If I say “Reno” and you don’t immediately picture P-51 Mustangs, F8F Bearcats and other monster recips, along with little sport biplanes, racing planes and North American T-6s, all in close proximity, at very low level, and screaming, then I say, “Put down the magazine and slowly step away from the table. You’ve wandered into a pilot area and don’t belong.”
The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor given by the United States. Eligibility is limited to those who by “gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States” distinguish themselves in heroic fashion. Bruce Whitman had served in the U.S. Air Force, but when a friend asked him to serve on the Medal of Honor Foundation, Whitman told him he didn’t consider himself qualified.
Lower inventory levels and stabilizing residual values are signs that there is light at the end of the tunnel, according to Mike Fahey, vice president, worldwide Learjet and pre-owned aircraft sales for Bombardier. “There is just a lot of uncertainty in the market today,” explained Fahey. “The first half of this year looked very strong, but then it slowed down in the middle of the year. But on the pre-owned aircraft side, we continue to turn airplanes, and that’s a good sign.”
George Tsopeis (Vice President, Aviation Services)
I really enjoyed Fred George’s blog on the Super Global (www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/business_aviation). I read all his pieces religiously in BCA and respect his position as business aviation’s oracle.
AOPA fears proposed European pilot certification requirements would harm the U.S. flight training and manufacturing sectors, as well as raise trade barriers, by not accepting third-country pilot credentials. The European Commission is scheduled to hold a hearing on the flight crew licensing rules as we go to press, and subsequently vote on the packages. Under the new rules, pilots that complete flight training in the U.S.
Cold and wet winter weather is in the Northern Hemisphere again. And with it comes the most insidious and potentially hazardous icing conditions of the year, if aircraft accident statistics are an accurate indicator. Cold Weather Operations is the third in BCA’s Safety and Ops series, and contains information and resources that will help you fly safely in the coming months. Link to it through www.AviationWeek.com.
Flying magazine promoted Executive Editor Robert Goyer to editor-in-chief, replacing Michael Maya Charles. Goyer joined the magazine in 1994 as associate editor and has helped transition the magazine to evolving digital platforms, magazine executives said. He is a commercial, multiengine and instrument-rated pilot. In June, Charles replaced longtime former editor J. Mac McClellan. Charles is expected to pursue his interests as an aviation writer and photographer.
Bell Helicopter sold 32 units at the 2010 Air Medical Transport Conference including one new EMS-configured 429 to Mercy Flight of New York. In a teleconference Oct. 12 from AMTC, Bell Helicopter Textron’s Larry D. Roberts, senior vice president for commercial business, said, “[Mercy Flight is] looking to replace its current fleet, so we expect two more orders will be coming soon.” Delivery of the first unit is expected before the end of 2011. In addition, the company announced contracts for 15 Bell 407s to Air Methods and 16 of its 206L4s, signed Oct. 11, to Air Evac.
North Flight Data Systems LLC announced its intent to acquire the OuterLink Flight Data System product line. North Flight Data Systems is a partnership between Jeffery Warner, former vice president of sales and marketing for OuterLink, and Metro Aviation Inc. of Shreveport, La. The Flight Data System product line acquisition includes the OuterLink Voice and Video Recorder, CV²R recorder and a Multifunction Data Acquisition Unit with a Quick Access Recorder.
Signature Flight Support has signed a deal with McDonald Aviation to manage its facility at Fresno Yosemite International Airport (KFAT). McDonald Aviation LLC acquired the nearly new facility earlier in the year and completed an extensive refurbishment. The 6,100-sq.-ft. executive terminal will be branded and operated as Signature and features a passenger lounge, crew lounge, two sleep rooms, executive conference room and Signature’s standard refreshment area. The facility also has a 40,800-sq.-ft.
Pratt & Whitney filed a complaint against Rolls-Royce in the U.S. District Court in Connecticut in the wake of Rolls-Royce’s filing of an amended complaint against P&W on Aug. 26 claiming Pratt & Whitney infringes a Rolls-Royce patent relating to swept fan blades. “Pratt & Whitney’s position is that Rolls-Royce has engaged in unfair behavior to mislead the United States Patent & Trademark Office to obtain a patent that it now alleges Pratt & Whitney infringes,” said Pratt & Whitney’s Chief Intellectual Property Counsel George Romanik.
