Chris Groshel, Maintenance Chief, MCI Flight Ops (Via e-mail)
I enjoyed David Esler's November 2005 article on mergers. As a "casualty" of three recent flight department mergers, I agree whole-heartedly with many of the points made in the article. But Esler missed two things: He didn't mention AOL Time Warner (GTC) -- a classic bad merge. And MCI Flight Ops never disappeared.
Sandel Avionics' SN4500 EHSI and SA4500 EADI offer operators of turbine-class aircraft a modular technology update for electromechanical units. Incorporating the company's SandelSmart I/O for compatibility with most analog or digital aircraft, the SN4500 and SA4500 offer an easy-to-install aftermarket update, adding affordable moving map functionality and an enhanced, highly readable attitude display.
Jet Aviation has added an Airbus 319 Corporate Jetliner to its Aircraft Management Division for Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. The aircraft will be based at Jet Aviation's new maintenance operation and FBO in Dubai.
Dubai's World Central Jebel Ali Airport City is to be developed as a free trade zone at a cost of around $8.7 billion for the first phases. It will include what could be the world's largest airport, which will cover 137 square kilometers -- around 10 times the size of Dubai's current international airport. Jebel Ali will eventually have six parallel runways and be capable of handling 120 million passengers per year. Construction is under way and the first aircraft is due to land in first quarter 2007.
The heads of four general aviation associations met with Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and White House officials in December 2005 to discuss their concerns about the agency's campaign to overhaul its current financing mechanism and move toward a cost-based system.
The first flight of Diamond Aircraft Industries single-engine, five-seat D-Jet has been delayed again, this time from Dec. 5, 2005, until April. When launched in late 2002, the Austrian company announced that the under $1 million Williams FJ33-4 turbofan-powered aircraft would fly at the end of 2004 with first deliveries scheduled for 2006. In 2005, these dates were changed again with first flight scheduled for March-April 2005 and first deliveries in mid-2006.
-Bell 206B helicopters -- For aircraft modified with Aeronautical Accessories Inc. energy-attenuating seats, replace the seat wire with airworthy wire. -Bombardier Challenger 600, 601 and 604 airplanes -- Modify the rudder balance spring assembly by installing a new adjustable balance spring and rigging the assembly to suit the rudder of each airplane.
Although traditionally characterized by airliners converted into plush private transports operated for the royal families that rule the several countries located on the Arabian Peninsula, business aviation throughout the Middle East is rapidly transitioning to a form and function much more familiar in the rest of the world: a high-speed, on-demand facilitator of business. The number of aircraft based within the region is expected to increase by nearly 20 percent during the next year or so.
Gulf Coast Avionics Corp. and Pacific Coast Avionics Corp. have launched all-new Web sites. Gulf Coast Avionics President Rick Garcia said, "Electronic marketing has rapidly become a key component of our overall marketing strategy. We are committed to keeping our e-marketing capabilities as comprehensive and as customer-friendly as possible." Commenting further, Pacific Coast Avionics Vice President and General Manager Dewey Conroy said, "Our companies have extensive and ever-expanding inventories of avionics, instruments and pilot supplies.
Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains, N.Y., recently presented its 11th annual "Spirit of Noise Abatement Awards" to based corporate operators that had achieved 100 percent compliance with the airport's noise-abatement programs during 2004. The airfield has a voluntary nighttime curfew in effect from midnight until 6:30 a.m., as well as a high-range noise event limit of 93 dBA. A total of 32 operators -- helicopter, turboprop and jet -- were honored.
CAE said it will undertake the biggest R&D program in its history to improve current technologies and develop new ones to completely overhaul its simulation and training products. The Canadian government has agreed to fund one-third of the $630 million program to build the company's share in its current, adjacent and emerging markets. CAE wants to upgrade not only its products, but its entire method of design, development and production, using royalties to repay the government loan over the expected useful life of the new technologies.
When an American Airlines MD-82 departed the runway on a stormy night in Little Rock, Ark., in June 1999, the twin jet transport was still doing nearly 100 knots despite the crew's obvious attempts to brake the airplane. How could they be going so fast?
