Pan Am International Flight Academy has acquired Airline Career Academy (ACA), a pilot training academy specializing in JAA/EASA and FAA Ab Initio training. ACA will be integrated in Pan Am's operations to offer professional pilot training programs that enhance Pan Am's core business. Training will continue to operate under the Pan Am brand with no interruption of service. ACA was established in 1995 and trains an estimated 250 pilots annually. The company provides private, instrument and commercial multiengine training with a fleet of about 50 aircraft.
Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF), Alexandria, Va., announced that Averitt Air of Nashville, Tenn., is the newest charter operator to join the ACSF. Averitt Air is a subsidiary of Averitt Express, a leading freight transportation and supply chain services provider. They specialize in aircraft maintenance, management, charter services, sales and acquisitions, and consulting.
Universal Avionics is opening a satellite office in Singapore this year. The Asia Pacific office will support Universal's customer base throughout the region, including Thailand, Japan and Australia , where the company says numerous flight deck retrofit projects are in the works. The office will include both local sales and support representatives.
CAE announced that its CAE-built Gulfstream G450/G550 full-flight simulator in Shanghai, China, has received Level D certification by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The training program will be offered at the Shanghai Eastern Flight Training Centre, in Shanghai Pudong Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone starting this year. Shanghai is CAE's tenth business aviation training location worldwide. The G450/G550 pilot training programs will feature standard CAE courseware in Mandarin as well as English.
Cessna Aircraft has signed a letter of intent to acquire Jet Aviation's maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities in Zurich, Switzerland and Dusseldorf, Germany. The sale, expected to be completed by year-end, would not include the FBOs at those locations. Jet Aviation, which had spent the past couple of years reviving its struggling completions business, has more recently experienced a downturn in its services division as demand from Europe dipped.
You pick up USA Today from under your hotel door and the front-page headline shouts about another aviation accident. As you glean the details of the misfortune that befell the crew and passengers, know that your own passengers are possibly reading the same article. Many will want to talk to you, to be reassured by you.
Business aircraft accidents were down overall worldwide in 2012, but those involving U.S. business jets have been increasing, according to the latest statistics from business aviation safety expert Robert E. Breiling Associates. At the same time, U.S. helicopter accidents jumped notably in 2012, while the non-U.S. registered helicopter fleet improved its safety record. The number of U.S. business jet accidents increased by five in 2012 to 19 accidents. Of those, five were fatal and involved 21 deaths.
The FAA, bowing to broad industry opposition, will rescind its interpretation of a rule governing rest for airline mechanics, reverting to a more flexible view that both management and unions have long considered acceptable. The agency delivered the news in a Dec. 26 letter to the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA), which spearheaded the challenge to an FAA interpretation made nearly three years ago.
Lou Churchville (Business Development Max-Viz Portland, Ore. )
“The Alabama Bet” (Viewpoint, December 2012, page 9) was a nice piece on Al Ueltschi and your multi-port connections to all the elements. Life really is a web that we often do not recognize in all its interconnectivity . . . let alone what's behind the curtain from where the web springs: the curtain Al just passed through . . . perhaps to spin yet another thread. Business Development Max-Viz Portland, Ore.
Ametek is building up its MRO base in Miami with the acquisition of Aero Components International (ACI) and Avtech Avionics. ACI expands Ametek's reach in the Miami market for repair and overhaul of hydraulic, pneumatic, power generation and heat exchanger components. Avtech provides repair capabilities for new and legacy avionics. Both are located near Ametek's MRO operation in Miami.
Just a quick note to mention I very much enjoyed “The Colorful Mr. Coyne” (Washington Watch, December 2012, page 70). Our company has been around since 1946 (we rebranded from Bridgeford Flying Services in 2011) and while I have not been around that long (although close), I can say my aviation experience spans a few decades back to the days when the DuPont family owned Atlantic Aviation. However that is a story over a glass of Napa wine perhaps someday.
Garmin has received the FAA's TSO authorization and AML STC approval for the GDL 88 series, its dual-link ADS-B solution for certified aircraft. With these certifications, the GDL 88 is approved for installation on most Part 23 fixed-wing aircraft and is available immediately. The unit provides a simple ADS-B rule-compliant solution for aircraft operating in the U.S. and below 18,000 ft. It also brings the added benefit of access to advanced traffic information and subscription-free weather for aircraft flying at any altitude, the company says.
