Rockwell Collins' U.K.-based subsidiary will add 4,000 square feet to its Reading service center, providing additional space for customer training, administration, inventory management and equipment repair.
Brazilian aircraft builder Embraer may be on the verge of selling a significant minority stake in the company to one or more foreign investors, in a bid to spread the risk of several aircraft development programs. According to various media accounts, senior Embraer officials have met with separate groups led by British Aerospace and Dassault, and the latter has confirmed an interest in acquiring up to 20 percent of Embraer. Additionally, Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries is talking to Embraer about building the wing for the proposed ERJ-170 regional jet.
Business aircraft operators are reminding passengers to keep their lap belts fastened and to avoid ``lounging in the aisles'' following a Falcon 900 upset in which six unbelted passengers -- including Greece's deputy foreign minister -- were killed. Two crewmembers and five other passengers survived with only minor injuries. According to several accounts, control was lost in heavy turbulence at FL 230, with recovery made at just 4,000 feet msl.
Bournemouth, England's FR Aviation recently completed structural inspections and engine overhauls on one of Indonesia Air Transport's two Falcon 20s. The company also has been chosen to provide scheduled maintenance and worldwide support for Precision International's VIP-outfitted Boeing 727.
SimuFlite (Dallas) -- Kevin L. Pichon is the new regional sales manager for the training company's Canadian region, encompassing Canada and Alaska. He is based in Waterford, Mich.
The AOPA has launched a new online flight planning service for members. The AOPA Online Flight Planning Service features a Web-based interface that integrates online route planning, the AOPA Airport Directory, GTE DUATS, graphic weather charts, and flight plan filing. The flight planner can be customized for up to 10 different aircraft. The decoded, plain-language weather briefs are route-based, and the system allows users to file and update FAA flight plans over the Internet.
Atlantic Aviation has broken ground on its new, $12.5 million general aviation facility adjacent to the new runway on the east side of Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). Scheduled to be open in time for the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia in July 2000, the new facility will have a 9,000-square-foot executive terminal, two tenant hangars and 20 acres of ramp space. Atlantic signed a 20-year lease for the site, a deal that includes two five-year options.
Stevens Aviation of Greenville, S.C., continued its support of the Experimental Aircraft Association's (EAA) Young Eagles Program with an Annual Young Eagles Day at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. The EAA's goal is to each one million young people by 2003.
A U.S.-registered Learjet 35A reportedly was shot down as it entered a no-fly zone near the town of Adwa, Ethiopia, on August 29, killing the two-man European crew. Newspaper accounts quoted an unnamed government spokesperson, who said all aircraft that pass through Ethiopian airspace must follow a ``designated civil aviation route'' due to the ongoing war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. According to the Jet&Propjet Corporate Directory, the aircraft, N350JF, was registered to Wilmington Trust Co.
When aviation loses one of its own in an aircraft accident, it is a sober reminder that the laws of physics can be unforgiving, even for the most experienced pilots. But given the many times that Donald D. Engen ex-panded the envelope during his long and illustrious career, we can look back on his accomplishments and say with certainty that few airmen have advanced the cause of civil and military aviation safety as much as he did.
Eagle's Wings Aviation Corp., a new company formed by an instrument-rated pilot and businessman, plans to launch a string of FBOs with Beckett Enterprises, an FBO at Cuyahoga County Airport, as its flagship property. According to James Mastandrea, Eagle's Wings founder and CEO, the company now plans to expand Beckett, which it purchased over the summer. ``We'll add charter service to meet the growing needs of northeastern Ohio customers, and we'll enhance its corporate managed-aircraft service,'' he says.
Metro Business Aviation, the largest FBO chain in the United Kingdom, is erecting a new hangar at London's Luton Airport. The 23,000-square-foot building, which is to be operational in November, is designed to accommodate aircraft as large as the Boeing Business Jet or Airbus A319CJ.
Lufthansa Flight Training's quality-management system has been DIN EN ISO 9001 certified. LFT's QM system was independently audited by the Management Service of Germany's Technology-Monitoring Association.
Advanced Aerodynamics&Structures (AASI) says its Long Beach, Calif., plant is ready for full-scale production of its Jetcruzer 500 turboprop. Two production-conforming aircraft are in flight test, and a third is awaiting pressure bulkhead installation. AASI has accrued losses of $45.6 million since 1990, and does not anticipate generating revenue until production begins in 2000, according to documents filed with the SEC. The company claims 172 orders for the Jetcruzer 500 -- a $200 million backlog.
Raytheon Aircraft says construction of the first Hawker Horizon test aircraft is progressing, with completion of ``fiber placement'' for the three fuselage sections. In addition, a second forward fuselage section has been built for bird-strike testing; both are made with the composite technology used on the Premier I. Component testing is also underway, and includes altitude testing of the aircraft's Pratt&Whitney Canada PW308A engines; brake testing and fit check of the landing gear; and volume, vent and pressure tests of the wing.
US Airways Express regional Chautauqua Airlines is seeking to standardize with one turboprop type, rather than maintain its current fleet of 14 Saab 340As and 19 BAe Jetstream 31s. ``We're reevaluating our fleet needs for the next five to seven years, and we've reached a crossroads with the 340s and J31s,'' says Brian Bedford, Chautauqua's new chief executive.
The growing pilot shortage has led Northwest Airlink regional Mesaba Airlines to create direct-hire programs with Western Michigan University and the University of North Dakota. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has a similar arrangement with Virginia-based Atlantic Coast Airlines. All three schools operate large, FAR Part 141 flight schools and offer ab initio training to foreign airline customers.
Photograph: Skyhopper's biggest lease interest so far is in a Sikorsky S-76B. The United Kingdom's first fractional ownership and lease program dedicated to helicopters is underway. Based at Wycombe Air Park, near Marlow, Buckinghamshire, Skyhopper took over Virgin Helicopters in August 1998 and currently is offering two Sikorsky S-76s and one Bell 430 with another expected soon. Skyhopper is the launch partner for the Bell 430 in the United Kingdom and British certification should follow in about a year.
Jet Support Services (JSSI) of Chicago has introduced the ``Tip-to-Tail Guaranteed Hourly Cost Maintenance'' program for new and in-service Raytheon King Air C90 and B200 aircraft.
Photograph: Tommy Thomason Tommy Thomason, Sikorsky's new civil programs chief, is bullish on the company's quest to become a force in the civil helicopter market. In an interview with B/CA editors, Thomason said airport congestion and slot restrictions will create new demand for large, passenger-carrying helicopters, with Sikorsky's new S-92 Helibus leading the way. ``S-92 will resurrect intra-city passenger helicopter operations,'' he said.
