Avfuel named William Merriweather the 2004 Avfuel and NBAA Michigan Business Aviation Scholarship Award recipient. A senior at Western Michigan University, Merriweather is majoring in Advanced Aviation Technology, with a minor in Business Management. The NBAA, in conjunction with Avfuel Corp., offers the $500 scholarship to a student with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale and pursuing an aviation degree at an eligible Michigan college or university.
Chapman Freeborn Airchartering, which recently opened an office at Dubai International Airport, says it has been operating Antonov AN-24 twin turboprop passenger charters from Dubai and Kuwait into Iraq. The company says this is an ongoing operation and that it is also organizing AN-24 domestic flights.
``AOPA's true political power comes from its more than 400,000 members -- people who are more likely to vote and participate in the political process than the general population. And the politicians know that,'' said association President Phil Boyer in an e-mail newsletter. The AOPA has the largest staff of lobbyists of any general aviation organization. The AOPA Political Action Committee supported 105 candidates for Congress, providing nearly $600,000 in political contributions this election cycle.
The FAA awarded a grant to GCR & Associates Inc. to expedite the collection of airport facility data at all of the approximately 5,000 public-use, general aviation airports in North America for the agency's airport database. GCR is spearheading the compilation of detailed information such as runway lengths, approach standards, navaids and myriad facility and operational data. The New Orleans-based company has subcontracted with Southern Illinois University Carbondale to assist in the effort.
ASA, Inc. has published three reference handbooks of information pertinent to pilots, flight crew and aviation maintenance technicians, respectively. All three FAR/AIM books show changes since last edition, marked for quick reference and indexed to provide clear access to the subject matter with paragraph number or regulation. The Aeronautical Information Manual has been re-typeset for greater readability, and full color graphics have been added. A new combined FAR/AIM index has been added at the back of the book.
Lower Mill Estate, a gated housing development in England's Cotswolds, is being touted as the United Kingdom's first fly-in community although it's actually 10 minutes' drive from Kemble airfield (EGBP). Kemble has a 7,000-by-150-foot runway and offers transient service with aircraft parking and hangarage. According to airfield manager David Young, Kemble handles two to three corporate aircraft per week, ranging from Hawkers to Gulfstream IVs, but he expects this to grow.
The NTSB has released updates on the Oct. 14 crash of Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701 in Jefferson City, Mo., after both engines on the Bombardier CRJ-2 quit at FL 410. The two pilots, the only occupants on board for the staging flight, were killed. Examination of the two General Electric CF34-3B1 engines found that the cores of both engines were free to rotate and there was no indication of any pre-existing problems that would have led to the accident.
Dave Cann, manager of the Aircraft Maintenance Division for the FAA Flight Standards Service in Washington, D.C., says it's important for corporate pilots to understand that they are allowed to practice preventive maintenance only on the aircraft they fly, operate or own, and that such maintenance is permitted only during non-revenue operations.
ACR Electronics has received FCC approval for its AeroFix 406 GPS I and AeroFix 406 GPS I/O personal locator beacons. While not designed to replace aircraft ELTs, the units are small enough to be worn on a flight jacket or mounted on easily accessible bulkheads. Both units broadcast on the 406 MHz frequency to the international COSPAS-SARSAT network, which is the international standard, as well as on the 121.5 MHz frequency, which is still used as a homing frequency. The GPS I is equipped with an interface cable to attach to an external GPS receiver.
Without the built-in checks and balances of an airline or independent commercial operation, business aviation flight departments often have little way of knowing if they're edging too close to reasonable safety and security limits. So, to help keep things in line, they develop self-checking mechanisms, from training with well-equipped and objective vendors, to periodically bringing another set of expert eyes onto the premises to check things out.
Light jets inevitably embody tradeoffs among performance, cabin comfort and operating cost. Beechjet 400/400A owners believe their aircraft represent the best balance of qualities for the class. This aircraft can climb directly to FL 410, cruise at more than 400 KTAS and still offer passengers the largest cabin cross section of almost any light jet priced under $5 million in the used market.
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) is working with the United States Aircraft Insurance Group (USAIG) and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to offer a ``Safety and Security of Airport Ground Operations'' course. According to USAIG research, ground-handling accidents have grown faster than any other category of aviation insurance claims, and have led to increased insurance premiums and resultant increases in the cost of doing business.
Dr. Sam Williams always thought small. In the 1950s, as a hotshot young engineer at Chrysler, he was thinking especially small when he played a major role in designing one of the first gas turbines for automotive use.
