Bombardier says that Copenhagen-based SAS Commuter's six Q400s already have accumulated more than 3,543 flights in their first six months of service. Palestinian Airlines has taken delivery of the first of two 50-seat Q300s. The airline also is awaiting delivery of two CRJ200s, with one set for delivery in November and the second in September 2001.
Dallas Airmotive (Dallas) promoted Mike Cumnock to vice president for customer service, Dennis DiMarco to vice president of fixed-wing sales North America, Chuck Farthing as its director of Pratt&Whitney turboprop sales, Jim Heath as director of turbofan sales and Ian Cheyne as its president of engineering quality.
Fairchild Dornier says changing market conditions have led it to cancel the 428JET -- one of four new regional jet designs the company has in development or production. The 428JET was to have been a stretched variant of the 32-seat 328JET, itself a turbofan conversion of the Dornier 328 turboprop. Designed primarily for U.S. air carriers with a contractual cap on the number of 50-seat RJs they may operate, the 40/44-seat 428JET's future was, apparently, overcome by events.
Atlantic Coast Jet -- the new Atlantic Coast Airlines unit that will operate in Delta Connection colors -- has received its FAA operating certificate. This was the final step in the airline's certification process, and cleared the way for ACJet to begin revenue service on August 1. ACJet now has five Fairchild 328JETs, and firm orders for 20 additional 328JETs and 20 Bombardier Canadair Regional Jets.
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) and the NBAA published Guidelines for Obtaining an FAA Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate for would-be air charter operators. The publication provides step-by-step instructions to guide operators through preapplication, formal application, document compliance, demonstration and inspection, and, finally, certification. Priced at $75 for NATA members and $150 for non-members, the guidebook also includes FAA, Internal Revenue Service and NTSB forms required for Part 135 operation.
Cutter Aviation has begun limited FBO operations at California's Santa Monica Airport (SMO) and expects to complete new construction at its Phoenix, Deer Valley FBO by December 1. Joe Moss, general manager of Cutter SMO, said it is in the process of obtaining a repair station certificate and wants to acquire fuel services. Even though it is early in Cutter's ``build up'' process, Moss said it was approved for turboprop charter operations through the company's Phoenix headquarters certificate, and is venturing into fractional ownership.
Cessna Aircraft has broken ground on an 80,000-square-foot parts distribution center in Wichita set to open in fall 2001. The manufacturer says the new structure will allow it to consolidate all Citation parts in one location, providing improvements in customer service. ``Pulling parts will be more efficient and timely, which results in same-day shipping and a reduction in the backlog of parts orders,'' said Marilyn Richwine, a Cessna spokesperson. ``As fleet and parts distribution grows, we will add personnel as needed.''
Britten-Norman and Orenda Recip are flight-testing a BN2T-4S Defender 4000, retrofitted with Orenda OE600 Series V-8 engines. Orenda says the re-engined aircraft will use at least 20-percent less fuel than the Defender's original Allison 250-B17F-1 engines. The Orenda engine currently is available for the Beech King Air C90, Rockwell Twin Commander, de Havilland DHC-3 Otter and Air Tractors, and also is being developed for the de Havilland Beaver, Cessna 421 and Piper PA-31P pressurized Navajo.
Lynton Aviation is now a Raytheon Beech Baron, Bonanza and King Air dealer in the United Kingdom. The company was named a Beechjet 400A and Premier I sales representative.
When business jets first were offered in the late 1950s, many chief pilots initially were excited by the prospect of being able to fly at speeds never before possible. But some flight department managers wondered whether the new, sophisticated corporate turbojets would be as easy to maintain as their piston-powered Beech 18s, Douglas DC-3s and Lockheed Lodestars.
The FAA has selected El Segundo, Calif.-based Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) to provide software support and integration for various agency systems. The five-year contract, valued at up to $329 million, includes CSC support of the FAA Free Flight Program, en route automation, Departure-Spacing Program, Center-TRACON Automation System and the Aeronautical Data Link.
Signature Flight Services (Orlando) promoted Mary Bullock-Bagosy and James Glock to director of airline sales, reporting to Kevin Worley, president of airline sales.
Halon fire extinguishing agents -- halogenated hydrocarbons by their more formal name -- are unquestionably the best fire extinguishing chemicals ever formulated for use inside, outside or near aircraft. Indeed, if you operate an FAR Part 25 airplane, at least one of its portable fire extinguishers contains Halon, and chances are that all others on board also contain the stuff.
Jeppesen is offering the next generation of its JeppView electronic Airway Manual Service -- JeppView FlightDeck. FlightDeck depicts charts on handheld or panel-mounted display devices, and uses a position feed from GPS or other systems to show the aircraft's position on the chart. Jeppesen's Dejan Damjanovic said the service ``directly supports a paperless cockpit environment, and provides the pilot with significantly enhanced situational awareness.''
Swiss regional carrier Crossair has launched a new Web site that includes destination information, weather, downloadable schedules and online booking in five languages. The new site is located at www.crossair.com.
The Teal Group forecasts strong growth in the helicopter market this decade with 9,206 rotorcraft valued at $74.5 billion expected to be built through 2009. The number of helicopters manufactured will be about equal for the civil and military markets, although the value of the military aircraft is more than five times the value of those scheduled for the civil market. According to the report, five major manufacturers -- Agusta/Westland, Bell, Boeing, Eurocopter and Sikorsky -- will account for 92 percent of the helicopters built.
Faced with the possible retirement of a large percentage of the agency's air traffic control technicians and executives over the next few years, FAA Administrator Jane Garvey says she's focusing on how attract ``the best and brightest'' individuals to government work.
Edited By Paul RichfieldBy Paul Richfield, in Farnborough, England
CitationShares, the new fractional ownership venture between Cessna Aircraft and charter provider TAG Aviation, has placed a firm order for 50 new Cessna Citation business jets. The order will be divided more or less evenly between the two entry-level jets that will form the core of the CitationShares fleet: the upgraded CJ1 CitationJet and the Citation Bravo -- the current evolution of the Citation II.
