I have read that most fatal auto and motorcycle accidents occur within 20 miles of home. That makes sense — we do most of our driving within 20 miles of home. I suspect that we’d find a similar situation if we looked at single-engine piston aircraft accidents. Most small, general aviation operations begin and end at the home airport.
Emissions trading is not the only pushback against grandiose Eurocontrol plans. In January, more than 100 participants concluded a two-day workshop in Brussels on the impact of expected future European pilot and avionics equipment requirements on business and general aviation and to encourage industry to develop affordable avionics equipment to meet those requirements.
JetDirect Aviation Holdings is restructuring its operations with the sale of its Sunset Aviation and Presidential Jets as well as three FBOs at Chester County Airport (KMQS) in Coatesville, Pa.; Dallas — Love Field (KDAL); and Spirit of St. Louis Airport (KSUS). The Berwyn, Pa., aviation services provider said the reorganization would allow JetDirect to focus on its national aircraft management and charter business. JetDirect is selling California-based Sunset and Florida-based Presidential Jets back to the original ownership groups.
Gulfstream Aerospace has put together an EFB its calls PlaneBook and Randy Gaston, vice president of flight operations, recently spoke with Business & Commercial Aviation about its development.
— About 1951 MST, a Beech 58P airplane (C-GGBT) was destroyed when it impacted terrain following a loss of control near Stonewall, Colo. The airplane was registered to and operated by Mauroil International Inc., of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Night VMC prevailed and an IFR flight plan was filed for the personal flight. The 178-nm cross-country flight originated from Pueblo Memorial Airport, Pueblo, Colo. (PUB) at 1918 with the Santa Fe Municipal Airport (SAF), Santa Fe, N. M., as the intended destination.
A former squadron-mate and I had lunch last month when he was passing through Atlanta. He brought some pictures of our first West-Pac Cruise aboard the USS Ranger in 1969. We flew the E2 Hawkeye. One of the pictures was a shot of the cockpit. It is truly amazing how far technology in aircraft avionics has come in the past 40 years. The E2-A had round-dial steam gauges, with a single INS that took 30 to 45 minutes to align, plugged into the Ship SINS system. Latitude and longitude were displayed by rows of lights, each 10 digits deep in the center of the pedestal.
Regional fractional aircraft operator Executive AirShare, based in Kansas City, Mo., announced Jan. 8 that the company will base a Beechcraft King Air C90B at Atlantic Aviation at Wiley Post Airport (PWA) in Bethany, Okla., to serve the Oklahoma City area. Executive AirShare has shareowners in Tulsa, Dallas, Fort Worth, Wichita and Kansas City.
— At 1206 EST, an Ercoupe 415-D (N99154) was destroyed during an inflight breakup near Sebring, Fla. VMC prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which departed Avon Park Executive Airport (AVO), Avon Park, Fla., about 1115. According to a friend of the accident pilot, who was also a certificated aircraft mechanic, he and the pilot flew together in the accident airplane immediately prior to the accident flight.
On the morning of March 26, 2006, a Bighorn Helicopters AS350D flew four passengers to British Columbia’s South Racehorse Creek weather station, situated 6,300 feet high in the Canadian Rockies. The pilot, by regulation considered “certified and qualified for the flight,” had about 2,460 hours total flight time, almost all of them in helicopters and 170 in type. He had completed a 15-hour mountain flying course, and had about 780 hours of mountain flying experience, a definite necessity because of the terrain in which he operated.
John H. Winant, NBAA’s longtime, gentlemanly president and a critical player in the evolution of modern business aviation, died Jan. 13 at his retirement home in Williamstown, Mass., nearby to his cherished alma mater, Williams College. He was 85 and had been ill for some time. “John was respected and trusted by aviation professionals, company executives, cabinet secretaries and elected officials. His integrity, knowledge, dedication and gentle nature made him an extraordinarily effective advocate for our community,” said NBAA President Ed Bolen.
— At approximately 1940 CST a Cessna 210 (XB-AWZ) crashed approximately 600 meters short of landing while on approach to Saltillo Airport, Mexico (MMNIO) after striking wires. Two occupants onboard sustained fatal injuries and three sustained critical injuries and burns due to a post-crash fire. The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the government of Mexico.
Jet Works Air Center of Denton, Texas, has obtained two new supplemental type certificates (STCs)—one for a Rockwell Collins AHS-3000S upgrade for the Learjet 31A, and another that covers installation of a Rockwell Collins data link system in the Piaggio Avanti II.
— At about 1607 CST, a Cessna 150F was destroyed upon impact with trees near Palestine, Texas. The airplane was on the ramp area of Palestine Municipal Airport (PSN). The pilot’s statement to the FAA inspector said that he planned on giving his six-year-old granddaughter a flight in the airplane. After the second failed attempt to start the engine, the pilot turned off the ignition and master switches.
Also in trouble is the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) program, jointly funded by the European Commission and Eurocontrol’s 39 member countries. Officially launched Dec. 8 with 15 aviation industry companies standing ready to join, the undertaking’s goal is to squeeze more aircraft into existing airspace. But it’s been abruptly derailed because apparently nobody consulted with Europe’s military entities and the ATC controllers. Europe’s military forces doubt the project’s merits and value. The controller community has multiple concerns.
Col. Michael R. Gallagher, USAF (ret) (Hillsboro, OR)
Great analysis of an accident that never should have happened (“Warm Airplane; Cold, Snowy Ramp,” Cause & Circumstance, January 2009, page 72). You’d think we’d get tired of proving that contaminated airfoils just don’t work as well as clean ones.
In White Plains, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen kicked off testimony saying, “It is important that we get this right. Overly broad or unnecessary regulations that do not take into account the unique attributes of business aviation will needlessly destroy companies and the jobs they create.” He recommended the creation of a government/industry Aviation Rulemaking Committee similar to that used to create the FAR Part 91K fractional ownership regulations.
The number of previously owned business jets on the market rose to 12.7 percent of the active fleet in December, the third consecutive month that inventories rose to their highest levels since the financial analysts at JPMorgan began tracking such data in December 1995.
In the roughly four decades since oil was discovered there, helicopter operations to service oil and gas exploration and development have proliferated throughout what is now the six countries comprising the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E.
Flight Display Systems, Alpharetta, Ga., has hired David Oblinger as general manager. He will oversee the daily manufacturing processes and system of the company. Hillary Davis has been appointed production coordinator, responsible for production scheduling including work order development, and Chris Cayia has been named operations manager, responsible for production work-flow, technical and customer support, and purchasing.
To Chet Fuller, GE Aviation’s chief marketing officer, the recent decline in fuel prices is temporary because pressures from global warming and energy demands from growing economies will eventually push them up again. “That’s why we are working hard on open-rotor technologies for narrowbody applications that will be based on the eCore [GE’s next-gen gas generator for business jets, regional jets and single-aisle 130-to 150-passenger jetliners now powered by the GE/Snecma CFM56 and IAE V2500 turbofans],” Fuller said in an interview late last year.
