Eurocopter announced that the DGAC (French Civil Aviation Authority) has just awarded Level D Certification to the Helisim Dauphin AS 365 N2 full-flight simulator, a certification that meets the European JAA (Joint Aviation Authorities) standards. According to the company, Helisim is the only pilot training academy in the world to possess three Level D certifications for helicopters. In March 2003, Helisim received Level D certification for its Super Puma AS 332 L1 FFS, and in July of the same year for its Super Puma AS 332 L2 FFS.
The Work Assist Vehicle, or Wave, from Crown Equipment Corp. is an electrically powered unit that can elevate a person and material up to heights of 14 feet. The vehicle travels nearly twice as fast as the average walking speed and, due to a 30-inch-wide base and zero turn radius, can navigate easily in tight spaces. In the aviation workplace, the Wave can be used for a variety of functions, including changing batteries, working on engine cowlings and aircraft cleaning.
The recent addition of a Bravo brought Gregg Air's Citation fleet to six, making it the largest operator of the type in the United Kingdom. And the company plans to add a second Citation Ultra in the near future. Based at Oxford and Coventry airports, Gregg also operates a Hawker 125-800 and says two managed aircraft should join the fleet within the next few months.
The Citation X flight simulator at the FlightSafety Orlando learning center has received Level D certification. The company also announced that its Raytheon learning center in Wichita has received its certificate of compliance with ISO9001-2000. The registrar was the British Standards Institute.
Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, appointed Steven F. Dwyer chief operating officer. Dwyer will continue in his pre- existing role as president of Defense North America for the company until a successor is named.
CSSI, Inc., Washington, D.C., has named William Colligan as its new president. Colligan has served as CSSI's chief operating officer for the past three years, and will continue to hold that position in addition to his new responsibilities.
Honeywell has joined forces with Aero Twin of Anchorage, Alaska, to retrofit existing Cessna Caravan aircraft with the TPE331-12JR turboprop. Honeywell said the modification would result in significant performance improvements for operators. There are about 1,200 Caravans in service worldwide, all powered by the Pratt & Whitney PT6A-114A engine. Honeywell says the -12JR, originally developed for the CASA 212 Series 400, will provide the Caravan with improved payload range, lower fuel burn, lower operating costs and improved anti-ice protection.
You're five times more likely to be involved in an aircraft accident on a deadhead leg than you are when you're flying the folks who pay the freight, according to Robert E. Breiling, the well-known Boca Raton, Fla.-based business aircraft accident analyst. That doesn't reflect a breakdown in skills, but rather in cockpit discipline and judgment. Headwork, not hand skills, causes a disproportionate number of business aircraft accidents.
Aerospace Industries Association President and CEO John W. Douglass predicted a return to growth for the U.S. aerospace industry in 2005-2006. Speaking at the AIA's 39th annual year-end review and forecast luncheon on Dec. 10, Douglass said, ``The surprising news is that the slump [in 2003] is not nearly as sharp as predicted a year ago, and not as deep as we experienced a decade ago.'' The reduced production of commercial jetliners -- 280 in 2003 compared with 379 in 2002 -- dragged transport revenues down 26 percent to an estimated $21 billion.
National Express Corp., New Windsor, N.Y., has appointed Charles G. Seliga to president and chief operating officer of Stewart International Airport. Seliga had been managing director of the airport since 2000. Stewart International is the nation's first privatized airport, operated by National Express Corp.
Enstrom Helicopter Corp., Menominee, Mich., has appointed Jerry M. Mullins president and CEO. Mullins joins Enstrom after leading Heli-Dyne Systems Inc. for the past 10 years, serving most recently as president and CEO.
A coalition of EADS, Airbus and Thales -- dubbed the Air Traffic Alliance -- is to lead a six-month study for the European Space Agency (ESA) to establish a long-term vision on the role of satellite technologies in systems for air traffic management beyond 2020. The study was awarded to EADS Astrium and Thales ATM, and will also include Alcatel Space, the German aerospace center DLR, Germany's air navigation services provider Deutsche Flugsicherung and Lufthansa Cargo as consortium partners.
The first Middle Eastern customer for Bombardier's Global 5000 will be the Safadi Group of Beirut, Lebanon. The Middle Eastern launch customer for Bombardier's Challenger 300 is HH Sheikh Saleh bin Mahammed Al Sharqui of Fujairah (part of the UAE). Delivery of the Challenger is forecast for midyear. Sheikh Saleh is a longtime operator of Bombardier aircraft and currently flies a Learjet 60.
