Chevron, Houston, has made strategic staffing changes to its General Aviation Group. Gregg Rorabaugh is the new major accounts manager for general aviation; Matt Markel is the new Gulf Coast territory manager; Tom Stephens has moved into the new role of Training Program Development and Kristin Kirschbaum was promoted to Alliance Program director.
The Transportation Security Clearinghouse (TSC), a subsidiary of the American Association of Airport Executives, has reduced the electronic fingerprint record fee and name-based background checks for aviation workers to $27 from $29, the second $2 reduction since the TSC began offering the service five years ago. The TSC has also reduced the turnaround time for a background check from 52 days, when the system was first put in place five years ago, to four hours.
The latest in Bird-X, Inc.'s line of goose- and bird-repelling products is 3-D Coyote. The development of this coyote is based on 43 years of research and experience with goose problems at airports, golf courses, city parks and homes. It incorporates unique features to ensure long-term effectiveness with no maintenance. The Bird-X Coyote is a realistic, life-size, three-dimensional replica in a "frightening" stalking posture.
Two jumbo jets on a taxiway leading to the active runway for takeoff clipped wings at London Heathrow Airport on Oct. 15 at 10:10 p.m. local time, and a British Airways 747 lost the top piece of its winglet as a result. The accident was treated as a major crash by SkyNews in Britain and by U.S. cable news channels until calmer heads prevailed. A Sri Lankan Airlines A340 with 286 people aboard clipped the wing of the BA 747 with 328 people on board as the A340 passed the 747 on its way to Runway 27R, a spokeswoman for BAA said. BAA owns and operates the airport.
Airport officials from around the nation say a passenger facility charge (PFC) hike is essential to infrastructure development, and want to make sure the increase is included in the final version of the FAA reauthorization bill. The House version of the bill includes an increase in the PFC cap to $7. However, the Senate version of legislation does not.
Gulfstream Aerospace has formally filed paperwork with the FAA for approval of its large-cabin aircraft to use Required Navigation Performance (RNP) procedures to fly into certain airports. RNP allows operators to take better advantage of an aircraft's operating characteristics by flying a more precise flight path into an airport and increases airport access during poor weather conditions. To date, the FAA has approved 74 RNP procedures at 30 airports and plans to add 25 more approach procedures during fiscal 2008.
A NASA-produced video, "Icing Training Programs," summarizes best operating practices learned from all of the agency's in-depth research, and if you're stuck at an FBO for a day, watching it provides some great refresher information.
The FAA ordered an emergency revocation of AMI Jet Charter's FAR Part 135 operating certificate on Oct. 12 -- fallout from OpSpec A008 dealing with operational control of charter aircraft. The unusually aggressive regulatory action came a week after the agency issued an emergency order suspending AMI's certificate and just after AMI had appealed the suspension order to the NTSB (see below).
Carl Janssens, an accredited senior appraiser at Aircraft Bluebook-Price Digest, has been tracking the aircraft market since he joined the publication in 1999. He says the current market is good overall, "with the large corporate jets leading the way." Janssens says the top tier is a seller's market because "there is virtually no inventory and aircraft are changing hands at premium prices."
Push up the thrust levers of the Hawker 900XP and you'd be hard pressed to recognize this aircraft is the direct descendent of the stately, though matronly DH 125, designed in 1960 by de Havilland but certified and put into production by Hawker Siddeley, its successor. Compared to its immediate predecessor, the Hawker 850XP, this latest Hawker needs 300 feet less runway for takeoff at sea level and has a 1,400 foot shorter takeoff field length when departing B&CA's 5,000-foot/ISA+20°C airport.
Under the aegis of the U.K. Defense Ministry's Day-Night All-Weather Helicopter Applied Research Program, color panoramic displays and night-vision goggles (NVGs) were used, along with a head-tracking system, onboard mission planning and route generation, precision navigation, dynamic flight path guidance and conformal task-dependent symbology integrated into a single system. Inputs from thermal imaging and low-light TV sensors were fused in real-time to provide imaging on a head-down display.
