The interior of the plane began to fill with intense, heavy black smoke, which was extraordinarily painful to breathe and very toxic. . . . It quickly became pitch black in the cabin from the heavy smoke, in spite of the bright light from the fire on the left side of the plane. . . . I was feeling very faint and I later guessed I only had about 15 to 30 seconds of consciousness left. Every breath caused me to convulse and was extremely painful. . . ."
I am writing to request a correction and clarification to "Doing the Math: The Providers Response" sidebar in David Esler's "Formerly Fractionalized" feature in the February issue (page 66). In Flexjet's response to Complaint 1, Flexjet would like to clarify that Jet Solutions LLC, a U.S. air carrier, operates the Flexjet 25 jet card program. Jet Solutions also leases aircraft from Flexjet to meet the needs of Flexjet 25 card owners, therefore not disrupting service to fractional owners.
I enjoyed your Viewpoint on the FAA's "Morning's Mayhem Review" (January, page 7), especially the item on the Dash 8 running out of runway. Reminds me of the incongruous yarn about the midair refueling tanker that crashed due to fuel exhaustion! I wrote a few paragraphs featuring a Dash 8 that I thought your readers might enjoy.
The NBAA recently posed the following question on its Web site: "Is it necessary to obtain an RVSM letter of authorization [LOA] after purchasing an aircraft that is already RVSM compliant?" The answer, according to the association, is "yes."
I agree with David Collogan's statement in his January Washington column ("Brazilian Tragedy: Answers, Not Scapegoats," page 75), that "rushing to judgment is a mistake." I have some points that I would like to make regarding the GOL Airlines B737 and Embraer Legacy accident, so I'll start at the beginning.
Landmark Aviation has completed the installation of a Honeywell Primus Epic CDS/R (Control Display System/Retrofit) avionics system on a Gulfstream III at the company's Springfield, Ill., facility. The installation included Honeywell's Mark VII Class A TAWS with a runway awareness and advisory system. The Primus Epic system was integrated into the GIII while retaining the legacy flight management system and Pro Line II navigation and communication equipment.
Richard J. Millman, Bell Helicopter Textron's new president and CEO, says he's confident that when the correct "management processes and talent are put in place," the company will overcome existing commercial and military program problems. Millman replaced Michael Redenbaugh in January. Bell recently canceled the Model 417, claiming the single-engine aircraft failed to meet performance projections. Millman also says he is tackling schedule and cost problems with the H-1 program for the U.S. Marine Corp. "All programs at Bell need attention . . .
*Dassault Falcon 50, 900, 900EX, 2000 and 2000EX airplanes -- Inspect the identification plates of the outboard slats to determine the part numbers, and for certain airplanes, revise the "Limitations" and "Normal Procedures" sections of the airplane flight manual to provide procedures for operation in icing conditions. Also, replace the anti-icing manifold with an anti-icing manifold of the correct design, if necessary.
(Savannah, Ga.) - Two new regional sales vice presidents have been appointed to represent Gulfstream in Asia. Herman Chai, previously Gulfstream's director of completion design, is overseeing sales in mainland China, Japan and South Korea. Peter Hoi, previously director of engineering and certification for Alliant Techsystems in Fort Worth, is now responsible for sales in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and the Philippines. Both men are based in Gulfstream's Hong Kong office. Separately, Sherman Griffith has been named sales director of key accounts for the state of Texas.
Research published by the biology department of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville adds to the growing body of knowledge about changes to wake-sleep cycles and their effect on health. Shift work and jet lag are primary causes of such changes in workers, and schedulers and dispatchers are just as susceptible to the effects as flight crews are.
EMTEQ, a systems integrator and certification consultant, purchased Flight Components AG of Bachenbülach, Switzerland. Each company will maintain its name, operating locations and product line. EMTEQ has a line of LED interior lighting products and systems, while Flight Components has a full line of exterior lighting components. Each will now offer a complete line of interior and exterior lighting products to their respective marketplaces. Flight Components holds EASA certifications as a production and maintenance facility as well as ISO 9001:2000 certification.
