Signature Flight Support has completed a $12.4 million dollar construction project at Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI). Renovations include a 10,000-square-foot terminal building, two 20,000 square-foot hangars, a new fuel farm, a midfield cargo complex and 300,000 square feet of expanded ramp space to accommodate up to 54 additional aircraft. In addition, Pete Mendez, Jr. has joined Signature's Regional Maintenance Center network as sales manager for the Southwest and Mexico.
The ability to write off the purchase price of a corporate aircraft over the course of five and a half years, while the actual value of the aircraft may in fact increase, is a vital tax incentive that helps the industry immensely. However, the IRS occasionally takes a suspicious view of aircraft depreciation deductions. One of the most important tax decisions on aircraft depreciation involved Robert Noyce, one of the cofounders of Intel.
Photograph: The Falcon 2000EX will offer 25-percent more range than the standard Falcon 2000. Dassault Dassault Aviation's newest offering is the Falcon 2000EX, a 3,800-nm, transatlantic twinjet slated to enter service in mid-2003. Priced at $24 million in 2003 dollars, the Falcon 2000EX will have almost the same range and six-passenger, tanks-full payload as the $28 million Falcon 900C tri-jet, albeit with a 6.6-foot shorter cabin. With the introduction of the 2000EX, Dassault has a twinjet to compete with Bombardier's Challenger 604.
Charles Fredrickson, Joe De Silva, Paul Perroni and Shawn McKay have been named FBO general managers. In addition, Harold Bowling will join Mercury's board of directors, replacing William Langton, who is retiring.
The Flight Options fractional ownership program is equipping its entire 82-aircraft fleet with AirCell's inflight telephones and Jeppesen's JeppView flight guide system. The AirCell system provides passengers with voice, data, e-mail, fax and Internet access, while JeppView units replace paper navigation charts.
Flughafen Frankfurt/Main AG has acquired one percent of the Schiphol Group's interest in Brisbane International Airport in Queensland, Australia. Flughafen Frankfurt plans to increase its investment, and says the acquisition ``marks a long-lasting strategic cooperation between the two European-based airport groups.'' Schipol has operated BIA since the airport was privatized in 1997.
Bader Field in Atlantic City, N.J., has signed a three-year contract with South Jersey Air (SJA) to provide fixed base services. Jim Towland, SJA's owner, said he plans to refurbish the terminal and include a pilot's lounge, vending machines and weather service. The airport now offers 100LL fuel, and Jet-A sales are planned. At present, Bader Field is restricted, with no takeoffs on Runway 22, and no landings on Runway 4.
NASAO has presented the Kenneth A. Rowe Ambassador Aviation Award to Robert Kunkel, who retired in October as director of Wisconsin's Bureau of Aeronautics. In addition, NASAO has named Bruce F. Mundie as its 2000 Distinguished Service award recipient and named Anthony Amato as its treasurer.
Elrey Jeppesen, a name known to fame in days of yore, may it always be glorious . . . as the song goes. Can there be an airline or business pilot who has not heard of Cap'n Jepp or used his products? I rather think not. Perhaps in the Alaskan bush where mountains are in abundance for navigation and rivers course through their valleys. But throughout the rest of the hemisphere Jeppesen manuals containing charts and approach plates are de rigeur, like satchels still carried by physicians who make house calls (include my late pater among these).
November is the golden anniversary of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation (ASF), an organization that during the last half century has saved thousands of lives through a variety of education and training programs targeted at general aviation pilots.
Canadian niche operator Skylink Aviation has sent 11 helicopters and seven fixed-wing aircraft to Saudi Arabia to spray the mosquitoes that triggered an outbreak of Rift Valley fever (RVF), a virus related to Ebola hemorrhagic fever. By early October, nearly 200 people had died as a result of RVF, which is transmitted by mosquitoes or contact with the blood or bodily fluids of people and animals infected with the virus.
Depending on the Class of the ETM/IETM selected, electronic publications are designed to benefit the user in a number of ways. Some of the benefits include reduction in the amount of external support required to maintain complex systems and the mitigation of improperly posted or out of date information.
Honeywell is working on a new turbofan series in the 3,000- to 6,000-pound-thrust range that one day could replace its TFE731 powerplant. Development will begin with the creation of a gas generator for the new turbofan as well as the MPC531 auxiliary power unit proposed for the next generation of ultra-large jetliners. Both the TPE331 turboprop and TFE731 were developed from APU cores.
