MY MOTHER'S FATHER died when I was a little boy. Still, I remember him a bit, in particular at one meal at his lovely Forest Hills home when I spilled my glass of chocolate milk. Grampy suffered neither fools nor flaws and as the brown liquid spilled onto the floor he glared first at me and then at my grandmother, who, bless her, rose immediately in my defense. The crisis abated, but he was clearly upset, and consequently so was I. That anecdote draws a terribly unfair picture of a man who deserves a rousing epitaph.
Bombardier President and CEO Paul M. Tellier recently reiterated that the future of its aerospace industry should be a priority for Canada. In a Feb. 16 speech to the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, the executive posited three key elements of a Canadian national aerospace policy: the design, manufacture and financing of new products.
The Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge is an official FAA compilation of the theory and knowledge required of pilots and is the official source for information used in developing questions for the FAA Knowledge Exams. This new edition covers changes and revisions since 1997 and is organized to provide the broadening spectrum of knowledge required as pilots progress from student through advanced pilot certificates.
Delta AirElite Business Jets added a new Citation X to its charter certificate. The aircraft is based at the San Jose, Calif., International Airport (SJC). Delta AirElite Business Jets is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. For more information, call (877) DAE-JETS (323-5387) or visit www.airelite.com.
AIRCRAFT REPORTS Inflight Report: Falcon 2000EX Fred George Jan., p. 38 Eclipse Program at Crossroads Fred George Jan., p. 48 Helicopter Operations in Temporary Landing Areas David Esler Feb., p. 56 Your First Business Jet Fred George March, p. 40 Operator Survey: Citation Encore Fred George April, p. 34 Business Airplanes 2003 Fred George May, p. 46 Used Airplanes 2003 Jessica A. Salerno May, p. 78 Emerging Aircraft 2003 William Garvey May, p.
The DA40-180 DiamondStar is now certified and available with Avidyne's FlightMax Entegra integrated flight deck, which includes the new EMax primary engine instrument display. The Entegra system on the DiamondStar consists of two 10.4-inch diagonal, high-resolution, sunlight-readable displays -- a FlightMax Entegra EXP5000 primary flight display (PFD) with an integrated solid-state air data and attitude/heading reference system (ADAHRS), and the EX5000 multi-function display (MFD).
The Embraer 190, a 100- to 108-seat twinjet, rolled out on Feb 10. Meanwhile, Honeywell has delivered new software that should help the Model 170 win FAA/JAR certification. Embraer hopes to deliver a total of 53 of the type this year. The aircraft is expected to be approved for operation at London City Airport with a full 70-passenger load and with a range of 700 miles.
AOPA, Frederick, Md., has named Roger Cohen to its vice president of regional affairs position. He joins the AOPA from the Air Transport Association of America, where he served 15 years as managing director of state and local government affairs. In his new position, Cohen will oversee the AOPA's 13 regional representatives, state affairs, the airports department and the Airport Support Network.
In summer 2003 on a high overcast night, a Learjet was arriving in the Phoenix area from the northeast. The destination was Scottsdale (Ariz.) Airport (SDL). Although it was one of those post-thunderstorm, somewhat hazy nights, the visibility was more than adequate for a visual approach to Runway 21.
Bombardier Skyjet, Washington, D.C., a reservation service for charter business jets and a unit of Bombardier Aerospace, appointed Alexandre Monnier to the post of general manager. Monnier most recently served as director of marketing and business development for Bombardier Flexjet.
The fundamentals of flight are the same for everyone. Lift must overcome gravity. Thrust must be greater than drag. Or else nobody goes anywhere. But the business landscape is littered with the wreckage of flight operations that mastered the flight fundamentals only to run afoul of the hazards of the spreadsheet. Staying not only alive but fiscally virile and viable for 50 years requires something extra. Peter Wright Jr., son of Keystone founder Peter Wright Sr., grew up in the corporate culture that is Keystone.
Trajen Flight Support, now an Air BP dealer, has completed a new hangar and terminal facility. Located at Tucson International Airport (TUS), the new facilities feature 12,000 square feet of hangar space as well as office space and a new terminal area. The facility has a 52,500-square-foot parking ramp. Plans are also in place to expand the facility next door to Trajen. Over the next three years, the company plans on expanding that facility with an additional 7,100 square feet of hangar space, to be used primarily for general aviation operations and services.
