Dr. Allen Novick, vice president of marketing intelligence and support for Rolls-Royce in Indianapolis, has been awarded a Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award by Purdue University. The award recognizes Novick for his technical and managerial leadership in the production of commercial aircraft engines, and for his commitment to bettering industry in Indiana.
FlightSafety International will host a Helicopter Safety Forum at the Marriott Dallas/Fort Worth South Hotel in Fort Worth on May 4-5. Open to all helicopter operators, the forum will feature safety-centered seminars, discussion groups and safety presentations by industry experts and government officials. The forum will address issues relevant to air medical, law enforcement, fire and offshore corporate and commercial operations.
CAPT. LUIS PALANCO HAD JUST returned from a two-day transatlantic trip to Nice and the experience had been a good one. It was a quick out and back with no time for sightseeing -- he'd been in Nice for less than a day -- but such was the life of a charter Challenger captain. His had been a busy schedule, crisscrossing the country six times plus a flight to Florida in the seven days prior to his transatlantic flights. Jet lag could take its toll, especially when the trip board got crowded, but he made a point of resting as much as possible and tried to adjust.
Lufthansa may expand its program of using NetJets Europe's business jets to connect passengers arriving in Frankfurt and Munich direct to other European cities. Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales Thierry Antinori said at the International Tourism Exchange in Berlin, "Lufthansa Private Jet is performing above our expectations." According to Antinori, the airline is recording about 10 corporate jet bookings per day, and more than 50 percent of the customers have used the service more than once.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association finally agreed that the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service should join its contract talks with the FAA. After meeting with FMCS representatives NATCA said it "came away convinced that mediation is the appropriate next step in our contract talks." Both sides must agree on the need for mediation before FMCS will intervene. The FAA called for mediation in November 2005, citing slow progress in the talks with the union, but at that point NATCA objected.
It's not often that an aircraft manufacturer introduces new derivative models that, compared to their predecessors, weigh more yet climb and cruise faster, burn less fuel and need less runway when departing hot-and-high airports. But that's exactly what Cessna has achieved with the Citations CJ1+ and CJ2+.
Bruce Currier, vice president of avionics for Evergreen Helicopters, McMinnville, Ore., received the HAI Aviation Repair Specialist Award at February's Heli-Expo.
The FAA predicts a double-digit growth rate for the U.S. business jet fleet over the next 12 years, including the addition of nearly 5,000 very light jets. Industry forecasts also are bullish, but many observers believe the FAA's business jet predictions err on the high side, part of the administration's attempt to convince Congress that the FAA needs new funding mechanisms to deal with more business aviation traffic.
Concerns that security-sensitive operational information was publicly available prompted the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to ask the FAA to block access to transcripts from the public hearings on a proposal to make permanent the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over Washington, D.C. The FAA, with participation by the TSA and a number of other federal agencies, held two hearings in January that together drew more than 500 attendees -- most of them opposed to the ADIZ proposal.
Three crewmembers and one passenger were aboard a German registered-Bombardier CL600, D-ABCD, when it slid off London-Luton's 7,087-foot-long Runway 8/26 on landing Feb. 5. None of those aboard were reported injured. The aircraft was stuck in mud just a few yards off the end of the runway and as a result all arriving flights and some departures were canceled. Disruption lasted several hours and some en route aircraft were diverted to London-Stansted and Nottingham East Midlands Airport. EasyJet was forced to cancel 12 flights.
Elliott Aviation will take delivery of its first Socata TBM 850 turboprop aircraft. Elliott was named as the newest authorized service center and distributor in the Socata network and is responsible for the states of Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska starting this year. The Socata TBM 850, recently certified by EASA and the FAA, is a more powerful and faster derivative of the Socata TBM 700.
Sky Connect sold 75 of its Tracker systems to Era Helicopters of Lake Charles, La., to support its offshore oil operations. The Sky Connect tracking system uses the Iridium satellite network to provide operators with real-time information on airborne, marine and ground assets. Operators can monitor the location, track and status of an entire fleet worldwide, even in the polar regions. The system also exchanges voice and data communications.
General Aviation advocates are hoping Congress will suspend implementation of a new tax law that requires aviation jet fuel vendors to pay the higher diesel fuel tax rate and then apply for a refund for the difference between the highway fuel tax and aviation fuel tax. The Internal Revenue Service started enforcing the rules early this year. And some vendors have reported the agency was threatening to audit companies seeking refunds.
As of March 1, the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment and the Aircraft Protocol took effect. The convention applies to aircraft certificated for at least eight seats (including the crew), including fractional interests in such aircraft; and helicopters certificated for at least five seats (including the crew), and engines rated at 550 horsepower or more. The convention establishes new laws for aircraft transactions and the perfection of interests in aircraft and engines.
Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, Oklahoma City. The FAA has named Stan Sieg deputy director of the agency's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center. Sieg succeeds Richard Rodine, who retired on Jan. 3.
In a dramatic unveiling at February's Heli-Expo, Bell Helicopter introduced its Bell 417. Bell Helicopter CEO Mike Redenbaugh revealed a mock-up of the new model in law enforcement configuration. "The Bell 417 is our answer to the customers' demand for a powerful single-engine helicopter with unmatched hot-and-high hover capability," explained Redenbaugh.
Dallas Airmotive, Dallas, appointed Steve Hubble as a regional engine manager for the Western United States. He will be responsible for sales of the company's TFE731 engine services. Mike Clarke has been promoted to the newly created position of territorial sales director for Scandinavia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Landmark Aviation will distribute SKYLink by ARINC Direct, the high speed satellite broadband communications system for business aircraft. Landmark Aviation, formerly Garrett/ Piedmont Hawthorne/Associated, will sell and install SKYLink in the North American corporate jet aftermarket.
Bombardier Aerospace has signed a contract with Petroleum Air Services (PAS) of Cairo, Egypt, for the sale of an additional Bombardier Q300 turboprop airliner, which will bring its Q300 fleet to five aircraft. The list price value for the aircraft on firm order is approximately $17.4 million.
On occasion, customers specing a cabin for lighting may run into the term "fiber optics" and file it away in memory as a lighting technology. It's not light, but it is a very powerful and flexible optical technology for conducting light. The borescope your engine shop uses to peer into the jet's innards is a fiber-optic viewer.
Faced with removing tires from service as a result of weather checking, cracking and dry rot? You can't stop tires from wearing, but premature tire degradation can be caused by ultraviolet and ozone exposure. SunBlock for Tires, available from Pro Tech Products, is specially formulated to block harmful sun and ozone damage. UV rays penetrate tires, attacking rubber ingredients that provide flexibility and resilience. SunBlock for Tires prevents environmental damage such as peeling, cracking or weathering away, even after years of exposure.
