Atlantic Aviation Flight Services, Teterboro, N.J., appointed Thomas Falco as its new director of maintenance. Falco comes to the position with 16 years of corporate aviation experience.
Torch, The other day as I drove away from ``the service,'' one that most certainly met with your approval . . . including weather that the Lord uses on his ``A'' days . . . my spirit was suddenly jolted by the stark realization of why you lived! Oh, I know that God, family, a good story and a better brew with skirts are important -- but I am talking about the real reason . . . BusinessAviation, right? (One word please.) The honest-to-God connection hit me as I reflected over the years this morning at the service. The priest, the general, the editor, the wife . . .
Guernsey-based Aurigny Air Services has been nationalized, sparking strong protest about unfair competition from the British regional airline Flybe. The state acquisition came after British Airways announced its intention to pull out of its London-Gatwick to Guernsey service. With the financial backing of the state of Guernsey, Aurigny plans to operate an ATR 72 on the route. The takeover surprised Flybe, which has provided air services to the Islands, near France's Cherbourg peninsula, for the last 25 years under the names Jersey European and British European.
The private sector is becoming dangerously exposed to terrorist attacks, but too many companies in Europe are complacent about the threat, according to a British security specialist.
The DOT has named American Airlines executive Russell Chew to serve as the FAA's chief operating officer. In his new capacity, Chew will manage the operational and financial performance of the air traffic control system and the FAA's research and acquisition programs. The position has been vacant for three years. Chew has spent nearly two decades with American Airlines, serving as a line-qualified captain, managing director of strategic operations planning, and manager of technical flight operations and systems support technologies.
Bloomer deVere, Los Angeles, has added Geoffrey Nye to its sales force. He comes to the company with 20 years at Bombardier Business Aircraft; he concluded his tenure there as a regional vice president.
ARINC, Annapolis, Md., has appointed Richard A. Hoad to the position of senior director, sales and marketing for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Hoad will be based at the company's offices in Crawley, England.
``There isn't as much competition in Europe, and rates are generally higher there for everything, anyway. So this can surprise some North American operators flying over here,'' Dan Maiden, managing director of Bombardier Aerospace's Skyjet-Europe charter booking service, told B/CA from his office in London. And charter is no exception. ``There is a disparity in Europe in terms of buying charter,'' Maiden continued, ``widely varying aircraft types and cost. For example, there is a huge supply in Germany of midsize aircraft, but not a large supply of large ones.
Reports filtering in from business aviation operators in the last few months warn of noticeable increases in handling charges, taxes and fees associated with intra-European operations. These combine with complaints of ``sticker shock'' from neophyte international operators making their first forays onto the Continent in a wave of business aviation activity driven by security concerns in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks. ``The amount of transatlantic traffic is increasing . . .
Bombardier Inc. announced the sale of Belfast City Airport on May 23 to Ferrovial of Spain, for some $22 million. The divestiture is part of Bombardier's recapitalization program, announced this past April. The airport formerly was a subsidiary of the aircraft manufacturer Short Brothers, which was purchased by Bombardier in 1989 and is now integrated into Bombardier Aerospace. Bombardier also has a manufacturing operation in Belfast that employs 5,700 people, and which plays a major role in the design and manufacture of Bombardier regional and business aircraft.
Aviation Supplies and Academics' Flight Timer chronometer is ergonomically designed for reliability and convenience. The Flight Timer features a large back-lit LCD screen, count-up/down capabilities, multifunction timer, elapsed trip timer and an exclusive digital notepad for squawk codes or frequencies. Price: $49.95 ASA 7005 132nd Pl. SE Newcastle, WA 98059 Phone: (800) 426-8338 Fax: (425) 235-0128 www.asa2fly.com
Duncan Aviation, Battle Creek, Mich., has added Scott Brooks to its avionics installations sales team. Brooks has more than 20 years of corporate aviation experience and has held positions with Learjet and Universal Avionics, among others. In addition, Duncan Aviation has promoted Doug Bohac to paint shop manager of the company's exterior completions service group in Lincoln, Neb.
