The American Civil Liberties Union is suing Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen Dataplan Inc. for allegedly assisting secret CIA rendition flights of suspected terrorists. The federal lawsuit, filed in California, claims flight and logistical support services provided by Jeppesen enabled the clandestine transportation of three men to secret locations, where they were tortured and subjected to other "forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment."
Northstar Aerospace, Inc., Chicago, appointed Harry Schmink to the position of president, Gears and Transmission. Ian Taylor, formerly general manager of Northstar Aerospace (Canada) has been named vice president, programs. Tom Purvin is the new vice president, Sales and Market North America. David Fisher has been appointed director, Business Development North America.
As a 29-year FAR Part 121 pilot and, now, a Part135 pilot, I was very interested in David Huntzinger's article on crew duty limits ("On Duty Indefinitely," May, page 86). It does a good job of summarizing the deadly vise that can squeeze a pilot between the needs/ demands of his passengers/employer and his desire to operate safely.
Jeppesen has created a new pricing option for its International Trip Planning Services that is straightforward and easy to understand, according to the company. By dividing the world into eight predefined regions, Jeppesen has established fixed sector fees for each trip segment between or within these regions. Included with sector pricing are the most commonly used trip planning services, such as ground handling set up, permit acquisition, hotel reservations, flight plans, customs and immigration notifications and more.
Sabreliner Corp., St. Louis, has promoted Cindy Tekeser to senior manager, contracts. Celia Reiter has been promoted to contracts administrator. Mark Stuesse has joined the company as proposal manager.
Congratulatons on your April Reflections ("People Who Became Airports," page 46). I would like to mention Garner Field in Uvalde, Texas, was named for former U.S. Vice President John N. Garner. This field is very dear to hundreds of Brazilian Cadets who started their aviation training there, primary training in Stearmans. And thousands of American cadets were training there. I was class 45-F, U.S. Army Air Force, and I am very proud to be a former Garner student. Keep writing about the past so the next generations will learn about history.
THE DOT MAY BE the "parent" of the FAA on an organization flow chart, but this does not mean that it must take action on aviation matters through the agency. Simply put, the DOT enforces citizenship, economic and advertising issues, while the FAA enforces safety issues. The FAR Part 135 operational control issues that surfaced after the Montrose and Teterboro Challenger accidents highlighted how the authority of the DOT and FAA can overlap.
This armored rider is clad in fiberglass, not steel, and his steed is a Kawasaki instead of a Percheron. Gary Bosemer is the picture of the modern, well-equipped desert rider when he's not working as Landmark Aviation's director of avionics marketing and development. "Riding in the desert is safer than riding on the street," he says, adding that a lot of his friends still laugh when they learn he does not hold a motorcycle street license. But he does hold an American Motorcyclist Association expert desert-racing license.
Rotorcraft Leasing Co. of Lafayette, La., has acquired Go Helitrans, a provider of transportation services to offshore oil and gas production platforms and drilling rigs in the western Gulf of Mexico. "This acquisition further strengthens Rotorcraft's position as the largest privately held helicopter transportation company in the Gulf of Mexico," said Lloyd Marks, president of Rotorcraft. The combined entity will have a fleet of approximately 100 helicopters whose missions will be coordinated from Rotorcraft's flight operations center in Broussard, La.
IN 1947, ITAMATARE WAS AN isolated village in the Brazilian interior, 90 minutes by air from Belem. The site of a gold mining camp, it was a bumpy two-hour Jeep drive from the River Gurupi, which served as its airport. That's where I was headed. Anaconda Mining Co., my employer, bought a war surplus Grumman Goose for $10,000. After zero timing the Wasp Juniors and installing a 60-gallon cabin tank for hauling auto gas, I got to ferry the amphib from Long Beach, Calif., to Brazil. I was 25, single and eager for the adventure.
Members of the Teterboro Airport Industry Working Group are reviewing progress on a series of initiatives they developed to improve safety and community relations at the busy New Jersey general aviation airport. The initiatives, rolled out late in 2006 at a press conference with frequent airport critic Rep. Steve Rothman (D-N.J.), include a voluntary nighttime curfew and a voluntary agreement to fly only Stage 3 or quieter aircraft.
