FAR Part 150 noise-compatibility programs have been submitted to the FAA for the following international airports: Daytona Beach, Fort Worth Meacham and Indianapolis. The FAA is scheduled to approve the submissions by October.
Jim Clough joined this airframe manufacturer as manager of styling and design. His home base is Bombardier's completion center in Tucson, where he will work on Learjet 31A and 60 production aircraft, along with the Challenger 604.
A restitution payment of $2 million as part of one of the largest settlements ever in a case involving suspected unapproved parts will go to the Center for Aerospace Safety Education (CASE). Associated with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., CASE will use the money to promote aviation safety through research and education programs.
Bill Koch has been promoted to senior vice president and general manager, responsible for the company's FBOs in the eastern United States and internationally. Bill Moltenbrey was promoted to senior vice president finance and administrative planning.
Bombardier expected to receive U.S. and Canadian certification of its Montreal-based Global Express simulator and flight training device just prior to this month's certification of the ultra-long-range business jet. The simulator will operate as an FAA Level C system until 1999 when Level D approval is planned. The FTD will have a Level 7 approval.
With the help of Chrysler Pentastar in Waterford, Mich., Gulfstream Aerospace launched an aircraft management program. Through Gulfstream Management Services, customer aircraft scheduling, the crew and maintenance management will be provided through Chrysler Pentastar. Monthly fees for the program vary depending upon the operating costs associated with each customer's actual use of the aircraft.
Operators have until July 14 to comment on the FAA's proposal to upgrade from Class C to Class B the airspace within a 25-nm radius of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The comment period was extended in response to a request by the AOPA, which said the proposal "does not adequately accommodate" GA's needs.
Ted A. Fuhrer is the new vice president and general manager of the General Aviation Division. His predecessor was Robert J. Hirvela, who retired in February.
Developers of the Centennial InterPort AirBusiness Campus, a planned FBO/hotel complex, still are slated to break ground soon at the airport. "We're fairly comfortable that we can work through the difficulties in spite of a four- to six-month delay; no one objects to our plans. But we are concerned about the threat to the airport's AIP funds," said Michael K. Packard, manager of SunBorne Development, the driving force behind the construction project (November 1997, page 20).
Another pilot trapped by a hurried, unstabilized, approach. We've often discussed in this column the dangers of unstabilized approaches. The following accident is not unlike those that have gone before, yet it demonstrates how quickly a routine operation can become tragic when a pilot allows himself to become rushed by the system.
In celebration of B/CA's 40th anniversary in 1998, each month throughout this year we will present excerpts from the top feature articles published 40 years ago. We hope you find them interesting and fun. From the June 1958 issue:
"We were appalled when the FAA called 'robust' its proposed inadequate $1.7 billion for Airport Improvement Program funding through 2002," said Henry Ogrodzinski, president of the National Association of State Airport Officials, in an interview with B/CA. He also is concerned that the agency's proposed new $4 ceiling on passenger facility charges won't benefit small airports. But he praised a flexible-share proposal for the state block grant program that would enable funding of more small airport projects.
The next decade will see a profusion of airborne, datalink-based applications designed to work with avionics being developed for the aeronautical telecommunications network-the so-called Internet of the airways. One of the first ways ATN is being introduced to business aviation is by providing a whole new range of weather products to the cockpit. What's more, the stuff is here already.
Boeing and Airbus are working together to develop curriculum for teaching pilots to cope with aircraft upsets. Tailored to large, swept-wing aircraft, the training package includes both written materials and videotapes. One portion of the material is aimed at classroom or self-study courses, while another is designed to be incorporated into simulator sessions. The companies plan to make the package available free to their customers, but they also are exploring ways to disseminate the package more broadly to training organizations and/or to interested corporate operators.
Galaxy Aerospace reports that the company received RVSM group certification for the Israel Aircraft Industries Astra SPX, and a service bulletin is now available. According to Mike Wuebbling, vice president of customer service and product support for Galaxy, the upgrade cost for operators will be two-fold: (1) $17,500 for the bulletin itself and (2) an outlay in the $27,000 to $33,000 range for the equipment necessary to modify the aircraft-depending upon who does the job.
Tracor, an Austin, Texas-based defense contractor that also is involved in business jet engine hush kits, is being acquired by the United Kingdom's General Electric Co. Under an agreement signed between the two firms, Tracor will be integrated with GEC-Marconi's North American Group. GEC-Marconi also is teamed with Honeywell in the development of a business jet HUD. London-based GEC is not affiliated with General Electric of the United States.
The next time you see a finance source, insurance agent or consultant concerning a Falcon Jet, you may be surprised to discover how much they know about Dassault and its products. On an afternoon in May, more than 100 officials from financial institutions, insurance companies, aircraft management firms and the consulting industry attended a Dassault Falcon Jet first-an Aviation Professionals Conference.
Stevens Aviation will consolidate turbine airplane technical services from its locations at Atlanta's Falcon Field (FFC) and Spartanburg Airport (GSP) in Greer, S.C. at its new and expanded facilities at Donaldson Airport in Greenville, S.C. The 175,000-square-foot complex, scheduled to open this month, will provide complete aircraft painting and refurbishing in addition to maintenance. Line service will continue to be available at FFC and GSP, in addition to a repair station at GSP.
Perry Bradley FAA CONSIDERS NEW RULES FOR HELICOPTER IFR ALTERNATES
Helicopter operators who fly IFR will get long-sought relief from current requirements for alternates if the FAA adopts a recommended rule change forwarded to the agency by an Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) working group.
There is no shortage of FBOs at San Antonio International Airport (at least six at last count), but FBO ownership at the field diminished a fraction with the recent acquisition of Avsat, Ltd. by Fairchild Gen-Aero, also on the field.
Ever since the Gold Rush of 1849, people the world over have flocked to California seeking fame and fortune. Over the years, Hollywood has helped enhance the image of the Golden State, particularly the Los Angeles basin, as a land of opportunity. Therefore, when a group of local businessmen opened a new airport in December 1928 in the San Fernando Valley, 20 miles northwest of downtown L.A., few could fault them. In the heady days following Lindbergh's successful crossing of the Atlantic, it appeared that both aviation and California had unlimited potential.