Boeing says advanced composite materials will compose the majority of the primary structure of its new 7E7 -- including the wing and fuselage. The company said following months of intensive study and analysis, it has selected a graphite combined with a toughened epoxy resin as the main composite. The wings will also include TiGr composites -- a combination of titanium and graphite. Titanium is a strong metal known for its light weight and durability. Graphite is a stable form of carbon.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is installing ADS-B equipment on more than 100 aircraft in a move that signals the expansion of the FAA's Safe Flight 21 program beyond Alaska. The FAA will build ground stations near Embry-Riddle's Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., campuses in early 2004 that will transmit weather and traffic information to properly equipped Embry-Riddle aircraft. UPS Aviation Technologies, a partner in the Safe Flight 21 program, is supplying MX20 multifunction displays and DL90 universal access transceivers for the Embry-Riddle aircraft.
Garmin plans to offer upgrades on its 400 and 500 series avionics units. For $500, the company will upgrade the 400/500 series with terrain advisories that display potential hazards in yellow and red. Additionally, current Garmin 500 series owners can opt for a $6,495 Class-B TAWS upgrade that meets the FAA mandate requiring TAWS-B for turbine-powered aircraft with six or more passenger seats. Both upgrades will be available in the fourth quarter of this year.
Wi-Fi is airborne. Lufthansa Technik won the race for STC approval of a wireless LAN aboard an aircraft in a joint effort with Connexion by Boeing. In mid-May, after their successful joint tryout of the system, the Connexion, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, British Airways Engineering and Lufthansa Systems won approval from the German and British federal aviation authorities to install it in Boeing 747-400s meeting special structural criteria.
Just one week after the groundbreaking for its Little Rock paint hangar, Dassault Falcon announced another facility expansion, this time in Teterboro, N.J. A new 32,200-square-foot building complex will be constructed directly across from Dassault Falcon's headquarters to accommodate the flight operations department and the Falcon demonstration fleet.
Sheets of rain soaked Taipei's Chiang Kai-shek International Airport on the evening of Oct. 31, 2000, harbingers of rapidly approaching Typhoon Xangsane. On board Singapore Air Flight 006, awaiting takeoff clearance, 159 passengers and 20 crewmembers were looking forward to leaving that soggy city for the overnight transpacific trip to sunny Los Angeles. ``Singapore Six, you're cleared for takeoff Runway Five Left,'' the tower controller instructed. ``Cleared for takeoff Runway Five Left,'' echoed the first officer aboard the heavily loaded Boeing 747-400.
Lockheed Martin installed a common automated radar terminal system (ARTS) at the FAA's new Potomac Consolidated TRACON facility. The system is being used for approach and departure air traffic control for the major airports in the Washington, D.C., area. The Potomac center opened in December 2002 and will handle more than two million flights annually.
Jetsource, Carlsbad, Calif., has recently announced several staff additions. Jim Grindrod has been named chief pilot, Megan Cunningham has been named charter manager, and Thomas Campbell has been named maintenance sales representative.
The National Air Transportation Association has named a new chairman and members of its board of directors. Greg Arnold, president and chief operating officer of TAC Air, will serve as chairman. New board members include Jake Cartwright, president and CEO of TAG Aviation USA; Sally Leible, president of Airport Terminal Services; and William T. Greenwell, chief financial officer and partner with Frederick Aviation in Frederick, Md.
Alan Bristow, founder of Bristow Helicopters, will be the guest of honor at a reception on Sept. 13, celebrating the carrier's 50th anniversary. The festivities will be held at the Helicopter Museum, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England. Bristow established his company at Henstridge Airfield in Somerset in 1953 before relocating to Redhill, Surrey, where the company is still based today.
Keystone Helicopter, West Chester, Pa., has announced two new vice presidents. Rick Hinkle has been promoted to the new position of vice president of program development. Hinkle, who joined Keystone Helicopter in 1984, has been responsible for the firm's marketing and advertising campaigns for the past 14 years. Prior to this promotion, he was vice president and general manager of the company's Flight Services Division for the past three years. Succeeding Hinkle in that position is Larry Adams, the new vice president and general manager of the Flight Services Division.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) broke ground May 12 for construction of a new control tower and TRACON at Terminal 3. When completed, the 335-foot tower and its 39,000-square-foot TRACON facility will replace the 181-foot tower west of Terminal 3, built in the 1970s. Construction is expected to be finished by mid-2005 and cost about $54 million paid out of federal funds.
