The looming maintenance technician shortage caused by alternate industries gleaming the workforce is forcing maintenance managers to reexamine A&P career paths and consider new strategies for retaining technical personnel.
Most people in business aviation know Grumman as the original manufacturer of the Gulfstream business jets. However, the Long Island-based company, which was founded in 1930, first came to prominence by producing outstanding naval aircraft, from the TBF Avengers and F6F Hellcats of World War II to the F-14 Tomcats that operate from U.S. aircraft carriers today. The durability of these and other fighter, patrol and transport aircraft built by the ``Grumman Ironworks'' is legendary -- ``a Grumman will get you home,'' was an aphorism among naval aviators.
Raytheon Aircraft and Rockwell Collins have joined forces to sweep the clutter out of the Hawker 800XP cockpit. Indeed, were it not for the Hawker's familiar ``ram's horns'' yokes and distinctive glareshield shape, some might mistake the revamped layout as one belonging in an all-new aircraft. Four, 10-by-eight-inch flat-panel displays dominate the instrument panel of the Hawker 800XP fitted with Pro Line 21 avionics, replacing the old aircraft's high-tech-antique mixture of five small CRTs and almost two dozen ``steam gauges.''
Aviation industry groups urged air charter providers to change the way they assess taxes on their services, but vowed to continue to fight a recent U.S. Internal Revenue Service determination that some officials estimated could cost operators ``hundreds of thousands of dollars.'' The IRS recently issued a technical advice memorandum (TAM) to a Minnesota-based on-demand air carrier that called for the operator to assess the $2.75 air transportation segment fee on a per-passenger basis rather than on a per-aircraft-chartered basis.
The NBAA will honor Experimental Aircraft Association founder Paul Poberezny and Myron Collier, a former chief pilot and long-time designated pilot examiner, with annual service awards at this year's Annual Meeting and Convention in New Orleans. Collier is slated to receive the John P. ``Jack'' Doswell Award, recognizing ``lifelong individual achievement on behalf of and in support of the aims, goals and objectives of business aviation.'' Collier, a 33,000-hour pilot, served as chief pilot/manager of operations at Cyclops Corp.
Moya Lear, wife of aviation pioneer Bill Lear, recently was honored by Mercury Air Centers during a stopover at Addison Airport (ADS), Texas. Mrs. Lear was on her way to the National Air and Space Museum to accept an Aviation Week Laurel Legend award on behalf of her late husband. Mrs. Lear's trip, in a 1969 Learjet 24B operated by Flexjet, was sponsored by Mercury Air Centers, Best AeroNet, Chevron and the Town of Addison. Making the trip with Mrs.
Peter Russo, an aviation safety auditor for Aviation Research Group/US (ARG/US), honed his trade evaluating airlines contracted by the U.S. Department of Defense as troop and cargo carriers. He and his colleagues at the Air Force's Air Carrier Survey Office at Scott AFB, Illinois, developed a set of standards for auditing the pool of some 200 commercial operators that sell airlift services to the armed forces. ``The country needs really robust carriers in case of a war situation,'' Russo told B/CA.
United Airlines' revelation in May that it plans to operate a fractional business jet network may mark the beginning of a trend among commercial carriers keen on profiting in the burgeoning business aviation market. United says it hopes to sell shares in 200 large-cabin jets over the next five years; other airlines may follow
Wessex Aerospace in the United Kingdom has acquired the entire inventory of Britten-Norman Islander parts and structures from the former Islander plant in Manila, Philippines. The move marks Wessex' bid to become the dominant parts source for the estimated 800 Islander piston twins still flying worldwide. Previously, Wessex had acquired Islander parts from Britten-Norman's ex-Middle Eastern and Asian distributors.
Insight Instrument's TAS 1000 True Air Data Computer System provides pilots with information based on real-time measurements of airspeed, altitude, temperature, fuel flow, heading, ground speed and track. Designed to interface with many GPSes, the TAS 1000 unlocks data pages in most GPS navigators. In addition to its inflight advisory function, the unit also can serve as a backup altimeter, airspeed indicator or fuel-flow meter.
Delays at other New York-area airports have triggered an apparent ``business aviation renaissance'' at Waterbury-Oxford Airport (OXC) in central Connecticut. An FAA contract air traffic control tower begins operations at OXC this month, and Keystone Aviation, the airport's main FBO and charter service, is in the midst of a $17 million expansion project.
Clothing has a great effect on your body's ability to maintain and regulate heat. The ideal warm weather clothing is lightweight and loose fitting, since that helps circulate the air near the body. A light color will help reflect the sun's rays. Even when wearing the right clothing, heat loss is retarded until the clothing becomes wet and evaporative cooling can proceed.