Of the many contributing factors cited by the NTSB in the ValuJet Flight 592 accident in the Florida Ever-glades on May 11, 1996, poor communication among maintainers ranked high on the list. Time-expired oxygen generators were removed from one aircraft, then, through a series of miscommunications, the uncapped, live units were placed in the aircraft's baggage compartment. The units ignited and turned the DC-9 into an inferno that plummeted into the swamp, killing all 110 people aboard.
THE 28-YEAR-OLD PILOT was building a solid career. He'd been flying professionally for seven years, accumulating 3,800 flight hours, and had just added an ATP to his ratings. By late 2001 he was earning his living flying a King Air C90 -- his first turboprop -- for Eastland Air, an Australian regional and charter outfit.
It looks as if non-RVSM aircraft will be able to climb and descend through RVSM flight levels to and from higher cruise altitudes when DRVSM takes effect, Jan. 20, 2005. The FAA provided a peek at RVSM procedural requirements and operational rules in an Oct. 25 advance copy of its Revised Aircraft Equipment Suffix Table for FAA Flight Plans. Get your hands on this one. It has provisions, including revised Aircraft Type/Special Equipment Suffixes used in Block 3 of FAA Flight Plan forms 7233-1, that took effect as early as Nov.
In a related development, Chelton's EFIS has found a home on rotorcraft. Edwards & Associates, the completion house for Bell Helicopter, ordered six Chelton FlightLogic Synthetic Vision EFIS systems. Five of the systems are for customer Bell 407s; the sixth is for Edwards' own demonstration aircraft. In 2003, Chelton received STC approval for the Bell 206, introducing, it says, highway-in-the-sky (HITS) and hover vectors to the rotorcraft market.
Edward W. Stimpson, a quiet force in U.S. aviation whose trademark was a Brooks Brothers suit with an untucked shirttail, is retiring as America's ambassador to ICAO. He and his wife, Dorothy, plan to return to their home in Boise, Idaho, after the current ICAO council session ends on Dec. 17. President Clinton nominated Stimpson for the ICAO post in 1999. Prior to that Stimpson led GAMA for a total of 25 years, a period that spanned times of boisterous growth and painful contraction for U.S. manufacturers.
Wilson Air Center was awarded a contract by Charlotte/Douglas County, N.C., International Airport (CLT) to operate the former Signature FBO facility there. The airport will retain ownership of the facilities, but Memphis-headquartered Wilson will run the day-to-day operations and be responsible for short- and long-term management strategies. Wilson Air Center anticipates a three- to four-month transition period for facilities improvements and staff training.
Stevens Aviation Denver (BJC) has added new ratings to its FAA repair station certificate. Under the amended certificate Stevens is now authorized to perform airframe maintenance on: Raytheon 390 Premier; Hawker Siddeley 125 series 600A, 600B, 700A and 700B; British Aerospace 125 series 800A, 800B, Hawker 800, 800XP and 1000; Dassault Falcon 50, 50EX, 900, 900EX and 2000; and Learjet 31, 31A, 35, 35A, 36 and 36A.
The Gulfstream G200 joins a growing list of aircraft that can be retrofitted with the AutoPower system developed by Safe Flight Instrument Corp. of White Plains, N.Y. AutoPower provides smooth and precise engine-target settings for airspeed control during critical phases of flight, particularly approach and landing. Because AutoPower holds speed and is smooth during all meteorological conditions, the system can reduce crew workload, enhance passenger comfort and extend range/payload potential, according to Safe Flight.
Sikorsky's new ``Quiet Zone'' gearbox, which is being installed on new S-76C+ helicopters built in 2005, also will be retrofitted on C+ aircraft already in service. The new gearbox provides a significant noise reduction in the aircraft's cabin and cockpit, achieving an interior noise level that Sikorsky claims is nearly 5 percent quieter than its nearest competitor in the corporate/VIP category.
Safe Flight Instrument Corp.'s Angle-of-Attack computer system has been integrated into Universal Avionics' EFI-890R Electronic Flight Instruments to create a Low Airspeed Awareness (LAA) display. Duncan Aviation's Battle Creek, Mich., facility recently certified and installed the first Universal EFI-890R system in a Challenger 601-3A.
NBAA's Almy and Blouin Promoted; Hubbard Signs On. Tidying up its new management team, the NBAA announced that two veteran staffers have been promoted, and a new senior staffer has joined the organization. David W. Almy has been elevated to senior vice president, marketing and communications, and Kathleen M. Blouin has been promoted to senior vice president, conventions and seminars. The association hired Dan Hubbard as vice president, communications, filling the void created by Almy's promotion.