I read with interest your “Viewpoint” about Al Ueltschi, particularly because a number of years ago I had the pleasure of meeting him and transacting some business. My experience reinforced the image you paint of him.
More than one airline recommends that captains relinquish flying duties when faced with unexpected circumstances in order to promote optimum crew coordination and to minimize the potential for misunderstandings and errors. Anticipating that unforeseen emergencies can occur for which there are no published procedures, air carrier training departments often recommend guidelines for assignments of responsibilities.
The youngest member of the Aero Commander family, christened Grand Commander, is already the biggest of the clan. Six feet, 2 in. longer than current models, the big twin almost doubles baggage room and will accommodate nine passengers and two crew in separate compartments. It offers performance similar to that of the Commander 680F. It is now in the process of certification, with first deliveries scheduled for April 1963.
For general aviation, the return on investment in NextGen aircraft equipage may not be as apparent as it is for commercial air transport operators, an industry analyst says. The U.S. NextGen air traffic control modernization program could yield $281 billion through 2035, according to Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu's 2013 Global Aerospace and Defense Industry Outlook. This includes fuel efficiency gains and reductions in weather-related and congestion delays.
The Fatigue Toolbox The FAA has created a one-stop source for your fatigue resource needs. The site has a comprehensive tool box with training programs, including the award-winning film “Grounded,” and tools such as the Return on Investment calculator, Fatigue Risk Assessment Tool, and newsletters with articles authored by industry leading scientists in the subject of fatigue. You can visit the site at: www.mxfatigue.com
General aviation groups welcomed the confirmation of Michael Huerta as the next FAA administrator, saying permanent leadership at the agency's helm is particularly important as FAA must tackle key environmental, certification and NextGen issues while operating under the threat of substantial budget cuts. Confirmation of Huerta, who has been serving as acting administrator for more than a year, came during an unusual New Year's Day session in the Senate. President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Huerta in March.
Soloy Aviation Solutions is now a Cobham/S-TEC dealer. Cobham Commercial Systems, Integrated Systems (formerly S-TEC Corp.) is a leader in analog and digital autopilot systems. Soloy is authorized for autopilot, display and HeliSAS systems in Cobham's line of avionics products.
Waterford, Mich.-based Pentastar Aviation has acquired Aviation Interior Solutions, also of Waterford, to strengthen its interoir refurbishment and completion offerings. At the same time Pentastar's Oxford, Conn. facility has recieved Part 145 Satellite Repair Station certification. The company also said it would exit its Van Nuys, Calif. FBO and service facillity to focus on its Eastern U.S. customers.
Constant Aviation, which expanded into the Beechjet landing gear overhaul business last summer, has found demand for the service so strong that it is relocating the services from Birmingham Ala., to a larger facility near its Cleveland headquarters. The sister company of Flight Options and Nextant Aerospace, Constant in July announced the opening of a new landing gear repair and overhaul shop at its Birmingham service center.
Chinese interests continue to build up their aerospace portfolios with the purchase of light helicopter manufacturer Enstrom. The Michigan-based helicopter manufacturer, which has been producing helicopters since the late 1950s, was acquired by the Chongqing Helicopter Investment Co. (CQHIC). Enstrom hopes the move will enable it to expand its reach into China as well as permit the company to invest in its plant at Menominee to meet current and expected future demands. “This is a major step in moving Enstrom to a new level,” Enstrom President Jerry Mullins says.
For about $9 million, you can by a new or nearly new super-midsize Hawker 4000 that can fly eight passengers 3,000+ nm at Mach 0.80 and land with 200 nm NBAA IFR reserves. Inspired by the systems architecture of the Gulfstream GIV, this is the only aircraft in its class to have standard dual Honeywell IRSes, dual ACM packs, auto-throttles, an AC electrical generation system and a standard hydraulically powered, emergency AC electrical generator. The aircraft has a flat floor, aft lavatory and inflight access to the aft baggage compartment.
