A new regional fractional ownership program serving the Southwest has begun operation, with ultimate plans to add the Sino Swearingen SJ30-2 once the jet is certified. Dallas-based SevenBar, an SJ30-2 distributor, created the Ascend program with a pair of used Raytheon Beech King Air B200s. A one-eighth share in the King Air is priced at $287,500. Pricing for the Sino Swearingen jet has not been established. The SJ30-2 is currently undergoing flight testing and is expected to be ready for certification in 2002.
The Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA) has warned President Bush that ``a devastating shortage of certificated and experienced maintenance technicians is looming.'' In a March letter to Bush, PAMA urged a number of education and liability changes to improve ``this situation.'' Coincidentally, the General Accounting Office -- Congress' investigative arm -- will study the potential ``bow wave'' of retirements and resulting labor shortage of aviation maintenance technicians. Acting at the request of Rep.
Parks College of Engineering and Aviation, in St. Louis, has restructured its FAR Part 147 program to offer a certificate-only airframe and powerplant (A&P) curricula. Available starting in July, the new program will enable technicians to complete training in 13 months as compared to its original two-year program. In addition to a reduction of time, the new program also lowers the cost of training. The A&P program will be housed independent of the university's undergraduate facilities at Amelia Earhart Hall.
The European Commission has delayed General Electric's planned Honeywell acquisition, at least temporarily, while it considers the possible competitive implication of the deal. The commission expressed concern that the merger might ``significantly'' reduce competition in the market including the possible bundling of jet engines, avionics and non-avionics. The EC action could postpone the merger by as much as four months. GE originally hoped to close the deal in early March.
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways has become the second airline customer to use the Learjet 45 for advanced pilot training in the Asia Pacific region. Cathay's order is for one aircraft plus one option for its newly developed advanced pilot training program. The initial aircraft will enter the flying program in the third quarter of this year. The Model 45 will be operated and maintained by BAE Systems Flight Training (Australia) Pty Ltd. on behalf of Cathay, at its flight school at Parafield near Adelaide in South Australia.
World health experts advised long-haul air passengers and their doctors to take steps to avoid deep vein thrombosis. The potentially deadly blood clot had been called ``economy class syndrome'' following the deaths of several coach passengers disembarking from intercontinental flights in cramped coach seats on airliners. At a March meeting of the World Health Organization's cardiovascular unit, doctors concluded that all long-haul travelers and sedentary workers are at risk.
Since warning time before impact with basic GPWS could be less than a minute, you must be prepared to immediately perform the proper escape maneuver. Specific procedures will vary for different aircraft and according to performance characteristics. However, a sample GPWS recovery technique follows. The pilot flying must: 1. Pitch immediately to 20 degrees nose up, honoring stick shaker. If the RA is still decreasing, continue pulling to the pitch attitude it takes to match the terrain.
Putting an end to speculation that began shortly after last year's convention in New Orleans, the NBAA has decided not to expand the gathering beyond its current three-day format.
Saying he was ``exploring new ways to sell aircraft,'' Mike Curtis, owner of Quincy, Ill.-based Curtis Aviation Services, attempted earlier this year to sell a used Falcon 10 jet on eBay. Although the aircraft didn't sell, Curtis says he got ``three offers within $100,000'' of the asking price and the posting received almost 10,000 curiosity seekers. He has since placed a Cessna 310 on the online auction service and is awaiting the final result of that auction.
Lynton Aviation Aircraft Sales of the United Kingdom has ordered two more Raytheon Premier I's, bringing its total to seven aircraft valued at around $35 million. Lynton's original orders go back to 1998/99 but will start to come to fruition with the first Premier I delivery to the United Kingdom this month. Lynton, part of BBA Aviation's European network, is the U.K. Master Dealer for Raytheon/Beechcraft prop aircraft and sales representatives for the entire range of jets.
The airline passenger count in the United States will hit the one billion mark by 2012, according to the FAA's Annual Commercial Aviation Forecast, which was unveiled in Washington in March. The agency expects regional passenger enplanements to almost double from 79.6 million passengers in 2000 to 154.1 million in 2012. To accommodate the extra passengers, regional jet use is forecast to grow from 569 aircraft in 2000 to 2,190 in 2012.
