Now lissen up all you pilots and assorted other aviation types. You wanna know the best place to escape winter? Lemme tell you -- especially if you are considering schlepping off to Florida in January or February, unless 60 degrees is acceptable in Tampa or Fort Lauderdale.
The Italian Air Force has received the first of two ordered Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ), the third of the type to be delivered and the first in government service. The aircraft is configured for 40 passengers, with seats designed by Avio Interiors -- an Italian company. Engine choice was the CFM56-5B7, the same powerplant selected for Alitalia's fleet of 25 A320-family aircraft. The Italian government plans to use the aircraft to transport government officials, support staff and press.
B/CA is soliciting information on pay and benefits for flight department management, flight crews, maintenance departments, flight attendants, and schedulers and dispatchers for our annual salary survey. Your input is highly valued, and will make our end-product -- a core component of our August Operations Planning Guide -- a more useful management tool for the industry. A postage-paid reply card for the B/CA flight department salary survey is inserted in this issue after page 48.
The European Commission (EC) is calling on member nations to pursue an international aviation fuel tax to help reduce aircraft emissions. The European Association of Aerospace Industries opposes the measure, saying that the EC's own studies show taxation would produce only a ``minimal'' environmental benefit, while posing economic harm to European operators. The trade group prefers international support of aging fleet replacement and further development of new technologies to taxation.
Safire Aircraft says it has ordered 1,000 turbofan engines from Agilis, a Florida-based engineering company, for its proposed six-passenger SA-26 aircraft. Safire's marketing chief Dean Rotchin says the manufacturer had been in negotiations with Pratt&Whitney Canada and Williams. Although the seven-year-old Agilis has never before certified an engine, Rotchin says the company has ``designed engines that have been certified by the major engine manufacturers.'' The new engine is planned to weigh under 100 pounds and produce 800 pounds of thrust.
Harrisburg Jet Center in Pennsylvania reports substantial growth in charter activity at Capital City Airport (CXY), and plans to improve its hangar and pilot facilities. The local airport authority says it is considering the addition of up to 18 new T-hangars. A ``local entrepreneur'' built 16 T-hangars at CXY in 1999, the group says.
The FAA is conducting a series of nationwide meetings to help reduce the incidence of runway incursions. At the conclusion of the regional workshops, the FAA will lead a Human Factors Symposium on Runway Safety and a National Runway Safety Summit in Washington, D.C. to further define the causes and possible solutions to the problem. There were 322 reported runway incursions in 1999, despite a 1998 FAA plan calling for a 20-percent reduction. Further information about the scheduled FAA meetings is available at www.faa.gov/newsroom.htm.
Cessna Aircraft will more than double its structural testing facilities with the opening of a new 74,000-square-foot facility in Wichita. The new building will house the manufacturer's static, cyclic, reliability and component testing for all current and future aircraft. Cessna's Milt Sills says that shortened development cycles, improved systems reliability and ensured structural integrity are among the anticipated benefits of the expanded site.
Consumer-goods giant Procter&Gamble is initiating a corporate shuttle between its Cincinnati headquarters and Brussels, Belgium, with a leased Airbus A320. Ryan International Airlines will operate the four weekly roundtrips, which charter broker FlightTime.com says will save P&G ``a significant portion of its negotiated yearly travel budget,'' while offering travelers ``first-class service and amenities.'' FlightTime.com officials say they're also launching a Product Sharing program to allow companies to lease seats on shared charter aircraft.
Lufthansa Technik delivered an Airbus A319CJ to the Italian government. The company currently is completing a second A319CJ for delivery to the Italian government later this spring.
Honeywell says FAA certification of a predictive wind-shear radar for regional jets and larger business aircraft is imminent. The system is based on Honeywell's RDR-4B radar system, using a new terrain-based auto-tilt system and an optional 24-inch antenna. Operating in conjunction with the company's Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS), the auto-tilt radar is angled based on aircraft altitude and the height of surrounding terrain, while also maintaining optimum angle for weather detection, the manufacturer says.
