FAA (Washington, D.C.)--Dr. Maureen A. Pettitt is the agency's new chief scientific and technical advisor for human factors. Pettitt, who holds a doctorate in education, previously owned and managed a flight school and air charter business.
At press time, the following individuals were appointed to serve on the National Civil Aviation Review Commission, which has the goal of coming up with recommendations for future FAA funding sources: Rep. Norman Mineta (D-Calif.)--chairperson. William Bacon--executive director at Rapid City, S.D. Regional Airport. Charles Barclay-president of the American Association of Airport Executives. Linda Barker--part owner of Business Aviation, a Sioux Falls, Idaho FBO. Bill Campbell--mayor of Atlanta.
Delegates to the European Business Aircraft Association convention were stunned by an apparently casual comment by a senior European Commission official, who effectively told them not to bother implementing JAR Ops 1, the long-awaited operating rules of the Joint Aviation Authorities.
In April, Signature Flight Support and Zimex Aviation Holding of Zollikon, Switzerland welcomed the first customers to their new FBO at Zurich International Airport. The enterprise, set up in direct competition to long-standing operator Jet Aviation, includes an 8,000-square-foot terminal, a hangar and 56,000 square feet of ramp parking. Amenities include a weather briefing room, crew lounge, sleeping and shower facilities, and conference room. Also operating out of the new facility are Zimex Aviation Maintenance (formerly Limess Aviation).
Airlines that fly cargo and repair stations that serve those airlines can expect to come under intense scrutiny by the FAA's new Dangerous Goods and Cargo Security Division. The division, headed by Charles N. Lovinksi, formerly a senior manager at Federal Express, will oversee 118 newly hired, full-time inspectors. A dozen lawyers also are being hired-to handle the ``anticipated increase'' in enforcement actions. Civil penalties for a single violation carry a maximum fine of $27,500.
Formation of a new marketing and support organization in the United States along with the infusion of new capital has left the IAI Galaxy on its best footing in years. Galaxy Aerospace Corp. aligns IAI with former Learjet president Brian Barents and the Pritzker family of Chicago, owners of Hyatt Hotels Corp. and other businesses.
Sikorsky launched development of the S-92 in June 1995, with the announcement that the company will build five prototypes of the 19- to 22-passenger commercial heavy, twin-turbine helicopter. First flight is slated for 1998, with certification in 2000. The S-92 will be powered by two 1,700-shp General Electric CT7-6D engines, and will have an aluminum and composite airframe that is derived from the U.S. Army's H-60 Black Hawk. Gross weight is expected to be 24,100 pounds, and range will be 400 nm at a cruise speed of 155 knots.
Northwest has acquired 100 percent of Express Airlines I, its Airlink partner at Memphis and Minneapolis/St. Paul, from founder and owner Michael Brady. The airline will be operated as a wholly owned subsidiary, independent of Mesaba Airlines, the Airlink carrier that serves Northwest's Detroit hub as well as Minneapolis.
Jacksonville, Fla.--Kaman Corp. has sold the last of its FBOs. AirKaman, at Jacksonville International Airport, was sold to a privately-held company led by C. William Kaman, II, who has managed the facility for several years. Malcolm L. Rich reportedly will continue as president of AirKaman. Tel: (904) 741-2201; fax: (904) 741-2250.
Dallas-based Business Jet Solutions recently received authority to operate on-demand flights in the North Atlantic MNPS using dual GPS receivers as the sole means of navigation. The company, jointly owned by AMR Combs and Bombardier, provides charter aircraft services and manages aircraft under its FlexJet fractional ownership program.
In a ``card-check'' procedure conducted by the National Mediation Board, 70 percent of the nearly 100 Mesa Air Group flight attendants chose the Association of Flight Attendants, AFL-CIO, as their collective bargaining representative. Mesa, which is in the process of consolidating a number of regional-airline subsidiaries, agreed to recognize AFA and to enter contract negotiations if the NMB certified the process.
