Cornerstone Logic's FBO Manager software is just what the name suggests, a suite of tools providing general accounting and more specialized aspects of flight school and FBO management such as tracking fuel trucks, flights, customers and block times; contract fuel processing; and credit card processing. The company has been building its portfolio of authorizations to process various brands of aviation credit cards. Already able to interface with the ConocoPhillips network, Air BP, ExxonMobil, Multi Service, Chevron, Texaco, Shell and now AvFuel. Price: Varies
The FAA recently issued an emergency AD to operators of the Pacific Aerospace Corp.'s PAC 750XL, warning that the aircraft's wings might not meet load requirements at its maximum takeoff weight of 7,500 pounds. The company discovered the problem during an ultimate load test of a production wing. The manufacturer, based in New Zealand, is dropping MTOW on the single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6-powered utility aircraft to 7,125 pounds until it develops a modification to raise the MTOW to its original level.
A group of airport officials has been lobbying to ban Stage 1 and 2 business jets at U.S. airports. Organizers of the group, Sound Initiative -- A Coalition for Quieter Skies, say Stage 1 and 2 aircraft total somewhere between 800 and 1,100 airplanes. While accounting for only about 7 percent of all U.S. business jets, the older, noisier models are responsible for generating an inordinately large portion of airport noise complaints nationwide, according to Sound Initiative.
The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) recently and officially voiced concern that "Airline pilots increasingly lack 'basic flying skills' and may be unable to cope with an inflight emergency such as sudden mechanical failure." The union warns that pilots are becoming too reliant on automated systems and are not being encouraged or trained to fly manually.
As business aviation has matured, the use of part-time pilots and flight attendants for crew augmentation in FAR Part 91 and 135 operations has become an established -- if occasionally controversial -- practice.
Bombardier Aerospace has inaugurated its 50,000-square-foot aircraft parts distribution facility in Frankfurt, Germany, which will support operators of Bombardier business jets and regional airliners. The new facility, located near Frankfurt International Airport, will stock more than 40,000 unique parts. Bombardier Aerospace Headquarters 400 Côte-Vertu Road West Dorval, Québec Canada H4S 1Y9 Phone: (514) 855-5000 www.bombardier.com
*Dassault Falcon 2000 airplanes powered by CFE738-1-1B engines -- Inspect engines to verify that a spherical bearing is installed on the attachment fitting of the engine mount. Take corrective action if necessary. *Dowty Propellers on certain Fairchild turboprops -- Perform initial and repetitive ultrasonic inspections of propeller hubs (part number 660709201) for cracks and take corrective action if necessary.
S-TEC is offering King Air 90, Conquest I, and Cheyenne I and II aircraft operators who purchase its 2100 digital autopilot a free glass cockpit with no installation fees. "These fleets need a low-cost autopilot and EFIS solution and we're excited about providing it," said S-TEC Director of Sales Greg Plantz.
Cessna Aircraft moved a step closer to certification of its Citation Mustang jet with FAA issuance of Type Inspection Authorization for the program. The FAA's decision to grant TIA to Cessna in late December 2005 cleared the way for the Mustang prototype flight test hours to apply toward federal certification and came several weeks earlier than originally scheduled. The Mustang prototype and s.n.
Landmark Aviation completed the acquisition of Skyport Flight Services, the venerable but low-key FBO at Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains, N.Y. Landmark, whose holdings include what had been known as Garrett, Piedmont Hawthorne and Associated Air Center, was rebranded in fall 2005 just before the NBAA Convention. Officials said then they planned to boost the profile of their FBO holdings with significant acquisitions in major business aviation markets. Skyport was the first of those acquisitions.
*Eurocopter SA-365N, N1, N2 and -366G1 helicopters -- Inspect the main gearbox suspension diagonal cross-member for cracks and replace it with an airworthy part if any crack is found. *Hamilton Sundstrand 14RF-19 propellers -- Replace certain actuator yokes with improved actuator yokes.
GAMA praised President Bush and the Congress for enactment of the FY 2006 Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill, which guarantees funding for maintaining staffing levels in the FAA's Aircraft Certification Service. The final bill provides $4 million above the FAA budget request for the Aircraft Certification Service. It also brings back staffing to FY 2004 levels of 1,189 full-time equivalent positions.
Effective Jan. 1, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials increased landing fees at Teterboro Airport by 50 percent for all aircraft weighing more than 6,000 pounds, but canceled the increase for the lightest aircraft. Under the original schedule, fees for aircraft weighing up to 12,500 pounds were to increase from $15 to $22.50. The AOPA protested the fee schedule, saying the increases would disproportionately burden small operators, who pay the levies out of their own pockets rather than pass them onto corporations.
The Professional Aviation Maintenance Association is lobbying Congress to create a "National Aviation Maintenance Technicians Day" to honor Charles Taylor, who worked with the Wright brothers, and all maintenance technicians. For more information, contact PAMA President Brian Finnegan at [email protected].
It was a typical Chamber of Commerce late fall day on the beach at Puamana, just south of Lahaina, Maui, with brilliant sunshine, soft tradewinds, billowy cumulus clouds and 80°F temperatures. The only sounds to be heard were the breakers washing up against the rocks along with some mynahs singing in the acacia trees. I strolled down to the shore and settled into a beach chair to peruse A Hawaiian Reader, occasionally catching a brief glimpse of a sea turtle just beyond the shore break or glancing at the fishing boats plodding along off the coast.
A Bulgarian Air Force VIP Bell 430 has been sold to Sofia-based Balkan Holiday Airlines as executive transport for officials of First Investment Bank. According to local reports, the cash-strapped Bulgarian military, which operated the aircraft on behalf of the Bulgarian government, needed the $3 million to finance army helicopter operations. This low-hours aircraft now sports the apt registration LZ-VIP.
In mid-December the FAA approved of an RVSM compliance package for the Hawker 600, according to Linwood "Woody" Cottner, Sr., CEO and vice president of engineering for LJSC Ltd., the Kansas-based engineering company that is developing the modification. Flight Research, Inc. did the flight testing of the retrofit. The airplane has been modified to include the installation of two air-data display units and two air-data sensors manufactured by Innovative Solutions & Support.
The early evening flight to transport a patient to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center was done, and the pilot and flight nurses set off across Puget Sound to return to their home base at Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) in their Agusta A109A. Conditions were VMC. The twin engine helicopter proceeded north, following the coastline at approximately 800 feet msl and as it reached an area near Edmonds called Brown's Bay, radar showed it turning towards the west, away from the shoreline.
Embraer Executive Jets, Sao Jose Dos Campos, Brazil, appointed Colin Steven to the post of vice president of marketing and sales. He will be responsible for Embraer business jet sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Beginning in mid-October, Oxford, Conn.-based Tradewind Aviation will be operating a fleet of Cessna Grand Caravans and Pilatus PC-12s in the Caribbean. The aircraft will be based out of St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Islands, and will be serving the islands of St. Bart's, Gorda and Anguilla, St. Kitts, Nevis, Barbuda, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Puerto Rico and Vieques. Customers who fly into San Juan via commercial airlines will be met there and transferred to their final island destination. Customers coming via private jet to St. Croix will be met at the ramp at St.
Dallas Airmotive, Dallas, has named Jim Zarvos as director of sales for Rolls-Royce engine programs. Max Allen has been named program director Rolls-Royce at the company's Forest Park facility in Dallas and Steve Lunde has been appointed Rolls-Royce regional engine manager for the Western United States.
