On June 7, the FAA posted an announcement in the Federal Register that all FAR Part 121, 135 and 91(K) operators will be issued a new Operations Specification (Ops Spec) or Management Specification (MSpec) requiring completion of a new en route landing distance assessment for all their turbojet aircraft.
Dassault Falcon announced July 17 at Farnborough that the Falcon 7X flight test program has reached 850 hours flown during 275 test flights. Certification flights with the EASA have begun and will be completed by year-end, with final certification and first deliveries expected in early 2007. A team of FAA pilots has also recently joined the program.
In the United States, the FAA is going forward with ADS-B coverage for the Gulf of Mexico, a move hailed by the Helicopter Association International and gulf helicopter operators servicing offshore oil rigs. In addition, the AOPA and its president Phil Boyer have heartily endorsed nationwide adoption of ADS-B for the future air traffic management system that will replace the aging network of ground radars. The FAA's radar network costs about $150 million a year to maintain and an estimated $2.5 billion to upgrade.
The Ryder Cup golf tournament will be held at the K Club in Straffran, County Kildare, on Sept. 22 through 26; it is the first time Ireland has hosted the event. Universal Weather and Aviation is advising its customers that because of the tournament's immense popularity, operational issues must be addressed immediately for all travel to Ireland during the dates of this event, even for those planning only to transit through Dublin. Airport slots for Dublin are filling rapidly. Operators are advised to apply now for slots.
Landmark Aviation, Tempe, Ariz., named Bob Candler as vice president and general manager of its Springfield, Ill., maintenance, repair and overhaul operation. Greg Haywood was named regional group sales manager for the Western United States and international sales territories. Harry Zegarski is the new modifications sales manager for the Western United States. Mark Thibault will be the new regional sales manager for Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and British Columbia.
The AOPA agrees that training is one way to help reduce the number of unintended incursions into the Air Defense Identification Zone around the Washington, D.C., region, but called the FAA's proposal for mandatory training, "a de facto expansion of the ADIZ" that could actually increase the number of violations. The proposal, to require training for pilots of all VFR flights within 100 miles of DCA VOR/DME, effectively expands the ADIZ to 117 airports, the AOPA contends, saying it will capture pilots who do not plan on flying near the restricted airspace.
Steve Ouellette from the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) presents avionics technicians at Banyan Air Service in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., awards for excellence in avionics training.
A Dornier Do-328-300 operated by East Coast Flight Services Inc. was substantially damaged during a runway overrun, following an aborted morning takeoff at the Manassas Regional Airport (HEF) in Virginia. According to the operator, the flight crew reported an "airspeed miscompare" before aborting the takeoff.
When Scot Killen got his shot as coxswain aboard the New York Athletic Club lightweight eights in 1978, he was 13 years old and weighed 102 pounds--eight pounds below the minimum. "They made me drink a gallon of water before I weighed in," he recalls, laughing. In crew, the coxswain steers, sets the pace, and acts as a kind of coach, but he was a neophyte in a crew of veterans.
A Bornhofen Sport-Jet experimental jet struck the ground after takeoff from Colorado Springs Municipal Airport (COS), seriously injuring the pilot and passenger. According to witnesses, the airplane departed Runway 17R and rose to about 15 feet when it rolled hard to the left and began to "cartwheel" down the runway.
My compliments on your excellent article, "Cowboy Pilots" (June, page 59). This should be required reading for all aspiring professionals! As a career CFI, I am obsessed with finding ways to keep good pilots from killing themselves. This is a complex challenge for the approach must differ between recreational and professional flyers. There are elements in the institution that work against us.
Flight Display Systems, Alpharatta, Ga., appointed Gina Moore as southeast regional sales manager. Robert Pollard was named mechanical engineer, responsible for standardization and documentation of manufacturing procedures.
The National Aircraft Resale Association now has 32 broker/dealer members, an all-time high for the organization. During NARA's spring meeting, which was held in San Diego in late August, the group added three new broker/dealers to its roster -- Bell Aviation, Business Aircraft Leasing and G.A.S. Capital. In addition, Atlantic Aviation Flight Services (a Sentient Jet company) has become NARA's newest associate member. The organization now has 68 associate members.
What's it like to pilot the world's first fly-by-wire (FBW) business jet? Dassault provided B&CA with an exclusive opportunity to find out firsthand when we belted into the left seat of the Falcon 7X at its Istres Air Base Flight Test Center for a two-hour demo flight in mid-July.
The NTSB held a hearing July 12-13 to explore concerns about carriage of hazardous materials on cargo aircraft. The hearing stemmed from the agency's continuing investigation into a Feb. 8 United Parcel Service DC-8 accident at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). The three-member crew landed at PHL after receiving (correct) indications of a fire in the cargo bay. All three escaped with minor injuries, but the fire caused substantial damage to the airplane and its cargo.
A dearth of open space suitable for urban development has combined with the need for cash-strapped municipal governments to seek short-term tax revenues, creating a "perfect storm" in the ongoing assault on general aviation airports.
The entire general aviation community agreed that the DOT lost a wealth of knowledge about aviation, and general aviation in particular, when Secretary Norman Mineta stepped down on July 7. A lifelong Democrat serving in a Republican administration, Mineta was one of the first Cabinet members to be sworn into the Bush administration, and one of the longest-serving members, with five and one-half years at the helm.
The FAA published a final rule regarding drug or alcohol testing and medical certifications that includes several changes to airman medical certification standards and applies to all certificated airmen. It also impacts all organizations with FAA-mandated Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs. The rule changes the airman medical certification standards to disqualify an airman based on an alcohol test result of 0.04 or greater breath alcohol content.
Twinjet of London Luton Airport received a new 34-seat Airbus ACJ to replace its current ACJ, G-OMAK, which has been managed and operated on behalf of Al-Kharafi Aviation 2000 Ltd. since 1998. The new aircraft will have a double bed in a forward compartment and luxury cabins with all seats convertible into flat-beds. Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg, Germany, completed the cabin interior. The two ACJs will operate side by side until September when G-OMAK is expected to be sold.
A good way to get started with an airport-advocacy program is by composing a "values checklist" listing the strengths and weaknesses of the facility. Here are some areas to consider when getting started: -Is the airport really serving the community or region in its present state? Using the guidelines stated in this report (both the main story and sidebars, especially those describing state aeronautical programs) justify all the reasons why the airport benefits your community. (See also next point.)
Two hundred twenty-five Cessna Citations transported more than 1,500 athletes to and from the Special Olympic U.S. National Games held the first week of July at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. This, the fifth Citation Special Olympics Airlift, brought in Olympians from 28 different states and 39 different airports. Cessna reports that almost 25 percent of all the competing athletes were transported by the airlift.