Conklin&de Decker has released the State Tax Guide for General Aviation, covering all 50 states. Included in the report are sales and use taxes as they apply to aircraft sales, ownership, leases, parts and labor. In addition, common exemptions from state sales and or use taxes are explored. Conklin&de Decker says the report could have a significant impact on management decisions regarding aircraft acquisitions, basing and tax management. Price: $395 Conklin&de Decker P.O. Box 1142 Orleans, Mass. 02653
The New Jersey Aviation Association (NJAA) is facing its first hurdle in the battle against land developers, with Governor Christine Todd Whitman's conditional veto of bill A-2332. The bill would authorize the commissioner of transportation in New Jersey to purchase development rights at private or county-owned airports to ensure that such properties remain part of the airport.
DeCrane Aircraft has created a new Seating Division, composed of recently acquired ERDA and Dettmer Industries. Jeff Nerland will oversee the new unit while continuing in his capacity as DeCrane's vice president of business development. Former ERDA President Ben Bunting will oversee sales for the division while ERDA executive Mark Huber has been named vice president of marketing. DeCrane appointed Tom Beatty the new CEO of ERDA, succeeding David Brandt, who left the company.
Avionics Innovations has introduced its third generation AM/FM stereo with built-in CD player, designed to mount in the radio stack. Features include horizontal or vertical mounting, 24 station presets, 14- or 28-volt DC operation, 32-times oversampling, anti-shock floating mechanism, auto preset memory, repeat/random play and FAA-PMA approval. The AICD III also is compatible with both the six-disc and 12-disc changers for a complete AM/FM multi-disc CD system. Price: $1,595 Avionics Innovations 2450 Montecito Rd.
John H. deHavilland has been appointed to the board of directors and president/CEO of the company's wholly owned subsidiary, Strategic Jet Services, Inc.
Bombardier's CRJ700 simulator has received interim Level C certification from the FAA and Transport Canada, months before the aircraft itself receives regulatory approval. The manufacturer expects to receive certification of the aircraft before the end of the year. Pilot training is expected to begin later this year, while customer deliveries of the new regional jet aren't planned until first quarter 2001. Bombardier expects the CRJ700 to be approved for Common Crew Qualification with the smaller CRJ100 and 200.
The CJ2 caught us off guard last summer. About an hour and a half into our demo flight between Wichita and San Diego, while cruising at FL 430, the MMO overspeed alarm started to chirp. Glancing at the airspeed display on the PFD removed all doubt. A red barber pole appeared above the indicated Mach caret, warning us that we had unintentionally exceeded the CJ2's 0.720 Mach redline.
Rawn America has developed an organic carbon cleaner for removal of grease, oils and grime on electromechanical assemblies. Developed to replace chlorinated solvents, the cleaner is non-corrosive and residue free with a penetrating formula that is safe on sensitive metals. Electronic components are left free of oil and dust accumulation that can cause electrical failure. Rawn said the cleaner's rapid penetration and quick drying time minimize equipment maintenance downtime. Price: $7.50 Rawn America 1300 S. River St.
Schweizer's Model 333 single-engine turbine helicopter has received FAA certification. The Rolls-Royce Allison 250-C20W-powered rotorcraft is a derivative of the 330SP, featuring advanced rotor design, increased useful load, 105-knot cruise speed and 3.5-hour endurance. The San Antonio and Houston Police departments have each ordered two 333s, which have a $595,000 base price. The San Antonio P.D. also plans to upgrade its existing 330SPs to the 333 configuration.
Century Aerospace and VisionAire are still seeking additional funds to make their proposed aircraft designs a reality. VisionAire President Jim Rice says it will take another $70 million to get the twin-engine Vantage through flight-testing. Rice recently joked to B/CA Show News that the company's finances ``depend on what day it is,'' admitting that he ``probably wouldn't'' have embarked on the Vantage Jet project if he had known how long it would take.
Inflight entertainment and information provider Airshow is investing in AirCell, the Colorado-based inflight cellular telephone service. The two companies will produce integrated systems that combine Airshow's IFE systems with AirCell hardware and telephone service. AirCell recently won a protracted fight with terrestrial cellular companies challenging its planned use of a ground-based cellular network for airborne uses.