Gulfstream Aerospace delivered the fourth Gulfstream V to the U.S. government. Designated a C-37A by the military, the aircraft is assigned to the Department of Defense's regional commander-in-chief support unit and is equipped with secure voice and data transmission capability. The manufacturer also reports delivery of a fifth Gulfstream IV-MPA to the Japanese Air Self Defense Force. The multipurpose aircraft features a quick-change interior and a special cargo door for aeromedical evacuation.
Operators of piston-engine aircraft can avail themselves of a new oil testing service from ExxonMobil that may help save money on operating and maintenance costs. EXXGARD Aero Oil Analysis tests for wear metals, contaminants, viscosity and total acid number -- all factors that can warn of potentially severe engine problems. Results of the tests are mailed within 48 hours or faxed if the tests uncover serious abnormalities. Price: $14.00 ExxonMobil Lubricants and Petroleum Specialties 101 W. Mohave St. Phoenix, Ariz. 85003
Cirrus Design says it has firm orders for more than 500 SR20s -- with 100 of those orders being placed within the past six months. Around 15 aircraft have been delivered, including several in the Midwest, four in Europe and two each on the East and West Coast. New orders still outpace manufacturing with one SR20 built every four to five days and an aircraft sold every one to two business days, the company says. Cirrus added that should change late this year when output is expected to hit one aircraft per business day.
Superior Air Parts (Dallas) -- Robert Williams has been named director of engine programs and Ted Faircloth is director of information technology. Dan J. O'Neill joins the parts manufacturer as director of marketing.
Worldwide Flight Services has closed its FBO at Stewart International Airport (SWF) in Newburgh, N.Y., leaving Rifton Aviation as the only FBO on the field. Rifton said its ``enthusiasm for and commitment to business aviation'' may have been a factor in Worldwide's decision to vacate its general aviation terminal, close a hangar and focus on providing service to the airlines. Peter Pappas, Worldwide's chairman and CEO, said the reasons had more to do with business imperatives.
Ground support staff at Executive Jet Aviation (EJA) have agreed to a new contract with the fractional operator. The four-year labor agreement gives EJA's maintenance technicians, avionics technicians, aircraft fuelers and cleaners retroactive raises up to 43 percent, increased vacation, tool allowances, improved overtime compensation and other work rule changes.
An unstabilized approach may have been a factor in the March landing accident of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300 at Burbank, Calif. Preliminary NTSB data show the aircraft beginning its final descent from 3,000 feet, just four miles from the airport. The airliner touched down at approximately 181 knots with a slight tailwind and overran the 6,032-foot Runway 8. Controllers had instructed the crew to remain at or above 3,000 feet until crossing the Van Nuys VOR and maintain 230 knots until advised.
SimuFlite has introduced a two-hour seminar to help pilots understand the effects of high altitudes and recognize the symptoms and types of altitude sickness. The Aviation Physiology class is one of several in SimuFlite's Advanced Airmanship Program, all of which are free for pilots training at the company's DFW training center.
Experimental three-blade Hartzell ``scimitar'' propellers installed on a Britten-Norman BN2B Islander have yielded noise reductions of up to 7 dBA, surpassing expectations. Britten-Norman attributes the result to improved airfoil efficiency, which allows the same power transfer at reduced engine rpm, with consequential lower tip speed and further noise reduction provided by the scimitar planform. The manufacturer began testing
Brazilian manufacturer Embraer has revealed plans to configure two of its regional jet designs as business aircraft. The first will be the ECJ-135, based on the 37-seat ERJ-135 regional jet; the second will be the ECJ-170, based on the proposed 70-seat ERJ-170. The ECJ-135 is available now, Embraer says, with the ECJ-170 following in third quarter 2002.
United Express aircraft will replace larger United Airlines jets in five markets around the United States, but mainline jets will replace United Express aircraft in four markets served from the carrier's Denver hub. United President Rono Dutta said the changes (effective June 8), ``better mesh our seat capacity to customer demand.''
