A Brazilian Court has ordered Northrop Grumman (NG) to pay $1.1 million to the families of 45 people killed in the October 1996 crash of a TAM Airlines Fokker 100. Brazilian investigators attributed the accident to inadvertent deployment of one of the aircraft's NG-manufactured thrust reversers shortly after takeoff, on a flight between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. A total of 96 people died in the crash, including three on the ground.
Roger Rose, president of International Pilot Services and an NBAA International Operations Committee region leader, advises pilots engaged in international operations to closely monitor the following global hot spots:
The American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) have created a joint legislative affairs department to lobby Congress. Todd Hauplti will lead the effort, which is intended to help the groups ``amplify the airport presence on Capitol Hill,'' says AAAE President Charles Barclay.
Charles Weeks is named regional manager for Asia; Jean-Luc Couderc is now regional manager for Europe and Jeffrey Winters joins as turboshaft operator account manager for North America.
Atlantic Coast Airlines' new Delta Connection unit -- expects to start service this month, around five months later than planned. Details associated with FAA certification of the airline are blamed for the delays. ACJet recently took delivery of its first Fairchild Dornier 328JET, and has 24 more of the type on order. The Dulles, Va.-based carrier also has 20 Bombardier Canadair Regional Jets on order.
Airline reservations system giant Worldspan has entered into a ``strategic alliance'' with Flightserv.com, operator of Private Seats, a public charter service using corporate aircraft. Under the terms of the arrangement, Worldspan will provide marketing and distribution services to Flightserv.com and also will acquire an equity stake in the company. Private Seats operates between Teterboro Airport and Atlanta's Dekalb Peachtree Airport, using Cessna Citations. Worldspan is jointly owned by subsidiaries of Delta Air Lines, TWA and Northwest Airlines.
Two labor groups representing Belgium's pilots and flight engineers -- the BFCA and the ABPNL -- have merged to form the Belgian Cockpit Association (BeCA). Student pilots and job seekers are invited to join the association, though most members are flight crews working for Sabena, Dat, Sobelair, Eat-DHL, Virgin Express, City Bird, Air Belgium and Constellation. Consult the group's Web site at www.beca.be for more information.
The FAA has rescinded an Airworthiness Directive requiring placement of fuel tank warning placards on numerous Beech piston-engine aircraft. Originally intended to prevent fuel starvation incidents caused by improper positioning of the fuel tank selector, the agency concluded that the issue was an operational one and not an unsafe condition as outlined in the FARs. The AOPA had vigorously opposed the AD, claiming that the overuse of placards to solve operational problems diminishes the value of placards used for actual unsafe conditions.
The overall forecast for the global economy remains robust for 2001 with growth continuing in most major economic regions and inflation remaining under control. That said, the near-term forecast does include higher risk than did last year's outlook, in part because of early signs of inflation in the super-charged U.S. economy, which is in the longest period of sustained economic growth ever recorded.
Perhaps Fletcher Aldredge, the Shawnee Mission, Kan., publisher of the VREF Market Leader newsletter, best summarized the feelings of most of those involved in buying and selling previously owned business airplanes: ``The used aircraft market is poised at a crossroads.''
American Eagle has moved all of its Miami-based Saab 340 aircraft to other bases in a bid to standardize each hub on one aircraft type. Effective July 5, all Eagle flights originating in Miami use ATR-42 and -72 aircraft, mirroring the company's San Juan, Puerto Rico, operation. Eagle now operates Saabs exclusively at its Los Angeles hub, while Chicago O'Hare will be all-regional jet as of November 2, the airline says.
Edited by Paul RichfieldBy Paul Richfield Falcons Hit With Pitch Trim Directive
Severe pitch oscillations by Dassault Falcon 900 aircraft have led the FAA to adopt a French directive restricting the speed of most Falcon business jets in the event of a certain type of control system failure indication. The action stems from the Direction Generale de l'Aviation Civile (DGAC) investigation into September 1999's highly publicized Falcon 900 loss of control incident over Romania, in which six people affiliated with the Greek government were killed.
Executive Jet, Inc. has inaugurated its new operational headquarters complex at Port Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio. The new complex includes an 80,000-square-foot hangar with an additional 45,000-square-foot support area. Executive Jet said it manages more than 286 aircraft, with more than 428 aircraft on order. In the last four years, Executive Jet has order 716 new aircraft for its NetJets program.
With the ink still wet on the Bombardier-Skyjet deal, eJets.com has launched an online booking service. Offering real-time availability and pricing, eJets says it has agreements with more than 160 operators representing over 1,000 charter aircraft. Customers can book and pay for charters on-line, or via telephone with eJets' concierge service. Company founder and President Rick Robinson says charters booked through eJets will initially cost the same as booking direct, with eJets' profit coming from the spread between the wholesale and retail cost of the aircraft.
Continental Express dispatchers have ratified a new, four-year labor contract after seven months of negotiations between the Houston-based airline and the Transport Workers Union. John Weaver, ConEx's director of system control, said the pact provides the dispatchers with improved pay and benefits.
Earl Robinson, chief of new entrant manufacturer Alliance Aircraft, says his company is exploring production of a 35- to 50-seat regional jet. The aircraft will be of low wing configuration with two wing-mounted engines, he says, and a ``double-bubble'' fuselage allowing a below-floor baggage compartment. ``We're finding a second leg of that smaller RJ market beginning in 2004,'' he said.
Lufthansa Technik (LHT) is currently expanding its VIP center in Hamburg, requiring 120 new employees by the end of 2001. A total of five XXL class jets are scheduled for delivery this year, with six to eight more in 2001. LHT estimates sales for this year will approach 150 million-DM. The new employees needed are mechanics, avionics technicians and engineers.
China's Civil Aviation Authority (CAAC) has banned all Yunshu and Tupolev aircraft from scheduled passenger service, effective June 1, 2001. The action follows the fatal June 22 crash of a Wuhan Airlines Xian Yunshu Y-7-100C, a Chinese-built variant of the Antonov An-24 turboprop. According to Aviation Week&Space Technology, the ban includes the Harbin Y-11/12 series of 17/19-seat turboprops, and Russian-built Antonov and Ilyushin aircraft.
