AvQuotes.com offers no-charge access to over 60 maintenance and refurbishment providers throughout the United States. Quote seekers register basic contact information and use simple menus to specify the scope of work, preferences and other information related to they type of work that needs to be done. Requests are then posted on the AvQuotes site and immediately distributed to enrolled maintenance and refurbishment centers for their review. Quotes are provided directly to the aircraft operator by those maintenance and refurbishment centers.
One of the rotary-wing celebrities at the Helicopter Association International convention this February in Anaheim, Calif., was the AB139, the new medium hauler produced by Bell/Agusta Aerospace Co. Not only was the big twin there to be admired, but also its makers got to announce that Seacor Holdings of Houston had signed for 20 aircraft, raising the order book count to an even 100.
Women In Aviation International celebrated its 10th anniversary at the group's annual convention in Dallas in March. The organization awarded more than 425 scholarships valued at $3.5 million to women seeking careers in aviation in its first nine years, and that total was expected to exceed $4 million by the end of March's meeting.
Raytheon Aircraft is rolling back prices on over 17,500 parts. Through the Raytheon Aircraft Parts Inventory and Distribution (RAPID) program, Beechcraft and Hawker aircraft customers will be able to purchase parts 24/7 from the company's Customer Support organization at prices reduced as much as 50 percent. This follows an October 2004 price reduction of over 10,000 parts.
Gulfstream Aerospace G200 operators now can have a high-speed Internet and e-mail system installed on their aircraft. The FAA has issued an STC to Gulfstream approving the installation of the High-Speed Data System (HSDS) as a retrofit for the business jet. Earlier, Gulfstream won certification for a similar system on the GIV and GV.
Gulfstream signed on as an official NASCAR sponsor. A Gulfstream official said that races sanctioned by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing are, ``the second most watched sport on network television in the United States.'' The sponsorship will result in a variety of cooperative advertising, public relations and hospitality endeavors that include customer, supplier and employee-related opportunities.
UPS will build a new heavy air freight handling facility at its main Louisville, Ky., hub, to replace the Dayton, Ohio, air freight hub operated by its Menlo freight forwarding subsidiary. UPS bought Menlo in December 2004 to acquire Menlo's heavy air freight capability, but it made no sense to have the heavy freight hub in Dayton, where UPS has no flights.
Frank Jensen Jr. died Feb. 12 at age 76. A decorated U.S. Army veteran, Jensen spent more than 20 years heading first the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics, then the Helicopter Association International. He began his military career in 1943 at the age of 15, when he joined the U.S. Navy, becoming a combat aircrewman. After World War II, Jensen joined the Army, graduating with honors from Officer Candidate School, and served in the Korean War with the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team.
EAA Aviation Center, Oshkosh, Wis., received Aviation Week & Space Technology's ``Laurel'' Award honoring Tom Poberezny's leadership in two areas critical to aviation's future: the new sport pilot/light-sport aircraft rule and the Experimental Aircraft Association's youth aviation education programs.
Stevens Aviation Greenville, S.C., named aviation industry veteran Dave Grup Cessna Citation technical sales specialist. Grup comes to Stevens after an 18-year career at Cessna.
Officials at Garrett Aviation, which offers the FJ44 Eagle II engine and wing modification program for Cessna Citation 500s and 501Ps, say they see continued ``steady demand for eight to 10 aircraft per year.'' In addition, they expect to decide soon whether or not to pursue two related programs: an engine-only replacement for the aforementioned Citations and a possible reengining of the Citation II.
King Schools has announced an interactive CD-ROM to help pilots train to use the Lowrance AirMap 500 and 1000 GPS while on the ground. The VFLITE guide features scenario-based training with realistic product emulator (Virtual AirMap Device); detailed, narrated demonstration movies with on-screen text prompts to help users complete tasks; over 34 topics explained in detail; actual AirMap visuals used for emulation and animation; and a feedback system to keep users on the learning path.
Airline travel remains vulnerable to terrorist attack nearly four years after 9/11, the Coalition of Airline Pilots Association announced in releasing its Aviation Security Report Card, which takes a broad look at the nation's aviation security from airport perimeters to aircraft cockpits to screening passengers and bags. CAPA is a trade association that represents the pilots who fly for American Airlines, UPS, ABX Air, Southwest and AirTran.
Swissport Executive Aviation opened a corporate aircraft handling service at Nairobi, Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. This is the Zurich-based company's first such operation in Kenya and adds to its five existing facilities in South Africa and Tanzania. ``There are a number of business aircraft using Nairobi International and operators have been crying out for a quality service for passengers and crew,'' said Jeroen de Clerq, SEA's CEO.
Responsible for the reliable operation of technologically complex, high-ticket equipment, it's no wonder aviation maintenance managers quickly embraced the personal computer as a critical tool. Today, a hangar without a computer and Internet connection is a rarity. Manuals are available in electronic format; parts can be ordered online; there are software programs to help plan and schedule maintenance. Moreover, most new aircraft have a data port to download flight and maintenance information.
Lufthansa Technik, Hamburg, Germany named Andreas Meisel to succeed Wolfgang Gohde as senior vice president of the company's Aircraft Overhaul and VIP Jet Services. Gohde was named managing director of Lufthansa Systems.
Safe Flight Instrument Corp. developed a landing light status annunciator that informs helicopter pilots whether their aircraft's landing light is on or off. The unit also displays LDG LT FAIL if the landing light is not working, regardless of the landing light switch position. The annunciator is designed as a plug-in replacement for the existing landing light relay on the Bell 206 and other helicopters. Safe Flight's unit will allow operators to avoid aircraft rewiring required for Bell 206 replacement relays under a pending Bell service bulletin.
The proud history of Dornier, founded in 1910, could be at an end. An auction began March 7 of what remains of the company's inventory, including the only 728 airframe completed. German insolvency practitioner Pluta has been appointed by the district court at Oberfaffenhofen to look after the affairs of AvCraft Aerospace GmbH, a German successor company, closely involved with the turboprop and jet versions of the 328 commuter aircraft, and closely connected with the U.S. company of the same name. Most of the 345 employees have been laid off.
Large-format screens with enhanced graphics capabilities, like these Rockwell Collins Reconfigurable Flight Displays, are enabling engineers to present more information to the pilot in a fully integrated, readily identifiable fashion. The more intuitive the displays become, the greater the flight crews' situational awareness. ``With the capability we currently have with today's electronic displays, we now have to ask the question, since we can do anything with these instruments, what should we do?''
Flight Display Systems, Alpharetta, Ga., appointed Tom Austin Jr. as company president. Austin is responsible for driving sales, support and production operations of the company's cabin entertainment offerings.
Bombardier unveiled plans to change to a common engine for the CRJ700 and CRJ900. The CF34-8C5B1, a derated sibling to the CF34-8C5 engine used in the CRJ900, will give CRJ700 operators ``savings up to 15 percent in engine maintenance costs over 15 years,'' as lower thrust levels translate into extended time in service before overhaul and longer life of engine parts. The company also said it would offer a new long-range model of the 70- to 78-seat CRJ700.
It's a classic recipe that's been cooked up for millions of years. In March and April, strong and swift Northern Pacific cold fronts typically sweep across the Rockies, rushing into the Midwest at 600-plus miles per day. Ahead of the cold fronts, warm and wet air masses from the Gulf of Mexico move northward on a collision course. When the powerful wedge of the cold front rams under the warm, humid air, the big three ingredients -- lifting, moisture and instability -- come together in a violent mix.
