Today, Hamilton Sundstrand is a truly diversified aerospace manufacturer. But before the aircraft engine controls, gearboxes and ram air turbines, before the auxiliary power units and fuel pumps, and before the electrical and environmental control systems, flight controls and actuators, there were the propellers. And for many of the nearly 80 years since Hamilton Aero Manufacturing and the Standard Steel Propeller Co. merged, propellers have been the most visible product of this United Technologies division that is headquartered in Windsor Locks, Conn.
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S-TEC achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification of its quality management systems. The Mineral Wells, Texas-based producer of avionics systems for business and personal aviation implemented 50 standard operating procedures, developed a quality manual and created a standard operating procedures training matrix to secure certification.
NEWARK IN NOVEMBER? How about Detroit in December? The list of desirable convention sites can narrow dramatically when your organization's first choice gets pulverized by a major hurricane two and one-half months before the members are supposed to begin arriving.
GAMA joined the National Air Transportation Association in disputing some comments that the FAA included in a fact sheet accompanying its Draft Flight Plan 2006-2010 warning of future funding shortages. GAMA called the FAA's assertion of a growing gap between FAA revenues and costs misleading and said it disagrees that the balance in the Trust Fund will decline in the near term. NATA called the FAA statements troubling because they point to the imposition of user fees.
The NBAA's Aircraft Charter Consumer Guide has been developed to educate air charter users about the safety, operational and consumer issues related to flights conducted under FAR Part 135. The guide includes: Procedures for finding charter operators and charter brokers. Guidance for placing inquiries with the FAA for charter safety information. Information for locating contractors who audit charter companies for safety. Sample pre-screening questions consumers may use to vet charter operators.
The AOPA is taking on the top federal prosecutor in Minnesota over exaggerated airport security fears. U.S. Attorney Thomas B. Heffelfinger says security must be tightened at the Twin Cities' general aviation reliever airports to counter terrorists. The local press quoted him saying that someone could ``kill 3,000 people'' by flying a single-engine airplane into the roof of the Metrodome stadium during a Sunday afternoon football game.
The General Accounting Office recently reported to the Senate Commerce Committee on privatized ATC systems that were at least partly government-owned in Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Aircraft noise continues to be a big issue in Europe for operators of older business jets. According to Jeppesen DataPlan's Nancy Schnetz, manager of international trip planning, ``Some countries will no longer allow aircraft in that are 25-plus years old, even if [in some cases] they are hush-kitted.''
Signature Flight Support has completed the acquisition of the PrivatAir FBO at Le Bourget Airport in Paris, France. Signature, which is a division of BBA Group of the United Kingdom, said the PrivatAir FBO would complement the chain's existing FBO at the airport by providing an additional terminal, nine more hangars and a large aircraft parking ramp. Signature now plans to remodel the PrivatAir facility and then will move its existing aircraft handling operation to the newly acquired property.
The Mississippi Gulf Coast, a popular destination for tourists, convention participants and gamblers, was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina's winds and storm surge. At the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, battering hurricane-force winds damaged the control tower, airline gate areas and hangars. The local FBO, FBO AvCenter sustained major damage to its hangar and office spaces. The main hangar's roof blew away, deluging the facility with rainwater and debris.
Grob's G.180 SPn utility light jet has enough orders to fulfill its first year of production quota of 15 aircraft in 2007, according to Christian Grob, general representative of the owner. The prototype SPn has flown 23 times and accumulated 24 hours flight time between its first flight on July 20 and Sept. 10.
Atlantic Aviation added the 13th FBO to its chain, completing the acquisition of the former Las Vegas Executive Air Terminal at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport in August. The latest addition is the largest FBO in the Atlantic Aviation chain in terms of fuel volume and acreage, an Atlantic Aviation spokesperson said, calling the base ``a real jewel in the chain.'' The FBO provides a range of fueling and line services, ground transportation, catering, hangar and maintenance capabilities. It has seven hangars and is the base for several large cabin-class aircraft.
