You'll probably go through your whole career without ever experiencing anything as dramatic as a rapid depressurization. Much more likely is a scenario in which a passenger requires therapeutic oxygen. If you're lucky, properly trained attendants onboard the aircraft will spring into action. If you don't have a flight attendant, then it will all come down to you.
Not all of Comair was grounded by the Air Line Pilots Association strike. The pilots for Comair Jet Express, the carrier's air charter arm, are nonunion and they continued to fly the operator's three Bombardier Challenger 604s, along with its Learjet 35 and 60 and Cessna Citation II and CJ1. While United Airlines has been getting a great deal of attention for entering the business aviation sector, Delta Air Lines has actually been involved with corporate aviation since acquiring Comair in January 2000.
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has established a new Fractional Aircraft Business Council to represent the interests of fractional operators. Founding members of the new NATA council are Alpha Flying, Bombardier's Flexjet, Cessna CitationShares, Executive Jet's NetJets, Flight Options, HeliFlite Shares, Raytheon Travel Air, Sikorsky Shares and United Airlines' still-unnamed fractional program.
-- Always service the oxygen system with aviation (Grade A) oxygen. Other grades contain sufficient moisture to cause ice formation at the reduced temperatures found at high altitude. -- Never allow an oxygen system to be serviced by other than a specially trained technician. Improper servicing or use of inappropriate lubricants can lead to catastrophic system failures. A ``clean hands'' policy should be observed when inspecting or servicing the oxygen system.
The British government plans to commission a major study of aircraft noise -- the first since the Aircraft Noise Index Study was undertaken in 1985. The investigation will focus on the perceived relationship between noise levels and annoyance, sleep disturbance at night and the value of lower noise levels relative to other environmental factors. Three recent government-sponsored studies on sleep disturbance also will be taken into account within the new study.
Raytheon's Premier I received FAA certification for single-pilot operation and flight into known icing in late May. Flight-testing for icing was completed in April, using actual and simulated icing conditions. The certifications were among the last major events of Hansel Tookes' short stint as Raytheon Aircraft chairman and CEO. First customer delivery of the Premier I was planned for mid-June -- just prior to the Paris Air Show. Raytheon, which had originally hoped to deliver 36 of the light business jets this year, is now reassessing its delivery plans for 2001.
Charter broker Air Partner has begun providing a worldwide executive jet service specifically for British Airways passengers. The new business will complement BA's flight network, the airline said, enabling customers to charter an aircraft onto their final destination, wherever that may be. The company claims that booking a business jet is as ``easy as renting a car.'' Four categories of aircraft -- turboprops and small, medium and heavy jets -- are available at daily rates for a block of miles to keep pricing simple.
``Expressions of interest'' to build and operate the new Athens International Airport's FBO are closed, and ``requests for proposal'' are to be submitted by August. Sparta FBO Project Manager Kyriakos Papathanassiou declined to provide a short list of the bidders, saying the information is ``commercially sensitive.''
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has won the contract to build a new international airport in Hyderabad, India. The Andhra Pradesh State government approved the undisclosed bid to MAHB, beating out offers submitted by Zurich Airport Real Estate and Siemens AG. The first stage of the four-stage project involves the construction of an 11,280-foot runway that should be completed in 2008. Currently, MAHB is licensed to operate and manage 19 airports including all the commercial airports in Malaysia.
Reduced ambient pressure has a number of effects on human physiology. For some of these, supplemental oxygen can resolve the symptoms. For others, there is no readily available remedy.
The ultimate goal for the P180's designers was to produce a vehicle that delivered maximum performance and passenger comfort. They succeeded handsomely. But achieving those worthy, often conflicting, objectives always comes at a price -- one that in the Avanti's case is paid by the maintenance technicians.
FAA has tapped Lockheed-Martin to develop a new satellite-based air traffic system. The two-year, $200 million contract provides for installation of the new Advanced Technologies and Oceanic Procedures in Oakland and Anchorage. The technology is intended to increase efficiency by reducing air traffic separation and enabling more direct routings.
