Former Flying magazine Publisher Dick Koenig, who has served on the board has been named to head the Corporate Angel Network (CAN), succeeding Peter Fleiss, who has retired after leading the charitable organization for 14 years. Koeing had been a member of the CAN board. Founded in 1981, CAN arranges free flights aboard empty seats of corporate jets for cancer patients traveling to or from treatment. More than 500 corporations participate, flying about 250 patient flights monthly. Since its founding, CAN has arranged nearly 45,000 flights.
Cutter Aviation's facility in Phoenix, Ariz., was appointed an authorized service center for Beechcraft Beechjet/Hawker 400XP series aircraft. The designation expands upon Cutter's Beechcraft authorizations, which also cover Baron, Bonanza and King Air series aircraft. Cutter 's facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and Addison, Texas are also authorized service centers for Baron and Bonanza series aircraft .
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association reports FAA Administrator Michael Huerta has given it assurances that he will make the petition for an exemption from third-class medical requirements a priority. AOPA and the Experimental Aircraft Association jointly petitioned the agency seeking the ability to use the driver's license medical standard. In a letter to AOPA, Huerta wrote it was important to “ensure that such an unprecedented change will not result in any adverse impact that could lead to degradation in safety.”
Beginning Jan. 8, Airbus Helicopters became the official name of the organization formerly known as Eurocopter. The name change tracks with that of its parent, formerly known as the European Aeronautic Defense and Space ace and Defense Co. (EADS), but henceforth to be called the Airbus Group. “This rebranding works hand in hand with our ongoing transformation, which is now bolstered by the Airbus brand's strong foundation in innovation, quality and industrial excellence,” said Guillaume Faury, president of Airbus Helicopters.
In the interim, there are specific recommendations from the 2013 study that are worthy of consideration by business aviation operators: First Seek out a true subject matter expert on your exact FMS who can provide you with the in-depth knowledge and skill necessary to operate the equipment expertly during line operations. Second Maintain and improve knowledge and skills in manual flight operations. Third improve autoflight mode awareness as part of an emphasis on flight path management.
Questions for Dr. Peggy Chabrian Sure she was going to be an elementary school teacher, Chabrian recalculated her life after taking aflight in a 1946 Ercoupe. 1. How is it that the WAI and conference came to be?
David W. Naumann Chief Pilot , NHS Management, LLC (Tuscaloosa, Ala. )
Here I am in my easy chair all ready for the January 2014 edition of B&CA. As I read your “Viewpoint” column, I realized you need a copilot. Now we all know what copilots are for: someone to blame our mistakes on. In your case, substitute the words “proof reader” for copilot. I usually overlook grammatical errors in modern print material, what with spell-checker and grammar checker screwing things up so much. But to do it in the first two words of your piece, well. . .
Signature Flight Support won San Jose City Council approval for its planned $82 million fixed-base operation complex at Norm Mineta San Jose International Airport. The approval included a 50-year lease and operating agreement to build and operate the FBO on 29 acres on the west side of the airport. The city council in April formally approved Signature's bid to develop the project. Signature teamed with Blue City Holdings, a San Jose company representing the personal aircraft of the principals at Google, on the project.
Sporty's says that your flight bag just got lighter — their FAR/AIM book is now available as an app for your iPhone or iPad. The new app has additional advanced features making it easier to find information. You can highlight and bookmark passages for quick retrieval or you can study content based on your current flight training. The app includes free updates and is available in the App Store.
This month, we'll look at two NTSB investigations —one recent, one many years past — both involving inflight fire. One tells of the importance of maintenance follow-up; the other demonstrates how a small deviation from checklist procedures can lead to disaster. Cessna 401 (N9DM) was lost on May 11, 2012 in Chanute, Kan. Four persons died and one was seriously injured.
While much of the business aviation industry news in recent years has involved cutbacks, closures and consolidations, Gulfstream Aerospace has delivered a completely different kind of dispatch. In 2006, two years before the global financial crisis, the Georgia-based manufacturer outlined a seven-year expansion effort that would result in 1,100 new jobs and represent a $300 million investment. But halfway through that original seven-year commitment, Gulfstream had already invested $400 million and created 1,500 new jobs in Savannah.
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).
Milestone Aviation Group, Richard Santulli's Dublin-based helicopter leasing company, recently announced it had closed on an unsecured $200 million revolving credit line. That increases its unsecured borrowing capacity to $450 million and revolving borrowing capacity to $800 million.
During the National Business Aviation Association's (NBAA) most recent convention in Las Vegas, John Pistole, who heads the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), had welcome words for the business aviation community. He pledged to continue to work with industry on initiatives to improve access to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
Safe Flight, White Plains, N.Y., announced the appointment of Matthew Greene as executive vice president. Since joining the company in 2003, he has taken on increasing roles of responsibility, most recently as vice president of Program Management where he led the improvement of new product time to market.
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.
Gulfstream Aerospace 's service center at London Luton Airport in the U.K. recently received European Aviation Safety Agency approval to perform maintenance on the Gulfstream G280.The facility earned similar EASA approval for Gulfstream 's G650 last year. The G280 entered service in November 2012, followed by the G650 in December 2012.
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.
In April 1997, the American Airlines Flight Academy produced a seminar on the hazards of automation dependency, particularly the perils of attempting to reprogram flight management computers in time-sensitive, high workload environments.
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.
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.
Priester Aviation, Wheeling, Ill., hired William (Bill) L. McNease as vice president and director of Flight Operations. Kevin Brink was named sales director, North American Sales responsible for sales in Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Hawaii, Nevada eastern Oregon, Saskatchewan and Washington. Scott Clarey joined the company as sales director, North American sales for Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico and Utrak. He is based in Tempe, Ariz.
