Weather information just keeps getting better. Air Routing International has added new content to its online Web-based weather resource -- AiRMET. This global aviation weather program now has high-resolution satellite pictures of Europe, the Middle East and other areas. And passengers can now get a week's worth of weather forecasts while onboard. AiRMET's 30,000 maps and images generated daily can be accessed via computers and wireless phones.
The FAA recently sent a revised funding proposal to the Office of Management and Budget for review that is said to contain a host of new fees on aviation users as well as substantial increases in taxes, the Weekly of Business Aviation reported. The proposal is believed to call for more than tripling the jet fuel and aviation gasoline taxes as well as establishing new fees for operating in large hub terminal airspace. The FAA further is believed to be seeking peak-hour pricing authority for fees in the hub terminal airspace.
Nordham, Tulsa, has requested Ken Lackey, chairman and CEO, to continue in his current position through 2008. John Uczekaj, Nordam president and chief operating officer, has left the company to pursue other career opportunities. Bill Peacher has been named COO for Nordam's Repair Group and will assume COO responsibilities for the company's worldwide repair divisions as well as its aftermarket sales and corporate marketing functions. Raymond H. (Tray) Siegfried III was named vice president of business and general aviation markets and strategic resources.
Mid-Continent Instruments has added a two-inch course deviation indicator (CDI) to its product line of certified instruments. The new CDI saves on panel space because it can be placed almost anywhere in the instrument panel. The MD200 offers a safety feature that moves the pointers out of view with an invalid signal. The rectilinear meter movement allows for precise and accurate reading by the pilot. NAV, GPS and VLOC annunciation are built-in and backlit by LED lighting, which provides enhanced nighttime and sunlight readability, according to Mid-Continent.
Around 80 exhibitors are expected at the first Middle East Business Aviation show, set for Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at the Dubai Airport. The event will have conferences, an indoor exhibition, an aircraft static park and a chalet line. The organizers anticipate some 2,000 to 3,000 attendees. At press time, there were over 19 aircraft registered for display including an Airbus A320, a Boeing BBJ and a Bombardier Challenger 300 belonging to Royal Jet of Abu Dhabi.
Elliott Aviation is now offering EnVision, a new technology that allows aircraft owners to "see" the completed interior of their aircraft before refurbishments or completions begin. Elliott has partnered with Bonner Springs, Kan.-based Infusion Design to adapt existing high-tech computer modeling. The custom software will build floor plans, exteriors and 3-D interior vignettes for five basic airframes: Hawker 700, 900, 1000; Cessna Citation 650, 550 and 560; King Air 200, 300 and 350; Beechjet 400A; and the Dassault Falcon 10.
-Bell 204, 205, 210, 212 and 412 helicopters - Conduct certain checks and inspections of each tail-rotor blade at specified intervals, and repair or replace, as applicable, any unairworthy tail-rotor blade. -Bombardier Challenger 600, 601 and 604 airplanes - Inspect the nose landing gear and the nose gear door to determine the part number and serial number of the selector valves. Take corrective actions if necessary.
Rally Caparas, whose CNN Headline News advisories on air travel conditions throughout the network of domestic U.S. terminals have become a daily weekday morning staple for travelers, signed on with Flight Explorer, the flight tracking software company, to furnish reports to the Flight Explorer Web site (www.flightexplorer.com) starting Nov. 15, 2006. Caparas, a former air traffic controller, uses the software for his CNN reports.
Landmark Aviation has earned FAA approval to increase rudder control authority for Dassault Falcon 50s. The upgrade, available for aircraft equipped with Collins APS-85 autopilots or Pro Line 21 avionics, will enhance lateral maneuverability to provide greater control in crosswinds. Landmark's facility in Springfield, Ill., will perform the rudder work.
Pratt & Whitney Canada appointed Scandinavian Aircraft Technologies (ScanTech) of Denmark as a Recognized Maintenance Facility for its PT6A, JT15D and PW100 series engines. The facility will also provide borescope inspections for PW100 series engines, including the reduction gearbox, cold section, hot section and accessories. ScanTech is a European Aviation Safety Agency Part 145-approved aircraft maintenance facility located at Sindal Airport, Denmark.
