Rockwell Collins announced April 3 that it has consolidated its Rockwell Collins Deutschland operations, located in Heusenstamm, Germany, with TELDIX, a Rockwell Collins company located in Heidelberg. The business will be known as Rockwell Collins Deutschland GmbH and will operate in Heidelberg. "This change strengthens our presence in the aerospace and defense marketplace worldwide and allows us to present an integrated product portfolio in this important region," said Bernard Loth, vice president and general manager of International Subsidiaries for Rockwell Collins.
A German-registered Learjet 40, D-CNIK, ran amok for a short time on the ramp at Gatwick Airport on March 17. The aircraft was ready for flight with one or two engines running. Suddenly it swung 180 degrees and one person on the ground was injured. The authorities are still investigating the incident, but according to an unofficial Web report, the motion was caused by a pilot tripping into the cockpit and knocking the right throttle.
Elliott Aviation has promoted Donald Jay to chief operating officer. Jay formerly was vice president of branch and flight operations, managing operations at Elliott's facilities at Flying Cloud Regional Airport in Eden Prairie, Minn.; Eppley Airfield in Omaha; Des Moines International Airport in Iowa; and Quad Cities International Airport in Moline, Ill. He also managed the company's air taxi operations. Jay joined the company in 1989 as director of customer service and was named vice president and general manager at Des Moines in 1991.
I find the Learjet 24D "gear-up" landing in Accidents in Brief in the February issue (page 79) interesting. I have flown all the 20 Series Learjets, and either I'm missing something in this summary, or the FAA Investigators are. First, it states the copilot called for the landing gear to be extended. In my training, as copilot, it was my duty to extend the landing gear when called for by the pilot (the flying pilot). The article states that the pilot (assuming the flying pilot) extended the landing gear, or so he thought.
Bombardier announced March 30 that the first Challenger 850 corporate shuttle has entered service with Suncor Energy Inc., to support development of Western Canada's oil sands resources. One of the largest private employers in the province of Alberta, with more than 3,500 employees, Suncor Energy will operate a shuttle service for its personnel and contractors six days a week. The 50-passenger Challenger 850 will shuttle passengers between Suncor's Calgary headquarters and Fort McMurray in northern Alberta.
Gama Aviation Ltd. at Farnborough Airport has acquired two Beechcraft King Air B200Cs. The aircraft will be used for the Scottish Ambulance Service. A cargo variant of the King Air with a wide cargo door, the B200C is equipped with Lifeport pneumatically assisted loading and dual patient stretcher systems.
Helicopter passengers can follow the route of flight on their IFE systems with a compact, retrofit unit from Flight Display Systems. Passengers are provided real-time flight information, location, airspeed, altitude, and nearby cities and roads on a cabin display. Avionics shops can easily customize the location database. The Helicopter Moving Map is available in two versions: the FD200CPU-7H, for helicopters with RS-232 navigational systems, and the FD200CPU-8H, for helicopters with ARINC 429 navigational systems.
Stevens Aviation, Greenville, S.C., appointed Dick Christopher as Hawker program manager. He will be responsible for all aspects of the aircraft's maintenance and modification activities.
Hidden behind the contours of the terrain, the federal facility is unseen by the thousands of northern Virginia commuters who speed past its access road every day. Even if one of those drivers were to turn onto the road leading to it, they'd find no hint of a major government installation.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has officially released the equivalent of FAR Part 135 operating standards and CCAR 135 is now in the rule book. This is expected to further encourage growth in both business and regional aviation. Asia Business Aviation Association President Jason Liao says that Hainan Airlines' business jet subsidiary, Deerjet, will be operating its five Hawker 800XPs under Part 135 and its managed Beechcraft Premier Is under CCAR Part 91.
Accidents involving turbine-powered business aircraft dropped substantially from first quarter 2005 to the quarter just ended, according to information compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla. The U.S. business jet and turboprop fleet combined experienced 15 accidents, including five fatal accidents, which resulted in 16 passenger and crew fatalities during the first quarter of this year, Breiling said. By comparison, there were 23 accidents in first quarter 2005, five of which resulted in 24 fatalities.
Rockwell Collins has received a commercial license from the Federal Communications Commission allowing the company's eXchange broadband data and live television system to operate in the United States. The FCC granted an experimental license in 2005 covering the initial deployment and testing.
A 1947-vintage G-73T Grumman Turbo Mallard powered by two Pratt & Whitney PT-6s and operated by Chalks Airline rumbled out of its Watson's Island amphibian terminal across from Port Miami and began its water run for takeoff. The Bimini-bound flight had 18 passengers and two pilots aboard. A number of beachgoers and passersby watched as the aircraft climbed away from the ship channel and then saw the right wing separate, followed by a burst of flames as the Grumman plummeted into the water. All aboard were killed.
Thanks for your note. I was unfamiliar with the Atlanta Olympics experience, but I agree that it does reflect the same kind of overreaction as those who fear VLJs will soon darken the skies. As for user fees, we're discussed them several times in the magazine and have a feature on that subject in this issue (page 58). The Jet-A tax issue was the subject of my March Viewpoint, and a matter of real concern. Unfortunately, the problem persists and, yes, the whole industry will suffer if it doesn't get resolved.
Phil Michel, the veteran Cessna Aircraft marketing executive who announced plans in 2005 to retire in April of this year, will remain with the Wichita aircraft manufacturer for an indeterminate period. Steve Fushelberger, who was named in September to succeed Michel as vice president of marketing, left Cessna in mid-March for personal reasons. Michel told The Weekly of Business Aviation he plans to remain on board until a permanent successor is identified, hired and a transition is completed.
The British Airports Authority (BAA), which owns Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports, has rejected a pre-conditional buyout proposal ($14 per share) from a consortium led by Grupo Ferrovial S.A. The BAA board said that it, "has no hesitation in rejecting this proposal, which does not begin to reflect the true value of BAA's unique portfolio of airport assets. On the basis of this proposal, the board does not believe it is in shareholders' interests for it to enter into discussions with Ferrovial." BAA's total revenues in 2005 were $3.4 billion from its seven U.K.
Now it's easy to add full GPS navigation and hands-free calling capabilities to your mobile smartphone with Garmin's Mobile 20 -- a Bluetooth-enabled wireless GPS navigation system. Mobile 20 supports Nokia, Windows Mobile and Treo smartphones, and its integrated phone mount, the GPS 20SM, with a built-in GPS receiver and Bluetooth-enabled speaker and microphone, accommodates nearly any size. The Mobile 20's smart features include:
Lowering the WAAS floor to 200 feet agl has opened the door to precision approaches at literally thousands of general aviation airports. (See B&CA, April, page 22.) AOPA President Phil Boyer wants the FAA to recognize WAAS LPV (lateral precision and vertical guidance) approaches as true precision approaches and to launch an aggressive program to implement them at airports now without precision approaches.
Following the collapse of nine months of negotiations between the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association the parties declared a stalemate and the FAA sent its pay proposal to Congress for review. Unless Congress intercedes within 60 days, the FAA will be able to impose its contract terms on the union.
