The Canadian government plans to back Bombardier's planned sale of up to 150 regional jets to U.S. carrier Air Wisconsin, escalating the ongoing Brazil-Canada dispute over aircraft export subsidies. If all options are exercised, the sale is valued at $3 billion. The action follows a December 2000 World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that cleared Canada to retaliate against Brazil for the latter's continued use of ProEx (PromoteExports), a government backed, low-interest loan mechanism Embraer has used to promote sales.
Design similarities and differences between the Bell/Agusta 609 and the MV-22 tiltrotor have the potential to affect market acceptance of the civilian version of the tiltrotor in the wake of the latest MV-22 crash on December 11, 2000. The MV-22 accident was apparently caused by a hydraulic malfunction, according to a report in the January 1 issue of Aviation Week&Space Technology.
Honeywell shareholders have voted in favor of the company's proposed merger with General Electric. The company said approximately 74 percent of Honeywell's outstanding shares were voted in favor of the merger. The companies say they still expect to conclude the merger in the first quarter of this year, subject to federal regulatory approvals. Michael Bonsignore, Honeywell's chairman and chief executive, is slated to step down from official duties following the deal's closure, although he will remain a consultant to GE at an annual salary of $3 million for two years.
The FAA in January launched its new Automatic Dependent Surveillance --Broadcast (ADS-B) technology in the Bethel area of Alaska, beginning what it called ``one of the most innovative air traffic tracking technology advancements since the advent of radar.'' ADS-B will enable air traffic controllers to provide a number of ATC services to small aircraft that operate in remote regions where such services have not been available.
Transport Canada has awarded an Aircraft Type Certificate for the 70-seat variant of Bombardier's Canadair Regional Jet. U.S. type approval is expected in the near future. The CRJ700 series will enter service with French regional carrier Brit Air in the spring. Other CRJ700 buyers include American Eagle, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Comair, GECAS, Horizon Air, Lufthansa and Maersk Air.
Eurocopter aims to expand its presence in Eastern Europe by joining forces with IAR Brasov, a Romanian manufacturer that has marketed western helicopters in Romania. Eurocopter Romania, the new joint venture, will sell and support the entire Eurocopter line, while assuming a portion of Eurocopter's manufacturing load.
If you're looking for information that goes above and beyond a standard flight manual, then you might consider reading the second edition of John Lowery's Professional Pilot. This book guides you through unforeseen events that can plague an aviator from takeoff to landing, and is filled with tips/techniques for pilots who operate aircraft ranging from light twins all the way up to transport category. Professional Pilot addresses scenarios that include flying after scuba diving, inflight fires, hydroplaning and icing problems. Price: $36.95
Sporty's is now offering the Sigtronics S-8 headset for the taller pilot. Since the main support for the headset is located out of the way, behind the pilot's head, the S-8 headset can be worn comfortably in a cockpit where headroom is an issue. The S-8 has the same features as the S-40 headset, including gel-filled ear seals and an M-90 electret microphone. The headset comes with a five-year warranty and is made in the United States. Price: $259.00 Sporty's Pilot Shop Clermont County Airport Batavia, Ohio 45103-9747
Signature Flight Support, Orlando, has named Nicole Adas as customer relations manager for the company's West Palm Beach International Airport facility. Adas comes to Signature from Raytheon Aircraft Services in Tampa, Fla., where she served as the customer service supervisor.
A Piper Aerostar piston twin was destroyed and all four people aboard were killed when the aircraft crashed on December 31, 2000 in British Columbia. The 602P, N88AT, was registered to Skyline Ranch Investment Co. and was en route from Salt Lake City. The aircraft had been cleared for an instrument approach to the Penticton, B.C. Airport, but struck terrain at an elevation of about 5,100 feet msl in the Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park north of Penticton. The terrain in the park has a maximum elevation of 5,164 feet.
CitationShares -- the fractional ownership partnership between TAG Aviation and Cessna -- has ordered Safe Flight 50 N1 computers for use in its planned Citation fleet.
Of all the helicopters produced by Sikorsky during the last 60 years, perhaps none has been as important to the advancement of the civil rotorcraft industry as the S-61. Although the versatile twin-turbine commercial helicopter first flew 40 years ago, more than 80 percent of the 136 civil S-61s built by Sikorsky through 1980 remain in service today, flying for airlines, offshore oil support companies, and logging and utility operators.
