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.
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 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 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.
For several years, Brazilian manufacturer Embraer has been flying an ethanol-burning agricultural aircraft. The results are "very good," according to CEO Mauricio Botelho, who noted that ethanol is cheap in Brazil, about one-fifth the cost of aviation gasoline. "Ethanol may be a good choice" on technical grounds for broader use as an aviation fuel, Botelho said, "but it competes with food," cautioning that socio-economic and political factors may ultimately weigh against widespread replacement of aviation gasoline with ethanol.
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.)
Genesis 3 Engineering Inc., the Woodland Park, Colo., company that has been offering several RVSM compliance packages for Dassault Falcon 20s, has gained another FAA approval for that type. The company recently won group certification of its RVSM package for Falcon 20s outfitted with the Collins APS-80 autopilot. Delivery of the first retrofitted aircraft was pending at press time. Earlier, the company earned FAA approval for RVSM packages for Falcon 20s originally equipped with the Collins APS-104 and APS-105 and Sperry SPZ-500 autopilots.
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 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.
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.
Securaplane Technologies has signed a distribution agreement for emergency batteries with CRS Jet Spares. Securaplane Emergency Battery Systems use Hawker sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries instead of nickel cadmium, and are either original or approved replacement equipment for most business jet applications including the Gulfstream GIII, GIV, GV, 300, 450, 500 and the 550; Bombardier CL601, Global Express and the Challenger 300; the Raytheon Hawker 800 and 800XP; the Dassault Falcon 50, 900 and 2000, as well as Cessna and other airframes.
Dave Collogan's June Washington ("Failing to Invest in the Future," page 87) stated the case for continued and increased support for the Be A Pilot program in a highly effective manner. While almost every segment of aviation is enjoying today's strong market, investing in the development of a supply of tomorrow's pilot-customers is a certain annuity against an always uncertain future. Current sponsors of Be A Pilot are now reviewing a proposal for a continuation of the program, and early responses have been encouraging.
Landmark Aviation completed a $300,000 interior renovation of its FBO at Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Virginia. The renovation included upgrades to the lobby, restrooms, weather room, conference rooms, snack rooms and pilots' lounge at the 8,000-square-foot facility. The renovation also included new furnishings that reflect the hunt country heritage of the region. Landmark called the IAD facility one of its flagship FBOs. The facility also has 54,000 square feet of hangar space and 27,000 square feet of shop and office space.
Embraer announced the firm order backlog and production schedule for its Executive Jets business at a press conference during the 45th Farnborough International Airshow. "As of June 30th, 2006, our executive jet firm order backlog stands at U.S.$ 1.25 billion," said Maurício Botelho, Embraer chairman, president and CEO. "In respect to the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300, since our launch announcement just over a year ago, we have logged in excess of 235 firm orders." The Legacy 600 was launched in 2000 at the Farnborough Airshow, with deliveries beginning in the following year.
Gulfstream Aerospace is adding three enhancements to its CMP.net computerized aircraft maintenance tracking program. The Work Order Module tracks day-to-day hangar floor activities to help manage costs, the Inventory/Purchase Order Module integrates inventory and parts management with purchasing and Smart Cards save customers' time by replacing handwritten CMP task cards with an electronic version.
I was saddened but not surprised to read of the late lamented Lt. Col. Arthur "Bud" Holland and others like him in "Cowboy Pilots" ( June, page 59). Until the powers that be decide to repeal the law of averages, those who engage in aerial antics will sooner or later find themselves reduced to a statistic, but not before being reduced to a smoldering pile of wreckage.
Raytheon Aircraft Co. has appointed Canada's Skyservice as an authorized service center (ASC) for Bonanzas, Barons and King Airs. Skyservice -- with bases in Montreal, Toronto and Calgary -- is an FBO with business aircraft, air ambulance and commercial airline operations. The facilities in Montreal and Toronto will receive ASC status. Skyservice's maintenance organization is approved by Transport Canada and has experience on most King Air and Beechcraft models.
Waypoint Partners, LLC, a new Atlanta-based firm that specializes in monitoring and overseeing completions and major modifications of high-end corporate jets, has finished its first project, the refurbishment of a Global Express. The aircraft, which was updated by Savannah Air Center, featured a major change in the floor plan and installation of new soft goods, cabinetry and a state-of-the-art communications and high-speed data system.
The advertisement in Trade-A-Plane said the Mallard had crashed in the Fijian jungle, but they were asking almost as much as the going price in the United States. The "crashed in the jungle" part didn't sound good to me, either.
Brian Foley Associates, Sparta, N.J. Industry veteran Brian Foley, a director at Dassault Falcon Jet for the past 21 years, has formed a new consultancy to assist clients by providing management and marketing guidance to companies engaged in the aviation industry.
Jeppesen has completed a two-year project to bring Required Navigation Performance (RNP) technology to the Gary/Chicago International Airport (KGYY) in Gary, Ind. Jeppesen worked closely with airport staff as well as local FAA officials to create two public RNP procedures to Runway 12 and Runway 30. The Runway 30 procedure was published June 8. The Runway 12 procedure will be available this fall. When available, the RNP Runway 12 approach will be the first time this runway has ever been served with an IFR approach.
SON MATTHEW, A NEWLY minted environmental major graduate of the University of North Carolina - Wilmington and biodiesel advocate, can rattle off all sorts of intriguing information about the world around us these days.
