The term of office for John Goglia, the NTSB's most candid and aviation savvy member, is about to expire and it appears he will be replaced by another presidential appointee. After spending 30 years fixing airplanes for his own repair operation and serving US Airways in numerous maintenance positions, in 1995 the Massachusetts native won appointment to the Board, becoming the first licensed mechanic to hold that office.
Not long after acquiring Atlantic Aviation's facilities at New Castle County Airport (ILM) in Wilmington, Del., in October 2000, Dassault Falcon Jet quickly set about transforming one of the hangars into a structural repair center. There, much of the work focuses on manufacturing leading edges for the entire Falcon family. Struck by the sight of numerous shipsets of leading edges under construction, one visitor asked a Dassault executive why there was such an apparently steady aftermarket for so special and expensive a piece of airframe.
THE NTSB'S INVESTIGATION into the Oct. 25, 2002, King Air 100 approach crash that killed Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.) and seven others resulted in four recommendations to the FAA seeking tighter oversight of FAR Part 135 training. The Safety Board also suggested development of low-speed warning systems for airplanes engaged in commercial carriage. Wellstone, several members of his family and campaign staff and the two Aviation Charter, Inc. pilots died when the St. Paul to Eveleth, Minn., flight crashed on approach to the Eveleth-Virginia Municipal Airport (EVM).
Dallas Airmotive Inc., Dallas, has appointed Brian Sill to the newly created position of vice president, business operations. Sill joined the company after working for Pratt & Whitney as program director of the PW6000 Entry-Into-Service engine plan.
As a tribute to Capt. Gene E. ``Ed'' Allen's memory, and in honor of his accomplishments, Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. has established the Ed Allen Memorial Aviation Scholarship Endowment. The $20,000 endowment will be invested, and the interest will be used to provide scholarships to qualified students enrolled in aviation programs at Georgia Aviation Technical College. When he passed away unexpectedly in 2001, Allen was Dassault Falcon Jet's director of flight.
Details of recent accidents and incidents are presented to help avert repetition. Dec. 4 -- A Goodyear blimp, the ``Spirit of America,'' came loose from its moorings and escaped from its ground crew, sailed into a parked truck and dove into a fertilizer pile next to a plant nursery in Carson, Calif. A cameraman inside the blimp suffered a knee injury. The accident reportedly caused a large tear in the front of the blimp and knocked out its gondola's front window. Dec.
Schweizer Aircraft, the oldest privately owned aircraft manufacturer in the world, in December 2004 celebrated its 64th anniversary, in addition to its 20th anniversary as a helicopter manufacturer. In 1983, Schweizer signed an agreement with Hughes Helicopters to take over production and support of the 269 series of helicopters (including the U.S. Army's TH-55A, the 269A and B, and the 300C). Since that time, Schweizer has upgraded the Model 300C and created two new models, the piston-powered Model 300CBi and the turbine-powered Model 333.
Air Routing International and Lufthansa Technik have teamed up to provide worldwide support to Airbus Corporate Jet operators. Houston-based Air Routing will provide operational support such as flight planning, airplane and passenger handling, and security, and will also arrange contacts with local FBOs. Lufthansa Technik will provide technical services to support ACJ customers with troubleshooting, on-site repairs and maintenance, and the dispatch of rapid response teams.
Tenzing and ARINC have teamed up to provide seamless inflight and ground e-mail connectivity regardless of an aircraft's air-to-ground satcom service provider. Operators who want to enable their aircraft for e-mail can install Tenzing's software onto their existing onboard LAN. ARINC performs the Internet Service Provider role, integrating with the Tenzing application and managing the billing, customer care and assignment of e-mail accounts where needed through its partner, Airpath Wireless Inc.
Michael ``Red'' Redenbaugh CEO, Bell Helicopter, Ft. Worth, Texas A mechanical engineer, Redenbaugh, 44, joined Garrett AiResearch's Turbine Engine Division shortly after graduating from the University of Washington in Seattle. Over the next 21 years he rose steadily through the ranks at Garrett-Allied Signal-Honeywell, ultimately becoming acting president of the company's $4.6 billion Engines, Systems and Services group. He also served as vice president and general manager of Honeywell's military helicopter and industrial engine business.
ExxonMobil Aviation and start-up charter operator Royal Jet have joined forces to offer the first Avitat-branded FBO in the region at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Royal Jet operates a 42-seat BBJ and has two Gulfstream G300s on order for delivery this year -- making it the launch customer for the aircraft-type in the region.
