As fatigue and sleep debt increases as a major factor in incident and accident prevention, more studies are appearing to assist flight crews and their flight departments in the management of crew rest. The challenge in such a program is the difficulty in quantifying and determining when fatigue and sleep debt reach a true level of performance impairment and then dealing with it. For example, when we need nutrition, we feel hungry and when we need fluids, we are thirsty. Both sensations are quickly relieved by ingesting food and water.
Eurocopter says it has sold the first EC135 helicopter for use in U.S. law enforcement to the Broward County Sheriff's Office in South Florida. The new helicopter is scheduled for delivery in September and will augment three Eurocopter AStars in the Broward fleet. Shreveport, La.-based Metro Aviation will complete the helicopter, which will be outfitted with such options as a rescue hoist, Night Sun, forward looking infrared radar (FLIR) and LO-JACK tracking systems.
AeroCaribe Flight 7831, a BAE Systems Jetstream 32, crashed in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas on July 8, killing all 19 people aboard. The cause of the crash is unknown, though Mexican authorities are said to be reviewing the aircraft's flight data recorders. Local news accounts say the crash occurred shortly after the pilots reported a route deviation due to bad weather. The twin turboprop reportedly was en route from Tuxtla Gutierrez to Villahermosa, the capital of Tabasco state.
Transport Canada will now publicize the names of operators found guilty of violating the country's Aeronautics Act and the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs). The new policy is intended to make air carriers ``more accountable to the Canadian public,'' Transport Minister David Collenette said. Offenders' names, offenses and penalties can be found at the ministry's Web site at www.tc.gc.ca/aviation/index_e. The information previously was available only by specific request under Canada's Access to Information Act.
The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) has awarded its 2000 New Product Award to Raytheon Aircraft for development of the Premier I. The annual awards are meant to recognize ``the benefits that come from the research and engineering of new products,'' according to the NPSE. Raytheon's engineers were cited for developing automated technology to build the Premier I's composite fuselage in only a week with four employees per shift. Certification of the Premier I, originally expected in the spring, is now anticipated to occur this summer, Raytheon says.
Ranger Aviation opened an FBO at Kissimmee Airport in central Florida, offering services for corporate and general aviation operators. Located six miles from Walt Disney World, the FBO provides fuel, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, hangar accommodations, and helicopter and limousine services. Judy Bennett, flight support operations manager, said the FBO's staff had more than 20 years of aviation experience, and can offer an alternative to the already congested area airports.''
The 2000 General Aviation Industry Awards Program named Gregory Brown of Fountain Hills, Ariz., as Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year; Arthur Giessman of St. Louis, as Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year; and Robert Lenert of Hartford, Conn., as Avionics Technician of the Year. The awards were presented during ceremonies at EAA AirVenture 2000 in Oshkosh, Wis., in July.
B/CA is at its best when the magazine helps you do your job better. Most often, our coverage tends to delve deeply into operational issues -- for example, information on threats to flight safety and methods for combating those threats. But the reality today is that the successful flight department manager must be more than an operations expert.
Embraer's ERJ-140 flew for the first time in June. The 44-passenger regional jet features ``96 percent commonality'' and the same type rating as its smaller and larger Embraer cousins -- the ERJ-135 and ERJ-145. The manufacturer has not announced any orders for the new aircraft since its official launch in September 1999. Embraer has priced the ERJ-140 at $15.2 million and says it will be ready in first quarter 2001.
Edited by Paul RichfieldBy Paul Richfield, in New York
Photograph: Cessna CEO Gary Hay Cessna, TAG Launch Fractional Cessna Aircraft and charter provider TAG Aviation are teaming on a new jet aircraft fractional ownership business that targets the lower end of the market. Called CitationShares, the new joint venture represents a $20 million investment by the two principals, and will offer a mix of Citation Bravos and CJ1 CitationJets to customers primarily east of the Mississippi River.
The FAA is offering airmen an opportunity to remove their names from public databases. The agency had planned to discontinue access to the lists in 1999, much to the chagrin of aviation marketers. The passage of AIR-21, however, scuttled the FAA's plan to eliminate public disclosure of the database, although airmen's individual written requests for privacy will be honored.
