In order to help catalog and record repairs and alterations, the FAA has instituted an electronic system for collecting 337's. As more approved repairs and alterations are captured in the central database, this should help local inspectors provide a rapid processing of field approvals. For more information see FAA Notice 8300.121, which is available on the FAA Web site at: http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/ examiners_inspectors/8300/notices/
Tdata has released Version 1.44 of its maintenance tracking software. The improved version offers network file sharing, the ability to select a central file saving location for all users, file open as read-only or exclusive, upgraded reports to include on-condition items and the ability to track an unlimited number of aircraft. Price: $749 and up Tdata (800) 783-2827 (United States) 1 (614) 885-1169 (International) www.tdata.com
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.
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.
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.
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.
Flight Display Systems, Alpharetta, Ga., announced that Ron Hainsworth has joined the company as regional sales manager. He will open a Wichita office for the company. Tom Adams will be the new quality manager and Scott Neighbors has joined the company as warehouse manager.
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?
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
PASSUR's radar receiver comprises a single antenna at a single site. Another dependent surveillance system using many antennas spread over an area beneath the airspace to be controlled is multilateration. The deployment of these systems has already taken place in Europe and Asia and takes advantage of the fact that all airline and most general aviation aircraft are transponder equipped. The antennas are simple, easier to site than radar's, non-rotating and inexpensive.
Here's another believer that a thriving local airport is an economic engine. Orange County (N.Y.) Executive Edward Diana is urging the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to buy the lease on Stewart Airport. "There is no other organization that can match the Port Authority's experience in successfully operating a major airport," he said. "The future success of Stewart Airport is too important to take a chance with an unproven entity.
For scheduling and dispatch professionals with decision-making responsibilities for inflight telephone communications, the latter half of 2006 was abuzz with news that bears on current equipment purchase choices and planning for the future. Now that MagnaStar has gotten a one-year reprieve from Verizon (to December 2007), the window has opened wider for providers offering the replacement solution.
Just when aircraft owners, buyers, sellers and brokers were beginning to adjust to the new transactional requirements of the Cape Town International Registry (CTIR) -- which went into effect on March 1, 2006 -- numerous aircraft owners and operators have been led to believe that they need to pay a fee to safeguard their financial interest in their aircraft -- even if they don't need to.
Albuquerque International Amsterdam, Netherlands, International Anchorage, Alaska, International Aspen, Colo. Atlanta International Bensenville, Ill. Boston Logan International Burbank, Calif. Chicago O'Hare International Cincinnati International Cleveland International Columbia, S.C., Metropolitan Dallas/Fort Worth International Denver International Detroit Metropolitan Fort Lauderdale, Fla., International
The NBAA has stepped into the debate on the role and methods of air charter brokers with an offering of best-practices guidance. In November2006 , the business aviation advocacy group hosted a best-practices discussion at a regional forum at Long Beach, Calif. Based on feedback from the event and realization that some guidance would be helpful in clarifying operational control issues, this was followed by development of a best-practices document for brokers scheduled for release at year-end.
The targets don't shoot back, but in a matter of seconds Peter Ballard is going to empty both his pistols, a shotgun and a rifle with a sense of urgency because he's shooting against the clock. This is cowboy action shooting, a fast-growing recreational sport that pits men and women dressed in period costumes from the Old West against bad guys of all stripes in scenarios in which clanging steel targets stand in for the villains. Ballard, on most days director of sales, corporate care, at Rolls-Royce North America, Inc.
