
Movie reviewer David Manning is easy to please. The flicks need only be produced by Sony to win his approval. You see, Manning is the fictitious character concocted by Sony marketers to gush about the company's latest offerings. When the ruse was recently discovered by Newsweek, there were lots of red faces at Sony. Elsewhere in Tinsel Town there was much head scratching since studios know raves are easy to come by -- just invite a no-name reviewer from a no-name publication on an all-expense-paid junket.
Please note the following corrections to the Business Airplane charts in the May 2001 Purchase Planning Handbook: Cessna Citation CJ1 MMO 0.710 Cessna Citation CJ2 Wing Loading 46.9 Cessna Citation Encore Certification Basis FAR 25 1988/94/00 Cessna Citation Excel Remarks Weight and performance figures reflect APU installation.
The NBAA joined the National Air Transportation Association in opposing a recent Internal Revenue Service finding that air charter companies should pay the $2.75 segment fee on a per-person basis rather than on a per-aircraft-chartered basis. The NBAA issued an alert warning its members of the IRS technical advice memorandum (TAM) that stems from a dispute involving a small Minnesota operator that the IRS was auditing.
On July 16, Platinum Air Charter Executive 2000 will begin scheduled service between London's Biggin Hill Airport and Paris-Sergy-Pontoise airport, 18 miles northwest of Paris. Platinum became an airline at the end of February when it took over Comed Aviation's Blackpool/Isle of Man/Belfast routes; it subsequently added Biggin Hill to the route structure. The company operates five 18-seat Jetstream 31s along with two Raytheon King Air B200s, one King Air C90 and a Citation II on charter.
A friend whose son recently upgraded from turboprops told me that after inspecting his new jet, the young man said ``Oh, and it's got HF installed. I hope I never have to turn that on.'' Many pilots -- particularly ones who have been flying internationally for a couple of decades -- share an aversion to high frequency (HF) radio. It harkens to the era when long-range transports had a flight engineer, a navigator and a radio operator (invariably called ``Sparks'') to fill the flight deck behind the pilot and copilot.
Williams International is considering retrofitting the venerable Jetstream 31 turboprop with Williams FJ44 turbofan engines, but outside funding is needed before the project can go forward. The J31 proposal calls for two FJ44 engines, each producing 1,900 to 2,400 pounds of thrust, to be installed mid-wing, replacing the aircraft's Garrett TPE331 turboprops. A Williams executive said a pair of FJ44s may be had for ``under a million dollars.''
The U.S. Navy is considering replacement of its aging T-39 trainers with new production aircraft. The T-39s are versions of the Sabreliner business jet, and the replacement aircraft likely would be a business jet as well. ``We're right at the beginning of this,'' a NAVAIR spokesman said. ``All we're doing is . . . [seeing] what's out there in the commercial world that can meet these specifications . . . Show us what you've got.'' The Navy operates 25 T-39s -- 17 N models and eight G models.
American Aviation has been granted an STC for a Ram Air recovery system, which it claims will boost speed, improve fuel efficiency and increase cruise altitudes for Raytheon King Air 90 Series aircraft. Operators will realize an average 20-knot speed increase when used with American's speed stack kit, the manufacturer says. The mod is currently available for King Air C90s and E90s, while a kit for the F90 is still awaiting FAA approval. Fort Dodge, Iowa-based Clement Aviation and Midwest Aviation Services of Ottumwa, Iowa, have been named factory dealers for the mod.
The Yes watch brings the nuances of solar and lunar time rhythms back to you, together with sophisticated digital and mechanical time-keeping methods. Pilots and travelers can make sure they experience the first rays of the sun wherever they are, and golfers will know how to squeeze in another round before the sun sets. The Yes watch keeps digital and mechanical time, and can display in a.m./p.m. or 2400 hour clock format. It also is programmed to keep time for 500 cities worldwide, display accurate sunrise and sunset times, and show month, date and day.
By Richard N. Aarons Boeing, FAA Unveil ATC Plans System could meet capacity demands for next 15 years.
Government airspace system planners are studying a proposal put forth by Boeing in June to launch a satellite-based ATM/CNS system that would augment the FAA's proposed space-based traffic control concept. The commercial aircraft maker asserts its system is not an attempt to create a privatized commercial ATC system, but rather to expand system capacity.
Duncan Aviation has published ``Straight Talk About TAWS,'' a 32-page booklet on the FAA's requirements for installation of terrain awareness and warning systems (TAWS). The free booklet discusses the TAWS rule, the differences in the technologies and how it will affect operators and flight departments. For a copy, contact Duncan Aviation at (800) 228-4277 or via e-mail at [email protected].
Amid fears that ultra-wideband devices could ``cause significant harmful interference'' to the global positioning system, a coalition of aviation, communications, and satellite companies and organizations called on the Federal Communications Commission to develop a licensing system for the devices. In a letter to FCC Chairman Michael Powell, the group asked that the commission create licensing guidelines after conducting extensive testing to determine their operational characteristics. Such devices are currently unregulated.
After-market spares specialist Heico Corp. and American Airlines parent AMR Corp. are forming a joint venture to produce and sell aircraft engine parts. The business is designed to provide a revenue-producing alternative to higher-priced spares offered by General Electric, Pratt&Whitney and other manufacturers of the most popular airline turbofans.
Eaton Aerospace is developing a new technology to protect electrical systems for U.S. civilian and military aircraft that could drastically reduce the chance of electrical shorts resulting in cabin and cockpit smoke or fires. The Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) uses integrated circuitry to analyze when arcing or an intermittent short circuiting problem occurs. When sensed, the AFCI isolates or de-energizes the circuit from the rest of the system, reducing any further damage.