SkyAir TimeJet, a fractional leasing program operating five Pilatus PC-12s, is up and running in Switzerland. The company claims 14 customers and plans to take delivery of another pair of the single-engine turboprops in 2002 to meet expected demand.The man behind SkyAir TimeJet is Juerg Fleischmann, who is also founder and CEO of Lions Air, a charter outfit based in Zurich. He said the new fractional ``is designed for small and medium-size companies that wish to avoid busy international airports and make use of over 2,000 airfields across Europe.''
Despite pressure from airlines and pilot unions, the FAA plans to stick to its long-standing interpretation of pilot flight time and rest rules. The rule effectively mandates a 16-hour duty day for all domestic crews operating under FAR Parts 135 and 121. The FAA said it plans to review airline schedules in six months, and "deal stringently with any violations it discovers." The agency said each flight crewmember must receive at least eight hours of rest in any 24-hour period that includes flight time.
Australia is planning comprehensive trials of an Automatic Dependent Surveillance -- Broadcast (ADS-B) system, with an eye towards national deployment by late 2002. The action marks the first large-scale use of the traffic management and collision avoidance tool outside the United States, where freight carrier UPS has pushed ADS-B development as a means of streamlining hub operations.
The FAA has downgraded Panama's civil aviation authority to Category 2, meaning the country no longer complies with ICAO international safety standards. The change means that Panamanian carriers with scheduled service to the United States may continue those operations under heightened scrutiny from the FAA but may not expand their service. As long as Panama retains its Category 2 status, no additional carriers may initiate service to the United States. Exceptions apply to Panamanian operators wet-leasing aircraft from a U.S.
The FAA has issued an emergency airworthiness directive covering Rolls-Royce AE3007 turbofan engines used on Embraer ERJ-145 and ERJ-135 regional jets because of reports of ``rapid failures of the No. 1 bearing'' in the engines. According to the agency, Embraer notified it of ``a design problem with the No. 1 bearing . . . this can lead to an event involving smoke in the cabin, followed by an uncommanded inflight engine shutdown.
Rapid Response Systems -- presently serving the airlines, FBOs and the military -- has added a full line of stainless-steel defuelers ranging in size from 250-gallon to 2,000-gallon capa-city. The FTS-250 SS, with a 250-gallon holding tank, is capable of de-fueling, storing and refueling all types of aviation fuel and is equipped with the appropriate filters for particulates and water. The fuel tanks are mounted on a steerable, wheeled chassis with grounding wires, sump drain and flow meters.
Flight department managers and chief pilots are eligible for a new continuing education scholarship from ExxonMobil and its Avitat affiliates. The annual $5,000 award may be used to pay tuition for one of several approved courses, all intended to improve management skills, which the sponsors say, are ``vital to the safe and efficient operation of a flight department.'' The companies already offer a continuing education scholarship program for schedulers and dispatchers.
Chautauqua Airlines, America West's new code-share partner in Columbus, Ohio, will help the Phoenix-based carrier expand service from its eastern hub. In August, the regional carrier will inaugurate service between Columbus and Atlanta using Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets. Indianapolis-based Chautauqua also operates code-share service for TWA and US Airways with a fleet of ERJs and Saab 340s Of the 26 Saabs, 20 are flown for US Airways Express; the rest are employed on the TW Express code share.
Private Sky Aviation Services, Fort Myers, Fla., has named Tony Singleton as its business manager and worldwide customer support. In addition, John Davis has joined the company as its maintenance service center director and Joe Timm has joined the company as its chief inspector.
These three graphs are designed to be used together to provide a broad view of the Boeing Business Jet's performance. Do not use these data for flight planning. For a complete operational analysis, use the Approved Aircraft Flight Manual, Operational Planning Manual and other flight planning data supplied by Boeing Business Jets.
The IAI Westwind 1124A (N50PL) had begun its descent into Teterboro (TEB) after a five-hour trip from Seattle. Weather in the New York area was good -- VMC with 10 miles visibility. It was December 12, 1999. The New York Center sector controller hurried the crew along, clearing the eastbound flight to cross Wilkes-Barre VOR at 18,000 feet and minutes later adding an instruction to cross MUGZY intersection at 6,000 feet. It's a slam-dunk procedure familiar to business jet pilots who frequent TEB. The crew acknowledged both transmissions.
The U.S. Department of Justice approved General Electric's planned $43 billion acquisition of Honeywell, subject to only a few conditions. The two companies have agreed to a plan under which Honeywell would sell its military helicopter engine unit and add additional third-party maintenance providers for certain Honeywell engines and APUs in the United States. Although the Justice Department action seems to move the mega-acquisition one step closer to reality, significant hurdles remain in Europe, where the European Commission has raised numerous concerns.
