IF YOU LIKE BRUCE WILLIS action movies, you'll be right at home watching to see how the business aviation community fares in Washington, D.C., during September because there's likely to be all kinds of fireworks and plot twists. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that the good guys will prevail in this particular thriller.
Hawker Beechcraft, Wichita, announced the appointment of Gail E. Lehman as vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for all legal matters of Hawker Beechcraft Corp. and its affiliated companies. Kerry Masher has been promoted to vice president, product development for the Beechcraft product line. Mike Hinderberger is the new vice president, product development for the Hawker product line.
It's been one of those busy days flying multiple legs in the northeast corridor. Your last leg of the day, a flight from Teterboro, N.J., to Bedford, Mass., is departing behind schedule because you were an hour late arriving at TEB. After the hectic quick-turn on the ground you are finally cleared for takeoff on the infamous Teterboro-Five departure procedure.
I want my mommy." I have heard fully grown adults, with graying hair, mutter those exact words. Over a bet-your-wings sim ride? Nope. A petition for divorce? No. IRS audit? Not even. Worse. That was the utterance of a flight department executive faced with implementing a (drum roll, please) Safety Management System. I could sympathize because it does sound a little scary. Anytime you see the word "system" in the aviation world, you know it's serious.
The recent crash of a TAM airliner in São Paulo and radar problems in the airspace over Buenos Aires have exacerbated concerns about the state of air safety in Latin America, but analysts told Latin news agencies that the entire system is not at fault. Referring to Brazil's two major killer accidents in 10 months -- the GOL crash last fall and the TAM landing crash in July -- Miami-based aviation consultant Bob Booth told Chile's El Mercurio this is an exceptional situation because there was no link between them.
Development of the Phenom 300 light jet, its cabin now lengthened 14 inches, is proceeding on schedule. Embraer says it has released some 5,000 drawings and that the first of the swept-wing aircraft will be flying before its smaller sibling is certified. The nine-seat jet, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW535E engines rated at 3,200 pounds of thrust each, is expected to enter service in mid-2009. The 0.78 Mach, $6.65 million twinjet is projected to have a range with six occupants of 1,800 nm with NBAA IFR reserves.
The Strategic Research Institute has invited members of the aviation, legal, government and financial community to attend the Cape Town Convention & Aircraft Protocol Training Seminar, which will be held Sep. 17 and 18 at the Westin Dublin Hotel in Dublin, Ireland.
In 2005, new international guidelines for the administration of CPR were introduced that placed greater emphasis on chest compressions and altered the practice of administering defibrillator shocks, with a result that makers of AEDs changed their machines' programming. If you bought an AED prior to the change in the guidelines, check with the manufacturer to find out how it can be re-programmed and, in some instances, how you can obtain a temporary substitute AED if the manufacturer requires you to return your unit.
The Avanti was one of the highlights of my career. The laminar flow airfoils were very clean sheet. I think they were the first of the new breed of laminar flow airfoils that demonstrated high performance at transonic speeds.
FlightSafety International, La Guardia Airport, N.Y., announced that Lowell Faulkenberry has joined FlightSafety Simulation as director, finance. Barbara Shea has joined the company as vice president, teammate resources. Stanley Jhagroo has been promoted to manager of the FlightSafety Academy in Vero Beach, Fla.
Honeywell is developing a Multi-Function Display (MFD) for general aviation that will incorporate GPS and WAAS capability as well as a new software-based VHF communication and navigation radio. The KSN 770 system will feature a state-of-the-art graphical interface that was originally designed for Honeywell's large integrated business aircraft cockpits. The system is called INAV GA.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, testifying at recent hearings on Capitol Hill, asked House leaders to ignore some of their colleagues' calls for "modest" tweaks to the aviation funding system and instead introduce significant reforms in the tax structure. "I firmly believe a cost-based funding structure is our best chance of transforming the aviation system . . . quickly and efficiently," Blakey said.
Oberstar acknowledged that, "it's equitable for general aviation users to pay somewhat more than they are currently paying." The T&I Committee recommended that the jet fuel tax increase from 21.8 cents per gallon to 30.7 cents and the avgas tax increase from 19.3 cents per gallon to 24.1 cents. "While I believe general aviation should pay somewhat more, I do not believe that the airlines should pay less than what they are now paying," Oberstar said.
Eighty members of Pentastar Aviation's maintenance and avionics team have been awarded the FAA's Aviation Maintenance Technician Award in addition to two corporate awards.
Aero Toy Store -- the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based aircraft sales company -- has been named the exclusive provider of aircraft that incorporate custom designs developed by a unit of Pininfarina, the Italian firm renowned for its work with classic motorcars such as Ferrari and Maserati.
NetJets Europe is to retrofit its Falcon 2000EX EASy fleet with blended winglets at a total cost of $4.4 million. The Aviation Partners high-Mach winglets will upgrade the aircraft to the new Falcon 2000LX standard. Dassault claims a 5-percent increase in fuel efficiency at 0.80 Mach for this version, which extends the aircraft's range by 200 nm to 4,000 nm. Retrofits are scheduled to begin late this year.
In reference to the June issue of B&CA, may I call your attention to page 32, specifically Fast Five, question 5 where you asked William Voss, "Which of your aviation ratings was the hardest to acquire and which brought the most satisfaction?" In the interest of possibly avoiding confusion among B&CA readers I respectively submit that Mr. Voss did not receive his ATP certificate at age 21. The minimum age for that certificate is 23; has been dating back to well over 50 years.
June 14, 2007, was a significant day for business aircraft operators since it was then that the IRS published its long-awaited "Deductions for Entertainment Use of Business Aircraft." This 19-page Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) attempts to clarify the Oct. 22, 2004, changes to IRS Code Section 274.
On July 31, Bombardier delivered its 150th Challenger 300 to Flexjet, the manufacturer's fractional jet program. According to Bombardier, since the model's entry into service in 2004, the Challenger 300 jet has achieved a dispatch reliability over 99 percent.
Professional Pilot's Career Guide, second edition, by Robert P. Mark, is just out from The McGraw-Hill Cos.' Profes-sional book division. The new version contains detailed coverage of pilot ratings and practical test standards, plus goal-achieving tips on job hunting, networking and information on the regional and major airlines. The book also contains 200 common interview questions and the 10 most frequent interview mistakes, in-depth pilot interviews and essential Internet resources. Price: $24.95 The McGraw-Hill Cos.
The NBAA sponsors an Inspection Authorization (IA) renewal course that coincides with the annual convention, this year held in Atlanta, on Monday, Sept. 24. The seminar will provide eight hours of approved training toward IA renewal and will feature regulatory and industry subject matter experts extolling on an array of topics including: the FAA's Customer Service Initiative; Instructions for Continued Airworthiness, Safety Management Systems (SMS) and development of an approved maintenance program.
