Three of the world's largest aircraft leasing companies issued a stern warning to U.S. legacy airlines that they shouldn't expect any more discounts, deals or bailouts in the future, as the leasing giants would rather deal with customers in other parts of the world. International Lease Finance Corp. CEO Steven Udvar-Hazy, GE Commercial Aviation Services CEO Henry Hubschman and Aviation Capital Group co-founder Stephen Hannahs issued those warnings during a recent meeting of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading in Orlando.
After 18 very exciting and rewarding years as vice president/publisher of the Aviation Week Group -- of which B&CA is a prominent member -- I will retire from The McGraw-Hill Companies at the end of 2006.
I'D WANTED TO FLY SINCE I was a kid, peddling my bicycle out to Torrance, Calif., Airport to watch the airplanes come and go. To later satisfy that yearning, I waited tables to pay for flying lessons. Once licensed, I began to pay dues, instructing, flying charters in a Seneca, hauling checks over the midnight Rockies in a King Air 200, and then taking a chance with the pioneer of low cost carriers, PeopleExpress, which was later merged into Continental.
The AOPA called creating temporary flight restrictions the wrong way to manage unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and urged the FAA to ensure UAVs operate at the same level of safety as manned aircraft. Security agencies have increased the use of UAVs before the FAA has had an opportunity to regulate them, Andrew Cebula, AOPA's executive vice president of government affairs, testified before the House aviation subcommittee in late March.
The DC-3 legend continues. A preliminary NTSB report says that on March 3 an FAA principal operations inspector found a DC-3 "with extensive left wing leading edge damage" at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. When he queried the operator, Transnorthern Aviation Inc., a spokeswoman said the airplane, N777YA, was damaged during a landing on the evening of March 1 at the Beluga Airport, about 30 minutes by air from Anchorage.
Raytheon Aircraft Co. is realigning its top management structure in the wake of the departure of Ed Dolanski for a senior position within the parent corporation. As a result, RAC Chairman and CEO Jim Schuster appointed Randy Groom, who had been president and general manager of Beechcraft, as president of Global Customer Service and Support. Brad Hatt, who had been president and general manager of Hawker, becomes president of Global Commercial Sales for Beechcraft and Hawker.
Transport Canada canceled the air operator certificate formerly held by NexJet Aviation Inc., the agency announced March 8. The decision to cancel the carrier's certificate was "based on a review of the company's records relating to a number of suspension, and Notices of Suspension, regulatory offenses and the company's inability to demonstrate operational control, including proper record-keeping and aircraft maintenance," Transport Canada said.
FlightWorks recently added a Hawker 700 to its growing fleet. This aircraft is based at McCollum Field in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Hawker 700 will be placed on FlightWorks' FAR Part 135 certificate and managed under the company's FlightWise management program. For information, call Cheryl Dornenburg at (770) 422-7375 or (800) 255-1971.
Cessna Aircraft has begun delivery of 42 Skyhawks to the Civil Aviation Flying University of China (CAFUC). The airplanes are traveling overseas by boat in 40-foot containers that can carry three of the Model 172s at a time. Twenty-two of the 172s will have the Garmin GA (glass) package and 20 will have the NAV I with ADF (non-glass). In addition to the 42 Skyhawks, the CAFUC took delivery of six Cessna Citation CJ1s in August 2005. Once primary training is completed in the 172s, students begin learning to fly the CJ1s.
I always enjoy William Garvey's Viewpoint, but never more than in the January B&CA (page 7). He nailed the absence of businesses' current lack of a customer-centric approach and how that black hole swallows up all flexibility, humanity and - as a result - customer loyalty. I hope some of the offenders read Viewpoint, recognize themselves and make some much-needed changes.
Embraer has completed the Joint Definition Phase (JDP) for its Phenom 100 very light jet. During the JDP a multi-disciplinary team -- including more than 300 Embraer engineers in collaboration with suppliers co-located at company headquarters in São José dos Campos -- finalized defining the aircraft and met with government officials to agree on procedures for fulfilling certification requirements.
Lufthansa Technik has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with The Mexmil Co., allowing the Santa Ana, Calif.-based company to manufacture the German company's patented cabin acoustic insulation system. The Lufthansa system, called AcousticPlus, "provides a dramatically improved environment and flying experience for passengers," Lufthansa said.
The big white board in the scheduler's office is to business aviation operations as a public bulletin board in a town square is to the local citizens -- a place where the community it serves can gather to gain information and proffer comment. Schedulers with multi-colored markers post upcoming flights on the board, while mesmerized pilots, managers, and hangar crew stare at the hallowed wall of promise, study the trips and copy them into calendars.
An abnormal procedures checklist should help us determine the cause of a malfunction, and take the proper corrective actions, but sometimes what seems obvious to a procedure designer on the ground is much less so to the busy pilot who must deal with the malfunction in flight. For example, I fly a Cessna Citation Encore, an aircraft equipped with starter-generators protected from electrical malfunctions by a generator control unit (GCU). The generator itself is equipped with a field relay, which protects against over-voltage, and a feeder fault (think "short circuit").
Rick Voorhis, a former board member of the National Air Transportation Association, and Cessna salesman Steve O'Neill were killed March 29 in a Cessna Caravan accident in a mountainous area near Yucaipa, Calif., about 25 miles west of Palm Springs. Voorhis, 53, headed Pacific Aircraft Sales of Reno, Nev., the Cessna Caravan authorized sales outlet for California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii. O'Neill, 45, was Caravan's regional sales manager for the Western U.S. and Canada.
Business Aircraft Leasing, Inc., Nashville, announced that Jackie Henson has been named executive vice president; Rick Smith was named vice president sales and marketing; and Richard Thompson joined the company as sales and acquisitions associate.
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.
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.
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.
