U.K.-based charter operator Gold Air International has started operations from its new base at Dublin International Airport in Ireland. Gold Air now is using Park Air's lounge and handling facilities, but plans to build its own FBO at the site in the coming months.
Honeywell has introduced the first Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) for helicopters. The Mark XXII EGPWS is being tested on a Sikorsky S-76 and features higher resolution terrain database, tail-strike warning and auto-rotation altitude awareness call-outs. The company hopes to have the new system certified and begin deliveries in the fourth quarter this year.
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey has named one-time air traffic controller and union leader John Thornton to head the agency's Free Flight Phase 2 initiative. Thornton is charged with expanding the coverage of existing Phase 1 elements and will oversee the introduction of new functions, such as implementation of data-link service and the addition of high-altitude airspace sectors to air route traffic control centers that do not currently have them. Thornton helped found and served in various management positions with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
FlightSafety International's Manchester, England-based Embraer ERJ-145 simulator has received CAA/JAR certification. The company's ERJ-145 simulators in St. Louis and Wilmington, Del., now have their Level D certification from the FAA.
Safe Flight has been granted an STC for the installation of its N1 Computer in the Cessna Citation Excel. The N1 Computer displays real-time target N1 thrust settings for takeoff, climb, cruise and go-around. Programmed with the aircraft's flight manual performance values, the computer helps maximize performance and operating efficiency while reducing the risk of engine-damaging overspeed and overtemp conditions. Price: $9,980 (without installation) Safe Flight Instrument Corp. 20 New King St. White Plains, N.Y. 10604-1206
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) sets standards for fuel composition and quality in the United States. The ASTM D-1655 standard covers Jet-A, Jet-A1, and Jet B. (Similar to JP4, Jet B is a wide-cut fuel with a greater volatility range than kerosene fuels. A movement is in place by the industry to remove Jet B from D-1655 and place it in its own specification. While it is still used in Canada, there is very low volume for Jet B in the United States, and some new aircraft are not even certified for it).
Think for a moment about the role fuel plays in our lives. From the fuel we use to heat our homes and cook our food (which in turn ``fuels'' our bodies), to the fuel we burn to generate our electricity, motivate our cars, and power the airplanes we operate, our modern society runs on hydrocarbon-based fuels.
Cornerstone Logic, a software and engineering company, released Version 4.0 of FBO Manager. FBO Manager is a Windows-based, business software package used to manage day-to-day activities for FBOs. A free, fully functional trial version is available at www.cornerstonelogic.com
Operators with questions about Honeywell avionics now can get them answered 24/7 by the company's new customer response center. Honeywell's Commercial Electronics Systems division says the center has received more than 14,000 monthly calls since inaugurating part-time operation in February. Honeywell also says its new Mark VI and Mark VIII EGPWS systems for turboprops and light business jets have won TSO approval from the FAA. The Mark VIII already has been STCed for IAI Westwinds.
It's estimated that roughly 80 percent of our informational intake is through the eyes. When scanning for traffic, limitations to our vision make proper techniques vital to our safety.
Federal Express pilots are fighting the company's effort to seek a common type rating for the MD-11 and MD-10 aircraft. Recently FAA certified, the MD-10 is a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 with an upgraded, two-pilot cockpit. According to the FedEx Pilots Association, the two aircraft have similar cockpits but different landing techniques, handling characteristics and levels of automation. The FAA is expected to approve the common type rating. FedEx plans to modify 70 DC-10s to MD-10 standards under its contract with Boeing.
Edited By Paul RichfieldBy Paul Richfield in San Antonio
Photograph: BAE Systems announced at the RAA convention that Corporate Airlines of Smyrna, Tenn., has leased five additional Jetstream 32EPs to support its new code-share with TWA from the mainline carrier's St. Louis hub. In May, the company launched service on five turboprop routes vacated by Trans States Airlines, which has chosen to focus on developing its regional jet service. A sprinkling of new and used aircraft orders and development updates highlighted a restrained 2000 Regional Airline Association (RAA) convention, held May 1-4 in San Antonio.
Edited By Paul RichfieldMike Vines, in Aberdeen, Scotland
Two new EH101 helicopters have been a familiar sight over the stormy North Sea of late, as partners GKN Westland and Agusta attempt to prove the design ready for mass production. Based at Aberdeen, Scotland, the two aircraft participating in the 6,000-hour Intensive Flying Operational Program (IFOP) are flown at maximum weights by Bristow Helicopters crews, but with no passengers aboard.
One effect of AIR-21, the aviation bill signed by President Clinton in April, is the loosening of traffic restrictions at four of the nation's busiest airports. Effective immediately, new service may be added at New York's Kennedy and La Guardia Airports, Chicago O'Hare and Reagan-National in Washington by carriers serving small communities with aircraft seating fewer than 71 passengers. General and business aviation operators will not benefit form the changes until the slot system is eliminated at O'Hare in 2002 and the New York-area airports in 2007.
Jean Dubreuil has sold his majority holding in France's Regional Airlines to Air France, and purchased a 70-percent stake in Air Caraibes, a Caribbean inter-island operator. Air Caraibes operates a mixed fleet of single- and twin-engine turboprops under French registry, and has a number of Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets on order. Route expansion is planned once the new jets are delivered later this year.
The FAA is planning to pay tribute to the 100th anniversary of aviation maintenance in May 2003. The proposed tribute will include an award and recognition banquet, career-related training and an AMT Olympics, consisting of ``teams tested on FARs, IA, troubleshooting using FlightSafety's software and a timed pit crew sparkplug change,'' according to Phil Randall, FAA National Airworthiness Safety Program manager. The event is part of the AMT awards contest currently offered by the FAA, an incentive program for management to fund/provide training to the AMT work force.
Signature RMC named Robert Hohlowski as director of technical services for the West Palm Beach, Fla., regional maintenance center. Nina Cox joined the Orlando headquarters as the sales and marketing research manager. The company also named Terry Meisinger as manager of sales support and Richard Himmel as manager of the company's Las Vegas regional maintenance center.
Lynton Aviation has launched a new Web site for its aircraft sales, charter, engineering and FBO division. The site, which also includes current news about the U.K.-based operator, can be accessed at www.lyntonaviation.com.
Raytheon, GTE Airfone and Teledyne Controls have agreed to a five-year renewal of the MagnaStar Air telephone system. MagnaStar provides digital telephone service and hardware for business jets operating over the continental United States, Canada and Mexico. Under the terms for the $75 million deal, the three partners will continue their sales effort as well as provide support and service to existing MagnaStar customers.
Delta Air Lines has taken delivery of new, Australian-made fuel carts at its Atlanta hub. The 82 fuel carts, manufactured by National Valve&Engineering of Melbourne, represent a $7.3 million investment designed to improve fueling efficiency, Delta says, by eliminating up to 47 fuel trucks and up to 1,400 ramp vehicle movements per day. One cart will be located at each of Delta's 82 Atlanta gates.
