MARY BULLOCK-BAGOSY was promoted to the newly created position of director-airline sales for Signature Flight Support. Bagosy, who has 12 years of aviation industry experience, most recently was operations manager for Signature's Zurich flight support operation. She previously held management positions with Aeropostal Airlines.
All four people aboard a Model 55 Learjet and an Extra Flugzeugbau GmbH EA-300S were killed June 23 when the aircraft collided shortly after taking off from from different airports (BA, June 26/301).
THE AIR GROUP added a Gulfstream I, Gulfstream III and Challenger 601 to its management and charter fleet based in Van Nuys, Calif. The Air Group operates a range of aircraft at its Van Nuys, Calif. headquarters, including King Airs, Citations, Learjets, Hawkers and Gulfstreams. In addition to Van Nuys, Air Group provides charter, management, sales and related services from bases in New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Denver, San Francisco and Hawaii.
AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION is focusing on ways to "ease the growing commercial aviation insurance problem," the organization said last week, observing that it "is vitally concerned that some flight schools, independent flight instructors and FBOs are finding it increasingly difficult to obtain affordable insurance coverage." AOPA named aviation insurance consultant Ray Olsen to develop a list of all insurance companies writing commercial aviation insurance.
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION is starting to look into disclosure issues surrounding charter brokering.DOT particularly is troubled that Web-based companies selling charter time are not disclosing to their customers who the charter operators are. This is a concern, DOT has told industry officials, because these companies are not certificated to operate a charter or represent charters. One industry leader, however, contends that there is very little brand recognition for most charter companies and said customers are often unaware of who is flying them, even when told.
The FAA's recent emphasis on reducing the incidence of runway incursion events at the nation's airports is spawning a broad-based response that is likely to affect both commercial and general aviation operators using large and small airports.
SOLVENT KLEENE INC., Peabody, Mass., has developed a new aircraft paint stripper, D-Zolve GL 15-33, for exterior surfaces of aircraft and helicopters. The stripper can be used on all aircraft metals, including stainless steel, aluminum, magnesium, carbon steel, cadmium coated steel and titanium. A water-based solution, D-Zolve GL 15-33 was designed to replace methylene chloride-based chemicals. D-Zolve GL 15-33 is non-acidic, non-flammable and non-hazardous, Solvent Kleene said.
AJ WALTER AVIATION, which recently opened an office in Naples, Italy, received a contract to represent Italian manufacturer Marotta Spl. Marotta produces and repairs aircraft floor panels and specializes in the repair of galley equipment, including ovens, water boilers and coffee makers. AJ Walter Aviation based an office in Naples to support customers in Italy and North Africa. Maurizio Iervasi is directing the office.
WHILE INDUSTRY forecasters wonder what will happen to aircraft resale values once the first major lots of fractional ownership aircraft turn over and enter the market, Mike Guina, president of Air Partner USA, predicts that those aircraft may never hit the market. Guina believes no one has an interest in dumping those aircraft and depressing overall fleet values. He suggests that the fractional ownership companies may use those aircraft to begin their own flying charter clubs, a lower-cost version of current fractional ownership.
The House Resources Committee has approved legislation, H.R.3661, to protect back-country aircraft landing strips from closing without formal public process. H.R.3661, co-authored by national parks and public lands subcommittee Chairman Jim Hansen (R-Utah) and aviation subcommittee Chairman John Duncan (R-Tenn.), would require such a public notification process before a federal land manager could close or purposefully neglect a back-country airstrip in a national park.
In a move that some observers say may presage a full-fledged merger, the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and the Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA) have created "a single legislative affairs department which will serve and represent both AAAE and ACI-NA members on Capitol Hill."
A new Web-based charter service broker formally launched Tuesday and president and co-founder Richard Robinson said the company, called eJets, already has begun booking flights. The company hopes to distinguish itself from the growing number of online reservation services for private travel by providing real-time booking coupled with ground transportation, catering, hotel and other services. The company secured $2 million from ThinkTank LLC, described as an Internet incubator, to launch the service.
GINNELL SCHILLER joined Executive Jet Management as vice president of marketing. Schiller has 20 years of marketing experience, previously holding positions with Fidelity Investments and Buckhorn Inc.