The AOPA is claiming victory in the fight against a 1998 Pennsylvania law restricting which airports could get state and federal funds. A Pennsylvania court overturned the law, which the AOPA claims targeted four airports and gave suburban Montgomery County the power to veto improvements to federally or state-funded airports. One of the targeted airports is embattled Philadelphia-area Wings Field, the AOPA's birthplace. The AOPA, the NBAA and other organizations filed a friend-of-the-court brief against the provision.
While U.K. ATC privatization took a step closer to reality, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and Air Transport Association Senior Vice President Ed Merlis reassured a meeting of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) that they are opposed to privatizing the U.S. air traffic control system. Both said that air traffic control should remain a government function.
By Paul Richfield, in Teterboro, N.J. Super Falcon Detailed The FNX will look similar to the 900EX but will have an eight-foot stretch and feature an all-new wing.
Dassault is conceding the 6,000-nm ``global'' business jet market to others, choosing instead to fill a perceived gap directly below that class with a fly-by-wire trijet that's larger and farther ranging than any previous Falcon. The French manufacturer's Falcon Next, or ``FNX,'' will be a large-cabin trijet designed to carry eight passengers at 0.8 Mach for 5,700 nm -- farther than the G-IVSP and Challenger 604, but not quite the distance of the G-V/Global ultrajets.
The first BBJ2 is now undergoing completion at an undisclosed completions facility and is expected to enter service in early 2002. Three additional BBJ2s are being fitted with fuel tanks at PATS in Delaware before heading for their completions work. Meanwhile, the BBJ1 was to make its first appearance at the Paris Air Show. One of the most visible BBJs, formerly owned by Atlas Air and flown by its founder, the late Michael Chowdry, has been sold by the airline to an unidentified operator.
Oxygen. O2. The breath of life. It's all around us, and yet only rarely do we give it a second thought. But in the event of sudden cabin depressurization or a fire in flight, survival may depend on the proper functioning of the aircraft's oxygen system. And if the system hasn't been maintained correctly, or crew skill in operating it is rusty, those aboard could find themselves waiting to inhale -- though not for long. Oxygen Requirements and Human Physiology
Business aircraft movements at England's Farnborough Airport were up 20 percent in the first three months of this year and total corporate movements are forecast to hit 17,000 by year-end. That accounting comes from Len Rayment, vice president operations at TAG Aviation, Farnborough, who added ``We are seeing new names every week. I haven't checked if we have lost other regulars but our market share in the U.K. is definitely going up, with TAG Farnborough taking business away from Heathrow and Luton.''
Loud, sustained music is a known cause of hearing impairment and tinnitus. Rock legends Pete Townshend and Ted Nugent have suffered substantial hearing loss and are now campaigning for hearing conservation. According to Nugent, who has worn an earplug in his right ear since 1967: ``My left ear is there just to balance my face, because it doesn't work at all.''
When it comes to flying, not all oxygen is the same. Oxygen is available in various grades, including aviation (Grade A), industrial/ medical (Grade B) and technical (Grade C). Although all are safe to breathe, only Grade A is safe to use for aircraft oxygen systems. Both Grade A and Grade B are required to be 99.5-percent pure and must meet specific criteria for acidity, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, halogens and other oxidizing substances. The key difference is in the moisture content.
Flite Guide 3500 is an electronic charting system that is designed to provide fast access to charts using Jepp-View software. The 7.0-by- 5.25' high-resolution color display can be read in direct sunlight and can be dimmed so night vision is not impaired. Flite Guide 3500 uses Windows 98, is capable of supporting moving map software and will interface via serial cable with most GPS devices. The charting system comes with an external 24x CD-ROM drive, battery pack, AC power supply/adapter, internal modem, wireless keyboard and six stylus pens.
``The most successful regional carrier in the country is being dismantled in front of everyone's eyes. There are no winners at this point, or in the foreseeable future. It's just sad.'' Bradley Bartholomew, airline pilot and labor consultant, commenting on Comair strike. New York Times ``They'll just take it up to a place in the Bronx and chop-shop it.'' Prudential Securities analyst Nicholas Heymann speculating on a Honeywell future without GE. Business Week ``Crash Lawyers Like Boeing Move.''
