The city of Chicago closed Meigs Field on September 30, after a federal court denied a temporary restraining order (B/CA, October, page 13). However, the U.S. Court of Appeals issued an indefinite stay preventing the city from beginning demolition of the lakefront airport. The Illinois Court of Appeals also issued a similar stay, but it was initially effective only until October 25. The courts said they would use this time to review the lower court rulings. The AOPA, GAMA, NBAA and the State of Illinois had filed suit to stop Chicago from closing the airport.
Certification of the Honeywell/Trimble HT1000 as the standard optional GPS receiver for Aero International (Regional) ATR 42 and ATR 72 regional airliners is scheduled in the first quarter of 1997. Sunnyvale, California-based Trimble Navigation builds the system, and the Honeywell unit of Glendale, Arizona markets and supports it. The HT1000 is approved under TSO C129 for non-precision approaches and for IFR en route and terminal navigation.
Duncan Aviation is relocating its instruments and avionics component services to a new 44,000-square-foot facility at Nebraska's Lincoln Airport. The move should be completed by January 1997.
Current fees levied for flying in Canada's airspace will remain unchanged for at least a year while operational control of the country's air-navigation system moves from the government to Nav Canada, a not-for-profit corporation (B/CA, October, page 13). At the end of the transition period (fall 1997), Nav Canada's board members will establish new fees for navigation and communications services provided for landings and takeoffs, and for en route domestic and international operations.
GPS, as a navaid, is a razor-edged sword that can slice a course seemingly with the precision of a skilled surgeon wielding a scalpel. This sword, however--for all of its prodigious capabilities--has two edges. The other side of the blade can slice up a pilot's situational awareness with the speed of a samurai turned sashimi chef.
Special Committee 177 of the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics wants the FAA to prohibit the use of portable electronic devices during takeoffs and landings, as well as to totally ban devices that transmit radio waves. Examples of the devices are a pager that automatically acknowledges a call by sending a signal back or a wireless modem on a laptop computer.
This FBO has made several senior management changes: William W. Cutter was elected president and chief executive officer, and Kathyrn Cutter was elected vice president and chief financial officer. Promotions to vice president and general manager were announced for Lowell Whitten at the Albuquerque operation, Angelo Tedeschi at the Phoenix facility and Alfonso Moreno at the El Paso operation.
K-C Aviation of Dallas has sold its Jet Professionals Incorporated division (a Shelton, Connecticut-based provider of crew personnel) and the charter and management operations that it acquired four years ago from Executive Jet International. These units now will come under the wing of Jet Aviation, the West Palm Beach division of the Switzerland-based company (B/CA, September 1992, page 32).
Now, lissen up. President Bill Clinton has presented us with an outrageous and upsetting proposal that NATA President James Coyne charges ``is a serious threat to corporate aviation.'' Clinton proposes a $225 fee per flight on business jets and turboprops to pay for his national literacy program. Just who is he going to make literate? In addition to this ridiculous proposal, he would impose a $10 increase in the international departure tax to pay for community college education. We could live with this.
In her memoir, Bill and Moya Lear, An Unforgettable Flight, Moya Lear gives readers her view of the life and times of one of general aviation's most colorful figures. Her book is a reminder that Bill Lear's genius extended far beyond one of the first corporate jets. Lear talks about development of the ADF, car radio, autopilot, the Learstar, the Learjet, the Learstar 600 (basis for the Canadair Challenger), the eight-track tape, a failed attempt at building steam-powered cars and, finally, the Learfan.
Researchers at Baylor University in Waco, Texas will step up their investigation into the use of ethanol and various blends of alternative fuels in aircraft turbine engines. Part of a $1-million grant from the Texas Alternative Fuels Council, a government and industry group, was used to purchase a King Air A90 that will be instrumented to monitor the impact of ethanol and other potential fuels on air pollution and engine performance. Researchers said the aircraft is the first to operate with a blend of fuel alternatives.
