Euresas (European Center for the Aerospace and Aviation Industries, based in Blagnac, France) is hosting a conference on Asset Management for Regional and Business Aircraft on October 22-24 in Toulouse.
After New York City unceremoniously evicted National Helicopter as operator of the 34th Street Heliport in late summer, Johnson Controls took over as the operator. Johnson assumed control following a federal judge's ruling on National Helicopter's bankruptcy petition, which had delayed eviction proceedings. Upon the denial of National Helicopter's bankruptcy plea, Johnson was at the ready (September, page 28).
Delta Connection Atlantic Southeast Airlines launches its Canadair Regional Jet operations on November 1 from the Atlanta hub to Cleveland and on to New York's JFK International. The Cleveland-JFK segments will replace Delta Connection Business Express, which wanted to pull its Saab 340s out of the market.
Chicago city officials are working with the FAA to develop a GPS approach for Meigs Field. The move is good news for the still embattled airport, especially after the July 19 mid-air that killed seven people (September, page 26). However, the approach is not expected to be operational before spring 1998.
General aviation user groups want New York legislators to drop a proposal requiring state approval to extend runway lengths beyond 5,000 feet. The AOPA and the National Air Transportation Association said separately that the requirement would subject runway expansions to the ``whims of politics'' and undermine the authority of local governments.
Keith Houk, former vice president of the US Airways Express division, has been named president and CEO of wholly owned US Airways subsidiary Allegheny Airlines. Most recently the 25-year regional-airline veteran was vice president-special projects for the parent company.
Piper will re-enter the turbine market with the Malibu Meridian, a turboprop version of its Malibu single-engine recip. Piper floated the idea of a turbine Malibu in 1987 and flew a prototype a year later (December 1988, page 26). The Piper Cheyenne turboprop series ended production in 1994. Meanwhile, Rocket Engineering in Spokane, Wash. is nearing an STC of a turboprop conversion of the Malibu (December 1996, page 48).
Houston-based AR Group formed AirFuel International to take over and expand the functions formerly operated by Air Routing International (Canada). Under the AirFuel name, the AR Group offers worldwide fuel discounts, a 24-hour emergency hot line and credit card services.
AirMobile has joined the Esso Aviation Associate group of FBOs. Based at St. Catherine/Niagara District Airport, the facility offers heated hangar space, passenger lounge, crew snooze room and shower, flight planning room, aircraft cleaning, maintenance, oxygen, courtesy shuttles, rental cars, catering and Customs clearance. (905) 685-4336.
PATS, Inc. is developing a jet-fueled, rotary-engine-powered APU for smaller business jets and twin turboprops that literally will be half the weight (about 150 pounds) and half the cost (about $150,000) of current APUs. Several months of development are still on tap before the Columbia, Md. company receives certification of APU installation kits.
The aircraft of all regional airlines serving Los Angeles International Airport will relocate to separate terminals from their existing locations. The move is said to improve air traffic movement at the airport and reduce delays. The impacted carriers will be American Eagle, SkyWest and Trans States. United Express carrier Mesa and its WestAir subsidiary already are located in a remote terminal.
On December 1, the FAA will begin accepting applications for up to five airports to be selected to participate in a pilot program to convert their ownership from government to private industry. Private companies generally have access to more funding sources than government, but federal rules have restricted the ability of governments to sell or lease their airports. This program is intended to determine if such restrictions should be withdrawn.
Nearly 70 percent of business aircraft passengers described themselves as middle management or technical professionals, which is more than twice the number that said they were senior or top management, according to a Harris poll commissioned by the NBAA for one of its publications. The survey, which interviewed 346 business aircraft passengers, also revealed that travelers use laptop computers aboard business aircraft twice as often as they do aboard airliners.
Landing fees at Hillsboro and Troutdale airports in Portland, Ore. as well as at Portland International Airport are now in effect for GA aircraft weighing 10,000 pounds or more and for all commercial operations. The charges (per 1,000 pounds) are: $1.43 at Portland International, $1.14 at Hillsboro and $0.86 at Troutdale. In addition, on October 1, fuel flowage fees increased at the three airports by one cent per gallon.
Tom Macdonald, a Bell-Boeing V-22 tiltrotor aircraft test pilot, received the first powered-lift pilot rating. The rating is new and was included in the rewrite of FAR Part 61 that went into effect August 1. A ``Pilot Report'' on the smaller XV-15 tiltrotor starts on page 86 of this issue.
Carriage of oxygen-generating substances on most passenger-carrying aircraft will be banned, if the DOT adopts a proposed rule. Among the 125 items on the proposed DOT-banned list are hydrogen peroxide, swimming pool chlorine, bleach and compressed oxygen. Exceptions to the rule would allow operators to carry a limited number of oxygen cylinders for their own passengers, incubator units required to protect life and human organ preservation units. Comments on the proposal are due October 20.
In June 1955, the world was agog about a new type of commercial aircraft--the turbine-powered transport. American military pilots had been streaking across the skies regularly in jets for more than a decade, but now U.S. airline pilots were going to get the opportunity to make their own contrails.
FAA has nearly finished a study detailing the more than 10,000 reported aircraft bird strikes that occurred in the United States between 1992 and 1996. The study will report that pilots involved in 14 percent of those incidents said the collisions had a ``negative effect'' on flight. Three percent said they had to abort takeoff. About 13 percent of reported bird hits involved business aircraft pilots.
AMR Combs and several Hong Kong and mainland China-based businesses will operate the Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre at the new Chek Lap Kok Airport. The Centre is scheduled to open concurrently with the opening of the airport in April 1998. Terminal and hangar facilities are scheduled to be completed by late 1998 when the airport's second runway opens. Separately, AMR Combs acquired the former Dalfort FBO at Dallas Love Field and, later this month, will move into its newly built FBO at San Francisco International.
NTSB is urging the FAA to evaluate cockpit emergency vision technology and take ``action as appropriate.'' The recommendation is one of 22 submitted to the FAA as a result of the investigation into the May 11, 1996 crash of a ValuJet DC-9 in the Everglades.
Pilots in favor of keeping Loran-C navigation service beyond the year 2000 have an opportunity to make their wishes known. The DOT has retained the research/consulting firm of Booz Allen&Hamilton of McLean, Va. to assess the technical merits of extending Loran-C service beyond 2000 and to conduct a cost/benefit analysis of such an action. Comments are being solicited from the aviation community until December 15. For more information, phone Booz Allen&Hamilton at (703) 902-4671.
Photograph: Photograph: The Bell XV-15 is a pioneering tiltrotor aircraft that is now being used to shape the design of the Bell Boeing 609. Typical descriptions of tiltrotors compare the aircraft to helicopters on the one hand, and turboprops on the other. But helicopters and turboprops just represent the endpoints of the spectrum of tiltrotor capabilities. It's the continuum of ``hybrid'' operations that connects those endpoints that really makes tiltrotors unique.
FAA issued its third revised edition of an advisory circular on safety in and around helicopters primarily in FAR Part 91 operations. AC 91-32B suggests ways to avoid accidents and injuries during ground operations. Meanwhile, the investigation continues into a May 21 accident in which an executive for Indianapolis-based Conseco, Inc. was fatally injured when he was struck in the head by a main rotor blade after he disembarked from the company's AS 365N2 helicopter (July, page 16).
