Micro-Surface Finishing Products, Inc., of Wilton, Iowa, introduces Micro-Gloss, all-in-one cleaner and polish for use on bare acrylic and bare or coated polycarbonate. The product complies with ASTM F791 and to U.S. Air Force specification 16K002F (addendum 2) at stress levels of 2,000 and 3,000 psi in both dry and humid conditions. The polish is approved for use on the outside and inside surfaces of F-16 fighter aircraft. Micro-Gloss removes fine scratches, swirls, haze and milkiness from interior and exterior windows. It can be applied by hand or machine.
Thirty-six people were killed in accidents involving U.S. non-airline jet and turboprop operators in the first half of this year -- more than twice the 16 who died in the first six months of 2004, according to data compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla. The total number of accidents in the equivalent time periods was roughly the same.
FAA funding has been on top of everyone's minds these days in the Washington aviation realm. NBAA President Ed Bolen calls it ``the everywhere-all-the-time issue.''
Blackhawk Modifications of Waco, Texas, has received Brazilian certification of its Blackhawk XP reengining package for Beech C90, C90A, C90B and E90 King Airs. The modification consists of replacing the twin turboprop's original engines with 750-shp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-135 powerplants. The higher-powered engines allow the aircraft to fly 35 to 55 knots faster and improve takeoff and climb performance, especially from hot-and-high airports.
IRS Notice 2005-45 was intended to provide interim guidance for a tax provision in the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 that curbed deductions related to senior-level executive travel for entertainment on company aircraft. The tax provision, which overturned the Sutherland Lumber Appeals Court ruling, was considered a revenue-raiser to pay for other items in the act. But business aviation officials label the IRS interpretation of the notice so overreaching that it may chase away potential new aircraft buyers.
The Aviation Maintenance Technician: Powerplant textbook, now in its second edition, has been updated to reflect current operating procedures and regulations for A&P students and educators. The book meets FAA Part 147 requirements for the powerplant curriculum, and covers reciprocating engines, turbine engines, powerplant auxiliary systems and propellers. The new edition includes full color charts, tables and illustrations throughout, along with an extensive glossary and index. A study guide with answer keys is printed at the end of each chapter.
Bombardier has announced a 100,000-square-foot expansion plan for its service center at Love Field (DAL) in Dallas. Construction will begin this fall and should be completed in about a year. The expansion will include a 52,500-square-foot hangar to accommodate Challenger and Global Express aircraft, and another 45,000 square feet of back shops, support and office space. The new buildings will house about 125 full-time employees, a number that could grow to nearly 200 over the next five years.
The Securaplane DVR-01 is an airborne qualified digital video recorder designed for integration with Securaplane's Aircraft Electronic Security Systems and/or as a stand-alone DVR for airborne video recording applications such as flight test or cabin security. The DVR-01 is equipped with a wavelet compression engine that allows up to six hours of high-resolution NTSC video to be digitally stored. Users can configure compression and frame rate parameters.
Raytheon Aircraft Services (RAS), Wichita, appointed Tony Marlow general manager of its Van Nuys, Calif., facility. Marlow will assume responsibility for overall management and operations for the FBO including fuel, maintenance, avionics, refurbishment and modifications. Most recently, he served in the areas of marketing and operations for Raytheon Travel Air and Flight Options.
For anyone associated with Business & Commercial Aviation, 81 Boulevard Gouvion Saint-Cyr was a good place to be on the evening of Sunday, June 12. That's the address of Le Meridien Etoile hotel in Paris and it was there on that evening that the winners of the Aerospace Journalist of the Year Awards were announced. The awards are based on the quality of research and investigation, originality and style of the entries.
The Sikorsky S58 helicopter is still going strong more than 50 years after its entry into commercial service. Although the turbine-powered S58T is the model of choice for commercial operators, both it and its radial predecessor continue to provide a wide variety of services such as aerial construction, firefighting and aircraft recovery. More than 30 are still flying regularly.
FERAS (Far East Russia Aircraft Service) corporate jet handling is to increase its number of bases in Germany from five to 13 over the next 12 months. ``We've signed a handling deal at Hahn Airport, which is a good Frankfurt alternate for corporate operators, and expect to sign a similar deal with Hamburg,'' said Chris Cartwright, co-managing director of FERAS. He also expects to gain a handling license in Bremen, is in talks with Hanover, Dresden and Leipzig airports, and by year-end expects to be operating in Nurnberg and the GAT at Stuttgart.
