Air Chef has kicked it up a notch, introducing a special charter menu for sports teams. The company said it had worked closely with clients to develop special menus balancing dietary requirements and regional requests -- specifically the carbohydrate and protein counts that many teams require. The menus were developed for pre-boarding snacks, and onboard appetizers, entrees and desserts, as well as ``front of the plane'' and ``back of the plane'' choices. Vegan, kosher and Atkins menus are available as well.
An A for perseverance. Capt. Jose A. Vega Salinas of Transporte Aereo Tecnico Ejecutiva, based in Toluca, Mexico, was stricken with appendicitis while attending FlightSafety Falcon 900EX EASy initial training in Teterboro, N.J. After emergency surgery and a weekend of recuperation at his hotel, Capt. Salinas hooked up with the next class, albeit walking very, very slowly and wearing loose sweats.
The FAA placed one firm order and two options for Bombardier Challenger 604s for runway and airway calibration and special missions. The FAA already operates three Challenger 601-3Rs and six Learjet 60s for civil and military runway calibration worldwide. The new Challenger 604 is scheduled for delivery in November.
AvCraft Aerospace restarted production of the Dornier 328JET at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, in January and first deliveries are planned for the fourth quarter of this year. On the line are five partially completed aircraft taken over from the Fairchild Dornier bankruptcy in September 2002. The first of these aircraft has found a buyer and two others are subject to contractual negotiation, according to chief executive Ben Bartel. AvCraft has wings for production through to first quarter 2005. A new wing vendor will be selected by mid-February.
Should you register your aircraft offshore as a further ring of anonymity between the aircraft and your company? ``A lot of our clients who operate into areas of high risk choose the lower visibility of flags of convenience, or registration with non-confrontational states like Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas,'' Roger Rose, president of Miami-based International Pilot Services, told B/CA.
Raytheon has named Duncan Aviation a Hawker/Beechjet 400XP authorized service center for all 400XP maintenance events including warranty work. Dan Fuoco, Duncan's Hawker Service sales representative, said that ``400XP authorization complements the capabilities of our Hawker-focused teams.'' Duncan Aviation already performs airframe maintenance, engine and APU service, landing gear overhauls, and paint and interior refurbishments on all Hawker models.
Turboprops were involved in 52 accidents, including 20 fatal accidents, which resulted in 45 passenger and crew fatalities in 2003. In 2002 there were 45 accidents, 17 fatal accidents and 42 fatalities.
While the man-portable antiaircraft missile threat is probably exaggerated by the media, it does exist, as was seen in November 2003 in Iraq and in 2002 in East Africa. In the former incident, a DHL Airbus A300 freighter was struck by a shoulder-launched heat-seeking missile while departing Baghdad, receiving serious damage to its flight control system. Its resourceful crew fought the stricken airplane to a successful landing, escaping by the skin of their teeth.
Daniel Webster College, Nashua, N.H., has appointed Stephen K. Brown as director of flight operations. Brown has been with the college for the past three years as director of flight education/chief instructor, and also held the position of interim director of flight operations for four months.
The U.K.'s Civil Aviation Authority was so concerned that aircraft on approach or takeoff are at risk when light shows or firework displays are being held near airports that it issued guidelines to New Year's Eve display organizers covering fireworks, lasers and searchlights. A CAA official confirmed that no occurrences were recorded over this latest New Year period, but that fireworks have reportedly hit four aircraft in the past four years.
While FAR Part 135 and Part 121 provide operators with specific guidance regarding the assignment of cabin attendants, there's no such requirement for a business aircraft with a seating capacity of less than 19 passengers. Nevertheless, there are times when a flight attendant is invaluable to assuring passenger comfort and safety.
Looking for a flight attendant isn't a matter of flipping through the Yellow Pages until reaching ``Aviation -- Cabin Safety Specialist.'' So how do you find someone who's reliable, presentable, charming, service-minded and familiar with your particular aircraft, its safety equipment and galley facilities? Methodology in this instance dictates telephoning -- to a personnel agency, a friend who has used flight attendants in the past, or neighboring flight department schedulers.
Aviation Fabricators (AvFab) of Clinton, Mo., has developed an armrest repair process for Beech King Air 350 (B300) and Hawker/Beechjet 400A aircraft seats. Previously the only option for operators was to purchase a replacement armrest. The AvFab repair process costs about one-third of replacement part costs with a typical turnaround time currently running about two days after the receipt of the broken unit. And, the company says, the repaired armrests are stronger than the original. For more information, call Jeff Lowe at AvFab at (660) 885-8317.
Thrust-Tech Aviation, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a subsidiary repair station of Corporate Rotable & Supply that services the commercial, general and business aviation marketplaces, has appointed Mike Salapack as general manager. Salapack has over 20 years of senior level management experience and was most recently director of aftermarket sales and operations for Electromech Technologies in Wichita.