At 1950 EST, a Dassault Falcon 20D cargo jet lifted off from Lorain County Regional Airport (LPR), Lorain, Ohio, when the pilot reported, "a flock of birds from both sides of the runway swarmed in front of the aircraft and ingested birds into both engines." The number two engine "surged" and made "loud reports" when the copilot noted a complete loss of power on the engine. The pilot called for retraction of the landing gear.
Just after noon, a lineman at Linden Airport (LDJ) moved toward an idling Sikorsky S-76B that had taxied to the fixed fuel pump for service. The lineman retrieved the aircraft grounding cable and began pulling it toward the helicopter, approaching from about the 11 o'clock position, as viewed by the pilot. Moving forward, the lineman was bent down and looking at the grounding cable attachment clip. He then suddenly stood upright, was struck by the helicopter's main rotor, and knocked to the ground having suffered serious injury.
One of the findings of Rolls-Royce's recently released annual 20-year forecast for business aviation is that retirement of older business aircraft will accelerate in coming years as newer, more capable and fuel-efficient aircraft are introduced.
In December 2005, EADS Socata unveiled its TBM 850, positioning the six-place single-engine turboprop directly against VLJs as "the ultimate personal aircraft." Powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A flat-rated at 850 shp for enhanced high altitude performance, the TBM 850 has a time-to-climb to FL 260 of 15 minutes, and five minutes more to reach its FL 310 service ceiling. The company said its performance at altitude (FL 310 at ISA+20°C) exceeds that of Socata's current TBM 700 C2 by 55 knots.
Sierra Industries, the Texas-based company that developed a program to reengine Cessna Citation 500s and 501SPs with Williams International FJ44 engines, has repurchased all of the Citation-related STCs it sold to Garrett Aviation in 2003. Sierra officials say they plan to launch this year "three new certification programs leveraging on the newly reacquired Citation modifications."
Aviation Research Group/US has introduced an upgrade to its online CHEQ, Charter Evaluation and Qualification service. CHEQ subscribers can now search for aircraft for charter relative to the subscriber's location rather than the aircraft's home base for a signification reduction of search time and effort. They now can also search for aircraft based on any client-required characteristics such as safety equipment, flight phone availability, or even aircraft and engine total time and cycles. Price: Call Aviation Research Group/US
Stewart-Ratcliff Aviation Services has introduced a low-cost, central, secure, Web-based recordkeeping service for owners of high-performance aircraft, including business jets and the FBO or maintenance facility serving them. Aircraftlogs.com can be accessed from any PC with Internet access and a browser. It incorporates pilot and aircraft logs, pilot reminders, scheduled maintenance alerts, expense tracking, squawk tracking and report generation.
London City Airport (LCY) is experiencing strong corporate aircraft traffic growth despite its notorious 5.5-degree approach and 4,300-foot runway. Just 18 months ago, annual business aircraft movements were around 5,000; they rose to 12,000 in 2005, and are expected to reach 15,000 by year-end. Around 50 percent of current movements are performed by NetJets.
"Three months and three hurricanes ago, this market -- especially the high-end jets -- was strong and up sharply. Now 'caution' best describes the situation," declared Fletcher Aldredge in the fourth-quarter 2005 edition of Vref Publishing's Market Leader newsletter.
AS THE ELEVATOR ROSE HIGHER and higher, I felt a touch of flutters rising within as well. Yup, nerves. I had to smile. I'd survived the worst the Marine DIs could dish out, flown helicopters in combat in Vietnam, and landed an attack jet on a heaving carrier deck in the middle of the pitch-black Atlantic. This was nothing by comparison. But here I was in a pressed Sunday suit, 37 years old and about to have my first grown-up job interview with The Man.
A decorated U.S. Army helicopter pilot in Vietnam, Matt Zuccaro later served in a wide range of civilian flight and executive posts, for charter and corporate operators, overseeing Resorts International's S-61 airline operation, and working in aviation management for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He held a variety of elected posts at the HAI, including chairman, and has been president and chairman of the Eastern Region Helicopter Council. An ATP and CFII in both airplanes and helicopters, Zuccaro has logged in excess of 10,000 flight hours.
