Mesa Air Group has told the SEC that the termination of its new jet hub at Fort Worth and the loss of its United Express agreements on the West Coast and at Denver could cost the carrier more than $110 million. The company said in its quarterly 10-Q filing that it will recognize a loss provision in the March quarter of about $4 million related to its five-CRJ operation at Fort Worth Meacham Field, which was shut down in late February.
SkyWest surprised the regional airline industry in late February with a firm order for 20 new Embraer Brasilias plus 40 options just as some of the industry's more knowledgeable pundits were declaring the turboprop dead, mort, finis! The age of the regional jet has arrived. Right?
This FBO and completions center has made two new appointments: Terri Beck was hired as marketing coordinator and Lora Shelton is the designer/ facility management for completions.
A proposed AD requires operators of some 454 Eurocopter AS-350B/D and AS-355E/F1/F2/N helicopters to inspect the main gearbox bi-directional cross-beam for cracks. The FAA AD echoes a French AD ordering a visual inspection every 30 hours, or 150 cycles. On cross-beams with more than 5,000 hours in service, dye-penetrant inspections would be mandated within 550 hours or 2,750 cycles. If cracks are found, the $6,000 beam must be replaced. For more details, contact the FAA at (817) 222-5123.
A fine letter from an old friend caused memories to surface of two episodes in his aviation career-which, I may observe, was merely spotless. Jack King was chief pilot for C.J. Langenfelder Co. out of Baltimore, a major construction company whose largest project at the time of this episode was the building of Dulles Airport. The AOPA's Max Karant termed it a "vast wasteland" (Max lived to see he was wrong). In the late summer of 1959, the great long runways were virtually completed. So, Jack suggested to Mr.
VisionAire Corp. says its Vantage single-engine business jet will have a guaranteed IFR range of 1,000 nm with a 1,000-pound payload, an increase of 100 nm over the previous guarantee. The St. Louis-based company says the 10-percent increase in max range also translates to a zero-payload, full-fuel range of 1,575 nm. The new numbers are based on revised calculations for fuel volume, fuel burn and gross weight.
Over a dozen witnesses-mostly pilots and maintenance technicians-watched Alberto-Culver's Gulfstream IV back-taxi on Runway 34 at Palwaukee Municipal Airport then swing around to begin its takeoff roll. Wind was out of the west-280 degrees at 20 knots gusting to 35. The departure seemed normal enough for the first few moments, but as the aircraft accelerated through the intersection of 12L-30R, it began to track to the left of the centerline toward the runway edge.
Business Express has placed a firm order for 20 Embraer RJ135 regional jets with options for an additional 40. The aircraft will enter service in October 1999, with deliveries following at one per month. Initial deliveries will be used for new longer-haul markets as well as some existing long-haul markets such as Boston-Halifax (414 miles) and Boston-Washington National (399 miles), according to CEO Bob Martens. The carrier currently operates a fleet of 43 Saab 340s.
The Dassault Falcon 2000 entered service little more than three years ago, amidst an aura of lofty expectations. Dassault promised that the Falcon 2000 would deliver large-cabin business aircraft comfort and quiet for passengers, 3,000-nm transcontinental range at 0.80 Mach and the lowest operating costs of any Falcon in current production, including the Falcon 50. Frills were out. Function was in. The $16.9-million (1995 dollars) Falcon 2000 is the least expensive, large-cabin business aircraft in B/CA's 1997 Planning&Purchasing Handbook.
Sikorsky Helicopter moved assembly of its S-76C+ corporate helicopter back to the firm's primary facility in Stratford, Conn. Previously, S-76s had been assembled in West Palm Beach, Fla. Starting this spring, new S-76s will be flown to West Palm for completion and customer delivery. Sikorsky opted to move the assembly operations as it consolidates production to cope with shrinking demand for military helicopters.
The National Aeronautic Association awarded six people its Elder Statesman of Aviation Award for 1997: Peter Wright, Sr., chairman of the board of Keystone Helicopter Corp. and president of the American Helicopter Museum; Edward W. Stimpson, chairman of GA Team 2000; John L. Baker, former president of the AOPA (1978-1990); William K. Kershner, author of the Student Pilots Flight Manual; Ralph Nelson, founder of the Aviation Crime Prevention Institute; and R.
