Looking for ways to help new A&P's? Volunteer to talk about the NBAA TRACS Scholarship at your local schools and airports. You can also mentor applicants by helping them complete their scholarship application forms. Applications for the 2012 Maintenance TRACS awards will be available by October 2011. For more information on this program visit the NBAA TRACS website at: www.nbaa.org/public/education/scholarships/mxtracs/
The NBAA Maintenance Manage–ment Conference (MMC) is business aviation's dedicated learning event for those responsible for managing the maintenance function of flight departments. This three-day conference provides valuable information for individuals interested in enhancing their knowledge of aircraft maintenance and management, along with ideas and suggestions for those interested in professional development or meeting career goals.
The NBAA's 2011 Business Aircraft Transactions Conference is scheduled to take place Thursday, June 9 and Friday, June 10 at the Hilton New York in midtown Manhattan. The two-day event — which will be co-chaired by Eileen M. Gleimer, a partner at Crowell & Moring LLP, and David Labrozzi, president of GE Capital Corporate Aircraft Finance — is to feature a variety of expert presenters on financing, insurance and other topics related to aircraft ownership, as well as an opportunity to network with these industry principals.
Embraer posted first-quarter 2011 earnings higher than the same quarter last year, reporting a net income of $105.1 million, up from $24.1 million in the first quarter of 2010. The rise largely is attributable to tax credits from the appreciation of Brazil's real. The appreciation of the real is a “real challenge,” the company says, and Embraer's response has been to increase productivity at its manufacturing facilities. Embraer delivered two large business jets and six light jets in the first quarter, which the company said was in line with expectations.
India wants to introduce 100 seaplanes into service in the next 10 years to support tourism and essential services to its coastal and island territories. The federal government will allow 100% foreign direct investment in the seaplane sector and urges overseas operators to take advantage of the offer.
Max-Viz, Inc. shipped its 1,000th Enhanced Vision System to the AgustaWestland factory in Italy. It was expected to be installed on an AW139 helicopter.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt has appointed three veteran managers to key positions as part of the agency's ongoing review of how the United States oversees its air traffic control system. “I am confident our top-to-bottom review is making our air traffic system even safer,” said Babbitt. That review includes an independent panel to evaluate the agency's air traffic control training curriculum, qualifications and placement process.
I strapped on my first airplane, a 90-hp Aeronca Champ 7EC, in the summer of 1960 and since then my interest in aviation has never wavered. Two years later I was aboard a United Airlines Boeing 720 on the way from my home in New Jersey to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the start of an aviation career.
The Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA) board of directors has selected Dale Forton as president of the association, which represents aviation maintenance personnel. Forton has 32 years of aviation maintenance experience and has been involved in PAMA for more than 26 years. He has served as an airframe and powerplant technician and director of maintenance. He also has been an active PAMA board member, launching a chapter, serving as Great Lakes regional director and vice chairman of the board.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands (CAACI) entered into a joint partnership with CHC Helicopter, providing the company an Cayman Islands Air Operator Certificate (AOC), which allows the company to conduct offshore operations in several other foreign jurisdictions worldwide. The first two CHC AS332L2 Super Puma aircraft have been transferred to the Cayman Islands Register, and VP-CHC and VP-CHB will be commencing offshore operations in South America.
A time long ago, but not so far away, I was paging through a favorite magazine when my eyes fixed on a gorgeous photo that filled me with desire. No, not Penthouse, nor Playboy. Not even Sports IIlustrated's bikinied babes issue. I was poring over Boy's Life, the official publication of the Boy Scouts of America, and was simply transfixed by a hatchet.
In 2009, the DOT ordered CSI Aviation Services Inc. to cease and desist from acting as a broker of air charter services for the federal government. The company appealed, and on April 1, 2011, the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals granted CSI's petition for review, finding that the DOT failed to justify its authority to issue the contested order.
AMSTAT, the Tinton Falls, N.J., provider of corporate aviation data, reported that 2.4% of the worldwide active fleet of business jets changed hands via resale retail transactions during the first quarter. While 2.4% is low by historical standards (the 20-yr. average is 3.3%), it is the same level as in fourth quarter 2010. “Thus, for the first time in many years, the business jet market did not experience a significant drop in transaction activity in the first quarter of the year,” said AMSTAT.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has developed a new computer-generated forecast model that is designed to provide pilots with information on the likelihood of encountering dangerous inflight icing conditions. Developed with funding from an FAA grant, the Forecast Icing Product with Severity, or FIP-Severity, provides 12-hr. icing forecasts that are updated hourly for pilots, air traffic controllers and other users of aviation weather information.
Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion, the company's newest and most advanced integrated avionics system, has reached a major milestone by receiving its final FAA Technical Standard Order (TSO). Certification of the avionics hardware and software sets the stage for supplemental type certification on Rockwell Collins' Challenger 601 test aircraft and on Bombardier's Global Express XRS.
Rizon Jet has opened a two-level FBO and VIP lounge at London Biggin Hill Airport. The FBO will cater to an international clientele, including Middle Eastern families and business travelers. The ground floor includes five open and semi-private seating areas, and the mezzanine floor offers semi-enclosed lounge areas, as well as meeting facilities, including a boardroom with videoconferencing, and a children's corner.
When people who know me learn that I'm writing about computers, they smile, shake their heads and say, “This should be cute.” Those who don't know me would surmise that anyone this old and beat up can't have much to teach about the technology. A big "Thank You" to both groups.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt dismissed calls to allow controllers to sleep during shifts to mitigate the effects of fatigue. The agency is currently reviewing 12 recommendations to offset fatigue proposed by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association that include breaks of up to 2.5 hr., reduced work hours on certain rotations and increased training on the effects of sleep deprivation and disorders.
Embraer's large cabin Lineage 1000 received its type certificate from India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The latest certification is in addition to certifications by Brazil's ANAC and the European Aviation Safety Agency in December 2008, and the U.S. FAA in January 2009. To date, nine Lineage 1000 jets are in operation worldwide.
A new coalition designed to focus on issues affecting general aviation airports has been formed by a group of GA airport operators. The General Aviation Airport Coalition was formed to “preserve and promote our nation's general aviation airports,” according to the mission statement. The coalition began meeting late last year, but recently officially launched as a formal group.
StandardAero Business Aviation has upgraded the cockpit of a Dassault Falcon 50EX from Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 to Pro Line 21 avionics, and says it is the first maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organization to successfully complete such a retrofit.
Empire Aviation Group (EAG) in Dubai announced plans to begin operations in India, with a new branch office opening in Mumbai by mid-year. The new branch will eventually offer the full range of EAG services on the subcontinent, but will initiallly focus on aircraft sales and management.