European Union interior ministers came away from a meeting in Luxembourg stressing a need for the European Union to speak with one voice on security matters such as terrorism threats, Homeland Security Today reported Oct. 8. The interior ministers heard from U.S. Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Jane Holl Lute, who was invited to join the meeting to explain a recent travel alert from Washington warning U.S. citizens to be vigilant of terrorist attacks when visiting Europe. In the wake of the U.S.
Hawker Beechcraft Corp. announced on Oct. 24, Bonanza XTRA, a new program for owners, operators and repair stations of Beechcraft Bonanzas that provides the most popular upgrades in a bundled package directly from Hawker Beechcraft Parts & Distribution. The company offers turnkey installation through its factory-owned Hawker Beechcraft Services unit.
Nosewheel for Beech 18s, by Volpar Aviation, Pacoima, Calif., will be sold in kit form. The mod moves the main landing gear 48 in. aft of original position. New nose assembly lengthens the fuselage 28 in. and cuts overall height to 100 in. The mod can be made without removing the wings or wing skin.
The McGraw-Hill Companies tapped Gregory Hamilton, a 28-year company veteran to take the helm of Aviation Week as president. Hamilton succeeds Tom Henricks who led the group since April 2006. Hamilton will be in charge of a variety of Internet sites and services, conferences and publications, including Aviation Week & Space Technology, BCA and The Weekly of Business Aviation. Hamilton has held a number of positions during his tenure with Aviation Week.
Blackhawk Modifications anticipates receiving FAA certification of its Caravan engine upgrade this month. The Waco, Texas, re-engining specialist calls installation of the 850-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-42A engine in the Cessna turboprop “a natural fit to further improve the versatility, safety and desirability of the Caravan.”
Ever wish you had a single, handy bound atlas you could use for quick navigation reference? Add TRI-NAV charts to your operations desk library and you can reach out to grab one of three atlases that cover the north, south and western United States in a format that adds to IFR charts the information normally found only on Sectionals, such as tower and local radio frequencies. You can update the information every 28 days via the Internet.
In a statement, Oct. 14, HBC Chairman and CEO Bill Boisture said, “Our efforts to build a stronger company are ongoing, with the proposed union contract being just one piece of several initiatives in work. The proposed contract is being offered concurrent with a reduction of 350 people from the salaried ranks of the company, which will be implemented no later than Nov. 1.”
The Reuben H. Fleet Foundation Fund of the San Diego Foundation has donated $50,000 to the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio. “This is a wonderful gift from a fund established by an aviation pioneer,” said NAHF board member Betty Darst. The grant will be used for exhibit development and revitalization, as well as technology and website upgrades. Fleet, who was enshrined in the Aviation Hall of Fame in 1975, organized the first airmail service in May 1918 from Washington, D.C., to New York City and formed Consolidated Aircraft Corp. in 1921. The Reuben H.
Intermountain Healthcare has signed for three AgustaWestland GrandNew helicopters with options for two additional aircraft. Operated by Intermountain Life Flight, Intermountain Healthcare’s aviation division, these aircraft will join two A109K2’s already in service performing critical medevac missions in Utah and Northern Nevada.
Smyrna Air Center has authorized Stevens Aviation to be a part of the Power 90 Upgrade Program and install 705-shp GE M601E-11A engines on King Air 90, A90, B90, C90 and E90 aircraft. Smyrna Air Center in Smyrna, Tenn., holds the rights to the Power 90 conversion STC.
The FAA is proposing a $455,175 civil penalty against Corporate Air of Billings, Mont., for allegedly operating a Beech 1900C airliner in Part 135 operations when it was not in compliance with FAA regulations. The FAA alleges Corporate Air failed to maintain the aircraft under the company’s general maintenance manual, which includes the Pratt & Whitney Canada maintenance manual for the aircraft’s turboprop engines.
SmartView, Honeywell’s trade name for its synthetic vision system, is getting a significant enhancement. Honeywell and Gulfstream won a $1.2 million contract from NASA in early October for an 11-month flight test program to evaluate head-down SmartView with an enhanced vision overlay. Officials from the two firms believe that the enhanced display has the potential to allow pilots to fly instrument approaches down to lower weather minimums than they can with unaided vision.
