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.
So many experts gathered in Washington, D.C. to talk about Jet-A flammability, so few definitive answers. That was the outcome of the Transport Fuel Flammability conference convened by the FAA and the Society of Automotive Engineers on October 7-9 to tackle the challenge of reducing explosive mixtures and ignition sources in jet fuel tanks.
Construction is scheduled to start in March 1998 on two 18,000-square-foot hangars and a 12,000-square-foot office/shop building to be added to Hawthorne's sprawling FBO at Washington Dulles International Airport. The new structures are scheduled to be completed in September 1998.
Brazil's Embraer has joined other manufacturers in applying the designation "RJ" to distinguish turbofan regional aircraft from turboprop regional aircraft. Henceforth, Embraer's new 37-seat model is called the RJ135, and the current 50-seat model is renamed the RJ145.
Competition is in the computerized reservations systems, not on the tarmac. On November 1, Continental Express began throwing its Embraer EMB-145 regional jets into their first direct competition against Delta Connection Comair's Canadair Regional Jets. The carrier launched three daily roundtrips from its Newark hub to Comair's Cincinnati hub.
Complimentary use of mountain bikes, golf clubs and exercise equipment are among the amenities of Jetport, a new FBO at Hamilton Airport in Mt. Hope, Ontario. The facility, which had opening ceremonies on November 25, also offers separate crew and passenger lounges, a conference room, offices, a flight planning area and on-site rental cars. Heated hangar storage is available for aircraft up to G-V size. Air BP is the fuel supplier.
Photograph: Tech stops at Midway Atoll are easier now. Just check on current bird activity with the facility's operating authority. Operators using Henderson Field on Midway Island for technical stops will find easier procedures for gaining approval to land and improved arrival procedures. After a year of experiencing civilian technical stops on the atoll, its operator-Midway Phoenix Corp. of Centersville, Ga.-has waived requirements for aircraft insurance certificates and passenger liability waiver forms.
U.S. regional airlines saw traffic as measured by revenue passenger miles grew by three percent during the first six months of the year to more than 7.2 billion, according to the RAA. RPMs out-gained available seat miles by a margin of three percent to 2.6 percent. ASMs were just slightly under 13.1 billion.
A 24-minute videotape and workbook program designed to help train new FBO employees and polish the skills of more experienced staff is available from the National Air Transportation Association. Topics covered include initial customer contact, check-in and scheduling, personalizing service, handling complaints and radio procedures. The program, produced in conjunction with Air BP, can be ordered from NATA. The program is designed to take about two hours to administer. There is a $10 postage and handling fee for non-NATA members. Phone: (800) 808-NATA.
Photograph: Guests dine at AMR Combs' FBO terminal at SFO. As the first stage of a major airport expansion and modernization, the opening of AMR Combs' new FBO at San Francisco International Airport on September 30 represented more than just the promise of better service for business aviation. It was, according to SFO director John Martin and the new facility's manager, AMR Combs Vice President Steven True, a symbol of cooperation between the airport authority and private enterprise.
The Boeing 707 killed the Lockheed Electra. Will the regional jet kill the regional turboprop? Saab Aircraft AB of Sweden may have tipped the scale to the latter in late October when it said it was considering a halt to production of its models 340B and 2000 turboprops.
In partnership with airlines and engine makers, the FAA plans to require new inspections and new non-destructive testing procedures in an effort to reduce by up to 40 percent the number of failures of high-energy engine components. The action is aimed at FAR Part 25 aircraft, but it likely won't affect business aircraft. "We don't want to fix problems that aren't there," said Tom McSweeney, the agency's director of aircraft certification.
Ottendorf Aviation of Daytona Beach is marketing a Tracor Flight Systems hush kit that brings GE CJ610-powered Learjet 20s into compliance with FAR Part 36, Stage III noise levels. The STCed kit, consisting of a daisy-type sound suppressor installed in place of the reversers, sells for $110,000 per shipset. Ottendorf estimates installation at three to five days. Bizjet in Tulsa and Aero Group in Fort Lauderdale are two centers preparing to offer installations, but customers can select any center.