Ronald Scott, M.D. and his wife, Peggy, aircraft owner-pilots based in San Diego, are betting their life savings on their dream to save lives. The Scotts have developed a successful cancer treatment clinic in San Diego. They plan to build their second, state-of-the-art cancer treatment clinic in El Centro, Calif. to serve the 144,000 people who live and work in Southern California's Imperial Valley agricultural district.
Locus, a Madison, Wis. firm that manufactures stationary Loran receivers, is developing a new receiver module for sale to avionics OEMs for use in combined GPS/Loran receivers. The company hopes to begin testing a prototype this summer. Locus is an advocate of using Loran as an independent backup to GPS as well as a means of transmitting GPS corrections. Company President Linn Roth contends today's Loran technology is quantum leaps ahead of past airborne Loran receivers, and is far more resistant to precipitation static, which limited Loran's utility as an IFR system.
Richard O. Reinhart, M.D. ARE ANTIHISTAMINES SAFE?
Antihistamines have long been used in a variety of over the counter (OTC) medications-primarily for colds, flu and allergies. It's commonly known that these drugs also cause sedation and, as a result, are the active ingredient in many OTC sleeping medicines.
Superunicom is a 24-hour automated attendant that greets inbound pilots with a digitized human voice, provides advisory services (such as weather, wind, altimeter, temperature/dew point and NOTAMs) and gives radio-check services. Arriving pre-programmed, minimal site preparation is required. Superunicom is licensed and authorized by the FCC and the FAA to provide complete unicom services on any airport's unicom/common traffic advisory frequency. (The system adapts its responses for light or heavy radio traffic.) Price: $38,600, plus $100 installation.
A 1998 Pricing and Information Guide for Bell Helicopters is available free of charge from HAS Corp. of Irving, Texas. In addition to specifications and prices for Bell 206B, 206L, 407, 430, 212 and 412 helicopters and their optional equipment, the guide includes telephone numbers for title search companies, toll-free numbers for hotels and airlines, time-zone maps and more. For a copy, phone (972) 556-1285.
Readers Digest Association planned to close its flight department at New York's Westchester County Airport this month. The company, which has published Reader's Digest magazine since 1922 and now produces books, music, videos and special-interest magazines, has operated business aircraft for 31 years. The Digest's Challenger is up for sale, and several of the firm's pilots have been hired by another operator at HPN.
Company officials say initial flight tests of the Fairchild Dornier 328JET are showing substantial performance improvements over baseline data established by wind-tunnel testing and computer models. Examples cited by the company include: ground acceleration, 30 percent better; airborne acceleration and climb rate, each 20 percent better; and fuel burn, 10 percent better. FAA certification is scheduled for March 1999.
Dick Dodson, president of this FBO network, was promoted to president and CEO of parent BBA's Aviation Division, which includes Dallas Airmotive, International Turbine Service, APPH Group and Texstar, in addition to Signature. Larry Jorash was appointed general manager of Signature's Hartford facility.
Elliott Aviation of Moline, Ill. plans to obtain an STC this summer for the installation of AlliedSignal's Enhanced GPWS in Beechjet 400s and Series 200 and 300 King Airs. Installed price for the system in the Beechjet retails for about $125,000 plus the cost of required displays. The system costs about $95,000 plus the price of displays to install in the King Air. Estimated installation down time is one week.
Corporate Aircraft Association, a group that negotiates discount fuel pricing and other vendor discounts on behalf of its flight department members, is offering a free 90-day trial membership. The free memberships, available only to FAR Part 91 NBAA members, are in effect from April 1 to June 30. Outside of this period, annual membership fees in the Carson City, Nev. organization are $300 per company and $25 per aircraft.
BFGoodrich's SKYWATCH collision avoidance system is in high demand, according to avionics shops. SkyWatch essentially is a detuned version of BFG's TCAS 791, a highly popular TCAS I system used by regional airlines.
