At least two associations -- the National Air Transportation Association and NBAA -- have urged the FAA to form an Aviation Rulemaking Committee to hash out landing distance calculation issues. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey responded recently that collaborative efforts "continue to be very useful and productive tools in our development of critical safety requirements, while minimizing the negative impact on industry," and said the agency is committed to collaboration on the landing performance assessment rulemaking project.
An AirTran Boeing 717 taxied into a ditch and collapsed the nose gear after landing at Memphis International Airport. It was 2313 CST and the weather was VFR. The first officer stated that she landed on Runway 36R, was instructed to "make the next left turn, cross 36C on kilo and taxi to the ramp." She stated that once the airplane was clear of the runway and established on the taxiway, it was the appropriate time to be "heads-down" and complete the checklist. The captain stated that he saw Gate C16 to his left and turned the airplane toward the terminal.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Acting as prime contractor, EADS North America officially delivered the first American Eurocopter UH-72A Light Utility Helicopter to the U.S. Army, Dec. 13. The service has a program requirement for up to 322 units of the helicopter, which is based on the Eurocopter EC145, and a potential total life-cycle value of over $1 billion. To date, the Army has ordered a total of 42 UH-72As, along with the associated training services. The second is scheduled for delivery about the time you read this.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Waco, Texas-based Blackhawk Modifications has received an FAA STC for its F90xp engine upgrade, which exchanges the twin turboprop's original Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135 engines for factory-new 750-shp PT6A-135A engines, thus allowing the aircraft to achieve the same performance as the King Air F90-1. European (EASA) and Brazilian (DGAC) approval of the engine change was expected by the end of 2006.
Bombardier Flexjet is expanding its "secondary service area" to include all of Mexico. The fractional business jet ownership provider in 2005 established the secondary service area, waiving ferry fees for trips to and from the Caribbean region and Bermuda. The latest expansion is in response to a jump in travel to and from Mexico by Flexjet customers, Bombardier said, noting that the number of Flexjet's Mexico trips has increased by double digits each year since 2003. Nearly 20 percent of Flexjet owners travel to or from Mexico.
Embraer is forecasting a market for 11,115 business jets and 3,050 30- to 120-seat commercial aircraft over the next 10 years. The Brazilian manufacturer, releasing its long-term market outlook during "Embraer Day" on Nov. 16-17, 2006, predicted business jets sales could reach $169 billion in the next 10 years. The company also forecast that the air taxi market could add demand for 2,500 to 3,000 more VLJs.
University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D., has named Jeremy Roesler chief flight instructor of fixed-wing aircraft at UND's John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences.
A Hawker 700A registered to Juventude Ltd. and operated by Blue Star Airlines landed gear-up at Fort Lauderdale/ Hollywood International Airport, Fla. The pilot-in-command who was flying the airplane reported the flight proceeded to the destination airport for a visual approach to Runway 9L. The checklist was read aloud by the copilot with no challenge response.
