President Clinton signed AIR-21 - the long-awaited FAA reauthorization bill - into law on April 5, clearing the way for three years of unprecedented federal investment in America's aviation infrastructure. The bill will increase the nation's aviation endowment by $10 billion over current levels, bringing the total allocation to $40 billion between fiscal 2001 and 2003. Of this total, $33 billion will come from the Aviation Trust Fund, and $6.7 billion will be appropriated from the General Fund.
Meggitt PLC, a U.K.-based aerospace and electronics group, acquired autopilot manufacturer S-TEC Corp. to expand the product line of Meggitt Aerospace Systems' MAGIC line. Meggitt noted that S-TEC's worldwide network of general aviation dealers was a major consideration in the decision to acquire the company. Meggitt and S-TEC already are teamed in providing avionics for the New Piper Aircraft's Malibu Meridian single-engine turboprop aircraft. Approval by regulatory agencies is expected by early this month.
The FAA has approved the $35 million, 99-year lease agreement between the state of New York and airport operator National Express Group (NEG), clearing the way for the privatization of Stewart International Airport (SWF) near Newburgh. NEG assumed operational control of the airport on April 1, replacing Airport Group New York, which had managed the airport under a contract with the state DOT.
A new auction Web site for airport equipment, www.equipmentforairports.com, is planning to launch this month. The site will function much like other Internet auction sites, although it will feature items in categories such as APUs, refuelers, ground support and other equipment of interest to FBOs and general aviation. There is no fee for listing a product, but successful sellers pay a two- to three-percent commission based on the selling price of the item. Future capabilities planned for the site include an online parts search, chat services and a message board.
Edited by Paul RichfieldBy Paul Richfield CBAA Pushes for `Self-Regulation'
The Canadian Business Aircraft Association (CBAA) is edging closer to becoming the primary regulatory authority over Canada's business aviation community. Though initial costs to operators would be higher under the CBAA's purview (``self-regulation'' is the CBAA's term), the trade group sees offset in the form of additional operational flexibility and lower charges for individual certifications and approvals.
Bombardier has contracted with BFGoodrich Aerospace to undertake Global Express interior and avionics completions at the company's Everett, Wash., facility. The manufacturer has a lengthy order backlog and has recently sought to expedite the completions process by subcontracting with outside completions facilities. There are currently 10 Global Express aircraft in service with more than 30 additional aircraft awaiting completion. BFGoodrich expects to complete five green aircraft this year.
SimuFlite (Dallas) -- Kyle Drake has been named quality leader/master black belt. Drake will implement the training company's Six Sigma program and other training programs. Bill Wilhelmi is now managing director for training services and David Boggess has been named director of training support.
Executive Jet Management has added two Cincinnati-based and one Newburgh, N.Y.-based Cessna Citation Excels to its charter fleet. The operators say it now manages 50 aircraft nationwide.
DaimlerChrysler Aviation is adding a 14-passenger Gulfstream IVSP and a 12-passenger Gulfstream III to its managed fleet. Both aircraft will be available for charter through Automotive Air Charter.
Mesaba Airlines has opened its 126,000-square-foot maintenance facility at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The new hangar will focus on performing heavy checks for Mesaba's fleet of 36 Avro RJ 85s, and will lead to the creation of around 150 jobs by the end of 2002, the airline says. Currently, Mesaba's RJ 85 C-checks are done in St. Johns, Newfoundland. The $12.4 million construction project was funded through a bond issued by the Kenton County (Kentucky) Airport Board.
Gilles P. Ouimet, Pratt &Whitney Canada's President and COO, has been promoted to chief executive officer, succeeding L. David Caplan, who will remain with the engine giant as chairman until April 2001. As CEO, Ouimet says he intends to double the company's sales to $4 billion and increase market share to 34 percent over the next decade. The manufacturer claims it is well on the way towards achieving those goals, with 23 P&WC-powered aircraft scheduled to enter service by 2002.
Airline Training Academy in Orlando has signed a five-year lease for a second British Aerospace Jetstream 32, which will be used for scheduled charter flights under the Discover Air brand.
