TGA Aviation, a Van Nuys, Calif., charter operation, has filed suit against the Stevens Aviation FBO chain and its chairman, alleging they violated an agreement pertaining to the interior refurbishment of a Gulfstream II. Though limited in scope, the case is a good example of why it is critical for operators to pay attention to detail when negotiating repair or modification contracts.
FlightSafety International (Flushing, N.Y.) -- Jim Lair has been promoted to center manager for the training company's new DFW/Dallas Airport training center.
U.S. regional airlines carried more than 78 million passengers in 1999, a 10-percent increase over the previous year, according to statistics released by the Regional Airline Association (RAA). The top five airlines in terms of passengers carried were American Eagle with more than 11 million passengers, Comair with seven million, followed by Continental Express, SkyWest and Mesaba.
Edited by Paul RichfieldBy Mike Vines, in Amsterdam
Air France's answer to standardizing flight crew procedures is Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA), a flight-deck data feedback system it launched in 1974. Now operational on the airline's entire 210-aircraft fleet, the FOQA equipment collects and processes more than 500 optical disks per week. In 1998, 220,348 flight legs were analyzed.
A new association serving business aviation interests in Central Iowa has been formed. The Central Iowa Business Aviation Association (CIBAA) claims 92 members from 45 companies throughout the state. The CIBAA joins several other state aviation groups, including the Iowa Business Aviation Association, Aerospace Education Council of Iowa, Iowa Public Airports Association and the Iowa Aviation Promotion Group. Further information is available from Bob Dickson at (515) 256-5517.
As this issue went to press, members of the Fractional Ownership Advisory Rulemaking Committee and the FAA were scheduled to hold a two-day meeting to review the committee's recommendation that fractional ownership be placed under a new FAR Part 91K. The agency has raised several questions about the recommendation, but the most serious sticking point appears to be the reluctance of some FAA rulemakers to consider changes to the runway margin requirements for Part 135 operators.
FBI agents raided the Orlando headquarters of SunJet Aviation, operator of the Learjet 35 that crashed in October 1999, killing golfer Payne Stewart, three business associates and two crewmembers. Accompanied by FAA personnel and representatives of the DOT's Inspector General, the agents scoured offices and airplanes, seeking evidence of ``criminal wrongdoing,'' including falsified maintenance records or regulatory violations. FBI spokesman Brian Kensel said the records seized are now in the hands of the U.S.
Indigo Air, the public charter and FAR Part 135 operator using Dassault Falcon 20s, has tapped Arthur Andersen's Aviation Industry Practice for a variety of consulting services. The company hopes to launch public charter service between Chicago's Midway Airport and various New York City-area airports later this year. Indigo CEO Matt Andersen (no relation) says the consulting firm will assist with financial, fleet acquisition and regulatory advice.
RTS Rework introduced a new FAA-approved pinion gear renewal repair for Bell 205, 212 and 412 helicopters. The repair facility also performs turboshaft gear and gear shaft inspection and repair process for Honeywell T53 gears and gearshafts.
The captain of an Ansett New Zealand Dash 8 turboprop that crashed into a fog-shrouded mountain five years ago now faces manslaughter charges brought by the New Zealand Police. Four people died but 18 survived the June 1995 crash, which occurred as the pilots allegedly dealt with a landing gear problem. Also controversial is the court's reputed use of the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder tape as evidence. The flight was a scheduled run between Auckland and Palmerston North, a route over rough country including the Manawatu Gorge.
MD Helicopters, Inc. (MDHI) has chosen Kaman Aerospace Corp. as the sole supplier of fuselages for MDHI's entire line of single-engine helicopters. The multi-year agreement has a potential value of $100 million, with 14 deliveries planned this year, 49 in 2001 and 60 by 2002. ``This will provide a good balance to our in-house programs, the SH2G Super Seasprite and KMAX, and it further enhances Kaman's position as a key player in the global aerospace market,'' Kaman President Walter R. Kozlow said.
Galaxy Aviation (West Palm Beach, Fla.) -- Maureen Cole has been promoted to director of marketing and customer relations. Sandy Sabia is the FBO's new manager of marketing and customer relations. Mary Ellen Munson joins as marketing assistant at Galaxy Aviation of Stuart.
The company that owns the rights to the Aerostar piston twin is on the verge of putting the aircraft back in production -- only this time as an entry-level business jet powered by two Williams FJ33-1 turbofans. According to Jim Christy, vice president of Hayden Lake, Idaho-based Aerostar Aircraft, the FAA has accepted a preliminary certification plan for the six- to eight-seat aircraft, and a ``test article'' fuselage is being used for functional tests of the tooling fixture.
Though they are designed mainly for the recreational general aviation market, handheld GPS units have found a home in many business and regional aircraft as a backup to other navigational aids. In modest trials aboard an Aviat A-1A Husky, Garmin's latest portable GPS -- the GPSMAP 295 -- was found to be fun and easy to use, thanks to its unique, 16-color display and logical format.
Cessna expects to receive FAA certification of its Citation CJ2 this month and will begin customer deliveries of the jet in early 2001. The three aircraft in the CJ2 test program have amassed more than 1,000 flight hours. The manufacturer recently delivered the first Citation CJ1 to the Commercial Envelope Co. of Deer Park, N.Y. Both aircraft were introduced at the 1998 NBAA Convention.
In earlier years, if you were a salesman for Executive Jet, your presence and solicitations in a corporate hangar were about as welcome as a sack full of adders. The president of EJA, a retired distinguished brigadier general named Olbert Fearing Lassiter envisioned more or less taking over corporate jet operations nationwide. His determinations were tempered by wiser heads to spread the word that EJA's jet fleet, mostly Lear 23s, could supplement, not replace, flight operations, a move that proved successful.
Edited by Paul RichfieldBy Mike Vines, in Birmingham, England
Druk Air (Royal Bhutan Airlines) will be the launch customer for the Avro RJX program, with an order for two 85-seat aircraft worth an estimated $60 million including spares. Deliveries are planned for November 2001 and January 2002, and the aircraft will be used to connect Druk's base in Paro, Bhutan, with Bangkok and Hong Kong. According to Nick Godwin, BAE Systems' marketing vice president, the company must build at least 18 RJXs per year to justify production, and he expects to announce another 20 sales by year-end.
The FBO line service staff at DB Aviation of Waukegan, Ill., has successfully completed the National Air Transportation Association's Safety First Program.
StarShares, the TAG Aviation-owned fractional program operating Raytheon King Airs, plans to expand beyond its regional roots and go national. The company is hiring pilots for an Atlanta crew base and expects to add five new King Air 90s and 200s to an existing fleet of five King Airs by the end of the year. StarShares recently consolidated its flight operation and administrative offices at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y. The flight department formerly was based in Danbury, Conn.
