Trans States Airlines' regional jet service to three Trans World Express destinations is a casualty of the recently completed TWA and American Airlines merger. Trans States says scope clause restrictions in American Airlines' contract with its pilots mandates a reduction in the number of regional jets it can operate on behalf of the St. Louis carrier. Embraer ERJ-145s on Trans World Express flights connecting St.
Honeywell's engine division has reported that its E-Engines Web site, an online engine support and analysis service, has enrolled operators of more than 630 TFE731 and CFE738 engines -- more than half of its Maintenance Service Plan (MSP) customers.
Vaguely analogous to downshifting a car rather than using brakes to slow down, thrust reversers use engine thrust to slow the aircraft and reduce the stress associated with stopping. Besides saving wear and tear on brakes and tires, thrust reversers can reduce pilot stress -- if we understand the system and use it properly. When the runway is short or the braking conditions less than optimum, having an additional tool to help decelerate while sizzling down a short strip of slick tarmac can help put a pilot's mind at ease. Thrust Reverser Basics
The Greater Washington Aviation Open Raised $83,000 to benefit the Corporate Angel Network (CAN). The May tennis and golf outing, now in its 13th year, attracted nearly 300 participants from the Washington D.C.-area aviation community. Event sponsors included EADS, Inc., the Airline Pilots Association, Aerolink Transportation, Lockheed Martin Air Traffic Management and HMS Host.
Dassault Aviation, Teterboro, has named Anthony Hulsebus and George Marsh as field service representatives. In addition, Dassault has received the FAA's Diamond Award for maintenance excellence at its new Wilmington, Del., East Coast service center.
Overall quality of engine bleed-air used to pressurize and ventilate commercial aircraft cabins was found to be ``excellent,'' according to a preliminary study commissioned by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE). Conducted by Germantown, Md.-based ENERGEN Consulting, Inc., and released this winter, ASHRAE Research Project 959 identified volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other contaminants suspected of entering aircraft through bleed-air systems.
If imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, Executive Jet's Richard Santulli and the other practitioners of fractional aircraft ownership must have gotten a big kick out of hearing United Airlines' plans to jump into the fractional fray.
Onboard weather radar systems are the primary tools for avoiding thunderstorms. But even when we steer clear of the cells, we can find ourselves slam-dancing in unexpected turbulence. Here are a few tips and reminders for navigating around thunderstorms and avoiding the worst of the rough air:
Among the standards that Wyvern Aviation Consulting applies to charter operator audits are these: Training of pilots in a full motion-base simulator at least once a year. Use of an approved minimum equipment list. A formal safety program for the operation. ``And it has to work, that is, it has to be actively practiced,'' Wyvern president Walt Lamon said.
FBO managers are worried about new airport certification and security regulations that will affect procedures at over 605 airports and impact the majority of operators using these airports' FBOs. The rules are to take effect in spring 2002. ``This is ridiculous. The new security procedures will require us to staff the gate 24/7 and nearly fingerprint everyone who wants access,'' said one FBO manager.
Few business aircraft offer a more complete standard avionics package than the BBJ. Six, eight-by-eight-inch Honeywell flat-panel displays adapted from the Boeing 777 are prominent in a panel mostly populated by traditional 737 controls and switches. Notably, the displays reflect Boeing's ``less is more'' design philosophy. They are uncluttered and the symbols and numbers on the displays are comparatively large. Single-cue or cross-pointer flight director symbology is available.
Imagine this. You're on a typical business trip. You awake from a full night's sleep in a queen-size bed, jump into the shower for 20 minutes and then get dressed to join your management team for a power breakfast. Before the meeting, you and your associates might check in with the home office for messages, download your e-mail and turn to CNN Headline News for an update. During breakfast in the conference room, key staff members make multimedia presentations. It's just another routine day en route to Paris aboard a Boeing Business Jet.
The FAA's manager of flight standards in the Eastern Region, Nick Sabatini, is now director of Flight Standards at the agency's Washington headquarters, replacing Nick Lacey, who was reassigned. Lacey is expected to be involved in implementation of an FAA plan for airspace management and new equipment certification. He also will continue his involvement in international safety issues.
Flight Services Group, Stratford, Conn., has appointed Capt. Roger Wanamaker as its chief pilot. FSG also has named Capt. Peter Budd as its director of safety.
The movie ``Moscow on Hudson'' contains a scene in which newly arrived Soviet defector Vladimir Ivanoff enters a New York supermarket looking for ``the coffee line.'' He's directed to Aisle 2 and when he turns the corner, he begins hyperventilating. He'd expected to find some sad sack of mealy, dried out beans because that had always been his experience in Mother Russia. Instead he discovers shelves towering with cans, jars, and bins heavy with coffee -- ground, freeze dried, pulverized and roasted -- from every corner of the world.
The heat index combines the relative humidity with the actual air temperature to give an effective heat measure. Exposure to full sun can increase the heat index by 15F. A heat index of 80F to 90F (27C to 32C): Fatigue is possible with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity. A heat index of 90F to 105F (32C to 41C): Sunstroke, heat cramps and heat exhaustion are possible with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity.
If the next fleet addition is a Boeing Business Jet, the first issue the lucky director of maintenance must resolve is sheltering it. With a 112-foot wingspan, nose-to-tail length exceeding 110 feet and a tail soaring 41 feet above the tarmac, the BBJ is too much of a good thing for most standard business jet hangars. ``It's like trying to jam a fat woman into a pair of size-two pants,'' said one operator. ``You might get the feet in, but the tail is going to stick out the door.''
The Aircraft Electronics Association, Independence, Mo., has hired Ric Peri as its governmental affairs director, replacing Terry Pearsall and Charles Fellows.
Nav Canada has agreed to help in the fight against air traffic congestion, signing a memorandum of understanding with the FAA to open some Canadian airspace to U.S. traffic. The MOU was struck after the FAA worked with the Canadian organization on staffing and workload issues, but FAA Administrator Jane Garvey said, ``they were very open to it.'' The MOU, she said, already is paying off: Nav Canada recently accommodated 300 aircraft within Canadian airspace that otherwise would have been stuck on the ground during bad weather.
The first Avro RJX regional jet made its 2:54 maiden flight on April 28 from the BAE Systems airfield at Woodford, Cheshire, United Kingdom. This first (new build) aircraft is an RJX-85; the mid-size member of the 70 to 100seat RJX family. The RJX will be the first aircraft in service powered by Honeywell AS977 engines.
Safety guru and statistician Bob Breiling, president of Robert E. Breiling Associates, offered the following list of questions to ask when selecting a charter operator: How long have they been in business? Who insures them, if not Lloyds or a major U.S. insurance carrier? How much liability insurance do they carry? (Breiling recommends more than $5 million.)
ExecutiveJet Management, Woodbridge, N.J., has named Albert Pod as its president and CEO. Prior to this position, Pod served as executive vice president.
A major high-altitude manifestation of turbulence comes in the form of clear air turbulence (CAT). The difficulty in dealing with CAT is that we often don't know it's there. Without visual signposts or solid precipitation, we don't see it through the windscreen or on our weather radars. Instead, we rely on forecasts, pilot reports and a few rules of thumb.
TAG Aviation, San Francisco, has appointed Capt. Larry Edeal as its director of flight standards. Edeal has served as the company's lead captain for a TAG client for over two years, and holds an ATP rating for airplane, rotorcraft and is type-rated in several corporate aircraft. During his army aviation career in Vietnam Edeal was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Distinguished Flying Cross while operating a Huey Cobra gunship.
