Less than 5 percent of the “loss of pressurization” reports indicated any symptoms of hypoxia. However, given that an encounter with hypoxia can quickly turn fatal, any discussion of loss of pressurization would be incomplete without mentioning the early warning signs and symptoms of this quick and deadly killer.
As Washington gears up for Barack Obama’s inauguration, aviation leaders should join ranks to ensure at least one Bush administration vestige is embraced by the new administration. We’re referring to “Managing Risks in Civil Aviation: A Review of the FAA’s Approach to Safety.” This insightful report was produced by a top-notch Independent Review Team (IRT) of safety and regulatory experts at the request of DOT Secretary Mary Peters in the wake of an air transportation fiasco in early 2008.
A history major at Georgetown University, O’Brien reported news at several local TV stations before applying for the science correspondent’s job at CNN. Interviewed by CNN’s chief science producer, a molecular biologist, it was quickly apparent O’Brien “didn’t know squat about science.” He brashly argued that his ignorance combined with his natural curiosity and interviewing skills made him the perfect candidate for the job — and he got it.
For the second time in three years, the DOT Inspector General has determined that FAA officials at Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport (DFW) have misclassified or underreported errors. The report was requested by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which protects government whistle-blowers.
An airline client of MedAire’s MedLink Global Response Center was five hours into a 10-hour flight high over Kazakhstan when a 20-year-old passenger who was eight months pregnant suddenly went into premature labor. Volunteer medical personnel onboard helped deliver a healthy baby girl who apparently wasted no time making her entrance. A member of the flight crew contacted Medlink doctors for post-delivery advisories on monitoring mother and baby for any indicators for a precautionary landing.
The fourth quarter edition of Market Leader newsletter called the present market for previously owned aircraft “unprecedented,” adding that current conditions may be among the worst in recent memory. “Never before have we seen such a surplus of inventory coupled with a scarcity of buyers due to a global economic malaise,” declared Vref editor Fletcher Aldredge.
Michael O’Keeffe, senior vice president of aircraft sales for Banyan Air Service — the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based aircraft sales and support organization — declared recently: “From all the feedback I have gotten, I believe we are in for a very rough ride, at least over the next 12 months, unless some [economic] stimulus package or investment tax credit is enacted to encourage people to spend money.”
At the behest of the NBAA, AOPA and many individual operators, the TSA is extending the time period for public comment on the agency’s Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP) proposal until Feb. 27.
Littleton, Colo.-based Avtrak has opened an office in Lowell, Mass., to support its growing customer base in the Northeast United States. The company provides aviation maintenance management solutions, consulting and logbook services to the corporate aviation community. The Avtrak GlobalNet service has been providing real-time, Web-based tracking since 1999 and currently supports more than 4,000 aircraft worldwide representing more than 140 different aircraft makes and models.
The FAA has a Web site dedicated to PMA parts at www.faa.gov/aircraft/air_cert/design_approvals/pma. The site has a link to the FAA-PMA Parts Database, which lists approved replacement parts. While there, download FAA Order 8110.42C, as well as Order 8120.2E.
Proposed Rules Embraer EMB-135BJ airplanes — Revise the “Airworthiness Limitations” section of the “Instructions for Continued Airworthiness” to incorporate new maintenance inspections of the aircraft’s fuel tank system.
Green Flight International has completed the first U.S. cross-country flight with a jet-powered aircraft fueled predominantly with biofuel. The flights used a first-generation biodiesel, and the team is now planning flights using algae-based bio-jet fuel. The Aero L-29 jet trainer was flown 2,486 miles from Reno, Nev., to Leesburg, Fla. Of that distance, 1,776 miles were flown on 100-percent biofuel and 710 miles on a blend of 50-percent biofuel and 50-percent standard jet fuel.
It might be a while before Barack Obama announces nominees for key transportation posts since dealing with the nation’s myriad financial problems will be his No. 1 priority. There is little in Obama’s brief Senate record to provide much insight about his aviation views — the committees on which he served simply were not involved in aviation matters.
