The Hunan Yuanda Air Conditioner Corp. has begun operating its Cessna Citation in mainland China, according to reports from the Xinhua news agency. The aircraft was purchased new from Cessna in March 1997, and is believed to be the first privately owned business jet flying in China, although business jet charter firms have been operating there for some time. The company told the news agency the airplane will increase efficiency and customer service and will enhance its public image. China Southern Airlines is assisting the company with operating the aircraft.
Washington Airports (www.metwashairports.com)-This updated site features more than 100 pages of information about the Washington Airport Authority and National and Dulles Airports. In addition to airline and airport services, the site also carries information on the airports' FBOs. Gordon A. Gilbert
Ray Fitzgerald said two factors lured him from AMR Combs to the presidency of Atlantic Aviation: the purchase of Atlantic Aviation by Legg Mason Merchant Banking (in September 1997) and the FBO's "well-thought-out plan for expansion and acquisition." Fitzgerald, who replaced Ben E. Waide in December 1997, was a senior vice president of AMR Combs and general manager of its FBO at Bradley Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn.
MSA Aircraft Interior Products has introduced customized window shade treatments for Beech King Airs. The system is of double-pane construction to provide complete shade enclosure, even total light blockage if desired. The company claims improved ultraviolet light protection and greater durability than original shades. Cost is comparable to factory-installed polarized window shades. MSA Aircraft Interior Products, 11911 Radium Dr., San Antonio, Texas 78216. (210) 342-5332; fax: (210) 3342-5513.
At its latest meeting in December 1997, the international North Atlantic Implementation Managers Group voted to delay elevating the RVSM airspace ceiling 2,000 feet to FL 390 until October 8. However, it decided to lower the floor 2,000 feet to FL 310 effective April 23, contingent upon being able to work out agreements with operators that fly in the lower regime. In any case, the floor will be lowered no later than October 8.
United's ALPA-member pilots voted by a 57.6-percent majority to allow independent United Express affiliates to operate regional jets. The vote paved the way for Atlantic Coast Airlines to begin flying its Canadair Regional Jets in the United livery in late November. It also prompted ACA to exercise 12 options-six conditional-that would take its CRJ fleet to 24 aircraft. ACA had said that without approval by the United pilots, they would operate the aircraft independently as "ACA Jet."
Hong Kong's Check Lap Kok Airport will have one Category II runway in service when it opens later this year. A parallel Category IIIA runway is not scheduled to be operational until late this year or early 1999. "Follow Me" centerline lights will guide aircraft from runways to taxiways to parking ramps. Aircraft movements onto runways for takeoffs will be aided by lighted "stopbars" running the width of the taxiway. Should an aircraft cross the stopbars before it is safe to do so, alarms will sound in the control tower.
An oil company official warns that aircraft operators might see a "gap in fuel services" starting late this year as a result of the December 22 Environmental Protection Agency deadline for complying with upgraded underground fuel storage tank rules. Phillips 66 Aviation Manager Jill Bogan said more than one-third of FBO fuel tanks are not in compliance. "Coupled with small operators who can't afford upgrades, there may be a gap in fuel services as tanks are shut down from non-compliance," she said.
The Rolls-Royce Canada engine overhaul facility in Quebec is now an authorized maintenance center for Allison AE3007 turbofans used on Citation Xs and EMB-145s.
After months of preliminary studies, MD Systems of Westerville, Ohio still is seeking pilot participants to evaluate a new exercise device that the company claims helps lower resting blood pressure. Michael Smyser, the company's president and a former ATP-rated pilot, has parlayed his own experience with high blood pressure and the aviation medical exam into producing a hand-grip exerciser that he says has done very well in the first six months of testing.
On April 14, the FAA is scheduled to approve or disapprove a proposed noise-compatibility plan for Ohio's Akron-Canton Regional Airport. The plan was submitted under FAR Part 150, and the public may comment. For details, contact the FAA's Detroit Airports District Office. Earlier, the FAA approved noise exposure maps for the airport.
