Administrative receivers have sold British aircraft manufacturer Britten-Norman to a group from the Sultantate of Oman. Renamed the B-N Group, Ltd., the company plans to continue producing Islander, Trislander and Defender aircraft, while also adapting its existing facilities to permit the manufacture of other types of aircraft. The new owners also have pledged to fully support Britten-Norman aircraft currently operating worldwide.
Comair Jet Express will offer aircraft management programs at its new Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) FBO facility. Comair said the benefits of the program include discounted fuel and insurance, FlightSafety training for air crews, software tracking of operations and use of the hangar. ``The management program offers individuals or companies the opportunity to offset the costs of ownership by entrusting their aircraft to Jet Express,'' said Wynn Poe, director of Comair Aviation.
Cessna says that CitationJet CJ2s in the certification program are posting ``significant improvements'' to projected performance for the light jet. According to the manufacturer, the improvements include a 10 KTAS cruise speed increase, 200-pound full-fuel payload increase and 200-foot-per-minute boost in the aircraft's rate of climb. The CJ2 also is showing improved range, single-engine rate of climb and time to climb. Certification is expected this month.
FlyTimer is developing new technology to deliver ``near-real-time'' graphic weather information via a color Palm Pilot. The receiver is expected to be priced at less than $2,500, including the Palm Pilot and antenna, with monthly service starting at $45. Targeted at general aviation users, FlyTimer actually is creating a portable ACARS transceiver that will transmit ARINC's GLOBALink/VHF service. FlyTimer expects to demonstrate the system at the Experimental Aircraft Associa-tion's AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., in July.
AvFuel is selling its branded fuel products through five International Corporate and Cargo Services (ICCS) FBO locations in Mexico, including Mexico City/Toluca, Cuernavaca, Chihuahua, Morelia and Monterrey.
The Nasdaq Stock Market has removed Kitty Hawk, Inc. from being listed on the National Market System. The action was taken after Nasdaq was informed the company was not able to comply with the reporting and other continued-listing requirements. Kitty Hawk, Inc. provides scheduled overnight air cargo service through its hub in Fort Wayne, Ind., and also provides ACMI aircraft charter services and air charter logistics management services. The company formerly traded on Nasdaq under the symbols KTTY, KTTYE and KTTEQ.
If we are to accept that ``incident'' prevention is essential, then we also must accept and respect the contributing factors. When it comes to discussing accident prevention, there is a continuing debate on the significance of focusing on probable cause as opposed to contributing factors and ``incident'' prevention. After all, when an accident makes the news there is much immediate speculation as to why it happened. Since the public, however, has a short memory for such events, by the
TAC Air has acquired and commenced operations at Denver's Centennial Airport, formerly owned by Signature Flight Support, in Englewood, Colo. Dan Bryant was named as general manager and Paul House has joined, assuming the role of operations manager. Future plans for the facility include renovating the hangar, new tooling and expansion of the existing terminal.
The Make-It-Fly Foundation is gearing up for a marketing blitz this fall, aimed at junior high school students and timed to coincide with the beginning of the school year. The program is designed to expose kids to aviation maintenance as a career option as they begin to shape their educational track in the pre-high school years.
Three new operators have joined the Regional Airline Association, which now claims 60 airline members. The new members are Chesapeake, Va.-based Horizon Aviation, Atlanta's North-South Airways and SkyMark of Spokane, Wash. Both SkyMark and Horizon are start-ups, while North-South is an established cargo carrier. Association President Deborah McElroy says that, while consolidation has reduced the number of regional carriers, the group's future is secure.
The business pilot has much to examine in the decision to single-pilot a complex turbine aircraft. As turbine engines become lighter and composites become stronger and avionics become smarter, more high-performance, turbine aircraft are being marketed as ``single-pilot'' airplanes.
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has published a new refueling reference manual for operators. Refueling and Quality Control Procedures for Airport Service and Support Operations provides information on fuel storage, quality control, safety training and record-keeping. The publication is priced at $60 for NATA Safety 1st participants, $75 for members and $125 for non-members. Further information is available from NATA by calling Amy Koranda at (800) 808-6282.
