Recent high-profile aircraft accidents, most notably the Asiana 214 crash at San Francisco in July 2013, have air safety mavens asking tough questions about the state of flight crews' stick, rudder and energy management skills. Periodic refresher training most often focuses on instrument and night proficiency, systems knowledge and the perfunctory engine failure scenarios. But most refresher training only pays token attention to basic VFR piloting.
Is there a chance that the Standard Lateral Offset Procedure, or some variation on it, will be authorized for use in non-oceanic U.S. airspace? The answer is a qualified, “Yes.”
Here are some tips from our readers: Hydraulic fluid can be extremely dangerous if you get it on your skin or in your eyes, so always wear appropriate protective gear when working around the stuff. Have a large bucket or two handy when opening a hydraulic line. Once the fluid starts coming out, it will keep flowing — and quickly. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling hydraulic fluid or hydraulic components, since even a tiny bit can burn your eyes or skin.
Dassault Falcon Jet, Teterboro, N.J., named Kristen Krueger sales manager for the Pacific Northwest. She has 13 years of industry experience, including as a regional ice president for sales at Netjets. Rhett Reavis is the new sales manager for the Mid-Atlantic and eastern Canada. He was formerly a regional sales manager for FlightSafety International.
Organizers of the 2014 Asian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (ABACE), set for April 15-17, report exhibitor registrations early this year were far ahead of last year's pace and have expanded the exhibit hall and pavilion to allow for more booths at the Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Centre. ABACE is produced through a partnership between the Shanghai Airport Authority and National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), and co-hosted by NBAA, the Asian Business Aviation Association and the Shanghai Exhibition Center.
Henry Ogrodzinski, the president and CEO of the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) and a longtime industry advocate, died at his home in Washington, D.C. Jan. 22 after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 65. A gentlemanly and friendly persuader, the genial “Henry O” spent his entire professional career in aviation, working with NASAO, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and Gulfstream Aerospace, among others.
MyTurbine is a mobile app from Dallas Airmotive designed to easily connect customers anywhere in the world with information about engines being serviced, AOG support and much more. Convenient icons allow for quick navigation to the services most used by customers such as the company's First Support global customers. Users can check cost estimates and completions dates on engines in process, find service locations and contact sales reps among others features.
TAG Aviation recently introduced iPad–based electronic flight bag (EFB) technology to its Switzerland-based fleet, featuring Jeppesen Mobile FlightDeck. Jeppesen will help to eliminate paper-based information from TAG's operations and increase overall operational efficiency. The company aims to achieve savings in fuel consumption by reducing the weight of each pilot's flight bag. On average, these can weigh from 40 to 50 lb. each. Jeppesen www.jeppesen.com
The long running fight for control of Santa Monica, Calif., Airport entered a pitched legal battle recently to determine the future of the facility, a key general aviation field outside Los Angeles — and possibly put hundreds more airports in jeopardy. Late last October the city filed suit with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California seeking to control the fate of SMO, insisting it has “unencumbered title” to the airport property and can do with it “as it chooses.” The municipality wants the option to close the airport after July 2015.
Greenpoint Technologies, Kirkland, Wash., announced that Chairman Jon Buccola was named Executive of the Year by the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance, a non-profit organization geared toward growth and success of the aviation industry in the region.
It turns out that Christina Macfarland and I share a favorite place. By way of background, she is the great-great granddaughter of Henry Flagler, a founder of Standard Oil, and the man who created modern Florida by building The Breakers and other resorts, along with the railroad to bring yesteryear's snowbirds south.
The PC-12 you flew in “Finnoff PC-12 Upgrade” is based at Boulder Municipal Airport in Colorado, not California; and Boulder City Airport is in Nevada. Boulder, Colo.
Correction: Gulfstream Aerospace, Savannah, Ga., hired Kevin Brink and Scott Clarey as sales directors for North America. Kevin Dutton's name was misspelled under his photo in the February “On Duty” section.
