Avbase Flight Services, Cleveland, a charter operator and private aircraft management service provider, has named Michael Bukowski chief pilot. In addition, Eric Phillips has been named director of maintenance.
In the second quarter of this year, Delta Air Lines posted nearly a $2 billion loss. While significant, the airline's results are only part of a trend that has been ongoing for the past several years -- U.S. carriers lost nearly $23.2 billion from 2001 through 2003. The Air Transport Association (ATA) predicts losses for the airline industry overall will exceed $3 billion this year.
Forecast International predicts in its ``World Market for Regional/Commuter Transport Aircraft'' that 3,728 regional aircraft will be produced between 2004 and 2013. The value of these aircraft, in constant 2004 U.S. dollars, is estimated at $84.4 billion. The Forecast figures include regional jets and turboprops; specifically, 3,041 regional jets are forecast, plus 687 turboprops. In the new study, Forecast International predicts annual production will generally fluctuate in the 360 to 380 unit range.
In September, the NBAA board announced that Steven J. Brown would succeed Blouin, beginning Oct. 4. For the past six years, Brown was the FAA's vice president of operations planning. Prior to that, he served as associate administrator for air traffic services -- managing the 35,000 air traffic controllers, maintenance and software technicians, flight inspection pilots and administrative personnel responsible for the day-to-day operation of the nation's airspace system.
Southwest Jet Aviation added a Westwind II to its charter fleet. The business jet will be based at Southwest Jet's headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz. The midsize aircraft has a range of more than 2,400 nm and can seat seven passengers.
The NTSB has recommended cockpit imaging recorders (CIRs) be installed in small turbine-powered aircraft as well as transport category aircraft (see ``Cameras in the Cockpit,'' page 62). The agency has listed CIRs among its ``Most Wanted'' safety recommendations after running into problems with retrieving cockpit voice and flight data from a number of accidents. The board cited the ValuJet 592 crash in the Everglades in 1996 and the crash of EgyptAir 990 in the Atlantic Ocean in 1999 as examples.
A 10-week test period began Aug. 5 at Teterboro and Morristown (N.J.) and Westchester County (N.Y.) airports to allow participating operators to receive abbreviated departure clearances when Coded Departure Routes (CDRs) are in effect. Since 2003, the NBAA has been working with operators, flight-plan service providers, and FAA Traffic Flow Management personnel to reduce frequency congestion and thereby decrease departure delays at the New York City area's satellite airports.
The Environmental Protection Agency formally extended by 18 months the deadlines for complying with new spill prevention control and countermeasure requirements. The agency in June proposed a 12-month extension but opted for 18 months after receiving comments that affected industries would need more time. Under the new deadlines, affected parties must implement their plans by Aug. 18, 2006.
Meanwhile, the FAA, while developing TSOs for CIRs, has not yet decided whether it will mandate the recorders on commercial aircraft. David Hempe, manager of the FAA's Aircraft Engineering Division, told the NTSB at an Aug. 4 hearing that efforts are under way to set standards for both a stand-alone CIR and for a combination unit with imaging, voice and flight data recorders, but acknowledged that the cost of obtaining an STC and the aircraft installation would be more expensive than the hardware itself.
The Tuskegee Airmen selected David Roy, from Los Angeles, to receive the first Golden Eagle Scholarship. Roy, who plans to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, will receive $5,000 each year for four years to help pay educational expenses. The 18-year-old was cited for a number of accomplishments, including a first-place finish in his high school's science fair for designing and building a high-performance rocket.
Eagle Creek Aviation Services (ECAS) of Indianapolis won two separate contracts to refurbish government-operated special mission Commander 1000s. The upgrades involve Service Bulletins, new avionics and engine work at Eagle Creek's Honeywell-approved TPE331 Turbine Engine Major Service Center. The provincial government of Nova Scotia operates one aircraft as an air ambulance that has accumulated 15,000 flight hours. Eagle Creek will inspect and rebuild the entire pressure vessel in addition to typical refurbishing work.