Shuttle America, the first new U.S. regional carrier to emerge under the FAA's new ``uniform'' certification guidelines has reached profitability three years after its inception. The Windsor Locks, Conn.-based company is serving secondary markets like Boston's Hanscom Field (BED), Buffalo, N.Y. (BUF) and Trenton-Mercer County, N.J. (TTN), and says it now is poised for expansion toward the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic states.
The aircraft we flew for this report, 560-0539, was the first Encore off Cessna's assembly line. The cabin was fitted with optional high-gloss wood laminates on the cabinetry, 117 VAC cabin power outlets, MagnaStar 2000 radio telephone, passenger briefing system and various other upgrades. The middle passenger seats are the only seats that can be adjusted fore and aft and turned 180 degrees. Thus, they can be adjusted to form forward club or aft club seating configurations.
Heavily backed by Motorola Inc., Iridium LLC launched a galaxy of 74 telecommunication satellites in low earth orbit (LEO) designed to provide mobile, primarily voice, communication. The venture became an expensive (more than $5 billion), embarrassing flop. Following a bankruptcy filing in 1999, the service was closed down in spring 2000, leaving nearly 50,000 subscribers, including a few aviation clients, with expensive but useless equipment. Honeywell was the only major avionics firm to design and build Iridium avionics.
Raisbeck Engineering is testing a new aft fuselage for the Gulfstream IV that can serve as a locker or add 2,200 pounds of fuel capacity. An owner/operator survey is currently underway, the company says. and preliminary results have resulted in a favorable response to the product. According to Raisbeck, the locker can carry an additional 1,500 pounds of baggage or cargo, and the fuel cell can increase cruise range by 45 minutes.
The mergers and acquisitions that have taken place in the aerospace industry since the end of the Cold War have dramatically changed the corporate landscape. For example, in 1997, Boeing (which had already taken over Rockwell's military business) acquired long-time rival McDonnell Douglas, reducing the number of American large jetliner manufacturers to one. In Europe, home of the Airbus consortium, Aerospatiale, CASA and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace joined together to form the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. (EADS).
CitationShares, the $20 million fractional ownership venture between Cessna and TAG Aviation USA, has commenced operations at Westchester County Airport (HPN) near White Plains, N.Y. Launched in summer 2000 with an order for 50 new Cessna Citations, CitationShares is based on Cessna's 50-percent acquisition of TAG StarShares, the turboprop-oriented fractional business Wayfarer Aviation had started before TAG's U.S. unit bought the Rockefeller family's former flight department in 1999.
Runways are urgently needed to handle relentless aviation growth, and environmental reviews that slow airport development must be accelerated, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, in his first major policy address since taking office, told an ``Aviation Summit'' at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Reiterating themes voiced during his confirmation hearing, Mineta in late January said he wants to pursue the idea of having state and federal environmental reviews conducted simultaneously.
Westjet Air Center, Rapid City, S.D., has completed construction of its 27,200-square-foot heated hangar facility. The new hangar has the capability of holding a Gulfstream V and Global Express size aircraft at the same time. Westjet Air Center is a full-service FBO, located at the edge of the Black Hills of South Dakota, near Mount Rushmore.
D-Zolve GL 15-33 is billed as an environmentally safe aircraft paint stripper, which can be used on aluminum, magnesium, stainless steel, carbon steel, cadmium-coated steel and titanium. The paint stripper removes several layers of aircraft paints with cross-linked polyurethane topcoats including epoxy, polyurethane, fluid resistant BMS and desothane as well as topcoats with high solid content fluoride. D-Zolve is a non-embrittling, non-flammable and non-acidic chemical that contains no chlorinated components or peroxides.
A venture led by New York City-based Loral Space&Communications Ltd., Globalstar Telecommunications LP of San Jose, Calif., was under great financial pressure in 2000. Speculation was so strong that in November, Bernard L. Schwartz, Loral chairman, issued a statement to reassure customers and service companies that the venture would continue to receive its support and that of its partners. More recently, the company defaulted on its debt, giving rise to speculation that it would be forced into bankruptcy. Investment to date exceeds $1.5 billion.
AIG Aviation, a member of international insurer American International Group, has tailored an insurance program for fractional aircraft owners. The program, AIG said, ``offers aircraft owners a broad coverage package, providing greater risk management flexibility.'' It allows fractional owners to specify coverage for liability in excess of the primary policy for aircraft liability, non-owned aircraft liability, contingent aircraft physical damages and liability, and diminution of value.
These three graphs are designed to be used together to provide a broad view of the Encore'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 Cessna Aircraft Co.
