Canada's CAE received the Governor's Awards for its work in flight training technology at the annual Interservice/Industry Training Simulation and Education conference in Orlando
My midday meeting was 1,000 miles away and since B/CA has yet to take delivery of its Gulfstream Express BCJ EX, I bought a ticket on an early morning flight out of homeport, Westchester County Airport. It was still dark when we dozen sleepy pilgrims shuffled aboard the Comair RJ. I took my window seat and groggily watched the lighted digital clock on the terminal wall count down to push-back, which occurred right on schedule. Presently, we were climbing into a star-filled sky.
TheAviationHub.com will release its Service Procurement System (SPS) in February, which enables operators to purchase fuel, FBO services, ground transportation and catering through the Internet.
U.K. regional Maersk Air has converted options on two Bombardier CRJ700 regional aircraft into firm orders. The carrier now has five orders for the 70-seat jet
New air traffic management philosophies bring new terminology. Here are a few of the acronyms you will be using in discussions about the place of the business/ corporate aviation community in the airspace. You'll also find some familiar terms that survive into the new age of ATM. AAR -- Airport Acceptance Rate or Airport Arrival Rate. The number of arrivals an airport is capable of accepting each hour. ADS -- Automatic Dependent Surveillance. A space-based ATC system destined to replace the radar-based ATC system currently in use.
The FAA says it is launching a year-long study of how large transport aircraft are certified and monitored during their operational life. In announcing the initiative, FAA Administrator Jane Garvey said the study will ``give us a fresh look at the entire life cycle of airplane safety.'' A team of experts will examine the safety factors used in the design, construction, certification and operation of new transport aircraft.
BFGoodrich Aerospace has introduced its Skywatch HP traffic advisory system featuring a 20-mile surveillance range and a 15-mile display range. The increased power of the system adds an effective closure rate of 1,200 knots, allowing aircraft traveling at speeds of up to 600 knots to effectively track each other from a greater distance. Skywatch also has enhanced its output options such as an ARINC 429 EFIS output and ADS-B for Free Flight air traffic management requirements.
North American Jet, located at Palwaukee Airport in Wheeling, Ill., will expand its hangar and office space in first quarter 2001. The new construction will add 25,000 square feet of hangar storage space and increase the ramp space to more than 175,000 square feet. Kenneth Ross, North American Jet president, said the expansion will allow them to provide, ``unparalleled line service, ease of access to our FBO and increased maintenance facilities to ensure that our customers' needs are addressed.''
A U.S. Air Force (Lockheed) C-130H struck a mountain ridge during departure from Jackson Hole Airport (KJAC) in Jackson, Wy., on August 17, 1996 just before 2300 local time. The aircraft, carrying one of the U.S. Secret Service's presidential communications limos, was destroyed, and eight crewmembers and one Secret Service agent were killed. According to the U.S. Air Force Accident Investigation Board as reported by the Flight Safety Foundation, ``The crash of Havoc 58 [the call sign for the flight] was caused by crew error.
Jetflite, the Helsinki, Finland, air charter and ambulance service, has taken delivery of a new Bombardier Challenger 604 with seating for 18 and a retrofitted Dassault Falcon 20 F-5. The operator is in the midst of a fleet renewal program, having sold off its Hawker 700 and Challenger 600 aircraft .
A number of regulations pertain to the use of PEDs aboard aircraft. Federal Aviation Regulations 14 CFR 91.21, 121.306 and 135.144 all prohibit the use of a PED on an aircraft unless it has been determined that the device will not cause interference with the aircraft's navigation or communication systems. These rules provide exceptions to allow the use of portable voice recorders, hearing aids, heart pacemakers and electric shavers, and do not apply to private aircraft flying under VFR.
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey will be the keynote speaker at Women in Aviation, International's (WAI) annual conference on March 22-24, 2001 in Reno, Nev. Garvey, making her second appearance at the event in three years, is expected to discuss the challenges of managing a 49,000-person agency, as well as career opportunities in aviation for women. The 2001 conference theme is ``Leadership Strategies for Women in Aviation,'' and will feature educational and career seminars, career recruitment, an exhibit floor and a silent auction.
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey says the general public is ``worried'' about aviation safety and that aviation professionals should try harder to correct their misconceptions.
Barfield, Miami, has promoted Frederic Denise to vice president of sales and marketing promotions. John Rogers, former director of sales, was promoted to vice president of customer support.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge has authorized funds for development at seven public-use airports in the commonwealth. Recipients include airports in Bedford, Berks, Blair, Elk, Erie, Montgomery and Westmoreland Counties for projects ranging from corporate hangar construction to terminal rehabilitation and sewage system design. The grants come on the heels of a recent study showing aviation's direct and indirect contribution to Pennsylvania's economy.
The FAA has proposed a $2.5 million civil penalty against one of the largest aircraft hose suppliers, for allegedly failing to report thousands of minor product design changes. It is alleged that Parkin-Hannifin's Dallas-based Stratoflex division made 16,770 unreported design and/or nomenclature changes to various aircraft hoses over a 12-year period, and continued to ignore the FAA's reporting requirements after learning it was under investigation.
Regional airline traffic continued to increase in the first six months of the year, based on Regional Airline Association and AvStat Associates statistics. Revenue passenger miles increased 20 percent over 1999, with load factors rising to 62.3 percent and average trip length topping 292 miles. Regionals carried 40.5 million passengers in the survey period, with the top 20 carriers accounting for 91.6 percent of those carried. The gap between the top three carriers -- American Eagle, Comair and Continental Express -- and those in the bottom of the top 20 continued.
MD Helicopters has sold the first MD Explorers for use in the potentially lucrative U.S. law enforcement market. New York's Suffolk County Police Department has ordered two of the twin-turbine helicopters, scheduled for delivery in summer 2001. The Suffolk police will outfit the helicopters for both aerial law enforcement and aeromedical transportation. A department spokesman cited the Explorer's cabin size and NOTAR system as factors in the decision.
FlightSafety International has been granted Level D certification from the FAA for its Falcon 2000 and 900EX simulators. The simulators will be used at the new Dallas/Fort Worth Airport (DFW) learning center, which FlightSafety said will be one of its largest training centers with 16 simulators.
The Business Jet Center, at Dallas Love Field, has promoted Jason Pons to assistant FBO manager. Jose Sanchez will assume Pons' previous position as line service manager.
Edited by Paul RichfieldBy Paul Richfield, in Crystal City, Va.
For the first time in many years, aviation companies are actively pursuing new employees to fill a variety of jobs, including many at the entry-level. This point was driven home at a recent Aviation Employee Placement Service (AEPS) job fair near Washington, D.C., where recruiters from around 40 airlines and other aviation businesses sought to entice a milling throng of suit-clad candidates.
US Airways is considering the launch of Potomac Air, a Washington, D.C.-based regional airline that could lead to DC Air, the new-entrant United Airlines and US Airways are crafting to allay competitive concerns regarding their proposed merger. Planned as a wholly owned US Airways unit, Potomac Air will use eight, 37-seat Bombardier de Havilland Dash 8 turboprops now in US Airways Express carrier Piedmont's fleet.