Model Falcon 2000, Mystere-Falcon 900, Falcon 900EX, Fan Jet Falcon, Mystere-Falcon 50, Mystere-Falcon 20, Mystere-Falcon 200, and Falcon 10 series airplanes (Docket No. 2000-NM-56-AD; Amdt. 39-11793; AD 2000-12-15) - requires repetitive tests and inspections to detect discrepancies of the overwing emergency exit; and corrective action, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION is offering a free "eMarket" service to its members. The service allows vendors to post for sale business aviation goods and services for sales that are valued at more than $5,000. Although NBAA is offering the service for free, the association is asking companies that sell products/services through the service, a tax-exempt organization that supports business aviation education programs and is part of the effort to raise money for the Smithsonian National Air Space Museum's new facility at Dulles International Airport.
MIDWAY AIRLINES TERMINAL CONSORTIUM, a not-for-profit airline consortium, is soliciting bids until 4 p.m. July 28 for professional property, airline equipment and fuel system management services at Chicago Midway Airport. Contract will cover day-to-day maintenance and operational services, implementation of a maintenance program and cost containment program, coordination of invoicing between the City of Chicago and MATCO member airlines, management of life safety systems and management of fuel systems and airline equipment.
Model EMB-145 series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-98-AD) - revises an earlier proposed AD that would have required a one-time ultrasonic inspection of the maneuvering actuator piston rod of the main landing gear (MLG) to ensure adequate wall thickness of the piston rods; and replacement of any discrepant piston rod with a new piston rod. That proposal was prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. This new action revises the proposed rule by removing all references to Change No.
Model SA-365N1, AS-365N2, and SA-366G1 helicopters (Docket No. 99-SW-45-AD; Amdt. 39-11765; AD 2000-11-17) - supsersedes an existing AD that currently requires initial and repetitive inspections of the tail rotor blade Kevlar tie-bar for cracks or delaminations. This amendment requires the same actions required by the existing AD and corrects an incorrectly stated part number (P/N) in the existing AD. This amendment is prompted by a report of delamination of a Kevlar tie-bar.
BFGoodrich last week unveiled its LandMark Terrain Awareness and Warning System, one of the first two lower-cost systems under development to meet the FAA's new requirement for TAWS on turbine aircraft with six or more passenger seats (BA, April 3/152). The LandMark is designed to comply with FAA's TSO-C151a Class B standards for Part 91 operators and Part 135 operators of aircraft with fewer than 10 seats. BFGoodrich has not finalized the price of the LandMark, but expects that it will be under $10,000, not including installation.
JAMES GLOCK was named to the newly created position of director-airline sales for Signature Flight Support. Glock, formerly general aviation manager at Signature's Baltimore Washington International Airport facility, developed the company's airport warehouse operations at BWI. Before joining Signature, he was operations manager for Ogden Aviation's Baltimore cargo operations.
AIR TOUR OPERATORS in the Grand Canyon are shedding no tears about a recent National Park Service announcement that Robert Arnberger is being moved from his post as superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park to to become regional director of NPS's Alaska Region. The air tour operators believe Arnberger was part of the problem in a series of noise and operating restrictions placed on GCNP tour operators in recent years. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, however, praised Arnberger for his "excellent management of that magnificent national park."
Model BH.125, DH.125, and HS.125 series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-345-AD) - proposes to supersede an existing AD that currently requires a one-time inspection to detect scoring of the upper fuselage skin around the periphery of the cockpit canopy blister interface, and repair, if necessary. This action would expand the applicability of the existing AD to include additional airplanes, and would require that the actions be accomplished in accordance with revised service information for the newly added airplanes.
Germany said it will buy as many as 75 Airbus A400M turboprop airlifters for 20 billion marks, or about $9.8 billion. The announcement followed the United Kingdom's statement that it would buy 25 of the planes for 3.5 billion pounds ($5.3 billion), making it seem likely the consortium will launch its first military transport. Belgium, France, Italy, Spain and Turkey also have said they need a total of 130 of the planes, a turboprop transport similar to the Lockheed C-130 Hercules but closer in size to the C-17 airlifter.
