Kirby Harrison is a freelance writer for The Weekly of Business Aviation, Business & Commercial Aviation and others in the Informa publishing chain. Harrison joined the Navy in 1962 and spent 20 years in the service, virtually all of it as a photojournalist, traveling from small islands in the South Pacific to Vietnam to the bombing of the Marine barracks in Lebanon. When Harrison retired from the Navy, he went back to college and graduated in 1971 from Syracuse University with a Bachelor's Degree in Photojournalism. Along the way, he spent two years as a news photographer at the Daily Press & Times Herald in Newport News, Virginia, and three years working for Studio Sebe in Nice, France as a photographer. More recently, before retiring, he worked nearly 20 years for Naval Aviation News.
The Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association (AOPA) has called on municipal officials in East Hampton, N.Y. to seek the services of an independent mediator to address a long-running debate over noise complaints and federal funding of East Hampton Airport, which is owned and operated by the town. According to town records, helicopter traffic at the airport was up 40% this past summer and overall fixed-wing traffic was up 20%. East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell said a total of 18,454 noise complaints had been lodged since last January.
Empire Aviation Group, a Dubai-based aviation services company, has added an Embraer Legacy 650 executive jet to its managed fleet based in Oman. The aircraft is being managed on behalf of the owner and longtime client and will operate only from Oman, where Empire already manages three other business jets. Empire completed the full technical inspection, delivery and induction process of the Brazilian-made super mid-size business jet. The Legacy 650 offers three cabin zones with wireless inflight connectivity and Apple TV to enhance the passenger experience.
Reliable Jet Maintenance has added a third shift at its Boca Raton, Florida, facilities to create a 24/7 service for its customers. A Part 145 repair station, Reliable Jet fields a dedicated team to provide on-site or mobile support anywhere in the world. The mobile response vehicles are equipped with computers as well as scanning and printing capability. Along with this service expansion, the company has added three aircraft to its operations specifications, bringing the total to 33 aircraft models. Additions include the Falcon 900, Citation Sovereign and Citation XLS.
