Honeywell's Teterboro, N.J., facility, the original home of the Bendix Aviation Corp., has been added to a register of historic aerospace sites. Selection of the former Bendix headquarters was made by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) as part of its Historic Aerospace Site program. Bendix Aviation was formed in 1929 by automotive and aviation innovator Vincent Bendix when he brought together several companies, including Eclipse and Pioneer. Bendix combined with Allied Corp. (later AlliedSignal) in 1983.
The U.K. Civil Aviation Authority has introduced changes to South Eastern Anglian airspace (known as Clacton Airspace) to ease congestion and minimize delays. The changes, which have been implemented by National Air Traffic Services, are expected to improve capacity in the airspace by 30 percent. There are currently 1,200 aircraft movements per day through the area. The CAA says the new arrangements, ``will generate sufficient capacity to handle projected air traffic growth up to 2010 and will result in cost savings to users.''
GE is also working toward certifying the CF-3410A/E engines slated to power Embraer's 190 and the AVIC ARJ21 in China. Blankenship said the ARJ21's engine will be mounted on the fuselage instead of under the wing, as on the 190. He said it's the same engine and same thrust, and added it would cost GE about half the expense of a new engine program to modify and certify the engine for the ARJ21. Blankenship predicted GE should snag orders for about 400 engines this year, and build about the same number.
The Citation Mustang PW615F engine completed its maiden flight on a Cessna engine test-bed CitationJet on April 27 from Cessna's Wichita facility. The 1.9- hour flight marked the first time a Pratt & Whitney Canada engine flew on an aircraft manufacturer's engine test-bed prior to being flown on P&WC's Boeing 720 engine test aircraft. Cessna received the Citation Mustang PW615F engine from P&WC on April 1, and the first ground run test was conducted April 9.
Garrett Aviation has selected Rockwell Collins to provide elements of its Pro Line 21 family of avionics as part of a retrofit program to upgrade Cessna Citation 501 aircraft. Initial system deliveries are scheduled to begin in January 2005. The program features the Collins IDS-3000 Integrated Display System to replace existing analog and EFIS equipment with large-format LCDs designed to enhance information presentation and increase situational awareness.
American Airlines' automatic external defibrillators have saved 50 lives in the seven years since the company began installing AEDs on its fleet. Save number 50 came the night of April 27 at Chicago O'Hare when a flight attendant used an AED to save the life of a 67-year-old Virginia man deplaning a flight from Reno. A doctor began CPR and the flight attendant brought the AED from the aircraft and applied the pads to the man's chest. The device voice-prompted the flight attendant to administer three shocks before the victim was revived.
Boeing and Airbus are jointly sponsoring a series of symposiums to build a consensus about Global Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology standards on commercial aircraft. Boeing and Airbus are promoting the Air Transport Association SPEC 2000 automated identification and data capture guidelines. ``This technology offers the aviation industry many proven benefits with the ultimate objective being continued safety, airworthiness and operational efficiencies for commercial airplanes,'' said Kenneth Porad, RFID program leader for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
AvCraft CEO Ben Bartel and Hainan Group Chairman Chen Fang signed a contract for an additional 20 Dornier 328Jets for Hainan Airlines at a May 3 ceremony in Berlin hosted by German Chancellor Gerhard Schruder. This contract converts five previous options to firm orders, to be delivered this year, plus an additional 15 328Jets with delivery dates into 2007. Hainan Airlines already operates 27 328Jets.
GAMA's board of directors elected EADS Socata and Pilatus Aircraft to membership in the trade association. EADS Socata will be represented on the GAMA Board by Stephane Bernard, president and CEO of Socata Aircraft, Inc. Pilatus Aircraft, Ltd. will be represented by Thomas Bosshard, president and CEO of Pilatus Business Aircraft, Ltd. A wholly owned subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defense & Space Co., EADS Socata manufactures a line of single-engine piston-powered and single-engine turboprop airplanes at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport, France.
THEIR BUSINESS IN SARASOTA, FLA., done, the four men piled into the company's TBM 700, locked the door and headed north, homeward bound to their families for the weekend already under way. It was Saturday morning. The plan called for dropping off one passenger at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) in Greer, S.C., and then continuing on to Leesburg Executive (JYO) in Virginia, the TBM's home port.
There's a perfectly good reason why a 15-foot bronze mule appeared at Keystone Helicopter's headquarters in West Chester, Pa., in mid-May. It turns out that it's a statue of not just any Army mule, but the West Point mascot mule, ridden by a ``Mule Rider'' -- a distinction accorded to just one or two West Point cadets in each class. It was en route from the foundry in Colorado where it was cast to West Point, where it will stand as a tribute to mule riders and Army football.
