Piedmont Aviation Services, Incorporated recently signed an agreement to manage an FBO at Raleigh Durham Airport (RDU). The former Aviation Services Group, now carrying Piedmont's title, is a full-service general aviation FBO with Piedmont managers on site. This latest arrangement, in addition to Piedmont's other full-service facilities, brings the company's fleet of FBOs to six.
The Mexican government has recently decided to defer collecting fees for navigation, en route handling and other services. Reportedly, within the next several months, all such charges will be combined into a single number and added to the cost of fuel.
Wisconsin Aviation, Incorporated, headquartered in Watertown, Wisconsin, recently finalized the purchase of Coldstream Aviation at Madison's Dane County Regional Airport. The former Coldstream facilities will be used primarily for corporate tenant aircraft and offices, while Wisconsin Aviation's Four Lakes facilities at Madison will be used primarily for transient services.
Effective this month, the FAA plans to make the contents of the International Flight Information Manual a new section within the domestic biweekly NOTAM series. The move cuts costs both for the agency and for operators, who now only have to subscribe to one document. Subscribers also will derive the benefit of having all published NOTAMs readily available in a single source.
A three-year analysis of Continental Airlines' Crew Coordination Concepts (CCC) program documents improved safety and dependability following the application of crew resource management techniques. Findings released in June show that workers embraced the training and made demonstrable shifts from passive to more active and interactive behavior.
FAA and general-aviation trade groups are testing three flight-information service products being delivered through Mode S datalink within a 60-nm radius of Dulles International Airport. Aircraft equipped with datalink-capable Mode S transponders and a control-display unit will be able to receive ATIS, graphical weather and text weather services via the datalink. Widespread availability of Mode S datalink services will be possible by next summer, the FAA claims.
I am embarrassed to report that during my 28-year involvement with the aviation industry I had not made a single pilgrimage to the Aviation Mecca: the annual Experimental Aircraft Association International Fly-In, Convention and Sport Aviation Exhibition-or ``Oshkosh'' as it's known around the world. It always seemed that something more important to a ``business aviator'' was competing for my time. And, after all, the EAA meeting was simply a gathering of homebuilders and kit-airplane enthusiasts, wasn't it?
The Orenda Division of Hawker Siddeley Canada has delayed certification of its 600-hp, 495-cubic-inch V-8 engine for aviation applications until late in 1996 (B/CA, May, page 22). The nearly year-long delay will enable the company to optimize the engine for weight, complexity and maintenance costs, according to Orenda. Design modifications include replacing the twin turbochargers with a single, more powerul unit that allows the engine to be moved aft about six inches to improve the c.g. envelope.
William G. Nelson joined the company as vice president and general manager of the Long Island service center at MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, New York.
After almost a year of serving customers from trailers, Martin Aviation is scheduled to open its new FBO terminal at California's John Wayne/Orange County Airport in November. The two-story structure will house a 21,000-square-foot hangar in addition to two executive conference rooms, a baggage storage area, kitchenette, refreshment area and pilot supply store. Crew amenities will include a lounge, flight planning room, showers, quiet rooms and private offices. Catering and rental vehicles will be available on site.
National Air Transportation Association, an FBO and air-taxi trade group, is urging the FAA to expedite approval of a rule change that would allow FAR Part 135 passenger-carrying operations in IMC in single-engine aircraft. The industry's Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee recently endorsed the concept and sent a draft rule proposal to the FAA. Separately, the NATA plans to survey all Part 135 operators in order to develop a more-comprehensive statistical base that can be used to dispel public ``misconceptions'' about Part 135 operations.
Duncan Aviation's new ``PowerTurn'' service program for light and medium jets aims to keep maintenance downtimes to a minimum, and then guarantees that those downtimes will not be exceeded. Officials of the Lincoln, Nebraska company claim that the program, to date, has resulted in reducing downtimes as much as 20 percent, and ``in some cases more.'' Should the downtime exceed the agreed-to guarantee period, Duncan will rebate the customer a certain, predetermined dollar amount for each day the downtime overruns the contracted guarantee.
General aviation definitely has a booster in the State of New York. The Legislative Commission on Critical Transportation Choices, under the chairmanship of State Senator Norman J. Levy (R-Nassau County), recently took a close look at the status of general aviation in New York State-both in the public and private sectors. The Commission's report has been released, and it pronounces general aviation to be a ``valuable resource'' and a ``critical asset.''
