AMR Eagle in May will begin consolidating its four airline subsidiaries into a single carrier under one certificate. The carrier will be known as American Eagle Airlines Inc.
U.K. interiors manufacturer Mitchell Aviation has acquired two allied companies, Surrey-based Aviation Furnishings International and Bannamhart, in Essex. Aviation Furnishings designs and builds interiors for corporate and airline aircraft. Bannamhart is a specialist metal component contractor. Managing Director Stanley Holloway says the firm will now be more competitive when bidding for large aircraft contracts.
The aircraft was on a night ILS approach to a runway that had been drenched with rain from a heavy downpour. There was a 15-knot crosswind from the right and the glideslope was maintained down to 250 feet. At DH, the runway lights were in sight and the captain began to slowly remove the yaw angle. The aircraft crossed the runway threshold slightly to the right of the centerline with a slight drift to the left. Touchdown was soft and slightly long at about 25 feet to the left of centerline. Spoiler deployment was normal.
National Driver Registry published the procedures for air carriers to obtain information on driver's license suspensions, revocations or traffic-related violations for potential new pilots, as required by the Pilot Record Improvement Act of 1996 (November 1997, page 20). Under procedures effective January 1, 1998, requests for NDR information must come from state motor vehicle offices. Carriers may not initiate a request. The person seeking employment as a pilot must do so.
The attorney for Westchester County, N.Y. has been asked by a local legislator to determine whether a mandatory midnight to 0700 curfew at Westchester County Airport (HPN) would stand up in court. A voluntary curfew is currently in effect from midnight to 0630. A previous mandatory curfew was invalidated by a federal court in 1983, partly because the county did not have sufficient evidence that violations created a noise problem.
Do you regularly check your aircraft's electrical wiring to ensure it's not chafing against a source of arcing? The NTSB wants the manufacturers to check it out. In fact, the Safety Board has asked the FAA to review airframe builders' design, manufacturing and inspection procedures to ensure that adequate clearance is specified around electrical wiring. Several instances of inflight electrical fires prompted the NTSB's concern, including one involving a Cessna Citation III (July 1997, page 88).
A modification to Houston's Class B Airspace went into effect February 26. Subarea A has been reconfigured around William P. Hobby Airport, Subarea D has been expanded and new Subarea E (with a floor of 2,500 feet msl and a ceiling of 10,000 feet msl) was established southwest of Hobby Airport.
Delta has reached a tentative code-sharing agreement with Trans States Airlines at New York Kennedy. The alliance is designed to improve Delta's passenger feed at JFK with multiple frequencies to additional points in the Northeast. Delta is launching new JFK nonstops in March to Stockholm, Stuttgart, Warsaw and Barcelona. The carrier also is adding domestic service to Cincinnati, San Francisco and Washington National.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will initiate an "Executive MBA" program beginning in June. The school says the program combines the "advanced business concepts of an MBA curriculum and extensive use of case studies from the aviation/aerospace industry." The program is conducted in a series of six, two-week residency sessions, one session per calendar quarter, at ERAU in Daytona Beach. The university still conducts an independent study program to obtain a master's in aeronautical science.
The Flight Safety Foundation has coined the theme "Safety Outside the Box" for its Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar (CASS), the annual hands-on safety event for business aviation, coming to Hartford, Conn. on May 5-7. Program plans are not yet firm, but some of the topics in the works are: developing and implementing the safety program envisioned by the CEO, flight attendants and cabin safety issues, crew fatigue management and an FSF international ap-proach and landing accident reduc- tion initiative status presentation.
By popular request, according to David Plant, the exhibition's new manager, the European Business Air Show '98 will be held in Paris at Le Bourget Airport on April 23-25. By staying open on Saturday, organizers hope to minimize their visitors' out-of-cockpit and out-of-office time.
Dettmers Industries has introduced retrofitable jumpseats for Gulfstream III and IV, Challenger 604 and 601, Falcon 900 series and Astra aircraft. The manually operated seats can be either cabinet-mounted or track-mounted, and offer an optional swivel feature. Most of the seats recline with fore/aft tracking, and some feature fold-down arms. Customers can order the jumpseats to match their aircraft's upholstery color. Base price: $5,750 to $7,250 per seat. Dettmers Industries, 3081 S.E. Slater St., Stuart, Fla. 34997.(561) 288-9960; fax: (561) 288-7295.
