Livingston Aviation, located at Waterloo Airport (ALO) in Iowa, has completed its facility renovations and has been designated a Phillips 66 Aviation Performance Center. ``Taking over the former National Weather Service office has allowed us to double the size of our main building,'' said Erik Hertzer, Livingston Aviation general manager. Services offered at the FBO include Cessna sales, aircraft maintenance, fueling, hangar rental, aircraft leasing and charter.
Teamster-represented pilots at Horizon Air voted on August 15 to authorize a strike if an agreement between the union and the airline cannot be reached. Horizon pilots have sought their first contract for the past three years. Of the 446 pilots who took part in the balloting, 419 voted to strike, 10 voted not to strike and 17 ballots were declared void. Prior to any strike, however, the National Mediation Board must release both sides into a 30-day ``cooling-off'' period as stipulated by the Railway Labor Act.
L-3 Communications' Modular Airborne Data Recording Acquisition System (MADRAS) has been certified for installation on BAe 146 aircraft. The combined flight data recorder and data acquisition system is designed to adapt to a variety of aircraft types with only minor changes. Launch customer for the MADRAS is Air Wisconsin, which operates 18 BAe 146s. L-3 hopes to outfit all remaining BAe 146 aircraft in service with the system and add additional corporate and regional aircraft.
Sporty's Pilot Shop is offering a corporate pilot jacket similar to the A-2 (Army Air Corps) jacket. Underarm gussets and vents on the goatskin jacket provide additional roominess and cooling with side entry hand-warmer pockets, dual inside snapped pockets, hidden pen pockets, leather wind flap, quilted lining, knit cuffs and a hanging loop. Available only in black, the jacket comes in sizes ranging from 36 regular to 50 long. Price: $375 to $400 Sporty's Pilot Shop Clermont County Airport Batavia, Ohio 45103-9747
Formula One Grand Prix Racing team owner Eddie Jordan has ordered a new Raytheon Premier I and a Hawker Horizon to support the team's transportation needs. Jordan Grand Prix already operates a Hawker 700.
Four aviation insurance specialists are the first recipients of the Aviation Insurance Association's (AIA) new Certified Aviation Insurance Professional (CAIP) designation. They are Jim Aldeman of Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance, ACE Aerospace's John Danilov, Beverly Rant of Acordia Aerospace and Jeffry Rasmussen of Mortenson, Matzelle and Meldrum. Recipients completed four continuing education courses and have worked full-time in the aviation insurance industry for at least five of the past 10 years.
The Aviation Distributors and Manufacturers Association has awarded $1,000 scholarships to Arnold Banks and Brad Hanson. Both are college seniors pursuing aviation-related degrees.
EXTEX Ltd. of Mesa, Ariz., has named Superior Air Parts in Brisbane, Australia its distributor for New Zealand, Australia and Papua New Guinea. Entex is a manufacturer of over 300 PMA replacement parts for Rolls-Royce A250 engines.
The organizers of the fledgling Florida International Aero Expo (FIA) have created a new organization for repair station operators. The Maintenance Overhaul and Repair Station Organization of the World (MORSO) will offer free membership, and its first annual meeting will be at the FIA in Miami in February 2001. FIA and MORSO President Ian Howard says the group is looking for participants in an executive committee that will help formulate MORSO policies and objectives. Further information is available at www.aeroexpo.com.
DaimlerChrysler Aviation (DCA) has added a Falcon 2000 and a Hawker 800XP to its managed fleet, which has doubled in size since the beginning of the year. The auto giant subsidiary now manages 11 aircraft ranging from Cessna Citation IIs to a Gulfstream IV. DCA President Tom Davis says the expansion will continue with the opening of a new arrival and departure building with on-site U.S. Customs clearance later this year and the addition of a 50,000-square-foot hangar in first quarter 2001.
Hayward, Calif.-based Spitzer Helicopter Leasing has purchased its 30th Robinson R-22 helicopter. The helicopters are leased to operators throughout the country.
The FAA has granted an STC for installation of the first Universal Avionics Systems Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS). Duncan Aviation received the TAWS STC for an installation on a Challenger 601 at its Battle Creek, Mich., facility.
Pacific Harbor Capital is selling three ATR 42-300 aircraft for Fortis Prop Jet. The three aircraft have been leased to American Eagle since their manufacture in 1987.
Wood Group Turbopower has named Falcon Crest Aviation Supply an authorized distributor for its PT6 programs. Falcon Crest holds Class I, II and III repair stations licenses and maintains facilities at its Houston headquarters and in San Antonio; Dallas; Lafayette, La.; Atlanta; and Irvine, Calif.
Spatial disorientation'' is a term most pilots recognize and something they probably have experienced. Those who have been disoriented know how difficult it is to recover. Many accidents and incidents are no doubt caused by disorientation, but there is little evidence to prove its existence other than considering the conditions of flight prior to and during the event, and the pilot's description of it. Yet, hangar stories abound about the ``close call'' caused by being disoriented.
Start-up operator Pacific Jets Corp. has opened a new aviation services business at the former McClellan Air Force Base near Sacramento, Calif. Company offerings include aircraft management, acquisition, charter and hangar space, plus an ``interim aircraft ownership'' plan called Fly Fast. Bill Johnson, Pacific Jets' spokesman, said Fly Fast is designed to introduce more companies to business aviation by offering ``solutions based on their corporate travel history, personal requirements and business growth plans.''
Eagle Aviation is building a new design center to help serve aircraft refurbishment customers at its West Columbia, S.C., facility. The center is scheduled to open in December.
The Advanced Products Co., a maker of high-performance seals; Park Engineering, a parts manufacturer; and Manzi Metals have become the first women-led companies to join the Aerospace Industries Association's (AIA) Supplier Management Council in the group's 81-year history. Advanced Products CEO Nancy Nicolson is a 20-year veteran of the company, Nancy Manzi founded her Brooksville, Fla.-based company in 1995, and Park Engineering President Rose-Marie Swank has been with the family business for more than two decades.
German television reporter Leonard Diepenbrock won Sporty's 2000 Skyhawk Sweepstakes. Sporty's will award a Cessna Millennium Edition Skyhawk SP next summer in the 2001 giveaway.
GAMA has released a new publication with ``best practices'' for FAR Part 23 cockpit design. The FAA and GAMA member companies helped author Recommended Practices and Guidelines for Part 23 Cockpit/Flight Deck Design, which uses the results of human factors research to help create safer cockpits. The publication is available online at www.generalaviation.org or by writing GAMA Publications at 1400 K St., N.W., Ste. 801, Washington, D.C. 20005.