B&CA presented some questions to FAA headquarters concerning the capabilities of ADS-B, its impact on the air traffic controller force, the implementation and operation contract awarded to ITT in August, and how the whole system will be paid for. The questions were answered by principals in the Surveillance and Broadcast Program Office. B&CA: Why does the FAA believe that ADS-B will "significantly reduce delays and enhance safety"?
Flight Display Systems introduced a new hi-definition delivery system that supports Blu-ray and HD DVD while delivering digital video up to 100 feet. The new system uses a proprietary line of video distribution amplifiers manufactured by Flight Display Systems specifically for this application. Coupled with Category 5e (Cat5) cable and HD monitors, the system provides the highest quality video feed to the cabin, according to the company. Cat5e cable is a twisted pair wire commonly used in computer networks.
The University of Illinois Center of Excellence in Airport Technology is evaluating an automatic foreign object debris (FOD) detection system at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, R.I., for the FAA. The agency is testing various FOD detection systems, and this one is provided by QinetiQ of the United Kingdom. The fully automated system can monitor runway conditions around the clock and relieve airport operators from having to make visual inspections several times a day.
CMC Electronics has launched a third-generation member of its SureSight family of I-Series integrated sensor systems for Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS) application. The CMA-2700 features Advanced Digital Signal Processing (DSP), which will provide a new balance between the display of low- and high-intensity infrared scenes, a high-resolution 640-by-512-pixel Focal Plane Array, and will be certified to Level B to DO-178B and DO-254.
An Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) wants the FAA to offer financial incentives to spur operators to to equip their aircraft with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) systems well before the proposed 2020 deadline. In a report released Oct.
A dilemma facing the helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) community in analyzing accidents is the lack of awareness concerning the number of missions flown and hours flown as well as information necessary for epidemiological evaluation of risk for morbidity and mortality. In 2002, Blumen endeavored to establish a model from industry surveys to estimate exposure data for HEMS pilots and medical crews so that an attempt could be made to calculate HEMS accident rates or morbidity and mortality rates. . . .
(Savannah, Ga.) - James Guerin has rejoined this aircraft manufacturer and is serving as sales director for new business in the Northeast. Previously, he served as a Gulfstream sales director in 2003 and 2004. Guerin also has held sales positions with Flight Options and Flexjet.
The NBAA announced the first recipients of the David W. Ewald Journalism Scholarship at its 60th Annual Meeting & Convention: Chad Mumm, a senior at the University of Georgia in Athens, and David Wilson, a freshman at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven. The NBAA, in coordination with the family of the late Dave Ewald, established the scholarship earlier this year to honor the long-time B&CA publisher, who spent nearly 50 years serving the business aviation community.
To learn more about how TCAS operates, the FAA has a dedicated Web site: http://adsb.tc.faa.gov/TCAS.htm. Be sure to download Advisory Circular 120-55B. Although written for airline operations, the document has good information for maintainers and pilots. For more background on TAWS, download Advisory Circulars (AC) 23-18, Installation of Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) Approved for Part 23 Airplanes, and AC 25-23, Airworthiness Criteria for the Installation Approval of a Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) for Part 25 Airplanes.
Hawker Beechcraft, Wichita, announced that Avion Pacific Ltd. is now an authorized sales representative for its Hawker and Beechcraft aircraft and special missions applications in China, Hong Kong and Macau. Auturo Schwencke was appointed special mission sales representative for Chile.
The NBAA presented the 50-Year Safe Flying Achievement Award to Federal-Mogul Corp., General Dynamics, H.E.B. Grocery Co., Hill Aircraft & Leasing Corp., Spectra Energy Corp., Tecumseh Products Co., and Vulcan Materials Co. The award recognizes NBAA members that have flown 50 years or more without an accident. Since the award's inception in 1998, 57 members have been recognized.
Atlanta-based CareJet Services has introduced an advanced appearance-enhancing polymer paint protection system developed by Dow Corning and ProguardPlus. The system, applied to new or older aircraft paint, does not use friction or heat in the application, provides high luster, ease of washing, enhanced UV and contaminant protection, and is fully warranted for 12 months. Optional warranty extensions are available up to 48 months with annual servicing.