BFGoodrich Avionics Systems has introduced a standby attitude indicator that's designed to withstand use in high-duty cycle environments and helicopter applications. The manufacturer says the AIM 1200 improves upon the AIM 510 series, which has been discontinued. Options for the AIM 1200 include front- or rear-mount, slip indicator and a fixed roll dial. Price: $5,275 to $6,250, options additional BFGoodrich Avionics Systems 5353 52nd St., S.E. Grand Rapids, Mich. 49588-0873 Phone: (616) 949-6600
The Los Angeles City Council has voted unanimously (13-0) to impose an ordinance further restricting the operations of Stage II-compliant aircraft at Van Nuys Airport (VNY) in Southern California. If approved by Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, the ``non-addition rule'' will limit the number of VNY-based Stage II aircraft to around 50 -- the number as of October 1999 -- while also limiting to 30 the number of consecutive days that transient Stage II aircraft may use the airport (with some exceptions).
Edited By Paul RichfieldPerry Bradley, in Savannah
Declaring victory in the hotly contested ultra-long-range market segment, Gulfstream in late April rolled the 100th G-V off its Savannah assembly line. Gulfstream says it has sold 154 G-Vs so far, which it estimates accounts for 69 percent of market share, excluding orders from distributors for the competing Global Express. Including those orders, Gulfstream says its share is still better than half.
Ever wonder how the price you're paying for a gallon of fuel breaks out for taxes, overhead and the FBO's profit? Are FBOs really gouging you on fuel sales? Here's what some managers of large executive FBOs told B/CA in a survey three years ago: -- ''For budget purposes, we plan on a wholesale cost of $0.64/gallon [remember, this was 1997] to which must be added $0.06 for airport fees. Selling price, exclusive of FET, CET, and sales tax, is $1.60 to $2.04/gallon. Overhead here is huge -- $1,080,000 lease expense and $850,000 labor cost.''
The Helicopter Association International has released two new videos to help operators gain greater acceptance in the community. Part of the HAI's Fly Neighborly initiative, the first video is geared to pilots and offers information on piloting techniques and procedures for noise abatement. The second video is for non-pilots and is designed to educate organizations about the positive contributions helicopters make to the community. Both videos discuss next-generation helicopter technology and replace the original Fly Neighborly video that was released in the early 1990s.
MD Helicopters has sold MD Explorers to Eng-land's West Yorkshire Police, Great Manchester Police and Specialist Aviation Services (SAS). SAS, which operates Police Aviation Services Ltd. and Medical Aviation Services Ltd., also is the manufacturer's twin-engine distributor in the United Kingdom.
According to statistics released by the Airports Council International, Washington's Dulles International Airport was the fastest growing airport of the world's top 50 airports in 1999.
ACES Systems has introduced the VIPER 4040 for vibration analysis, rotor track and balancing, and cabin noise analysis. The VIPER 4040 offers several built-in features for rotor track and balancing. With the ChartBuilder function, influence and adjustment criteria can be entered, allowing raw data acquired to be automatically translated into mechanical adjustments. For vibration analysis, the VIPER 4040 can acquire data from four sensors and analyze those data to frequency levels of up to 1.8 million rpm or 30 kHz. Price: $14,995 (base)
Westchester Air, Inc. signed a lease agreement for a corporate headquarters facility at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y. The new general aviation facility is shared with Westair, a flight school and maintenance shop. Construction on the ``T'' hangars has commenced, and the main hangar will follow in the summer.
MD Helicopters, Inc. (MDHI) announced structural and powerplant improvement plans for the MD Explorer, MD 600 and MD 500 series aircraft. The MD Explorer will receive the new Pratt&Whitney Canada 207E engines this summer. P&WC said the engine is rated at 710 shp at takeoff and 800 shp at the 2.5-minute one-engine inoperative (OEI) rating, offering increases of 11 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively, over the PW206E engines currently in use. Maximum hover ceiling for the PW207E has not been determined; however, testing is underway.
With planned certification and initial deliveries of the Malibu Meridian only two months away, New Piper says it may begin to look at an initial public offering of stock.