Piedmont Hawthorne Aviation plans to open a regional airline maintenance facility in Harrisburg, Pa. A portion of the office and ramp is used as an FBO with 62,000 square feet for both operations. Additionally, Saab Aircraft of America, Inc. has selected Piedmont as a Saab 340 Aircraft Center, said Rick Reed, vice president of aviation services. The agreement will cover both the Winston-Salem maintenance center and the Harrisburg facility.
Several changes have been made at the Phoenix facility: Longtime staff member Rod Cash has been promoted to the newly created position of vice president for product support; former line department technician Rick Robot is now parts manager; and Lynn Hogan has been named outside parts salesperson. James Acuna has been named line manager at Cutter Aviation Deer Valley.
Edited By Paul RichfieldBy Mike Vines, in Santiago, Chile
Photograph: The Citation doubles as an air ambulance. Aerocardal Chilean FBO and executive charter company Aerocardal is to consolidate its operation at Santiago International Airport at an estimated cost of $2.8 million. The project includes the construction of a new maintenance hangar that will be built adjacent to the company's own ramp at the airport. Completion of the move is expected within the next 18 months to two years, when Aerocardal will move its current maintenance base from noise-sensitive and VFR limited Tabalaba Airport, also in Santiago.
Cirrus Design received a production certificate from the FAA for the SR20. With the certificate and four new Designated Manufacturing Inspection Representatives (DMIR), Cirrus now can inspect aircraft coming off the assembly line and award airworthiness certificates without direct FAA oversight.
The first production model of New Piper's Meridian began flight testing at the manufacturer's Vero Beach, Fla., headquarters and is expected to be delivered to Richard Dumais of Texas this month. Dumais has owned several Piper aircraft, including an Archer, a Saratoga, a Malibu and two Malibu Mirages. Once flight-testing is completed, the aircraft will undergo interior and exterior completion prior to delivery. FAA type certification of the Meridian was expected to be announced as early as the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture in late July.
Amphitech, a Canadian technology company, is flight testing a new obstacle awareness radar system for helicopters. Known as Oasys, the radar is designed to alert pilots to obstacles in their flight path, including power lines, other aircraft, terrain and towers in all weather conditions. Current flight-testing involves a Bell 412P helicopter to determine the system's functionality in a variety of flight conditions. Amphitec hopes to have the Oasys available in second quarter 2001 with initial pricing planned at $225,000.
Garrett Aviation named David Miller as vice president and general manager of the Jet Center at Santa Barbara, Calif. In addition, Geoff Hunt was appointed as the general manager of ElectroSonics and Ava Sumpter is customer coordinator for the CJ610 and CF700 engine programs at the Houston facility. Garrett Aviation is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Electric Co., and provides maintenance for corporate aircraft and support for Honeywell and GE engines.
Naples Airport (APF) is soliciting public comments on a proposed ban of Stage 2 jet aircraft that would take effect on January 1, 2001. The airport already has a mandatory Stage 1 prohibition, a voluntary Stage 2 and Stage 3 restriction and an engine maintenance run-up ban between 2200 and 0700 hours. Comments on the proposal are due by August 21, to the attention of Lisa Blanc-Hutchings, in care of City of Naples Airport Authority, 160 Aviation Dr. N., Naples, Fla. 34104-3568 or via fax at (941) 643-4084.
Pressure to stem the rise of runway incursion incidents at U.S. airports has led the FAA to adopt a number of procedural and hardware changes affecting pilots and air traffic controllers. The changes seek to improve pilot-controller communications, while obligating the U.S. to adopt ICAO procedures familiar to pilots whose first language is not necessarily English.
Inflight entertainment provider Airshow has signed NASCAR champion and general aviation pilot Rusty Wallace as a celebrity spokesman. Wallace, who owns a Beech King Air and Learjet 31A, will appear in advertising and make personal appearances at aviation events for Airshow. Both of Wallace's aircraft are equipped with Airshow entertainment and cabin information systems.
Gulfstream Aerospace has introduced several initiatives to ``improve and enhance'' its interaction with customers. Announced at the manufacturer's annual operators workshop, the programs include assignment of a single point-of-contact at Gulfstream for each customer, an e-business initiative, improved reception and visit coordination, safety and security enhancements, and customized Web sites. Gulfstream President Bill Boisture says the new programs are helping to ``open the lines of communication and provide greater access to information.''
