In the waning hours of his term of office, President Clinton launched a new, ``performance-based organization'' (PBO) within the FAA that could one day oversee the nation's air traffic control system. Designed to alleviate mounting air traffic congestion, flight cancellations and delays, this new Air Traffic Organization (ATO) will have a five-member governing board and a chief operating officer with a financial incentive as outlined in the AIR-21 legislation passed in 2000.
When the subject of cabin environment comes up, the most frequently asked question among business aircraft operators is, how do you protect the interior of the aircraft from the coughing passenger?
Elliott Aviation, headquartered at Quad City International Airport (MLI) in Moline, Ill., has introduced a redesigned Web site that offers better navigation and several new interactive sections.
Fairchild Dornier, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, has promoted the following employees: Manfred Leimkuhler, vice president and assistant general counsel Germany; Milan Racic, vice president and assistant general counsel USA; Peter Platsch, vice president of procurement and service contracts; David Nixon, vice president of contracts management.
Unison Industries will supply engine nacelle harnesses for Falcon 2000EX air-craft under the terms of a new agreement with the Nordam Group's Nacelle/Thrust Reverser Systems Division.
Boston's Logan International Airport (BOS) is reviewing the feasibility of building a 5,000-foot runway to accommodate aircraft up to the size of regional jets. The airport panel agreed that further studies needed to be conducted on the proposed runway and alternatives to it.
Edited By Paul RichfieldMike Vines, in Zhuhai, China
The embryonic Asian Business Aviation Association (ABAA) is expected to name a board of directors when the group meets next in Beijing, People's Republic of China later this month. Once active, the ABAA plans to be business aviation's primary voice with Asia's various civil aviation authorities and other government agencies. It also plans to promote business aviation in the region while encouraging safety and efficiency.
A new series of Internet addresses may soon be available for aviation-oriented businesses and individuals. The Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which overseas technical and procedural regulation of the Internet, has approved .aero as a new domain name for the World Wide Web.
The FAA has selected human factors researcher Dr. Christopher Wickens as the recipient of its annual Excellence in Aviation award. Wickens, who heads the Aviation Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois, has written hundreds of articles, book chapters and scientific papers on human factors in aviation safety and served as chairman of the FAA's Panel on Human Factors in Air Traffic Control Automation.
Jet Aviation, West Palm Beach, Fla., has made the following appointments: Patrick Coval as senior vice president/purchasing; Cecil Rodriguez as international controller; William Stuck as vice president of maintenance and outfitting; and Brian Wilson as the West Palm Beach avionics manager. Martin Bernegger was named vice president/general manager of the European charter division in Zurich, Switzerland.
Pratt&Whitney Canada has appointed National Airways Corp. (NAC) of Johannesburg, South Africa, as a recognized maintenance facility for the PT6A, PT6T and JT15D engine models. NAC's staff is authorized to perform line and light maintenance, hot-section inspections and minor repairs.
More than 40 years after co-founding the company, Electrosonics President Robert A. Kauffman has retired. Now a wholly owned subsidiary of Garrett Aviation Services, Electrosonics installs cockpit upgrades and inflight entertainment systems at facilities in Columbus, Ohio, and McKinney and Addison, Texas. Garrett executive Geoff Hunt will assume Kauffman's former duties as Electrosonics' vice president and general manager.
Saab Aircraft has selected Rockwell Collins Aviation Services (CAS) to provide support and maintenance for the Collins avionics aboard Saab 340 A/B and Saab 2000 aircraft enrolled in Saab's Parts Exchange Program. CAS service centers in the United States, Europe, Australia and Asia will provide the support under the five-year, price-per-flight-hour contract, which extends through 2005.
Canadian Aerospace Group expected to receive in late December 2000 the first of 16 firm Harbin Y12-IV turboprops it ordered from the Chinese manufacturer. The 19-seaters will arrive in Canada with Pratt&Whitney Canada PT6A-27 engines, but Thunder Bay, Ontario-based CAG plans to upgrade these to the more powerful -34 standard before marketing the aircraft as the Twin Panda.
Priester Aviation, located at Chicago's Palwaukee Municipal Airport, is planning to build a new FBO facility at PWK beginning in the spring or summer. ``It all hinges on when the airport begins construction of the 16-34 parallel taxiway, and that is a function of funding,'' said Mike Pryor, account executive administrator at Priester.
Much talk in Washington these days is focused on the effect the incoming George W. Bush administration could have on the aviation industry, infrastructure modernization and FAA/DOT policy. Based on the new president's statements and voting record as the governor of Texas, some industry lobbyists believe he is likely to support modernization, resist user fees and back increased funding for airports. Others say it's too early to tell.
SkyWest Airlines says weather and air traffic control problems will ``impact'' earnings for its latest fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2000. The St. George, Utah-based carrier says it canceled 2.5 percent of its West Coast flights in November due to bad weather, compared with its average weather cancellation rate of one percent. During October, software problems at the FAA's Los Angeles and Oakland Centers led to SkyWest canceling 3.5 percent of its West Coast flights.
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey has awarded pay raises of 3.7 to 5.3 percent for agency staffers this year. Included in the 5.3-percent rise is a 1.6-percent bonus to eligible employees as a result of the FAA meeting its Organizational Success Increase (OSI) goals in 2000. The OSI criteria include performance goals in safety, security, system efficiency, customer satisfaction, financial management and work environment.
Within the next 60 days, the NBAA's directors will decide whether to take a seat at the ATC collaborative decision making (CDM) roundtable along with other major users of the national airspace system.
The FAA has awarded an STC to Midcoast Aviation for installation of Honeywell's AIS-1000 OneView Airborne Information System on Bombardier Challenger 604s. Installation time is about three weeks and can be performed at Midcoast's St. Louis Downtown-Parks facility.
