NetJets and the union chapter that represents more than 2,600 NetJets pilots, signed what they said was a significant amendment and expansion to a prior agreement. 75.7 percent of eligible members voted in favor of the measure. Voter participation was a hefty 95.8 percent. The two sides had been working toward agreement since April 2007. The agreement, which was signed on Dec. 7, 2007, will become amendable in five and a half years -- however, a provision included in the new contract that allows for a three-year extension should NetJets meet certain parameters.
Reps. Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.) and Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) are drafting a bill designed to protect general aviation parts manufacturers against product liability lawsuits. In December 2007 the congressmen expressed concern that lawsuits are driving up insurance costs and forcing some manufacturers to cease production of certain parts. "The risk of frivolous lawsuits is making it nearly impossible for many aviation parts manufacturers to stay in business," Ehlers said.
To some degree every aviation manager wonders, What are my crews really doing out there on the road? Are they following the SOPs? Practicing good CRM? Are they making good decisions? Are we really safe? How can I know? Absence of an accident offers some comfort, but does not imply safety, nor does it guarantee an accident-free future. Things go awry in everyday flight operations, and -- let's be honest here -- managers don't know about a lot of them!
Flightline Tallahassee inked an agreement with The Hiller Group as supplier of fuel and equipment as of mid-December 2007. Parent company Flightline Group broke round for a new 26,000-square-foot Regional Service Facility, which the company claims is the largest such project ever at Tallahassee's airport. Plans include a training center and Center of Excellence for DayJet, the on-demand air taxi service provider, as well as a sales and service facility for HondaJet Southeast.
Regarding the avionics on the Gulfstream G200 (20/Twenty, October 2007, page 112), it is not the only GAC family member to have Collins avionics - the G100 has Pro Line 4, and the G150, Pro Line 21. As the OEM account director handling Gulfstream for Rockwell Collins during the time of the G150 program, I can assure you this is the case.
The French defense ministry has selected the Eurocopter 120 light helicopter for its new lead-in rotary-wing training program, one of several training initiatives to be outsourced to private operators. The ministry said the EC120 operator also had been selected, but could not yet be divulged. The selected operator will determine the number of rotorcraft to be procured. France has already contracted with EADS to use Grob aircraft to provide lead-in training for air transport pilots.
SatWest LLC, the Albuquerque-based provider of satellite business solutions, has been granted an STC for the L-1 satcom kit for Learjet 31, 31A, 35, 35A, 36 and 36A airplanes. The system was developed in conjunction with DC Aerospace, LLC.
Washington aviation lobbyists competed to see who could say the nicest things about Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) after she decided to accept the post of ranking Republican member on the Senate Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the hotly contested FAA reauthorization bill (see Washington, page 75). By replacing Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), who retired from Congress at the end of December 2007, Hutchison will move into a critical position. Lott had joined forces with Sen.
Executive AirShare, Kansas City, Mo., named Keith D. Plumb president and chief operating officer. He takes over the position from company founder Robert D. Taylor, who will continue to serve as chairman and CEO.
The FAA has issued a stern warning to Santa Monica, Calif., city officials that a proposed ordinance to ban larger business jets at Santa Monica Municipal Airport (SMO) would violate federal laws and result in enforcement proceedings against the city. In early December 2007, the City Council agreed to a "first reading" of a proposed ordinance that would ban Category C and D aircraft - those with approach speeds faster than 121 knots - from using the airport. Santa Monica estimates that about 50 percent of the business jets that operate at SMO are Category C or D aircraft.
Regional carrier Chautauqua Airlines, a subsidiary of Indianapolis-based Republic Airways, reportedly is requiring all of its pilots to complete the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's Runway Safety online course as part of the airline's runway safety initiative. "There's really nothing better out there; it's certainly better than what we could have put together in-house," said Chautauqua Airlines Manager of Flight Standards Dirk Melchior. The AOPA says in its e-mail member newsletter, "You don't have to be an airline pilot to benefit from this free training.
*Bell 204, 205, 210, 212 and 412 helicopters - Replace certain rotor blades serviced by Rotor Blades, Inc. with airworthy ones. *Bell 206A and B helicopters - Remove certain main-rotor latch bolts. *Bell 206, 222, 230, 407, 427 and 430 helicopters - Replace certain rotor blades serviced by Rotor Blades, Inc. with airworthy ones. *Cessna Citation 525B airplanes - Incorporate an electrical-power relay circuit-protection kit.
Let's not kid ourselves. Business aviation is extremely vulnerable to political attack from environmental activists. Inevitably it will come to their attention that those of us who fly in business jets burn a lot more fuel than most people. Simple math will tell anyone who bothers to do the calculation that a business jet can burn as much fuel in an hour as a car will burn in a year.
* Lead feature: "Will The Airports Be Ready for the Jets?" *Grumman was weighing the business case to "mass produce its one-place, agricultural biplane." *Beech "stated emphatically recently it has no definite plans to start turboprop production." *General aviation interests were urging that the floor of controlled airspace be raised to 3,000 to 5,000 feet; the airlines wanted it kept at 700 feet.
The AOPA Air Safety Foundation is offering a series of free Web-based general aviation safety seminars recorded at AOPA Expo in October 2007. The ASF SafetyCast series provides 17 hours of Webcasts that cover a range of topics from presenters including aviation author and humorist Rod Machado, ASF Executive Director Bruce Landsberg, AOPA Medical Certification Services Director Gary Crump and AOPA General Counsel John Yodice. The Webcasts are available at www.asf.org.
In the mid-1960s, Piper Aircraft realized that it needed to develop a twin turboprop as a step-up airplane for its cabin-class piston-twin customers. The quickest and least expensive approach was to strap a couple of 620-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprops to the existing Pressurized Navajo airframe, increase the fuel capacity, bump up the takeoff weight by 1,200 pounds and rename it "Cheyenne."
Associated Aircraft Group (AAG), Wappingers Falls, N.Y., named Traci Blackwell to manager of relationship services between the company and its high-profile clients.
The International Air Transport Association recently reiterated its opposition to any congestion pricing system such as that often proposed for New York's JFK International Airport. "It is wrong to assume that peak pricing will help congestion at JFK. . . . Peak pricing in aviation has never been proven to effectively manage congestion anywhere in the world," an IATA spokesman said. "If attempted at JFK, it would likely lead to disruptions, distortions and discrimination. . . .
Responding to yet more sad evidence that the U.S. government lacks fundamental understanding of general aviation, industry groups have cautioned that the proposed U.S. Customs and Border Protection manifest requirements on private aircraft probably would significantly hamper international flights - and urged the agency to provide greater flexibility for private operators.
A bill to transfer airport employee badging responsibility from airports to the TSA for access to Federal Special Security Zones (FSSZ) has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in the wake of the arrest of 30 undocumented workers who carried illegal badges at Chicago O'Hare Airport. H.R. 4177, introduced by Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), would give the power to create FSSZs to the TSA administrator. Areas that could be covered include ramps, baggage-handling areas, baggage-loading areas and any other areas deemed appropriate.
