Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corp. completed a second SJ30-2 airframe and moved it from the company's headquarters building where it was assembled to the structural test facility on the opposite side of San Antonio International Airport. The static test unit, which will be fitted with an extensive instrumentation package, is the second of five SJ30-2 airframes to be assembled for FAA certification testing. The No.
Columbia Air Services, located at Connecticut's Groton-New London Airport (GON), has opened a new FBO facility at Allaire Airport (BLM) in Belmar, N.J. The contract with BLM provides exclusive rights to the new FBO and fueling operation. Columbia said Bill Reber, manager of the GON facility, will oversee the management and transition of the Allaire facility. Columbia specializes in line services, maintenance, avionics, charter/management and aircraft sales, and recently was appointed the Northeast distributor for Socata Aircraft's TBM 700 turboprop.
Faced with mounting delays, the FAA is accelerating efforts to redesign the airspace around the New York and Phila- delphia metropolitan areas. Under the system being contemplated, aircraft will rely mainly on their onboard FMSes for navigation, and less on ground-based navaids and fixes. Satellite positioning systems including Automatic Dependent Surveillance -- Broadcast (ADS-B) also are expected to gain new importance. This technology will permit additional routes to be placed closer together than now.
Bombardier Aerospace delivered its 600th production Dash 8 aircraft, a Q300 model, to Air Nippon Co. Ltd. (ANK) of Tokyo, Japan on March 6. This milestone was reached just a few weeks short of 18 years from the original rollout on April 19, 1983. Both the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet and Dash 8 Q100 already are in service with Japanese carriers, and in March, Japan's Civil Aviation Bureau certified the Q200 and Q300.
Moody's Investor Services predicts the regional jet and general aviation industries will continue to prosper for several years, but warns of a potential overcapacity problem for airframe manufacturers. ``Demand for corporate/business aircraft will . . . be strong,'' the ``Global Aerospace/ Defense Industry Outlook'' says. Positive factors include continued growth in the economy -- albeit at lower rates than in recent years as U.S. economic growth slows -- and the introduction of new models by several manufacturers that will stimulate demand.
House aviation leaders asked the FAA to accelerate a study on air taxi operations that they said will ``provide essential analytical data for safety and oversight of the FAR Part 135 on-demand air charter industry.'' Mandated by Congress in comprehensive aviation legislation adopted in 2000, the study will analyze the size and type of aircraft fleet, hours flown, utilization rates, safety record by aircraft type, sales revenues and airports served by the air taxi fleet.
America West Express, operated by Mesa Air Group, started CRJ200 operations between Phoenix and Stockton, Calif., on February 28. The three times daily service saves San Joaquin Valley residents a long drive to the more crowded airports in the Bay area.
Flight Explorer has released Professional Version 3.0 of its PC-based, real-time, graphical aircraft situation display (ASD) and management tool for schedulers, dispatchers and operators. The system enables the user to monitor diversion alerts and animated weather, calculate distance bearing and find detailed airport information. The software operates on a personal computer linked to the Internet. The system is designed to track any aircraft operating in the United States or Canada and lets the user identify and track a constant set of aircraft.
The University of North Dakota's Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences will begin offering a new Aviation Master's Degree program in August. The degree is intended to prepare graduates for careers in corporate or general aviation, the airlines or airport management and includes coursework in management, aviation regulations, human factors and labor relations. Enrollment in the two-year program also will be available for online learning beginning in January 2002. Further information is available at www.aer.und.edu/avitms.
Business aviation tenants at New York's Westchester County Airport (HPN) are being given a no-win choice: Agree to pay fines for violating the voluntary curfew, or risk being denied renewal of their lease at the county-owned facility. ``This is tantamount to extortion,'' one tenant complained.
Jet Aviation at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport (TEB) has implemented a new software program called FOS/NT used to support the company's flight operations, charter and maintenance planning. The software is designed to quickly process customer requests and gives information such as charter quotes, crewmember availability, aircraft tracking, scheduling and costs.
General maintenance for the PA-46-500TP Meridian has been simplified by the bonding of the all-metal fuselage and multi-sectional wing. The process is performed in an autoclave and causes the ribs to permanently adhere to the structure. Advantages of this type of construction include decreased weight because of the lack of rivets and increased strength. The main drawback comes when any major structural repair is necessary.
Bombardier Aerospace's CRJ900 prototype made its maiden flight on February 21, from Montreal's Mirabel International Airport, on what crewmembers described as a ``flawless initial flight'' for the stretched aircraft. The prototype was taken to FL 350, was airborne for two hours 54 minutes and basic maneuverability and initial systems checks were tested.
American Eagle is to launch three nonstop flights per week from its Caribbean hub of San Juan, to Bonaire, a popular diving and wind-surfing destination. The service is scheduled to start on June 2.
Keystone Helicopters has completed an expansion of its West Chester, Pa., headquarters. Designed to accommodate Sikorsky commercial helicopter completions, the facility includes a new downdraft paint booth as well as fabrication, composite and dedicated parts shops. Company President Peter Wright, Jr. says Keystone recently delivered a third factory-new S-76 ahead of schedule and continues to hire new personnel for the expanded operation.
Before entering World War II, America's major contribution to the Allied effort was providing its future brothers-in-arms with the guns, warships and warplanes they so desperately needed to combat the Axis powers. However, one of the most important advances in aviation technology -- the gas turbine engine -- was shipped from Great Britain to America just months prior to Pearl Harbor.
General aviation achieved a record low accident rate in 1999, according to the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's just-released 2000 Nall Report. Examining accidents involving fixed-wing aircraft weighing less than 12,500 pounds, the Nall Report found that low-level maneuvering, and flight into adverse weather accounted for the vast majority of all accidents.
Flight testing has begun on Garrett Aviation Services' Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) program for straight-wing Cessna Citations. The Tempe, Ariz.-based company placed six aircraft into the program and hopes to receive FAA certification later this year. Garrett also has a Falcon 10 RVSM package in development and in 2000 received certification for its Gulfstream II RVSM package. Citations covered include 500, 501, 550, 551, S550 and early 560 models.
Concerns over a shortage of commercial pilots in Alaska has led to renewed congressional debate over extending the mandatory retirement age for FAR Part 121 pilots past age 60, renewing a campaign that stalled in 2000. On March 15, the Senate Commerce Committee voted 13-8 in favor of legislation that would raise the maximum age for commercial airline pilots from 60 to 63; the bill also authorizes the FAA to mandate medical and cognitive testing for applicable pilots.
Belfort Instrumentation has released DigiWx, an automated local weather reporting system that can be queried by a handheld digital display unit for preflight and inflight use. Designed for installation at airparks, glider ports, seaplane bases, heliports and private airfields, DigiWx uses state-of-the-art sensors to provide real-time, aviation quality data that can be accessed by the handheld unit as far as 10 miles away. The DigiWx system can be customized to provide minimal or extensive weather information.
Stevens Aviation, Greenville, S.C., has named Christopher Crum as its president and chief operating officer. Prior to Stevens, Crum served as vice president of Garrett Aviation's Houston facility, and was responsible for overseeing the maintenance, modification and refurbishment activities.
Bombardier Aerospace, Montreal, Canada, reports that Chip Abbott, pilot for American International Aviation, is the 250th graduate of its Global Express pilot training program.