Intelligence | 15 * TSA Revises Twelve-Five Program Again * Lawmakers Hit Blakey With Concerns About General Aviation Costs * Bombardier Aerospace Sponsors Safety Standdown Europe * NTSB: Aviation Safety Still Improving Edited by James E. Swickard Commentary 7 | Viewpoint By William Garvey Something to See 78 | Cause & Circumstance By William Garvey Comair 191, a Final Dialogue 84 | Washington By David Collogan
Raytheon Aircraft Co. is offering electronic dimmable window shades for all of the approximately 6,200 King Airs in service. These window shades, which permit passengers and pilots to instantly control the darkness of cabin windows by dynamically varying the tint, are being supplied by InspecTech Aero Service, Inc. The system utilizes a special patented SPD (suspended particle device) light-control film developed and licensed by Research Frontiers Inc.
CIT Aerospace Inc., New York, N.Y., announced the appointments of Graham Niven and Angus Greene as vice presidents of marketing in its Commercial Airlines Group.
The TSA has released revisions to the Twelve-Five Standard Security Program (TFSSP). The National Air Transportation Association said the changes are designed to address concerns industry had with a January 2007 version of the TFSSP. The latest revision, dated March 5, supersedes the Jan. 8 TFSSP. NATA encouraged members to visit the TSA Web Board to review the revisions.
Sikorsky Hawkworks Military Derivatives Completions Center will hire more than 100 aircraft assemblers, aircraft inspectors and engineers by the end of the year to support Black Hawk completions for international military sales. The new 100,000-square-foot completions facility is located at Schweizer Aircraft in Horseheads, N.Y. Specific skill sets needed include electrical hydraulics, airframe structures, final assembly, avionics checkout and flight line operations. Interested candidates may apply online at http://sikorskycareers.com.
After almost five months of reading Brazilian news articles about the Sept. 29, 2006, midair collision between ExcelAir's Legacy 600 and GOL Airlines' Boeing 737, l guess l have something of my own -- and humble -- experience to write about.
Saab Avitronics, Chemring Countermeasures and Naturelink Aviation, which have teamed to develop missile protection systems for civilian aircraft, successfully demonstrated one March 14 at Overberg Testing Range near Cape Town, South Africa. For the test, Naturelink Aviation provided the Embraer 120 aircraft, Saab Avitronics the self protection system and Chemring Countermeasures the decoys.
Bombardier Aerospace is partnering with the NBAA and EBAA to sponsor Safety Standdown Europe in Geneva, Switzerland, immediately following the close of the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in that city. Patterned after Bombardier's annual North American safety standdown, the European event is free of charge to all pilots and crew regardless of what type aircraft they operate. The event will kick off with a welcome reception on the evening of May 24, followed by a full day of seminars on May 25.
Thomas E. Haueter was recently appointed head of the NTSB's Office of Aviation Safety. As an investigator-in-charge for the agency, he led some of the Safety Board's most sensitive and complex investigations, including the crash of a Boeing 737 near Pittsburgh, the crash of a commuter airliner in Georgia that killed former Sen. John Tower and 22 others, and the midair collision that claimed the life of Sen. John Heinz. He holds a commercial pilot license with multiengine and instrument ratings, and regularly flies a 1943 Stearman that he restored.
At about 1609 Alaska standard time, a Hughes 360D sustained substantial damage while hovering in ground effect, when its tail rotor was struck by a moose during a game management operation, about one mile southwest of Gustavus Airport, Gustavus, Alaska. The chief pilot for the operator said that the helicopter was involved in a moose-tagging operating for the Alaska State Department of Fish and Game. The moose had been shot with a tranquilizer dart from the helicopter. The helicopter usually is used to block the moose to prevent them from running into water and drowning.
Russell Chew, who just stepped down after three-plus years as chief operating officer of the FAA's Air Traffic Organization, is going to be COO of JetBlue Airways. Chew had accepted the top operations job at Hawaiian Airlines, but changed his mind when the New York-based low-cost carrier stepped forward with its $300,000-per-year proposal. Chew's new employer urgently needs to restore at least some of its near-mythical reputation as the passengers' friend.
Children regularly travel aboard business aircraft and in an actual emergency, a delay caused by a parent waiting for someone to take his or her child could very well mean that other passengers still in the airplane may not survive. In a May 10, 2001, accident involving a Spanair McDonnell Douglas MD-83 on a runway at Liverpool, England, the evacuation was delayed because of uncertainty as to the best method for evacuating small children and infants (U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), Accident Report 4/2003 (EW/C2001/5/1) 2003) .