The G350 1,000-nm mission time listed in our 2004 Operations Planning Guide is a typo. The time should be 2+19 rather than 1+19. The incorrect flight time of 1+19 caused our database to auto-calculate the variable fuel cost utilizing the correct fuel burn over a much shorter period of time. The result was a much higher fuel burn, and subsequently, higher hourly cost. The fuel expense in the variable cost section should be $1,243.33.
A recent article published in the Flight Safety Foundation's ``Human Factors and Aviation Medicine'' newsletter highlights the danger of yet another form of visual illusion caused by flickering lights. Referred to as ``flicker vertigo,'' the problem can develop when a pilot is exposed to lights flickering within a specific range of frequency. As the report authored by Charles E.
Thales and Honeywell have settled their patent infringement disputes over TAWS technologies. Honeywell claimed infringement of its patents by the T2CAS product manufactured by ACSS -- a joint venture of Thales and L-3 Communications. Thales claimed that Honeywell's EGPWS product infringed Thales patents. The settlement covers all Honeywell and Thales claims, and is based on a cross-license of each party's TAWS patents. Other settlement terms were undisclosed.
Executive Jet Management (EJM) reported that nine client aircraft in its charter fleet each generated at least $1 million in charter revenue in 2003. Albert C. Pod, EJM president and CEO stated, ``All of these management clients exhibit similar traits. Each has a crew that can respond within a short timeframe to fulfill our charter customers' needs, and the owners are eager to make the aircraft available for charter when not performing owner trips.
Premier Turbines, a division of Dallas Airmotive, now offers Core Zone Inspections on the new-generation Honeywell TFE731-20, -40 and -60 engine models. Neosho, Mo.- based Premier has configured an engine test cell to support CZI work. Premier has been a Honeywell authorized heavy maintenance facility since 1996. The company now performs CZIs on all models of the TFE731. More than 1,250 TFE731-20, -40 and -60 engines power business jets that are currently in operation worldwide.
Every charter provider B/CA interviewed for this report emphasized the fact that the backbone of the charter industry has been the cadre of independent brokers who represent the business to corporate and individual customers.
Truly a black Friday the 13th. Hurricane Charley took a major bite out of America's aviation heritage when it roared across Central Florida on August 13. Airplanes from history as well as new general aviation aircraft were destroyed in record numbers from the west coast to the east coast of Florida. The eye passed directly over Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM) and aviation witnesses reported that tornadic activity compounded the damage from hurricane winds at the field, collapsing many hangars.
Gulfstream Aerospace has received a follow-on certification from the FAA for the company's PlaneView flight deck. The integrated avionics suite features four 14-inch LCDs in landscape format, which provides more display area than other designs while reducing the overall weight and volume of the equipment. According to the airframe manufacturer, ``This new certification brings an array of new functionality to the integrated cockpit, including electronic charts and video displayed directly on the primary flight displays.''
Delta AirElite Business Jets has added a Gulfstream G550 to its operating certificate. The aircraft, which is based in College Station, Texas, joins the Delta AirElite fleet through a charter management agreement. Delta AirElite Business Jets is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines.
Rockwell Collins has received certification of a dual Integrated Flight Information System (IFIS) on a Falcon 50, integrated with the aircraft's Pro Line 21 avionics retrofit. The IFIS enables electronic charting, graphical weather and enhanced map overlays. Installation of a dual system brings level three electronic flight bag (EFB) capability to the Falcon's flight deck, allowing operators to transition to ``paperless'' operations. The system's electronic charting functionality provides operators with approaches, SIDs and STARs, airport diagrams and NOTAMs.
Rockwell Collins and NASA recently conducted tests of synthetic and enhanced vision using a Gulfstream V. The tests used the company's head-up guidance systems and head-down cockpit displays with computer-generated images, and showed that synthetic and enhanced vision could be used for complex visual approaches at night or in bad weather. Test flights were conducted in Reno, Nev., to see how the system worked in mountainous terrain.