George Thorogood can sing the blues. His ballad ``I Drink Alone'' underscores a serious problem in our society. If you prefer to be by yourself with your dear old granddad (the liquid type) or with your old buddy weiser (in a can), chances are you have a drinking problem. If you're an alcoholic, know that alcoholism is one of the oldest medical problems in society and that you're not alone. The disease doesn't invalidate your past success as an airman. If you recognize the symptoms and want to stop (self-diagnosed) there are no shortages of paths to take.
Air BP assumed operational control of commercial refueling at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The move is the result of an agreement between Air BP and Sunoco, the former airport refueling operator, under which Air BP will supply jet fuel and manage refueling operations at the airport.
Rockwell Collins' Pro Line 21 Continuum has been certified for use aboard Gulfstream II and IIB aircraft. The installation includes the Collins FDS-2000 Flight Display System, which also is available and certified for the G-III. Duncan Aviation completed the installation and STC for the aircraft depicted.
Make sure that the supply of components becomes a contractual commitment and not subject to availability as is sometimes the case. Also, if the service provider cannot supply from his own stock ensure that he will supply from an alternative source in the same timeframe at no additional charge to you. You might want to consider operating with a smaller inventory of only ``stopper'' items relying on back-up from the provider's base stock.
Well, Hersch, the fat lady done sung in Tallahassee, the army of lawyers are schlepping home with bulging wallets and, for the second time in the history of our great nation, we will have father and son presidents, the first time being the family Adams. John Adams (1735-1826) was the first vice president under G. Washington and the second president, beating out ole Tom Jefferson, who made it the second time around.
Are foreign pilots with poor English skills a threat to U.S. air safety? Probably, though the way the FAA collects data on ``near miss'' incidents makes it nearly impossible to prove. Such was the conclusion of a recent study by the DOT's investigative arm, triggered by an April 2000 letter from then Congressman Bob Franks. Franks' letter cited a ``disturbingly high incidence of international pilots flying in U.S. airspace who are unable to communicate with air traffic controllers due to inadequate knowledge of the English language.''
The American Airlines DC-9-82 was climbing through 9,000 feet on November 29, 2000, in an area of moderate rain showers after a routine departure from Reagan National Airport (DCA) on an IFR flight plan to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW). It was dark -- 1753 EST -- when the cockpit crew was startled by a bright flash on the right side of the aircraft. The pilots scanned the instruments looking for trouble while the smell of burning insulation drifted into the cockpit. The instrument indications were normal.
Have you ever joked about alcohol destroying brain cells? Dr. Barton Pakull, the FAA's chief psychologist, says medical research has ample evidence that alcohol does just that. By the time alcoholic pilots reach their 50s, as they lose brain cells naturally to aging, the additional loss due to alcoholism significantly affects their critical decision-making ability. You need that additional reserve for complex thinking and for the stresses of an emergency. The older you are the less helpful it is to drink.
FlightTime, a charter operator based in Waltham, Mass., signed promotional and marketing agreements with two professional golfers for the company's ``Freedom Plan,'' which ``enables travelers to enjoy the benefits of private jet ownership without an up-front, long-term capital investment,'' FlightTime said. Professional golfers Doug Tewell and Mike Weir bought 75-hour and 100-hour packages, respectively, that permit them to fly that many hours each year.
Finnair says it has ``started a process'' to create a new regional carrier for the Baltics, and as a link between Estonia and Finland. At least some of Finnair's nine ATR-72-200s are likely to fly for the new venture, which has been named Aero Airlines -- the name Finnair took when it first flew in 1923. Aero's ownership structure has yet to be finalized; Finnair says it is searching for Estonian partners to fulfill the requirement that local interests maintain majority ownership.
United Technologies unit Hamilton Standard closed in January on its acquisition of Claverham Group, Ltd., a United Kingdom-based supplier to the European aerospace defense industry. Hamilton Standard said the acquisition will enhance its ability to offer ``an entire line of actuation products for flight control systems.'' Claverham builds secondary mechanical actuation systems, which are used to move flaps and other control surfaces. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Transport Canada has reduced the maximum speed of the Bell 407 from 140 knots to 100-110 knots as a result of the fatal Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. (PHI) accident that occurred on December 29, 2000 in the Gulf of Mexico, south of Sabine, Texas. Prior to this incident there were three non-fatal accidents in which the tail boom was severed by the tail rotor, resulting in the same speed restrictions. After installation of airspeed-actuated pedal stops, the 407's original 140-knot design speed limitation was reinstated.