Potez Aeronautique, already a major contributor to Dassault Falcon programs on the OEM side, is looking to grow its repair and overhaul work on the French-made jets. A structures specialist, the 87-year-old company makes cockpit, wing box and tail sections for current-production Falcons. Potez has worked with Dassault on several after-market continued airworthiness fixes, but wants to branch out on its own -- particularly with U.S. customers.
Gulfstream Aerospace has opened a 53,650-square-foot refurbishment center at its Savannah headquarters. According to the manufacturer, the new facility consolidates and adds to existing completion and refurbishment activity in Savannah. Gulfstream says it plans to ``build a substantial refurbishment business'' in the next few years and will add staff to support the operation. The company also has broken ground on an expansion of its Brunswick, Ga., facility where G-IVSPs and G-Vs in the Gulfstream Shares fractional ownership program are completed and maintained.
The Professional Pilots Federation (PPF) is waging another fight against the FAA's age 60 rule, filing a petition for exemptions for 69 of the group's 500 members. Each of the members on the petition has undergone extensive medical testing that PPF chief Bert Yetman says goes far beyond what FAA first-class medicals require. Yetman expects the agency to decline the petitions and then challenge the decision in federal court.
-- Vail Valley Jet Center wants operators to know that Colorado's Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) will remain open during its runway renovation project, scheduled from April 22 to June 23. During the construction, the parallel taxiway will be converted into an active runway, but with use limited to aircraft with approach speeds not exceeding 121 knots and wing spans less than 79 feet. Navaids will be out of service during the construction, but the tower will remain open.
A random sampling of airline crews chose to penetrate convective weather rather than deviate around it more than two-thirds of the time, according to data collected by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory. Pilots were found to be more likely to penetrate convective weather -- including cells with precipitation intensities of National Weather Service levels 3, 4 and 5 -- when near the destination airport, when following another aircraft, when more than 15 minutes behind schedule or while flying at night.
Galaxy Aerospace delivered a Galaxy business jet to Lions Air, a Swiss charter operator. The delivery marked the first Galaxy to a European operator and the third Galaxy in customer hands. The second Galaxy was delivered to Veridian Aviation Services, an aircraft sales, insurance and consulting company. Galaxy is the manufacturer's first large-cabin business jet, featuring intercontinental range and an $18.2 million price tag.
The Aviation Employment Placement Service has scheduled its fourth aviation career fair for June 16 and 17 at the Los Angeles Airport Hilton in California. According to the company, which also operates an online employment listing service, the March AirFair in Florida attracted more than 800 job seekers and 31 employers, including Bombardier FlexJet and Kellstrom Industries, as well as Mesa, Colgan, Piedmont and other airlines. Another AirFair is scheduled in Dallas on August 18 and 19.
Continental Express plans to turn New York's La Guardia Airport (LGA) into a major hub for its fleet of 50- and 37-seat Embraer regional jets. Assuming the DOT grants it the necessary slot exemptions, ConEx will begin its LGA operations in September with the addition of one city per month, for a total of 22 new nonstop destinations within two years. The airline says its decision to expand at LGA was driven by the recent passage of legislation (AIR-21) encouraging looser slot restrictions for air service to smaller cities.
President Clinton has nominated seven people to the Federal Aviation Management Advisory Council. Nominees with direct aviation experience include GAMA President Ed Bolen, Air Wisconsin President and CEO Geoffrey T. Crowley, American Airlines executive Robert W. Baker, Boeing retiree Robert A. Davis and former ALPA President Jerome Randolph Babbitt. Other nominees are Debbie Branson, a Dallas attorney, and former DOT official Kendall W. Wilson, who now operates a high-tech finance company advising new businesses.
The NTSB has recommended that the FAA mandate crash-protected cockpit video recorders in FAR Part 121, 125 and 135 aircraft now required to have cockpit voice recorders and digital flight data recorders. According to the NTSB, the new recorders should produce color images with sufficient clarity to show the ``identities, locations and actions of the people in the cockpit'' as well as to discern instrument readings.
Simple solutions would appear elusive as United Airlines struggles to find the best way to integrate regional jets into its network, according to Captain Rick Dubinsky, master chairman of the United Airlines chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). The following is an excerpt from an interview with Dubinsky that appears in the March Rupanews -- the Journal of the Retired United Pilots Association:
