Aircraft Services Group says it will increase the price of Vision Safe's EVAS system from $9,195 to $10,950. The company also has added a new managed Falcon 2000 and hired three staffers to support the aircraft.
Christie's ProEase DataFX is a supplement to battery charger/analyzers for the servicing of large, vented nickel cadmium batteries. The DataFX monitors battery current, voltage and individual cell voltage. The new design allows for simplified battery servicing, documentation and unattended operation of chargers/analyzers. The DataFX includes a print button, larger display that shows up to 22 cells, self-calibration and enhanced software. Price: $1,995 Christie Electric 18120 S. Broadway Gardena, Calif. 90428
The Canadian government is seeking World Trade Organization (WTO) approval to block $4.9 billion in Brazilian imports over seven years if Brazil does not cease using ProEx, an export financing program Embraer has used to encourage regional jet sales. Canada's action stems from the WTO's May 9 finding that changes made to ProEx since the Geneva-based trade group first declared it illegal in August 1999 were inadequate, and the program remains in violation of international law.
Airport managers and aviation service providers will meet to discuss mutual concerns and business opportunities at a conference in Orlando from November 5-7. Sponsored by the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) and the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), the Airports and FBO Industry Symposium will address issues such as enhancing airport businesses, community relations, environmental regulation and the impact of pending federal legislation. Further information is available from Beth Van Emburgh at (703) 824-0500, ext.
CHC Helicopter subsidiary Lloyd Helicopter Services has been selected to provide helicopter transportation and air ambulance services to the United Nations Assistance Mission in East Timor. Lloyd will service the $13.5 million contract with two Eurocopter Super Pumas and one Bell 212.
Until recently, the entire U.S. Na-tional Airspace System (NAS) has been built upon ground-based navaids -- VORs, NDBs, ILSes, ATC primary and secondary radars, and dozens of other electronic devices that provide defining anchors for airways, intersections, instrument approach procedures, arrival and departure routes, and the boundaries of special use and restricted/prohibited airspace.
Southwest Jet Aviation named Chuck Harrington as the director of maintenance. Based out of Scottsdale Airport, Southwest offers charter service, fractional ownership, aircraft management, aircraft sales/acquisition and hangar leasing.
Continental Express converted 11 options for Embraer ERJ-145s into firm orders. The carrier now has 211 firm orders for Embraer regional jets and 64 options.
Airshow Inc. has introduced iSYS Intelligent Cabin Systems, an integrated information, entertainment and cabin control system for business jets. ``With iSYS, we can build systems that meet a wide variety of aircraft designs, specification and budgets,'' said Dennis Ferguson, president of Airshow. Products available on iSYS include news, stocks, sports and weather updates in text format; airborne satellite television; moving map display; e-mail; and onboard audio/visual systems utilizing CD changers and DVD players.
A new company called CharterX hopes to become the preferred charter quoting and computerized reservation system by providing an Internet-based tool that allows charter customers to get quotes and book reservations. Unlike online brokering sites, the program is designed as a ``behind the scenes'' system that provides a reservations window that will appear on charter operators' Web sites, allowing them to maintain the bond between operator and customer, according to CharterX President Walter Kraujalis.
Edited by Paul RichfieldPaul Richfield, in Washington, D.C.
Airlines are gradually warming to the benefits of collecting and analyzing flight data, though the noise surrounding the issue is getting louder as other interested parties consider their position.
Mouawad National Co., a multinational retail and jewelry manufacturing company headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has ordered a new Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ). The aircraft will be powered by twin V2500 engines from IAE -- a partnership of Pratt&Whitney, Rolls-Royce, Aero Engines Corp. of Japan and Germany's MTU Motoren- un Turbinen- Union Munchen GmbH. Mouawad expects the aircraft to enter service in the first half of 2001. Athens, Greece-based SAPO International SA also has ordered an ACJ for executive charter. SAPO's aircraft will be powered by IAE V2527s.
The FAA has launched limited operation of its Multi-Sector Oceanic Data-Link System for aircraft operating over the Atlantic Ocean. Data link is intended to reduce or eliminate voice communications between controllers and flight crews, and to increase the accuracy and timeliness of ground-to-air communications. The service is expected to be available throughout the Caribbean by year-end and then be expanded to cover the New York Air Traffic Control Center's North Atlantic sectors.
A new Internet site has been created to match operators requiring maintenance and refurbishment services with companies providing those services. Called AvQuotes, the site allows operators to post job descriptions and schedule aircraft viewings in order to attract bidders that can meet their time and scheduling requirements. Service providers that have registered and paid to participate can access a separate site for a password-protected list of jobs awaiting bids. The company says that more than 50 service providers are participating thus far.
If you want air carrier-grade security to prevent unauthorized access to aircraft and other sensitive areas, Ross Technologies' new ExitSentry system may be the answer. Airlines and airports use ExitSentry to prevent people from going the wrong way in exit-only paths. Equipped with two surveillance cameras, the system also provides evidence in the event of a security breach. The system is in place at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport and is being installed in eight cities served by Southwest Airlines. Price: Varies with Installation
A Colorado appellate court has upheld a lower court's ruling in favor of a pilot who sued a former employer for defamation -- a case that could be the first legal test of the Pilot Records Improvement Act (PRIA). Fired from his job as a corporate pilot for Sky Fun 1 and sued for alleged damages inflicted on the company's aircraft due to a lightning strike, John Schuttloffel filed counter-charges after William Kitchen, his former boss, described him to a prospective airline employer as ``not a good pilot'' and ``a threat to passengers.''
Ground handling is no less important a part of your flight operations than a well-briefed and executed low approach. Taxiing, parking and securing your aircraft requires a heightened vigilance due to insidious hazards. The ``Statistical Summary of Commercial Jet Airplane Accidents'' published by the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group states that eight percent of all accidents (involving jet aircraft heavier than 60,000 pounds gross weight) occur while the aircraft is taxing, loading or parked.
Cutter Aviation appointed Joe Moss as acting general manager for the Santa Monica, Calif., facility. Specializing in New Piper Aircraft sales, Cutter also offers airframe and engine maintenance, parts, and avionics installations and repair.
Former HAI chief Frank Jensen and attorney Carroll Dubuc have formed an organization to help settle aviation-related business disputes out of court. Saying that mediation helps lower costs, maintain business relationships and avoid unwarranted publicity, Aviation Mediation and Arbitration providers, LLC (AMAP) will provide dispute resolution at a ``reasonable, fixed expense.'' Dubuc, who is the AMAP's executive director, can be reached at (703) 558-3663.
Lakeland Linder Regional Airport has reopened Runway 9-27 after a nine-month, $4.9 million rehabilitation. The central Florida airport is home to the annual Sun 'n Fun fly-in.
Armed with a recent $7.4 million grant, Salt Lake City's Westminster College is planning to launch an Aeronautical Institute. Westminster officials say that aviation degrees from the college will combine relevant business and management coursework with flight training to help graduates prepare for the job market.