Western Aircraft is launching an expansion project that will more than double the size of the FBO's terminal in Boise, Idaho, from 1,450 square feet to 3,600 square feet. The renovation will include the addition of a separate pilot and passenger lounge, customer conference room and flight-planning center. Western Aircraft expects the project to be completed by February 2006.
Are your hands full of flight controls or tools? Use your head. The hands-free Enduro headlight features a lightweight 0.5-watt LED, designed to last 100,000 hours while providing up to 18 lumens of output. Powered by two AAA batteries, the Enduro's solid-state power regulation maintains maximum output throughout the life of the batteries. A two-stage switch offers a choice of high- and low-beam settings, providing up to 24 hours of continuous runtime on the low-beam setting and up to seven hours on the high-beam setting.
The Connecticut Aviation Task Force (CTATF) has determined that no additional security procedures or programs will be initiated in the state. This, in the wake of national attention after an unlicensed 21-year-old sometime student pilot stole a Cessna 172 from Danbury Municipal Airport (DXR) and took two teenagers on a nocturnal, beer-fueled joyride that ended in a predawn landing at Westchester County Airport, N.Y. (HPN).
The National Air Transportation Association and the NBAA have teamed to tackle jet-fuel-tax changes that Congress adopted in the highway bill, H.R. 3. The bill requires most business aircraft operators to pay the diesel fuel tax rate when they buy jet fuel, then seek a rebate for the approximate two-cents-per-gallon difference between diesel fuel and jet fuel taxes.
DOT Secretary Norman Mineta will be at AOPA Expo's Nov. 5 General Session to speak and answer member questions. The AOPA notes that ``Mineta has always been known for straight talk, so you'll hear the unvarnished reality from this Washington, D.C., insider, the only Democrat in President Bush's cabinet, and the man with his finger on the pulse of all transportation issues.''
The city of Chicago had not paid the FAA-imposed $33,000 civil penalty for failing to comply with a required 30-day notice for deactivating Meigs Field as we went to press. The deadline was Sept. 15 to pay the penalty or request a hearing. The FAA first warned the city of the proposed penalty in October 2004. The FAA also reportedly is continuing to look into whether the city improperly diverted $1.5 million in restricted airport revenues for carving up, then tearing out the runway at Meigs.
At least two members of the National Aircraft Resale Association are forecasting that their year-end results will surpass their robust 2004 sales totals. Dan Dickinson, chairman and CEO of General Aviation Services, an Illinois-based dealer, expects to close on 35 to 40 units this year, which will match or surpass his 2004 sales volume of approximately $80 million.
Swissport, one of the world's largest airline handling companies, is being sold to the Spain's Ferrovial Group. Under the sales agreement, Ferrovial will pay e336 million for the shares of Swissport and assume all its debt, another e310 million. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval. Swissport operates at more than 170 airports in 40 countries.
Airlift Northwest of Seattle has taken delivery of two A109 Power EMS helicopters from Agusta Aerospace Corp., an AgustaWestland company. Airlift also has four Agusta Grands on order.
The G100/Astra SPX production line will stop in early 2006 after a 10-year production run. The design team that developed the Astra family put top priority on speed and range for more than 20 years. Early in 1996, IAI upped the ante with the introduction of the Astra SPX, an even higher performance version of the original aircraft fitted with higher thrust Honeywell (nee AlliedSignal) TFE731-40 turbofans and winglets. The changes boosted range by 250 nm to 270 nm, depending upon cruise speed.
Raytheon Aircraft, which recently unveiled the new King Air C90GT, is seeking customer feedback concerning a possible factory-backed retrofit program that would outfit existing King Air 90s with the new airplane's more powerful Pratt & Whitney PT6A-135-A engines.
Aviation Technology Group selected Front Range Airport as its Javelin manufacturing site. ATG signed contracts to lease two buildings at Front Range (FTG) in Adams County, Colo., as interim facilities until permanent production facilities are built in 2009. A 21,000-square-foot building will be used by ATG's Flight Operations department to manufacture four conforming Javelin aircraft and serve as test facility headquarters. An adjacent building will be used to assemble production aircraft.