Bonnie LeVar Executive Director, Corporate Angel Network, White Plains, N.Y. Founded in 1981, CAN arranges free flights for cancer patients aboard corporate aircraft traveling on routine business. Some 500 companies participate in CAN and to date have carried nearly 18,000 patients. A former social worker for emotionally disturbed children and a CAN volunteer, LeVar took charge of the operation in 2002. 1 Your work with runaway teens must have been emotionally trying. LeVar: Yes, but ditto here, big time.
Scheyden's Flip Sunglasses come in seven styles that range from the classic aviator ``El Capitan'' to the more sleekly designed ``Avalon.'' The handmade, lightweight frames are constructed from titanium for strength and durability. The lenses can be flipped to the up position to ease chart and instrument reading. The sunglasses come with a micro-fiber cleaning cloth, micro-fiber carrying bag and personally engraved Rosewood case. Price: $199 to $445 Scheyden Precision Eyewear 17811 Jamestown Ln.
A blunt letter from the FAA to Danbury, Conn., Mayor Mark Boughton threatened to displace the landing threshold of the city airport's longest runway by nearly 1,000 feet unless trees on the approach were cut down. That would leave only 3,500 feet of Runway 8/26's more than 4,400 feet of asphalt available for landing and could also potentially affect all five instrument approaches into DXR.
Lockheed Martin has completed tests of Flight Safety Technologies' SOCRATES (Sensors for Characterizing Ring-eddy Atmospheric Turbulence Emanating Sound) laser-based instrumentation to detect wake vortices. Acoustic equipment using four separate laser beams was installed at a field 2 miles from Denver International Airport, where approaching aircraft flew overhead at about 500 feet or higher.
Qantas Airways has placed a firm order with Bombardier Aerospace for six new 50-passenger Bombardier Q300 turboprops and has options on two further aircraft for its QantasLink regional airline operation. Deliveries are scheduled for the first half of this year. The new aircraft will replace older model 36-seat Dash 8 Series 100 aircraft. QantasLink currently operates 33 Dash 8 Series 100, Bombardier Q200 and Bombardier Q300 aircraft.
B/CA asked a security expert and a pilot who frequently ranges abroad to identify, based on recent field intelligence and operational experience, areas of elevated risk. From ``a definition point of view,'' Air Security International President Issy Boim observed, ``most of the world would apply in terms of what could be called `sensitive areas,' so we have to take precautions regardless of where we're traveling. But basically, all operations should be conducted within a frame of security management.
Dec. 30, 2003 -- A Cessna 441 operating as a personal flight crashed into a lake Greenacres City, Fla. The airplane was destroyed and the pilot was killed. According to the NTSB, several witnesses saw the airplane circle twice with engines revving, while getting lower and lower until the lake consumed it. Dec. 27 -- A Cirrus SR22 collided with wires and the ground while making a simulated forced landing near King, N.C. One passenger was seriously injured.
Aerolearn.com CD-ROM and Web-based distance learning programs for aviation maintenance personnel, including recurrent training for IA-licensed technicians. Synchronous and asynchronous distance learning programs. 1155 W. Arbor Vitae St., Ste. 115 Inglewood, CA 90301 (310) 568-4970; Fax: (310) 568-8542 www.aerolearn.com e-mail: [email protected] AeroStudies Inc. Specializes in converting traditional aviation training programs to Web-based distance learning. Consulting for training in aviation maintenance, security, etc. 10240 124 St., Ste.
CROSSAIR FLIGHT 498 was scheduled to fly from Zurich, Switzerland, to Dresden, Germany: just one more of the thousands of trips handled by one of Europe's burgeoning regional carriers. When the Saab 340B crew checked in with clearance delivery at Zurich on the night of Jan. 10, 2000, they embodied the rapid changes at work in European commerce and politics. Although Crossair was then part of Swissair, none of the three crewmembers were Swiss. The 40-year-old captain was a native of Moldova, part of the Soviet Union when he was growing up.
Mesa Air Group has given up plans for a hostile takeover of Washington Dulles-based Atlantic Coast Airlines following a court ruling temporarily barring the action. Mesa backed away from the acquisition a day after United Airlines ended a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding that outlined terms for Mesa and Atlantic Coast to operate as the network's United Express carriers.
Meggitt/S-TEC has STC approval for Twin Commander 840, 900, 980 and 1000 turboprops configured with the MAGIC 2100 Digital Flight Control System. Production units are available immediately for delivery through the Twin Commander Service Center network. The MAGIC 2100 DFCS is a three-axis, all-digital, attitude-based flight control system. Guidance is based on the Meggitt solid-state Air Data Attitude Heading Reference System. The Digital Flight Control System interfaces with the MAGIC EFIS and Electronic Instrument Display System.
