Organizational ``stovepipes,'' or vertical management hierarchies within the FAA have had a negative impact on major airspace modernization programs, according to the results of a DOT investigation released on August 29. Based on a survey of 1,056 members of the FAA's Air Traffic Automation and Communications, Navigation and Surveillance teams, the DOT's study revealed that ``turf-protection'' on the part of many FAA managers has curtailed the flow of information throughout the agency, leading ultimately to delays and cost overruns.
The FAA and avionics makers, trainers and operators have a collective responsibility to set a solid foundation for 21st century air navigation. And meeting that responsibility will require everyone's best thinking. Certainly, it is unrealistic to assume that the transition will be trouble-free or that it will come about overnight.
Photograph: Nordam's Tulsa facility Nordam Nordam's Interiors&Structures (I&S) unit has started construction of a 440,000-square-foot facility at the Cherokee Industrial Park in Tulsa. Located on a 56-acre site across from the Nacelle/Thrust Reverser Systems Division, the new facility will serve as the sole Tulsa location for the company's I&S operations.
Bombardier has opened a spares depot in Beijing, China to help support the country's growing fleet of CRJ200s and Q400s. Operators have ordered 24 Bombardier aircraft, with deliveries slated to begin this month.
After a two-year search for a suitable test platform, Canada has turned to a vintage aircraft to flight-test advanced avionics. Using a nearly 50-year-old Harvard Mark IV outfitted with flat-panel displays, the National Research Council Canada's Institute for Aerospace Research (IAR) will initially study the role instrument design plays in pilot orientation. Researchers are hoping to reduce instances of spatial disorientation that lead to controlled flight into terrain (CFIT).
Archie Trammell is developing a Web-based version of his popular radar training seminars, expected to be available in early 2001. Trammell has scheduled seven seminars next year but will not conduct custom programs for individual flight departments so that he may focus on developing the new Internet seminars. Further information about Trammell's courses is available at www.av-wx-rdr.com.
Bombardier plans to invest around $170 million to build a new final assembly plant at Montreal's Mirabel Airport for 70- and 90-seat variants of the Canadair Regional Jet. Construction of the new facility began in September, and completion is expected in spring 2001. Employment at Bombardier's Mirabel plants is expected to reach 1,700 by 2003. Bombardier launched the CRJ900 in July at the Farnborough Air Show, on the strength of firm commitments for 34 aircraft and options on 28 more.
B/E Aerospace plans to spin off its Advanced Thermal Technologies (ATT) subsidiary with an initial public offering (IPO) of stock this fall. ATT manufactures commercial temperature-control devices. B/E, a Wellington, Fla.-based aircraft interior components manufacturer, expects to sell four million shares of ATT stock priced between $9 and $11 per share. B/E will retain 10 million shares and receive $15 million from the IPO proceeds for repayment of advances to ATT and for the subsidiary's purchase of intellectual property.
for General Electric engine tools, Boeing and Airbus airframe tools and ground support equipment such as tripod jacks, axle jacks and towbars. GSETools.com visitors can place orders, request quotes and check order status 24 hours a day, according to Sales and Marketing Manager Ron Ettinger. The Web site also plans to offer monthly specials and has a free freight promotion for first-time customers.
Aviacion General del Noroeste, S.A. de C.V. has opened the doors of its new FBO at Hermosillo International Airport in Sonora, Mexico. The FBO said it has the capability to handle commercial, corporate, executive, charter, cargo and general aviation aircraft. Services provided include fuel, ground handling, grant clearance permits and customer immigration permits.
QuickTurn, a division of SimuFlite Training International, is now offering Cessna 400-series pilot training at its Grapevine, Texas, training center. The Cessna 421C Flight Training Device (FTD), manufactured by Frasca International, is an FAA Level 5 simulator that features Collins avionics with a Bendix/King Navigation system. QuickTurn said the initial pilot training lasts five days and recurrent training is available in two- or three-day options.
The spread of regional jets in the U.S. market has triggered tumultuous changes and controversy. Business travelers, airline chiefs and bedraggled turboprop pilots love the little jets, while major airline crews and air traffic controllers view them as nothing less than swept-wing harbingers of doom. On a purely operational level, the raw numbers would appear to depict RJs as cholesterol in the already clogged veins of the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS).
Mercury Air Group has completed its acquisition of Raytheon Aircraft Services' FBO in Birmingham (BHM), Ala. The facility will remain a Raytheon authorized service center for Beech Barons through King Airs. Raytheon said it wants to concentrate on the expansion of its jet service centers in Atlanta and Tampa. Both facilities are undergoing expansions that are expected to be completed this fall. No changes in staff or management in Birmingham are planned. GE Support Services has launched a new Web site for ``one-stop shopping''
Aviation Partners Boeing has won STC approval for the ``blended winglets'' earmarked for the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ). The approval is the culmination of a two-year flight test program, which Boeing says validated the performance gains expected with the modification. Built by Aviation Partners, the winglets are said to give the BBJ a 300-nm range increase, while allowing for an additional 4,000 pounds of payload to be carried.
CommutAir -- a turboprop regional airline in the Northeast United States -- has dissolved its 11-year code-sharing arrangement with US Airways, and will become a Continental Alliance carrier on December 2. Around half of the Plattsburgh, N.Y.-based regional's route structure will be re-aligned with the change, and US Airways plans to divide the vacated routes between its remaining US Airways Express carriers.
Russian FBO operator Rus Aero and Shannon Air have agreed to provide ground handling for corporate jets and other non-scheduled aircraft throughout Russia and the CIS. Shannon Air is an Irish company that arranges aircraft refueling and ground handling in Russia. The companies say they plan to offer standardized pricing at all facilities and hope to capture a 70-percent market share with the new venture.
ARINC has opened a newly expanded office near London's Gatwick Airport to help service its growing network of European clients. The communications system and technology developer is under contract to support Eurocontrol's RVSM program, provide data-link services to SAS and other European carriers, and support airport check-in and other ground-handling systems.
GE Capital Aviation Training (GECAT) will manage Britannia Airways' simulator training in London. Britannia's Luton-based Boeing 757/767 simulator will be moved to GECAT's London-Heathrow training center as part of the deal.