Business jet operations last year topped 4 million, an activity level not seen since 2008, according to preliminary FAA data. The 4.072 million operations recorded in 2013, represented a 2.26% increase over 2012. Since the data is preliminary, this is likely to increase slightly once FAA finalizes December operations. Business jet operations peaked at 4.825 million in 2007 before falling 11% in 2008 to 4.291 million. Operations plunged almost 20% the following year to a decade-low 3.449 million. They have been on the rise every year since, but recovery has been slow.
Avflight has increas–ed its chain of FBOs with the acquisition of the assets of America Jet at Salina Regional Airport. Avflight will provide the serves out of the existing FBO facilities. An Avfuel-branded dealer, Avflight operates at eight other locations,including Detroit (DET), Flint (FNT), Lansing (LAN), Saginaw (MBS), and Ypsilanti, Mich. (YIP), along with Durango, Colo. (DRO), Harrisburg, Pa. (MDT) and Roswell, N.M. (ROW).
Call letters of the renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport changed from IDL to JFK. The cost, including navaid signals, air navigation charts and reservation computer codes, is estimated at $500,000. Then, there's all those little baggage tags. No matter how successful, an airplane sooner or later goes back to the drawing board to be taken from good to better. The twin-Baron recently emerged from a face lifting with a longer airframe, added baggage space, increased useful load and upped performance figures.
Biggin Hill Airport, London, appointed Robert Walters as director. He spent seven years as business development manager for the airport and will continue to lead sales and marketing but will also manage customer service.
Cockpit automation is here to stay, and will probably increase in the future. Automated cockpit systems have contributed significantly to improvements in safety, operational efficiency, and precise flight path management, all welcome developments. Unfortunately accidents continue to point out vulnerabilities attendant to automation as well.
Raisbeck Engineering's Swept Blade Turbofan Propellers are now being delivered after their FAA certification covering the entire King Air C90 and E90 family. When added to the Raisbeck EPIC Performance Package for the C90/E90 aircraft, the Swept Blade Propellers deliver performance increases across the board, according to Raisbeck. The EPIC Package is priced at $99,864 plus installation and includes Raisbeck Dual Aft Body Strakes and FAA-Approved Airplane Flight Manual Supplement.
Zenith Aviation, a Fredericksburg, Va.-based marketer and distributor of Dornier 328 parts, has significantly increased its inventory with the purchase of Dornier 328 jet assets from Comtran and Jetran International. The assets include two Dornier 328-310 heavyweight jets, six Pratt & Whitney 306B engines, two sets of Dornier 328-310 heavyweight landing gear, a complete 12-seat executive interior, and more than 2,000 line items of rotable parts .
The FAA recently selected six operators to conduct civil unmanned aircraft system (UAS) research: The University of Alaska, the State of Nevada, New York's Griffiss International Airport, North Dakota Department of Commerce, Texas A&M University, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. University of Alaska Fairbanks leads a multi-state team that includes Hawaii and Oregon with a total of 14 test ranges among them. Nevada's test resources include airfields and special-use airspace in sparsely populated areas.
Keith Plumb, president and COO of regional fractional ownership provider Executive AirShare, added the title of CEO on Jan. 1. Plumb is succeeding Bob Taylor as part of a succession plan that began in early 2013. Taylor, who has been chairman and CEO, will become chairman emeritus, focused on various sales and business development projects. Taylor, who turns 67 shortly, jointly founded Executive AirShare with Plumb in 2000 in Wichita.
Although cleared, the driveway was snow crusted. So, I watched with keen interest as my daughter made her way up its steep incline, her all-season tires going slower and slower until just inches from the summit, they stopped. Not good. Hustling up, I told her to take a back seat. Daddy would get it over the top. A perfect Papa Berenstain Bear* moment: Don't be upset getting stuck on a hill, Driving cars through snow takes know-how and skill