The Isle of Man Aircraft Register is a step closer to reality as ICAO has issued an amendment to the Aircraft Nationality and Registration Marks. "The Isle of Man registration 'M' will be followed by four characters," says Brian E. Johnson, Isle of Man 's director of Civil Aviation. Legislation for the new register, which targets business aircraft, is being submitted to the Tynwald (Isle of Man Parliament) this month and is expected to come into being in April or May.
During the first quarter, Executive Beechcraft, the Midwestern aircraft service company, expects to begin installations of the Garmin G1000 integrated avionics suite in Beech King Air C90s. The Raytheon authorized service center, which plans to perform the retrofits at its Kansas City Downtown (MKC) and Spirit of St. Louis (SUS) airport locations, is anticipating receipt of an STC for the modification shortly.
Want your Intel fix more often than once a month? Subscribe to our free weekly e-mail Business Aviation Bulletin and we'll send it to your inbox Wednesday mornings. It's the week's top news and breaking news gleaned from B&CA's and the Weekly of Business Aviation's extensive sources and packaged for everyone interested in business aviation. It's as fresh and pertinent as we can make it.
WHILE THE REST OF US were enjoying the long Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends, Joe Lepore and Jan Paladino were stranded some 4,500 miles from their families and homes on Long Island. Instead of eating turkey and watching football on TV, the two ExcelAire pilots were anxiously awaiting another court hearing, hoping for an end to their two-month ordeal in Brazil.
Baseops/World Fuel Service, Houston, named Lisa Peacock as the newest member of the sales team at World Fuel Service. She will be based in the Calgary, Alberta, office.
Sharp Details, Dulles, Va., announced that Allen Cable will be the new site manager of the company's White Plains, N.Y. (HPN) and Oxford-Waterbury, Conn. (OXC) operations.
In general, the concentration of GA traffic does substantially increase the probability of an inflight collision. With only two aircraft in the same piece of airspace there is only one possible collision pair. However, with five aircraft there are 10 possible pairs and with 10 aircraft there are 45. What is the practical meaning of this?
A Beech F33 was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power during cruise when it was a short distance from William P. Hobby Airport, Texas. With the airplane still slipped up on it's nose due to the landing the FAA inspector who responded to the accident observed that the left fuel tank was empty and the right tank had "about an inch" of fuel in its tank. However, the pilot reported to the inspector that he visually checked the fuel before departing Houston and that both tanks were at the three-quarter level.
JetBird, Dublin, Ireland, announced that Patrick Raftery was appointed to operations director. He will be involved in developing the firm's European operating model in preparation for launch in early 2009.
In the highly competitive business jet charter market, operators are using a variety of methods to attract customers, from block charter plans and membership cards to direct marketing campaigns conducted on a local basis.
Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) has been named ranking Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for the next session of Congress. Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) will chair the committee. Mica currently chairs the House Aviation Subcommittee. Oberstar and Mica are both considered to be well-informed and open- minded on aviation issues.
Intelligence | 11 - ICAO's New Multi-Crew Pilot License Program - Isle of Man Aircraft Register Closer to Reality - High Attendance Expected at New Middle East Business Aviation Show - Gulfstream Forecast Revised Upward - Second BA609 Prototype Makes First Flight Edited by James E. Swickard Commentary 7 | Viewpoint By William Garvey Aftermath 68 | Cause & Circumstance By Richard N. Aarons The GIII Crash at Houston -- a Final Look
EADS Socata has appointed IndUS Aviation as its authorized sales representative for the TBM 700/850 in India. IndUS Aviation Inc. is an American/Indian aircraft manufacturing company with headquarters both in Dallas and Bangalore. In 1994, Dr. Ram Pattisapu, an Indian who is president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of India and migrated to Texas, founded IndUS Aviation, which produces the two-seater Thorp T-211 trainer and sells various aircraft in India.
The Republican-led 109th Congress is history; the Democratic-led 110th Congress will be tasked with completing appropriations legislation for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, 2006, for many government agencies, including the DOT. The tax extension provisions include a measure to provide some relief to air ambulances and crop dusters against IRS anti-fuel-fraud requirements that tax jet fuel at the highway diesel fuel rate and permit refunds of the difference only to registered vendors.