Uvex, a brand of the Bacou-Dalloz Group, has launched Uvex Ignite, a comfortable, sleek addition to its line of premium safety eyewear. The lightweight, frameless design of the Uvex Ignite glasses offers 180 degrees of unobstructed, distortion-free vision, and provides wearers with all-day safety and comfort. Features include an adjustable saddle pad nose piece and soft, cushioned temple tips. Its nine-base, wrap-around unilens provides wearers with close-to-the-face coverage and compete eye protection.
Using input and testing from its students and instructors, Sporty's has designed a flight bag specifically for VFR flight. If you're a student pilot or a weekend flier, the VFR Flight Bag is right for you, according to the company. This compact bag features specially designed pockets for storing important items necessary for a VFR flight. The exterior features padded pockets to protect a headset while additional pockets allow quick access to charts and a logbook. An organizing section has an ID holder, pen and pencil holders, a key clip and a pocket for a cellphone.
With showbiz flare that included a choreographed performance by a suspended acrobat suspended from the simulator bay ceiling and ghostly vignettes of employees at work, CAE officially opened its new business aviation training center June 7 near Morristown Airport in New Jersey. The CAE SimuFlight Northeast Training Center will be the base of entitlement training for the Dassault Falcon 7X, as well as training on the Falcon 900EX EASy, Falcon 2000EX EASy, Gulfstream IV and Sikorsky S-76.
The NTSB, lawmakers and regulators are seeking faster ways to implement the board's "Most Wanted" safety recommendations and adopt new accident prevention methods. The often-contentious groups found common ground in the desire to enhance safety at a June 6 House Aviation Subcommittee hearing on the status of the NTSB's Most Wanted List of aviation safety improvements. The board color-codes the status of recommendations on the list that it has issued yearly since 1990.
The Aircraft Bluebook-Price Digest has launched a new Web site and online database. The new www.aircraftbluebook.com provides online information and tools for determining the value of business and general aviation aircraft. Previously, this information was only available in the print and CD-ROM editions of the Aircraft Bluebook-Price Digest.
Hawker Beechcraft named TAG Farnborough an authorized service facility for the Hawker 800 series aircraft. TAG Farnborough, a subsidiary of TAG Aviation Holding, is the second authorized facility for the Hawker in the United Kingdom and joins a worldwide network of more than 100 authorized facilities.
Some dangerous but fresh thinking reported by Aviation Daily: JetBlue would be willing to pay $25 or $50 in user fees if it could shave 10 minutes off of a flight. That's what JetBlue Chairman David Neeleman told the annual American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) gathering in Washington, D.C., June 12. "Why not have a $50 fee that we can bond to raise billions to modernize the air traffic control system?" Neeleman asked.
There can be two different readings of your May Viewpoint ("Going to Excess," May, page 9). Either it is proven that known fuel reserves plus expected ones can match the expected consumption -- in that case, you are right. Or if the above is not proven, we will have to reconsider everything in our way of life, not only aviation, and the sooner the better.
"The market today is doing pretty well," said Rene Cardona, who has been brokering previously owned business aircraft for Duncan Aviation for the last 18 years. However, he quickly added that newer aircraft (those less than 15 years old) are faring much better than their older counterparts.
For FY2008, the FAA has essentially reorganized its two other major budget lines, traditionally listed as operations and facilities and equipment (F&E). In their places, the FAA now has two completely new accounts, labeled Air Traffic Organization and safety and operations. The Senate reauthorization bill is framed within the old budget lines of operations and F&E with the Commerce Committee recommending $8.7 billion for operations in FY2008, nearly $9 billion in FY2009, $9.3 billion in FY2010 and $9.6 billion in FY2011.
Nordam Group, Tulsa, named Joel Dougherty as director of learning and organizational development. Donna Spencer was named director of quality for the company's repair operations in Tulsa, Wales and Singapore. Tray Siegfried, vice president, general aviation and OEM sales, will broaden his current responsibilities to include all OEMs and Meredith Siegfried, vice president, global aftermarket sales and marketing, will add military sales to her current responsibilities and continue to lead the company's corporate marketing group.
Intelligence | 17 * TSA, NATA, Airports Unveil New Screening Effort * Port Authority of N.Y. and N.J. Acquires SWF as Possible Reliever * OpSpec A008 Oversight to Tighten * Nav Canada Goes to Piggy Bank to Avoid Loss Edited by James E. Swickard Commentary 7 | Viewpoint By William Garvey A Good and Clever Friend 84 | Cause & Circumstance By Richard N. Aarons Silent Too Long 88 | Point of Law By Kent S. Jackson Dueling FBOs