Photograph: Butch Walker Bizjet International's Butch Walker knows aircraft service, and he knows GE. Walker is a 26-year GE Aircraft Engines veteran, and cautions that the "real danger is that in GEES' enthusiasm and its desire to be the biggest and the best . . . is that the OEMs become so aggressive that their troops down in the ranks may abuse independents. And as long as they do not do anything illegal, I guess that is all right.
Tyrolean Jet Service of Innsbruck, Austria has contracted to acquire two Fairchild Dornier 328JET aircraft, one for delivery in 1999 and the other in 2000. The company currently operates business jets, helicopters and one Do 328 turboprop. The new aircraft will be operated in both executive and air ambulance configurations.
Pratt&Whitney Canada officially launched the PW207 turboshaft, an engine that will offer 14 percent more power than the PW206. The PW207 will be rated at 710 shp for takeoff. The engine first ran in December 1997 and certification is scheduled in June. The PW206 series powers the Agusta A109, Bell 427, Boeing MD900 and MD902, and Eurocopter EC-135.
Inflite Engineering Services was appointed by Bombardier as a Challenger service facility. Inflite, at London's Stansted Airport, joins Metro Business Aviation at Heathrow Airport as an approved Challenger maintenance facility.
From May 10 through May 14, both runways at New York's Westchester County Airport will be closed as part of a surface renovation project. During this time, only helicopter operations will be permitted. In addition, both runways will be closed a portion of each day from May 15 through the beginning of August. The main runway (16/34) will only be in service for selected morning and afternoon hours during this period. Otherwise the shorter runway (11/29), with its displaced threshold, will be available 24 hours a day for all but two weekends during the period.
Flightcrews using selective calling (SELCAL) systems can anticipate receiving a greater number of activations for messages intended for other aircraft, said an ICAO official. The problem results because the availability of discrete code assignments has been depleted, and duplicate codes are being assigned to new requests, according to the official. Several solutions are being studied. In the interim, ICAO says it's essential for callers to ensure correct aircraft call-sign identification.
A Women in Corporate Aviation panel will discuss "Career Progression in Corporate Aviation on Saturday, March 14 at the Women in Aviation Conference in Denver. Among the speakers will be Katha House, chief pilot for AC Aviation Services; Jane Toth, Challenger 604 first officer with Wayfarer Aviation; Carroll Suggs, president and CEO of Petroleum Helicopters; and Ava Sumpter, an airframe mechanic for Garrett Aviation Services.
Bell Helicopter is expected to purchase Boeing's civil helicopter business-the former McDonnell Douglas Helicopters in Mesa, Ariz. If the deal is consummated, it is anticipated to mean the end of the MDH 902 Explorer, which has been a sluggish seller and competes with the Bell 427. Paving the way for the agreement was Boeing's announcement that it will transfer its 49-percent interest in the Model 609 tiltrotor program to Bell and would assume the role of a subcontractor for the program. There are more than 50 orders for the 609.
New United Express carrier SkyWest has completed its sweep of West Coast markets formerly and currently being served by Mesa unit WestAir. United has severed its relationship with WestAir and awarded all of its routes to SkyWest. To add insult to injury, SkyWest also is taking over WestAir's maintenance facility at Fresno.
The following manufacturer-sponsored maintenance and operations meetings have been scheduled for this year: Bombardier Challenger, April 30-May 1 in San Antonio; Cessna Citation, April 27-29 in Wichita; Dassault Falcon Jet, May 18-20 in Nice, France; Gulfstream Aerospace (including G-Is), June 2-4 in Savannah; Learjet, April 27-May 1 in San Antonio; Raytheon Hawker, August 31-September 2 in Hilton Head, S.C.; and Sabreliner, May 13-15 in St. Louis.
Edited By Gordon A. GilbertGordon A. Gilbert/Perry Bradley
Flying in Canadian airspace got more expensive March 1 as the country began implementing new user charges to support its shift to a non-profit, privatized ATC. The initial fee schedule applies to aircraft weighing more than 18,000 pounds and assesses charges for terminal operations, en route segments and some overflights of Canadian territory. As the program currently stands, U.S.-based operators will be charged for flights within Canada and for a portion of trips terminating in Canada.
A schedule has been finalized for the one-day "Executive Workshops on Business Aviation" to be presented by The VanAllen Group of Atlanta in association with Fortune magazine. Session dates and locations are as follows: April 23, New York City; June 4, Dallas; July 16, Chicago; August 18, Los Angeles; and September 22, Atlanta. The fee for the workshop, designed to describe the benefits of business aviation to top executives of companies that are not business aircraft users, is $795. For more details, phone (770) 507-5001.