Berkshire Hathaway, the Omaha-based conglomerate, is about to acquire another company: FlightSafety International, the simulator-training organization of Flushing, New York. The two firms entered into a merger agreement in mid October in which FSI is expected to become a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire by year-end or early 1997. Warren E. Buffett, chairman of the board of Berkshire, implied that Al Ueltschi would remain chairman and CEO of FSI.
Tinsley Advertising Agency, a large, Miami-based firm, has been selected to spearhead GA Team 2000, an industry-sponsored and financed general aviation promotional effort (B/CA, May, page 11).
General aviation flying in ICAO contracting states (excluding the C.I.S. and China) was estimated to have decreased slightly in 1995 to about 38 million hours from the 1994 volume of approximately 39 million hours.
Fairchild Dornier subsidiary Merlin Express has leased 17 Fairchild Metro IIIs from British Aerospace Asset Management-Turboprops. The aircraft will augment Merlin's existing fleet of 25 Metro aircraft. The San Antonio-based carrier operates throughout the United States and the Caribbean in cargo service for larger cargo carriers and freight forwarders in the small-parcel express business. In addition, Merlin operates three Metro IIs for Yute Air Alaska in scheduled passenger service out of Anchorage.
Flight departments may see additional crewmembers on long-haul flights as a relatively straightforward solution to the possibility of severe crew fatigue or to avoid running out of established duty time. But some operators are finding that option may present its own problems. Thoughtful planning and firm discipline must be part of an augmented crew plan to ensure that the most rested crew are in position. Otherwise, the extra crew could end up being a burden during critical phases of flight.
Operators of large and small aircraft maintenance facilities will appreciate the ease-of-use features found in the Log Book Organizer 2000. LBO 2000 is a new CD-ROM developed by Tim Carr, a former maintenance facility and charter operator owner. The program was designed to ease the record-keeping of maintenance, operating hours, cycles and other information. It features a suite of five databases: airframe, propeller, turbine engine, recip engine and APU.
For the quarter of 1996, worldwide new-jet sales dropped 22 planes to 53, off 29.3 percent from the same period in 1995; new turboprop sales plunged further, off 65.5 percent to 10 from 29. Again, as has been the case most of the year, there was a vast gap between U.S. and international sales. New-jet sales in the United States were 77 percent of the global total although down 26.8 percent to 41 from 56; international new-jet sales of 12 in the period were down 36.8 percent from 19 in 1995's third quarter.
Some might consider flying for one of the shared-ownership programs the best of both worlds: Pilots fly a fixed schedule like their airline counterparts, but have the variability and direct customer contact that adds spice to life in the corporate ranks. There seems to be no shortage of pilots seeking to make the transition. In the last year, Executive Jet Aviation (EJA) had 3,700 applicants vying for just 125 jobs-an acceptance rate of just under 3.5 percent.
U.K.-based Aircraft Charter Services has opened a free Web site for finding charter operators serving Europe. The customer is asked to furnish the departure location, seating capacity, type of aircraft desired and required dates. The program responds with a profile of the charter company and the aircraft available, including photographs. The site also lists deadhead legs available for charter. Operators can join the database for an annual membership charge of 900 (about $1,400 U.S.) plus 200 (about $300 U.S.) per aircraft. For more details, visit http://www.oacs.co.uk.
Northstar Technologies' 12-channel, automatic M3 approach GPS navigator now has TSO C-129, Class A1 approval for en route, terminal and non-precision approach operations. Using the automated feature, the pilot programs the entire approach into the database, complete with each leg of procedure turns and holds. Then, it's a hands-off operation--just follow the CDI, says Northstar. The M3 GPS Approach is available with a choice of four Flitecards built from Jeppesen NavData. Price: $6,395. Northstar Technologies, 30 Sudbury Rd., Acton, MA 01720. (508) 897-6600.