The ``new budget realities of the U.S. Congress'' will continue to force the FAA to shrink its services, FAA Administrator David Hinson warned attendees at the Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-In in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in July. General aviation is expected to be the first to feel the cuts, as the FAA considers further reducing the number of FSSes and closing control towers at smaller airports. Over the last three years, the agency has lost $600 million in funding and has shrunk from 53,000 to 48,000 employees.
Stress is common in everyone, and it can be put to good use. When we can't cope, or if we have unrealistic expectations of our lives, then stress becomes a distress and bad things can happen. Distress can preoccupy the mind with the loss of situational awareness. Here are some common self-perceptions that lead to stress: -- Everyone must approve of me. -- I am responsible for the happiness of others. -- I can change others. -- I can't fail. -- I need no one.
Five years ago, Doug Bowen joined some of his coworkers in a crew resource management (CRM) training session, and quickly realized the basic concepts being taught could be applied to his own department. Since then, Bowen-who is chief of maintenance for Enron Corporation and president of the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association-has helped design a training program aimed at corporate flight departments and has adopted a strategy for annual maintenance resource management (MRM) training in his own department.
Officials at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport (EHAM) notified the EBAA that its General Aviation Terminal will be closed by year-end. Corporate aircraft will be welcome ``as long as capacity allows.'' The Schiphol Airport authority has taken over nearby Lelystad Airport and intends to develop it ``fully'' by the end of the decade. Corporate-aircraft handling after December 31 at Schiphol will be at a ``temporary site.''
A video-camera system from Puritan-Bennett Aero Systems is designed to provide passengers with ``high-quality'' external images of the corporate aircraft and landscape during all phases of flight. For the flightcrew, it provides views of the landing gear and certain control surfaces. The system has three cameras and a camera-control unit commanded from within the aircraft. One camera is mounted in the tail, for a wide view of the aircraft and the horizon, while the other two cameras are placed on the lower fuselage (shown) aft of the main gear.
Air New Zealand subsidiary Mount Cook Airline has placed an order for seven 66-passenger ATR 72-210 turboprops, giving the Franco/Italian consortium its first large order in the Pacific Rim. The new aircraft are to replace 44-passenger Hawker-Siddeley (BAe) HS748s beginning this month and culminating late this year or early in 1996. The sale was a major defeat for the 70-passenger de Havilland Dash 8-400, since the manufacturer has a major presence in Australasia.
The use of personal computers as aviation training aids has gained an important advocate. With the purchase of Charlotte, North Carolina-based MDM Systems, Jeppesen is adding PC-based flight simulation systems to its integrated pilot-training product line, which currently includes text, video and other computer-based products. MDM is a producer of a popular PC-based aviation training hardware and software system.
Aerospace Safety Technologies (AST) of Minden, Nevada filed suit against AlliedSignal in July, alleging patent infringement in the sale of an electro-thermal anti-ice system to Continental Airlines. AST claims AlliedSignal's Electro-Thermal Ice Protection System (ETIPS) violates an AST patent for ``Electrically Conductive Laminate for Temperature Control of Aircraft Surface.'' AlliedSignal said the suit is ``without merit'' and that the company will ``defend itself vigorously.''
Preliminary analysis of data from flight tests that Robinson Helicopter and the FAA conducted jointly show, the R44 performing ``within the aircraft's certification requirements.'' Even so, the tests are not the final determinant in the government's investigation of the aircraft, but are the latest in a series of steps that the FAA began and the NTSB recommended early in 1994 to resolve alleged safety problems with the R22 and R44 single-engine helicopters (B/CA, June 1994, page 22). The FAA and the NTSB are continuing their investigations.
After a 30-year hiatus from the Northeast, the annual AOPA Expo will be held in Atlantic City on October 19-21. Over 8,000 AOPA members are expected to attend. The Expo exhibit hall at the Atlantic City Convention Center will showcase more than 300 exhibitors, educational programs and other convention events. Over 60 aircraft will be featured in the static aircraft display at nearby Bader Field.
A rewrite of pilot certification and training requirements of FAR Parts 61, 141 and 142 has been proposed. The proposal stems from a regulatory review program started more than seven years ago (B/CA, August 1988, page 21). The principal purpose of the rewrite was to make a comprehensive update of the rules. Most of the major changes to the rules are directed at recreational pilots and ground instructors. Comments are due December 11. For details, phone the FAA at (202) 267-3844.