Aerospace Filtration Systems has received STC and PMA approval for its engine inlet barrier filter (IBF), the same system currently flying on military Bell OH-58D and Boeing/MDH AH/MH-6J helicopters in the Iraqi desert. The first STC is for Bell 407s, and the company is seeking certification for installation on Bell 206-L3s and L4s.
Aviation journalist William David ``Bill'' Wagstaff, 49, died on Feb. 8, following complications from surgery. A lifelong aviation, space and film enthusiast, Wagstaff was a full-time editor with Aviation International News from 1988 to 2003 where he specialized in rotary wing coverage. A graduate of the University of Iowa writer's program, ``Wags'' was a skillful writer and engaging story teller with a quick mind and eclectic interests. After departing AIN, he turned to freelance writing; his last article, ``Sounding the Wright Key,'' appears in this issue of B/CA.
Signature Flight Support, Orlando, has named David Best managing director, Europe. Operating from the company's base at London Luton Airport in the United Kingdom, Best will focus on growing and expanding Signature's FBO network throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He will also sit on the board of Signature's joint venture in Hong Kong.
The FAA will participate in tests of a new radar system at Southampton (U.K.) and Charles de Gaulle (Paris) airports to see how effective it is in detecting runway debris. QinetiQ says its Tarsier radar could take a bite out of the millions of dollars lost on FOD every year.
Piaggio America officially opened its new North American headquarters at Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) in West Palm Beach, Fla., during an evening gala on Jan. 22. Entitled ``La Bella Macchina,'' the evening featured dozens of business jets, Piaggio 180s, and scores of Ferraris fanned across Jet Aviation's ramp, where they were admired by hundreds of tanned and taut glitterati. Previously located in Greenville, S.C., Piaggio now shares office and hangar space with Jet Aviation. Piaggio America, Inc.
The Air Group, a full-service aircraft management company in Teterboro, N.J., has added Steve Barlage as vice president of regional sales and general manager of the New York office. He joins the Air Group after 18 years with Boeing and is located at the company's Teterboro hub.
Welsch Aviation, the 55-year-old aircraft brokerage firm specializing in turbine aircraft sales and acquisitions, opened a new office in Seattle, to be headed by Kayne Jacobs. The company also has offices in New York; Washington, D.C.; Houston and Savannah, and an affiliate in Caracas, Venezuela. The Seattle office phone is (425) 802-7471. E-mail: [email protected]. Welsch Aviation's Web site is at www.welsch-aviation.com.
THE TELEPHONE RANG. A welcome call from goombody Julius Palermo, chief honcho at National Gypsum flight operations in Charlotte. Jules announced that he is retiring after 30 years with the company, as he is past 60 and holding. Gypsum is losing a jewel who is literally at the top of his game. Swimmers are over the hill at 20, golfers at 30 and wide receivers at 35, but good pilots at 60, well suh, they are the crme de la crme.
Jet Aviation Dallas now holds an amended STC to install the Bendix/King IHAS 8000 Integrated Hazard Avoidance System on Cessna Citation models 500, 550, S550 and 560. The IHAS 8000 provides weather, traffic and terrain information using a single panel-mounted display/controller with a consistent interface for all functions.
Anxiously searching for the correct circuit breaker to pull when the trim runs away wastes valuable time. Sporty's solution is brightly colored caps that can be snapped onto the top of most pull-type breakers. Available in red, yellow and green, the circuit breaker caps can help quickly identify the autopilot, electric trim, landing gear and other important circuit breakers. Not just for aircraft owners, the caps are also for maintenance shops, race cars and boats.
Archie Trammell's Radar Training Systems has introduced TSjournal, a new Web-based program developed in response to requests from large flight departments that wanted to make training accessible for many pilots. The initial Web release, found at www.tsjournal.aero, contains 122 pages of information, beginning with a fresh look at wind-shear accident causes, an analysis of a radar system, reviews of seven NTSB thunderstorm-related accident reports and other turbulence threats.
Flight Options, LLC, Cleveland, has named S. Michael Scheeringa as chief operating officer. Scheeringa most recently served as US Airways' vice president, Express Division. He has over 13 years of experience in the aviation industry.