Falcon Trust Air has officially launched operations at Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport in Miami. The 22,000-square-foot FBO was designed with an array of amenities, including a fitness center with sauna, a personal movie theater, regulation-size pool tables, a sky lounge with a fully-stocked bar for guests and private rooms for pilots. The three-story Mediterranean style building has Italian marble flooring and designer furnishings. The FBO also includes conference rooms, private computer offices, a weather station and a library.
On the other hand, large aircraft that carry ``more people than live in some of the towns in my district,'' should be equipped with missile defense systems (MANPADs), according to Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chair of the House Transportation Aviation Subcommittee. He told B&CA affiliate, Aviation Daily, that he's working on a bipartisan bill to accomplish just that. Mica's bill, H.R.
A Florida jury found that Learjet and parent company Bombardier were not at fault for the Oct. 25, 1999, crash of a Model 35 Learjet that killed professional golfer Payne Stewart, his agent Robert Fraley and four other persons on board. Stewart's and Fraley's families had been seeking $200 million in compensation for lost wages and damages, claiming that the manufacturer was negligent for using a weak pressurization valve that failed and caused all aboard to lose consciousness due to oxygen deprivation.
Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) has introduced a bill to once again make promotion of aviation part of the FAA's core mandate. After the ValuJet crash in 1996 then-Transportation Secretary Federico Pea called for the mandate change after the FAA came under criticism for not going far enough to enforce commercial aviation safety.
FlightSafety International, Flushing, N.Y. promoted John Marino to vice president of government relations. Most recently, Marino was sales and marketing manager for Asia, based in Beijing, China. He replaced Tom Mahoney, who assumed the role of director of special accounts in marketing. Marino joined FlightSafety in 1979 after a 10-year career as a U.S. Army officer and aviator. Additionally, Dave Davenport was promoted to manager of FlightSafety's Gulfstream Savannah Learning Center, located on the Savannah International Airport.
Midcoast Aviation, St. Louis, promoted Rick Parson to the position of manager of interior refurbishment design sales. He has been a Midcoast employee for 15 years. Also, Greg Kappler was appointed manager of completion sales. Previously, Kappler was a partner with Studio RD, an aircraft design firm in Austin.
NationAir Insurance Agencies, Chicago, named Terry White as branch manager of its new Nashua, N.H., office. He will be responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations, with an emphasis on servicing existing accounts and generating new business.
The Al Kharafi Group of Kuwait has ordered a second Airbus Corporate Jetliner for operation by Twinjet of London Luton Airport, probably as a replacement for its current VIP Airbus. That aircraft, an A319 with a corporate 34-seat interior, has been in service for five years, averaging around 550 flight hours per year. John Keeble, Twinjet's managing director, said that he could possibly operate both aircraft, but significant extra business would be necessary to justify that.
Dassault in 2004 opened a new $8.2 million, state-of-the-art paint hangar in Little Rock that can handle the 7X, and the company is firming up plans and completing negotiations with city and airport officials on a number of other expansion projects, expected to cost about $13 million this year alone. Planned improvements include enlarging the cabinet shop and opening a new ramp staging area. Dassault expects to break ground this month on a dedicated 7X hangar, with construction scheduled to be finished in late 2006. Also planned are a new service center and warehouse.
Dassault Falcon Jet celebrated the 30th anniversary of the company's Little Rock, Ark., completion center in June even as officials were planning a major expansion of the facility to accommodate work on the new Falcon 7X. Dassault purchased Little Rock Airmotive, a 61,500-square-foot hangar and office facility on the Little Rock Airport (LIT), in 1975, with plans to use it to complete Falcons destined for customers in the Western Hemisphere and Pacific Rim.
GAMA has selected Andrew Cousins, a high-school senior in Newberry, S.C., as the recipient of the 2005 Edward W. Stimpson ``Aviation Excellence'' award. A panel of aviation professionals chose Cousins for maintaining his solid scholastic record, completing college courses while still in high school and taking an active role in his church and community. As a student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Cousins plans to earn a Bachelor's in Aeronautical Science and become a corporate pilot.
Ten classic American aircraft from the 1930s, '40s and '50s take to the skies in the form of postage as the U.S. Postal Service dedicates the American Advances in Aviation commemorative stamp sheet at the 2005 Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture fly-in convention. The stamps will be available at Post Offices and philatelic centers nationwide beginning July 30. A description of each aircraft is on the back of the stamp sheet.
Galvin Flying Services, Inc., Seattle, named Paul B. Krog director of aircraft services. Previously, he was program manager at Bombardier Aerospace Services in Dallas and Denver. Krog has over 40 years of combined education and practice in the field of aircraft maintenance.