— At 0857 MDT, a Cessna 180 (N3389D) registered to and operated by Meil Del Rio Grande, Inc., Monte Vista, Colo., and a Cessna P210N (N731NX), registered to and operated by Mesa County, Grand Junction, Colo., collided in mid-air approximately 14 miles south of Grand Junction. N3389D was substantially damaged; N731NX sustained minor damage. The two occupants aboard N3389D and the four occupants aboard N731NX escaped injury. It was VFR at the time of the accident.
Want to give your old King Air C90B new C90GTi performance? Blackhawk offers a -135A engine swap that can add 30 knots cruise speed, boost its rate of climb, raise its OEI service ceiling and lower operating costs. Performance increases are similar with older C90 aircraft not having pitot engine inlets, but maximum cruise speeds are about 10 knots lower. If you also incorporate the G1000 upgrade, your aircraft will have virtually all the avionics capabilities of a Cessna Citation Mustang.
(Burlingame, Calif.) — This diversified aircraft services company has established an aircraft acquisition and brokerage unit under the direction of Michael K. Moore, who has been named senior vice president of business development and aircraft brokerage.
— At1518 MST, an Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZ DPS) paramedic was killed after coming into contact with the main rotor blades of a Bell 407, N42AZ, while performing a mountain rescue on Doe Mountain near Sedona, Ariz. The helicopter was operated by the AZ DPS as a public-use search and rescue (SAR) flight. The pilot and two hikers were not injured and the helicopter was not damaged. The flight had departed on the SAR mission from Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG), Flagstaff, Ariz., at 1440, to aid in the search and rescue of two stranded hikers.
Cash-strapped Eclipse Aviation did not meet its payroll obligations on Nov. 13, but announced that payment would resume Tuesday, Nov. 18. The manufacturer also stated that no layoffs were involved, but employees were “given the choice to continue working or go home,” until the payroll issue was resolved. As we go to press, the company expected to have its workers on the job Monday, Nov. 17. The VLJ manufacturer has been arrears with several vendors, and the missed payroll fueled speculation that a bankruptcy filing was imminent.
Aviation might be in his DNA — after all, his father was a McDonnell-Douglas engineer — but that wasn’t immediately apparent. After all, rather than being drawn to the ocean of air as a teenager, he spent all his free time in or on the Ocean Pacific. An impassioned Southern California surfer, Paul Bowen spent his free hours hangin’ ten rather than doing touch and goes. The only hint of what was to follow occurred during the freewheeling parties conducted by the Jesters, a North Hollywood High social club, for which Paul served as impromptu visual documentarian.
Esterline CMC Electronics formed a strategic alliance with Pentastar Aviation to sell CMC’s electronic flight bag product line and Pentastar’s articulating yoke mount in both civil and military markets. Pentastar is a CMC “Platinum Dealer” and holds several STCs for CMC PilotView EFB installations. Pentastar has a patent pending for the yoke mount, which allows pilots to adjust the EFB viewing angle to personal preference.
He was brash, self-assured, independent, anti-war and full of big ideas. The daughter of an Air Force brigadier general, she was studious, serious, well ordered and clear about her post-college future as a college professor – a plan that did not include marriage for at least another ten years. And so naturally the two Indiana University undergrads fell hard for one another early and informed their surprised, respective families that they planned to marry.
Western Aircraft , Boise, Id., appointed Mike Slattery as vice president of Interiors and Completions. He will oversee the company’s Aircraft Interior Recompletion Center.
Mooney announced the termination of about two-thirds of its workforce, including all production workers, leading to questions about the company’s future in the current challenging economic environment. Company officials notified the Texas Workforce Commission that it was getting rid of 229 employees, more than 70 percent of the total, and terminated all new aircraft production activities.
Eastern Region Helicopter Council , Yardley, Pa., announced that Jeffery Smith has been elected chairman and president replacing David Nuss, who will become a director.
