Near collisions with military aircraft are reported to the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) at the rate of about three per month, and involve all types of aircraft from general aviation trainers to commercial airliners. The actual number of near-midair collisions (NMACs) is estimated to be much higher.
Aeronautical Communication International (ACI) -- an international joint venture comprising Honeywell, Sextant, Airsys ATM and Sofreavia -- has delivered the first version of Aeronautical Telecommunications Network router software to the FAA. The program is designed to help implement ATC data-link service in U.S. airspace.
The FAA has awarded an STC to Airwolf Filter Corp. for its Apollo DTM-4 high-capacity spray system. The DTM-4 is designed for installation on the Robinson R44 helicopter.
New Piper Aircraft has chosen Hartzell Propeller's four-blade propeller system for the Malibu Meridian. According to Hartzell, the system adds three knots to the Meridian's cruise speed, reduces takeoff distance and increases rate of climb, while also reducing interior noise and vibration levels. New Piper says the Meridian certification and first customer deliveries are on schedule for this summer.
BP Amoco Group finalized an agreement to acquire Atlantic Richfield Co. (ARCO). The purchase will enable Air BP to expand service to the West Coast region with the creation of a Long Beach, Calif., office. Air BP Americas claims to be the number one marketer of jet fuel services to more than 600 locations in the United States.
Mercury Air Group named Jeffrey D. Smith to the position of eastern regional director and Tina M. Muse joins as manager of sales and marketing. Additionally, Mercury purchased two FBOs, Fort Wayne Air Service and Consolidated Airways, located at Fort Wayne International Airport in Indiana. With this purchase, Mercury Air Group now operates 18 FBOs nationwide.
Rockwell Collins plans to acquire Sony's Trans Com division, a manufacturer of inflight entertainment systems. The former Sony unit will be combined with Rockwell's IFE business known as Passenger Systems, resulting in a projected $500 million in revenues in 2001. Rockwell Collins recently announced a joint venture with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. to create an inflight entertainment network for airline passengers.
Piedmont Hawthorne will acquire the Gen-Aero and AVSAT FBOs from Fairchild Aerospace at San Antonio International Airport (SAT). The former Gen-Aero facility includes a 6,748-square-foot FBO terminal and 124,000 square feet of hangar/shop space. AVSAT features 3,449 square feet of office space and a 31,000-square-foot hangar.
After seven years of debate, legislation restricting the government's ability to seize the property of private citizens -- including aircraft -- was signed into law on April 25. Known as the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act, the new law will force the government to prove that property targeted for seizure is connected to a crime, while making it easier for people to reclaim property seized in error.
Oregon State University is sponsoring an aviation conference, June 12-16, on ``The Revolution in General Aviation.'' Topics range from aviation as an economic development tool to zoning laws affecting airports. For more information visit www.odot.state.or.us./aero/ or call (503) 378-4880.
About the only time rules really are in black and white is on the printed page. Hand those pages over to people, and individual perspectives begin to shape perception and meaning. In the case of the FARs -- how the rules are interpreted and how they are enforced -- those shifts can be frustrating and costly.
JAXPORT, which operates Jacksonville's airports, says that more than 90 percent of the available aviation space at Cecil Field, which was decommissioned as a Naval Air Station seven months ago, has been leased. Tenants include Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Air Kaman.
Williams International's FJ44-2C engine has received FAA certification. The 2,400-pound thrust engine will power the Citation CJ2 and features a fuel heater system that eliminates the need for anti-ice additives. Less powerful versions of the FJ44 power the Citation CJ1, Raytheon's Premier 1 and the proposed Sino Swearingen SJ30-2.
UND Aerospace (Grand Forks, N.D.) -- Kirk Peterson, avionics manager at UND's John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, has been named avionics technician of the year by the FAA flight standards district office.
New entrant manufacturer Eclipse Aviation has selected Albuquerque as the location of its new corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility. The company plans to employ around 20 people at existing facilities at Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) this year, until a new plant at Double Eagle II Airport (AEG), a general aviation field located seven miles from the city center, is completed.
Pratt&Whitney Canada is reorganizing its Service Centre Network, grouping businesses providing similar services together. The new units include Repair and Overhaul, Aerospace Component Services and Fleet Services. Aerospace Component Services includes accessories and components sales and service while the Fleet Services unit encompasses leased engines and those covered by P&WC's power-by-the-hour programs.
Cessna's Citation Encore has received FAA certification and is expected to begin customer deliveries in the third quarter of this year. The Encore, successor to the Citation Ultra, is equipped with more-fuel-efficient engines, a trailing-link landing gear, bleed-air anti-ice wing leading edge and 14-inch wingtip extensions.
