Lachlan Beatson, a veteran AlliedSignal executive who recently was hired to oversee manufacturing at Learjet, was named the company's president following the abrupt departure of Jim Robinson. Robinson, also an AlliedSignal alumnus, left to head up Fairchild's newly acquired Dornier operations in Germany after only five months as Learjet president. In January, he replaced Brian Barents, who also left the company suddenly.
Delta Connection Atlantic Southeast Airlines has a public relations problem. It seems that civic leaders in Columbus, Georgia were publicly concerned about delays and cancellations around the time of the Atlanta-based Summer Olympics.
(Fillup Flyer Fuel Finder-June 1996) This table shows the results of a June 1996 independent survey of U.S. FBOs. The survey, by Fillup Flyer Fuel Finder in Cincinnati, reflects fuel prices reported by 1,863 U.S. FBOs. All prices are full retail-before discounts, if any apply-and include taxes and other fees. Contact Fillup Flyer for individualized customer fuel surveys at (800) 333-7900.
DOT Inspector General Mary Schiavo, who said she would not travel on ValuJet Airlines in particular, and no ``commuter'' airlines in general, has resigned. Schiavo gave no reason for her decision, but said she was not forced out. Industry insiders think otherwise. They say her views were contrary to those of the Clinton ddministration, the DOT and the FAA, which have been coming under increased scrutiny for their management of aviation safety.
A second runway and a business aviation center are on tap for Chep Lap Kok, Hong Kong's new international airport. The airport is scheduled to open in April 1998 with one runway. The second runway is scheduled to be completed in October 1998. Business aviation flights soon could double beyond the 500 movements currently at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Airport, estimated Henry Townsend, chief executive of the newly established Hong Kong Airport Authority.
The latest edition of the NBAA's biennial report on state taxes on fuel, use taxes, aircraft registration fees, personal property taxes and the types of operations that may be exempted from taxation is now available to non-member companies. The report shows that 16 states impose registration fees; six states do not impose any sales and use tax on aviation; and two states-Texas and Connecticut-do not have a tax on fuel. To obtain a copy of the 1996-1997 State Aviation Tax Report, contact the NBAA at (202) 783-9266.
FAA has banned the use of child booster seats and vest- and harness-type child restraint systems on FAR Part 135 and Part 121 operations. The rule does not affect use of other FAA-approved child restraint systems, such as certain rear-facing safety seats (for children under 20 pounds) or forward-facing seats for 20- to 40-pound children. The FAA says children over 40 pounds should use the airliner seat's standard lap belt.
Illustration: Figure: Range/Payload Profile EMBRAER EMB-145 These graphs present preliminary range, fuel and payload information that is designed to show the capabilities of the EMB-145. Do not use these data for flight planning. Notably, the June 1996 data indicate that aircraft performance should be considerably better than Embraer's original estimates that were published in the Technical Description.
Business aircraft operators, and the organizations that support them, often tout general aviation's ability to transport business travelers to 5,500 U.S. airports-10 times the number of air terminals served by commercial airlines. Add in all the international airports accessible to business aircraft and that number approaches 9,500 landing facilities.
The fear of flying isn't limited to novice travelers who have never, or only rarely, flown. In fact, experienced travelers are just as likely to be afraid-or to develop a fear of flying-as are people who never venture aloft. A Boeing study conducted in the 1980s estimated that about 15 percent of adult Americans are afraid to fly. For many, that fear, at least in the beginning, is not so acute that it prevents them from boarding an airplane. What it does do, however, is make the flying experience unpleasant.
The FAA has proposed dropping a stipulation that all new transponders operated under FAR Part 135 be Mode S types. Agency officials admit that few benefits originally envisioned under Mode S have materialized. If the proposal is adopted, only Part 121 aircraft required to be fitted with TCAS II would still use Mode S. The comment period on the proposal had not yet closed as B/CA went to press, but little opposition was expected.
``As a rule, General, we don't hire ex-military pilots. They fly airplanes; we fly people.'' So spake Tils Peabody to Dick Lassiter at NBAA a few eons back. Endicott Tilson Peabody founded GM's flight department and honchoed it from 1946 until his retirement, following which he was felled by a heart attack at NBAA Anaheim. In his final hour, Tils and I walked to the convention-he going to Flight Safety, where he dropped to the floor. Tils was 76, weighed 18 stone and could put away juniper berry squeezings (mit olive) like they was soda pop.
Carl Albert wasted no time in establishing an agenda for the new Dornier Luftfahrt--installing a new top management group with marching orders to cut costs.
FAA is reviewing a noise-compatibility program proposed under FAR Part 150 for Dayton International Airport. The agency is scheduled to approve or disapprove the proposal on or before October 30. Under Part 150, interested parties can comment on the proposal. Earlier, the FAA determined that associated noise-exposure maps previously submitted are in compliance with Part 150 requirements. For more information, contact Airports Engineer Lawrence C. King at the FAA's Airports District Office in Detroit.
FAA has agreed to push back the phase-in schedule for the Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) standards in North Atlantic Track (NAT) airspace to March 27, 1997. The plan, originally scheduled to be fully implemented in January 1997, calls for 1,000-foot vertical separation minimums initially between FL 330 and FL 370 (B/CA, May, page 11). The three-month extension gives immediate relief to operators working on getting their aircraft equipped and certificated to use RVSM airspace.
FAA certification of S-TEC Corporation's first product for the helicopter industry-a stability and control augmentation system (SCAS) in the Bell 206L-4-is scheduled in October. The Mineral Wells, Texas company says the basic SCAS (with an optional force trim) for the 206 will be the first in a complete line of helicopter flight-control systems (B/CA, April, page 26). The SCAS will be sold in kit form with installations available from S-TEC-approved service centers. Pricing was not available at press time.
The Eurocopter EC 135 single-turbine helicopter recently received certification under Joint Aviation Authorities JAR Part 27. The approval applies to both the version of the aircraft with a 700-shp Turbomeca Arrius 2B engine and the version powered by a 731-shp P&WC 206B. Certificated performance numbers include a maximum altitude of 20,000 feet, takeoffs and landings up to 5,000 feet, an operating temperature range of -30C to +39C and a maximum indicated speed of 141 knots.
Compliance Software has introduced SAFnet to assist substance abuse program managers to confidentially exchange employees' drug and alcohol test result information among employers, collectors, laboratories and medical review officers. It also avoids duplication of effort and paperwork. The interface with the SAFnet network requires a standard modem, 486 or better computer, SAFnet-supplied software and an assigned mailbox address. Price: One-time startup software fee is about $99.