Approach Aviation has released a new pair of high-intensity, flexible LED units designed for cockpit illumination or aircraft maintenance. Designed and engineered in Germany, the LED Micro-Flex and LED Mega-Flex Lights feature small heads with strong, flexible necks, allowing them to be used for many specialized applications including cylinder illumination through spark plug holes. The LED Micro-Flex Light is 6 inches long and can be clipped to most surfaces.
AMSAFE Aviation has developed an aircraft seat belt designed for children ages one to four who weigh between 20 pounds and 45 pounds. Called AMSAFE CARES, the belt uses a simple five-point harness and attaches to a standard seat belt. Installation takes only a few minutes, and when not in use, the harness can be stored almost anywhere. AMSAFE CARES was designed by a grandmother of seven children after watching her pregnant daughter emerge from an airplane carrying her 2-1/2-year-old toddler in one arm and a heavy car seat in the other.
A series of security breaches at airports in Malaysia have prompted the government to direct Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad to step up security at all facilities. The most recent incident was Nov. 29, 2003, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) when a 25-year-old man sneaked into a Malaysia Airlines aircraft bound for Denpasar after walking past security personnel and closed-circuit cameras without a travel document or ticket. Airport police later arrested the man in Denpasar.
IF A CHARTER PILOT GETS FIRED for repeatedly pointing out safety issues to the boss, does the pilot have any legal remedy? The answer in the past was a definite ``maybe.'' Now a new federal statute is aimed precisely at the issue.
Crane Aerospace & Electronics, Lynnwood, Wash., has announced several new appointments in its Aerospace Group. Michael L. Brady has been appointed vice president and chief financial officer; Rick Jones has been named senior vice president of operations; and Kevin Wright has been appointed vice president of strategic new ventures.
The National Air Transportation Association, Alexandria, Va., has hired Beth Van Emburgh as manager of government and industry affairs. Van Emburgh will focus on airport, security and environmental issues. She will also serve as staff liaison for the NATA Airports Committee.
Keystone Helicopter Corp., headquartered in West Chester, Pa., has signed a five-year agreement with Air Evac Lifeteam to provide overhaul and repair services for the aeromedical helicopter operator's Rolls-Royce Model 250 engines. Air Evac Lifeteam, founded in West Plains, Mo., operates 42 helicopters from 36 bases in 10 states in the Midwest and South.
IBM Euroflight is the first European flight department to be issued an International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) Certificate of Registration. First introduced in May 2002, IS-BAO is a code of best practices designed to help flight departments worldwide achieve the highest level of safety and professionalism. IBM has operational bases in Paris and at Westchester Country Airport (HPN) in New York.
National Air Services, Saudi Arabia, which operates the NetJets Middle East program as well as its own corporate charter arm, recently appointed Rob D. DiCastri as chief financial officer and director of corporate development. Hossam Andijani has been promoted to financial controller. William J. Begue has been hired as director of maintenance.
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, the new 760,000-square-foot ``annex'' to the National Air and Space Museum, opened to the public on Dec. 15, 2003, at Dulles International Airport (IAD). Museum organizers chose that date as the opening day in order to avoid any conflict with the Dec. 17 Centennial of Flight activities in Kitty Hawk, N.C. The center is named after its benefactor, the founder and CEO of the International Lease Finance Corp. It will eventually house 200 aircraft ranging from the Concorde and SR-71 Blackbird to a Piper J-3 Cub.
During aviation's adolescence, the general public was enthralled with the doings of Charles Lindbergh, Jimmy Doolittle, Jackie Cochrane and others as they drove their airplanes ever higher, faster and farther and learned to make their way through the most challenging conditions. Here was a group of swashbuckling air pioneers rushing into the unknown at breathtaking speed, and the man on the street was eager to know about all of it.
The NTSB released its final report on the Wellstone King Air crash (see Cause and Circumstance, page 79). The probable cause, according to the report, was ``the flight crew's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which led to an aerodynamic stall from which they did not recover.'' The safety recommendations made by the NTSB include establishing an approved crew resource management training program for dual-pilot operations in FAR Part 135 on-demand charter operations. The full report is at www.ntsb.gov/publictn/ 2003/AAR0303.htm.