``HOW MUCH CAN WE CHARGE Acme Co. for flying our executive vice president to participate as a member of its board of directors at the next board meeting?'' There are no easy answers to questions like this for FAR Part 91 flight departments. From the FAA's standpoint, the safest answer is always, ``Nothing.'' But the Sarbannes-Oxley Act of 2002 may make both companies nervous about providing and accepting a free flight.
In Colorado Springs, there's a neon sign above an FAA-certified repair station beaming out a name that makes you think, ``Hey, I didn't know they did that.''
Mooney Aerospace Group was hit with a $23.9 million penalty by an arbitrator in conjunction with the termination of a lease on the Long Beach, Calif., facility that had been the West Coast headquarters of AASI, which acquired Mooney and now operates under the Mooney banner with its headquarters in Kerrville, Texas. Mooney said it believed the arbitrator's damage award to the landlord, AP Long Beach Airport LLC, to be non-binding and that it would seek a jury trial.
Classic Learjet 31, 35 and 36 series airplanes have unmistakable ramp appeal, excellent operating economics and rock-solid reliability. In the minds of many business aircraft aficionados, the Learjet 30 family epitomizes the light jet. Even in the chocks, its sleek lines, low stance and sharply raked windshield brashly bespeak style and promise high performance. Little wonder that almost 900 Learjet 30 series airplanes were built between 1973, when the Model 35 first went into production, and 2002, when the last Learjet 31A rolled off the line in Wichita.
Medford Air Service, in Medford, Ore., is the latest Avfuel dealer. A full-service FBO, Medford Air offers fueling, tiedown space, repair services and climate-controlled hangars. In 2003, the facility was remodeled to offer larger hangar space and a refurnished lobby featuring a 1940s-style entrance. On-site amenities include catered meals, rental cars and hotel accommodations.
EagleMed has leased hangar space vacated by Raytheon Aircraft at Salina Municipal Airport in Salina, Kan. EagleMed will use the hangar as a helicopter base for medical transport flights. EagleMed, a unit of Ballard Aviation, provides critical care transport in Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.
Even though two FAA employees destroyed taped statements from controllers, the agency did not intentionally withhold any information from the 9/11 commission, a DOT Office of Inspector General's (OIG) investigation concluded. The probe was launched at the request of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) following complaints from the 9/11 Commission that the FAA had not provided requested evidence quickly enough. The OIG report said five controllers, who talked with two of the hijacked aircraft on Sept. 11, 2001, made a taped account of their actions.
An Australian bank says it will buy Executive Air Support and its network of 10 Atlantic Aviation FBOs for $238 million (U.S.). The buyer, Macquarie Bank, is headquartered in Sydney. The deal is subject to various regulatory requirements, including approval by the airports on which the FBOs are located. Lou Pepper formed Executive in November 1999 and serves as chief executive. Macquarie said in a statement that the deal is expected to close in three to six months. Atlantic operates FBOs in Bridgeport, Conn. (BDR); Chicago Midway (MDW); Hartford, Conn.
WHEN DEALING WITH the application of the federal excise taxes to any aviation activity, you need to consider not only how the FAA defines the activity, but also how the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) views it. The majority of the confusion about how the taxes apply stems from how the FAA and the IRS look at identical situations and/or operations. The FAA wants to know who has operational control while the IRS is more interested in who has possession, command and control. The distinction is no mere matter of semantics.
The past year has been a busy one for Kenneth Kuhrt, chief pilot for United Technologies Corp.'s flight department (UTFlight). First, he had his own job to handle, but then he also took on the responsibilities of his boss, Paul Anderson, vice president and general manager of flight operations.
Million Air Salt Lake City added a new Gulfstream G200 and a Cessna Citation Ultra to its charter operation. The additions will bring the total number of charter aircraft to nine, including turbine-powered aircraft from Pilatus, Learjet, Raytheon, Cessna and Gulfstream. The Gulfstream G200 was delivered new from the manufacturer with a nine-passenger interior. The late model Citation Ultra seats seven passengers. Both aircraft are available for charter through Million Air SLC by contacting Gary Mansell at (801) 359-2085.
Piaggio America won a major contract to deliver 29 Avanti P.180 turboprops to Avantair, in a deal valued at about $200 million, over the next few years. Piaggio said the deal ``is the largest single order ever for either company.'' Avantair is headquartered at Essex County Airport (CDW) in Caldwell, N.J., and currently operates a fleet of 10 of the Italian-built pusher-props for its customers. ``Our customers love it,'' said Steven Santo, Avantair's CEO.
As of April 29, 2005, the EU will require mandatory insurance for all air carriers and aircraft operators flying to, from, or over the territory of any of its members. All air carriers and aircraft operators need to be covered under a legal liability insurance policy. The insured risks need to include acts of war, terrorism, hijacking, acts of sabotage, unlawful seizure of aircraft and civil commotion. The insurance is mandatory but the regulation does not introduce strict liability.