OGMA in Lisbon, Portugal and Motores Rolls-Royce in Sao Paulo, Brazil are slated to become AlliedSignal AE3007 service centers within the next six months. The two firms will join Alliance Engines in Marysville, Tenn. and Rolls-Royce Canada in Montreal as factory-designated overhaul facilities for the engine, which powers the Citation X.
After nearly two years of development, users of Ac-U-Kwik's Navpak software now can lay out a multi-leg trip, including itinerary editing, scheduling and performance, and generate an estimate or a final invoice with only a mouse or a trackball.
Cox&Co., under license from Spar Aerospace of Toronto, is developing a computerized system that detects ice on an aircraft prior to takeoff and keeps a permanent record of the data. The New York City firm's Contamination Detection System, which can be operated from fixed or mobile platforms, uses a special camera to detect snow or ice as thin as 0.01 inches. Data are processed in a computer and displayed on a video monitor. Cox officials claim the CDS results are more accurate than visual inspections, particularly at night.
A delay in finishing the rail link between Chek Lap Kok Airport and Hong Kong's downtown business district may postpone the opening of the new airport until June, rather than April as previously planned. Meanwhile, construction of the airport was interrupted for several weeks recently following the theft of electrical wiring awaiting installation. AMR Combs, in partnership with several Asian business partners, is still on tap to run the airport's FBO (October 1997, page 20).
Prospects for turning little-used Frisco JetPort, 25 miles north of Dallas, into a thriving business aviation facility are bleak at the moment. The airport, which only has a single, 5,400-foot runway and 15,000-square-foot hangar, was built in the late 1980s. However, it failed to attract any significant tenants or users and remained closed to the public until early 1996. The airfield still has no ground services or instrument approaches. And now, a lawsuit involving the current owner of the airport and a prospective buyer has stymied efforts to sell the facility.
NTSB is trying to determine why a King Air B100 hit the ground while maneuvering for an ILS approach to Runway 16L at Mississippi's Jackson International Airport. The pilot, the only occupant of N500ML, was killed in the November 13, 1997 crash. The NTSB said IMC prevailed at the time of the accident, approximately 1230 local. Eyewitnesses who saw the airplane as it descended below the cloud level described it as being in a "steep left bank with the nose down," said the Safety Board.
Stewart Airport in Newburgh, N.Y. and Brown Field in San Diego are the first and second facilities to submit preliminary applications to participate in the FAA's airport privatization pilot program. Three more airports will be selected. The authorities for these airports now will have several months to name their choice of a private operator to take over operation of their airports. Meanwhile, the authority for Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin, Pa. has changed its mind and decided not to participate in the program (July 1997, page 24).
GAMA (Washington, D.C.)-Art Wegner chairman and CEO of Raytheon Aircraft, was named the association's chairman for this year. He has been serving as acting chairman of GAMA since the summer of 1997.
What's muddy about the Commuter Safety Initiative, which took effect on March 20, 1997, is sorting out how FAR Parts 121, 135 and Part 119 interrelate. Almost a year has passed since the "single level of safety" (Commuter Safety Initiative) standards took hold for scheduled airlines operating 10 passenger seats or more. Also, since spring 1997, regional air carriers have been working to meet various complementary rules, some of which are being phased in through December 1999.
Aerospatiale of France, Alenia of Italy and British Aerospace agreed in December 1997 to cancel the proposed 70-seat AI(R)JET. The three partners in Aero International (Regional) said their main concern "was the need to have a more-global European approach to the 70- to 120-seat market segment in the framework of the priorities in the allocation of resources for the new European programs."
Raytheon Aircraft Services is renovating the former Dresser Industries hangar and offices at Love Field as the new home for its Dallas FBO (May, page 16). Raytheon's current FBO at Addison will be closed in early 1998.