Honeywell (Phoenix)--The following staff changes were made at Honeywell Commercial Aviation Systems: Bertrand Dunou now is the director of customer support for the United States and Canada, and Adrian Paull is director of customer support for Europe.
Bombardier will build a new completion center in Montreal that will replace the smaller facility acquired from Innotech Aviation in December 1996. Although the new center, to be finished in November, will be dedicated to completing Global Express aircraft, the facility also can handle some Challenger completions. Bombardier's Tucson operation also will be available for Challenger completions. The center is scheduled to receive the first Global Express in December.
Helicopter manufacturers are courting the United Kingdom's Royal Flight Squadron, which is looking to replace its aging fleet of Westland Wessex helicopters. Westland, Eurocopter and Sikorsky have so far presented (respectively) the EH101, Super Puma and S-76C+. Royal Flight helicopters carry members and guests of the Royal Family on official duties within the United Kingdom.
The TechStar Pro is Jeppesen's latest hand-held aircraft navigation and performance calculator. In addition to numerous aviation, personal, timing, arithmetic and scientific functions, the TechStar Pro features individual data prompts, an eight-line liquid crystal display, 128K memory and a latitude/longitude mode that allows the user to compute great circle routes. The TechStar Pro retails for $149.95.
To better manage the center of gravity, Boeing Business Jets has modified the fuselage tank configuration of the BBJ. The 28,810-pound fuel capacity remains unchanged, but Boeing now plans to use 11 tanks instead of nine. Meanwhile, even though the 6,200-nm-range BBJ's first flight is more than a year away, Boeing said it has 12 options and eight firm orders, including two from GE. Certification is scheduled for November 1998.
Virtually all general aviation associations are disappointed and angry about the makeup of the National Civil Aviation Review Commission, saying GA is under-represented. The groups also said they fear the FAA is on a course predestined to result in user fees. GA groups have been particularly vocal, protesting that a recent assessment by Coopers&Lybrand of the FAA's financial prowess presupposes a move to user fees (see page 45).
Skeptics abounded in September 1996 when officials at Fairchild Dornier--fresh from Fairchild's acquisition of the German airplane-builder--revealed they would offer the Do 328 with turbofans. ``It will never work,'' they said. Performance improvements would be more than offset by higher ownership and operating costs.
It has been a long, difficult and expensive journey, but approvals of data kits to enable business aircraft to operate in Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) airspace are now occurring with increasing regularity. In addition to the first RVSM approvals already in hand for Challengers and Falcon 900s (see page 48), Dassault Falcon Jet reports that its Falcon 2000 received FAA approval of an RVSM data package. Also, New York-based Wayfarer Aviation recently completed an RVSM installation on a Challenger.
The regional jet is an airplane that has taken the major airline pilot unions by surprise, and they are still struggling to react. The carriers that began operating the 50-passenger jets in 1993 have produced stellar financial results. Delta Connection Comair, which launched Canadair Regional Jet service in North America, saw its revenues jump 86.7 percent from fiscal 1993 through fiscal 1995, while operating income soared by 193.5 percent and net income by 210.9 percent.
Transport Canada has certificated the Pilatus PC-12 for IFR operations, paving the way for the 10-passenger, single-engine turboprop to be used to carry passengers for hire in IFR operations. In addition to Canada and the United States, the PC-12 is certificated in Austria, Australia, Brazil, Germany, South Africa, Switzerland and Zimbabwe.
The National Aircraft Sales Association, a group recently established to serve aircraft dealers and brokers (see item above) is not a new concept. The National Aircraft Resale Association, based in Washington, D.C., and its more than 20 broker/dealer members was formed in the early 1990s with virtually the same objectives as the National Aircraft Sales Association, including a code of ethics to which members are expected to adhere.
There already are two 50-seat regional jets, with a third likely to follow. Two 70-seaters are on the drawing board, and one 32-passenger jet is in the wings, with others likely to follow in that passenger class. What's next in what has become known as the ``regional-jet phenomenon?''