Bombardier Aerospace is teaming with ExecuJet Middle East in a new program to promote Learjet 40, 45 and 45XR business jet sales in the Middle East. With each purchase of one of these three aircraft, Bombardier says it will assume aircraft management costs for one year. The package will include aircraft delivery and registration; aircraft operations management; flight operations performance review; maintenance management; and safety, security and quality assurance programs. Eligibility in the program is straightforward, says Bombardier.
Million Air Asheville has joined the Air BP network. Located at Asheville Regional Airport (AVL), the 50-acre Million Air Asheville complex includes ramps that can accommodate BBJs and Boeing 727s. Servicing options include an FAA Part 145 repair station and Air BP blended fuel. The Million Air facility offers pilots a computerized flight planning room with high-speed Internet access, pilot lounge, snooze room and complementary crew cars.
The Premier I's fully integrated Pro Line 21 avionics package frequently was mentioned by operators as one of its five best features. The standard package includes two large-format displays and a single FMS. Many folks have ordered the three display option, as reflected in the empty weight estimate, which makes the aircraft ready for RVSM. Early aircraft had to be recalled to relocate the Rosemount pitot/static probes in accordance with SB-34-3581, which corrects a static source error and thus makes them RVSM compatible.
The Internal Revenue Service issued its first official guidelines on bonus depreciation benefits conferred by Congress. The NBAA identified four key benefits for business aviation: (1) the availability of bonus depreciation for personal aircraft converted to business use, (2) the application of bonus depreciation benefits to purchasers of fractional interests and demonstrator aircraft, (3) expanded like-kind exchange benefits and (4) increased timing flexibility for taxpayers who lease their business aircraft.
Jet Aviation unveiled construction plans for a new facility to be located at Dubai International Airport during 2003's Dubai Air Show. The Dubai FBO will be the third Jet Aviation facility in the region; its others are located in Riyadh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Jet Aviation Dubai is a joint venture with the Almulla Business Group of Dubai and is expected to be fully operational in the second half of 2004.
In our December 2003 issue, to help mark the centennial of powered flight, we unveiled four individuals, some with us still and some not, whose contributions to the business aviation community were visionary and long-lasting, and changed the course of the industry for the better. Now, having entered the second century of flight, we, the editors of B/CA, are honored to cite four more. As already stated, so many people have contributed so much, it would be impossible to recognize them all, and so we have selected a few extraordinary individuals to represent the many.
Mexico's Aerolitoral, an AeroMexico regional affiliate, has signed an agreement to purchase five Embraer E145LR jets for delivery this year. The agreement also includes an option to buy an additional 25 aircraft over the next several years.
The four-year, $59 billion FAA reauthorization bill has been signed into law after passage by Congress on Nov. 21, 2003. The bill was delayed for months by arguments over provisions related to possible privatization of several FAA VFR-only control towers. ``We are pleased that this issue has been sufficiently resolved and that the bill has been passed,'' said GAMA President Ed Bolen. ``For general aviation, this is an extraordinarily important bill.
Universal Weather and Aviation has released the latest edition of its UVTripPlanner directory for business aviation. The directory contains data on airports (with at least 3,900 feet of hard-surfaced runway) worldwide, along with preflight planning information such as ground handling facilities, general overflight and airport entry rules, visa/passport requirements, security and health guidelines, customs and immigration regulations, and U.S. embassy and consulate offices.
TAG Aviation is now providing direct online charter quoting in Europe as well as in the United States using Air Charter Guide's CharterX system. Retail and industry inquirers can locate, price and book aircraft through TAG's Web site at www.tagaviation.com.
The National Air Transportation Association is developing a ramp safety program to cut ground-based aviation accidents. At a press luncheon in Washington, D.C., NATA President Jim Coyne said, ``In 2004, we'll raise the bar on ramp safety. It's a fact that there are more accidents on the ground than in the air. . . . Unfortunately, there are a few pilots who turn off their brains when the nosewheel touches down.'' Coyne said he believes more progress can be made in cutting down on ramp, taxiway and other ground-based accidents without additional regulation.
The first Embraer aircraft manufactured outside Brazil, an ERJ145 produced by HEAI (Harbin Embraer Aircraft Industry Co.), rolled out and completed its first flight on Dec. 16, 2003. HEAI is a joint venture of Embraer and Harbin. The ceremony was attended by high-ranking Chinese and Brazilian government authorities, executives from China's top airlines, and representatives of partner and supplier companies.
FlightSafety International, Flushing, N.Y., has appointed Bruce N. Whitman as president. Whitman, who joined the organization in 1961, has been FlightSafety's executive vice president since 1962.
