Moline, Ill.-based Elliott Aviation is partnering with Rosen Aviation of Eugene, Ore., to provide a cabin package consisting of Elliott's Sound Management System (SMS) noise-canceling solution and a Rosen inflight entertainment system for Beech King Air 200s, 300s and 350s.
Eos Airlines, the all premium-class carrier flying Boeing 757s between New York's JFK International and London's Stansted airports, has signed a partnership with US Helicopter to offer its passengers connecting service between Manhattan and JFK. Effective immediately, Eos passengers may take advantage of complimentary transfers from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport in the Wall Street area or the East 34th Street Heliport in US Helicopter's fleet of Sikorsky S-76s. Security screening will be conducted at the heliport, and luggage will be checked on to the airline.
Kaman Aerospace, Bloomfield, Conn., announced that Clifford Gunsallus, vice president of engineering for the Helicopters Division, has been selected to be chairman of the board of directors at the Center for Rotorcraft Innovation, Inc.
ERA Helicopters is building a new flight training facility in Lake Charles, La. The building is expected to be operational by the end of the first quarter and will include two Frasca International flight training devices for the Eurocopter AS350B2 and EC135 helicopters.
We just can't thank you enough for two excellent articles that appeared in the December 2007 issue. Both John Wiley ("The Wonder of Winglets," page 82) and George Larson ("Performance-Enhancing Mods," page 54) did a splendid job of telling the story of winglets in an interesting way and with a high degree of accuracy.
The FAA has issued a proposed Airworthiness Directive that would require deactivation by Dec. 16, 2008, of certain auxiliary fuel tanks installed in Boeing 727s and DC-9s.
The total number of accidents and incidents involving U.S.-registered business jets and turboprops in 2007 differed only slightly from the results in 2006, although the number of fatalities increased for both jet and turboprop operators. Also, FAR Part 135 operators were involved in considerably more serious accidents in the year just ended, according to data compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla.
Liberty Aerospace XL-2 Light Sport Aircraft are to be built in a factory now under construction in Henan, China, under a new agreement between top executives of the Melbourne, Fla., aircraft manufacturer and officials of Anyang Angel Aero Science and Technology Development. The agreement calls for 600 Liberty XL-2 aircraft to be manufactured in Henan and used by the Science and Technology University for its flight training program. Liberty estimates the contract value at more than $150 million.
JetAVIVA, a flight training provider with facilities in Van Nuys, Calif., and Albuquerque, has begun offering a Jet Familiarization Training (JFT) program for pilots of new very light jets. JetAVIVA, which is using an Eclipse 500 VLJ, said the training is designed to improve jet pilot skills and allow pilots to gain experience in the Eclipse 500. The company plans to add the Citation Mustang to its fleet this year.
"We were going to Florida on spring break anyway," Chris Fultz recalls. As it happened, his son's high school was sending a team to a robot competition to be held at EPCOT Center at Disney World, which is how Fultz got his first look at groups of robot-building high school students who compete under the aegis of an organization called FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology).
Sean Roberts, director of the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, Calif., shocked plenty of the 500-plus participants at Bombardier's 2007 Safety Standdown during his Advanced Aerodynamics class session. In 120 minutes, he clearly demonstrated that there are multiple ways you can inadvertently overstress, if not terminally damage, an airplane while flying in everyday situations.
I just completed reading your exceptional Viewpoint on the FAA and the debacle with TAG Aviation/AMI Jet Charter ("We're Here to Hurt," December 2007, page 9). Let me say that I share your concern and your words resonate deeply with me.
The market for used aircraft remains robust heading into the New Year, despite the rising cost of fuel and a variety of ongoing economic problems that portend a possible U.S. recession in the not-too-distant future according to recent financial news reports. Previous downturns in the American economy have depressed business jet prices and flooded the market with aircraft for sale. However, continuing strong overseas demand for long-range models, fueled in part by a weak dollar, is expected to sustain the market for the near term.
I couldn't help but notice a wild error in the otherwise excellent "Wonder of Winglets" article in the December issue (page 82). It refers to sales of 55 Learjet 29s, but the fact is, only four were built, and all were for export -- two each to the governments of Mexico and India, where their phenomenal climb and high-altitude performance was well-suited to special missions.
The FAA is encouraging airport operators to fill out an online survey reviewing how well the agency is serving facilities receiving Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants. The agency, which distributes $3 billion in AIP money annually to some 3,200 airports, is very interested in its customers, said Charles Erhard, FAA manager of the airport compliance division, adding, "We want to know how they rate us and how we can do better." The FAA performed this survey two years ago, and now is the time to follow up, said Erhard.
On Dec. 13, 2007, President Bush signed into law the "Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act." The name of the legislation is right on the mark, and presumably puts the "age 60" debate for airline pilots finally to rest. In the months leading up to a vote on this bill a special interest group bought full-page advertisement ***in what?*** warning airline passengers that "allowing pilots to fly beyond age 60 would lead to more accidents." Central to the controversy is the question of whether pilots' safety performance changes significantly during the process of aging.
The Netjets Aviation Pilot Union members of Teamsters Local 1108 recently approved extending the collective bargaining agreement with the fractional carrier. The union represents more than 2,600 pilots, 75.7 percent of whom voted in favor of the contract extension. The agreement will become amendable in five and one-half years.
President Bush signed the Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act (H.R. 4343) into law on Dec. 13, 2007, thus raising the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots from 60 to 65. The bill, Introduced by Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman, passed unanimously through both houses of Congress. The law stripped the pilot retirement age provisions out of the FAA reauthorization bill into a stand-alone bill.
Eurocopter closed out 2007 with a sale of 11 new helicopters to the Spanish Interior and Defense Ministries. The Director for Traffic will take delivery of four AS355NP twin-engine and two EC135 twin-engine helicopters valued at 20 million euros. The military contracts for five AS532AL (Cougar) helicopters were valued at 116 million euros.
