Aircraft Technical Publishers and the National Air Transportation Association selected Ed Boyd of Garrett Aviation Services in Springfield, Ill., as the 2003 NATA/ATP General Aviation Service Technician of the Year. The award recognizes licensed A&P mechanics who have been in practice for at least 20 years. Boyd first maintained airplanes as a U.S. Army aviation maintenance technician in Vietnam in 1966. He joined Capital Aviation in Springfield in 1971 as an A&P specializing in reciprocating engine overhaul.
Dassault Falcon Jet has begun construction of a new 46,000-square-foot paint hangar in Little Rock, Ark. The facility, scheduled to be completed in February 2004, will be large enough to accommodate the 82-foot wingspan of the new Falcon 7X. The Little Rock completion and maintenance facility has become Dassault's largest, with more than one-half million square feet under its roof.
Shelley A. Longmuir has been selected to succeed Jack Olcott as NBAA president. Selection of Longmuir to head the association followed a lengthy search that included a professional recruitment firm working with the NBAA's search committee and its board of directors. Longmuir is expected to be on board at NBAA headquarters in Washington, D.C., by the end of this month. A magna cum laude graduate of Brown University, she holds a juris doctorate degree from New York University's School of Law.
There are just 15 rows of seats on the Business Express, so passenger loading and unloading is quick. Each business-class seat is 19.5 inches wide and each row can be spaced as far apart as 52 inches, depending upon the amount of space allotted to interior closets. Seats may be equipped with laptop power outlets, 500-plus mbaud Internet access and a variety of inflight audio-visual options. Overhead, business travelers will find redesigned passenger service units and larger overhead storage bins with integral lighted handrails.
Flightcraft, Portland, Ore., has hired Vernon ``Butch'' Miller as its new chief pilot. Miller was most recently a senior captain with Avbase Aviation in Cleveland.
Birmingham, England-based regional Maersk Air has been renamed Duo Airways after a buyout by its management and employees from Maersk A/S Denmark. Duo has been operating since May 3 and will continue to operate its existing fleet of CRJ 200s and 700s as a British Airways franchise partner to 14 European destinations from Birmingham.
Avbase Aviation, a Cleveland-based aircraft management and consulting services firm, has opened a new operations base in Dallas, occupying offices and a hangar at Mercury Air Center - Addison (ADS). Avbase markets aircraft charter and membership services under the brand UltraJet. At the Mercury facility, Avbase will utilize the hangar for operations and maintenance activity.
Safeair Inc., producer of passenger safety briefing cards for corporate and general aviation, has announced a new product line aimed at operators of smaller business jets and turboprop aircraft. The card sets are available in quantities of eight or more. Safeair, a longtime vendor to Gulfstream, Bombardier and Dassault Falcon, says it has developed a high-quality standard card that not only exceeds FAR Part 91 requirements but also surpasses what is available from the airframe manufacturers.
Experimental Aircraft Association President Tom Poberezny led a scheduled meeting of the General Aviation Coalition (GAC) with TSA chief James Loy and his top assistant Tom Blank. Poberezny is the current chairman of the GAC, which includes the alphabet groups large and small, representing everyone from sport parachutists through Gulfstream V and BBJ operators. Members present at the June 4 meeting reiterated continuing concerns regarding restrictions to general aviation, particularly in the D.C.
Sept. 11, 2001 -- Terrorists hijack four U.S. airliners, crashing two into the World Trade Center towers and one into the Pentagon. The final airliner crashes in Pennsylvania. Government leaders shut down all civil aircraft operations. Sept. 14, 2001 -- Limited IFR general aviation is cleared for flight. Sept. 19, 2001 -- Limited VFR flight is permitted, but must follow ``enhanced'' Class B rules.
So what happens when you're in an out-of-the-way European port and the airplane breaks down? According to old Europe hand Bruce Huffman, who currently runs Bombardier Aerospace's flight demo department at ICT, your first call should be to an FAR Part 145 or JAR 145 approved repair station, ``because they legally can work on your North American-registered airplane.'' Huffman advises operators to carry a shop directory in their flight bags, just in case. ``Make sure any parts you purchase over there are tagged with an FAA Form 8130, or you can't use them,'' he said.
The all-electric Lancair Columbia 350 has received FAA certification. Both the Lancair Model 300 and 350 use a 310-hp Continental IO-550 engine and claim a maximum cruise speed of 190 KTAS. The new Model 350 features a more-robust electrical system and no vacuum system. The 350 has dual batteries and alternators, is better able to incorporate state-of-the-art avionics and has provisions for future options such as deice and air conditioning. Meanwhile, the Columbia 300 recently won Canadian certification.
AIR MIDWEST FLIGHT 5481 -- a Beech 1900D operating as US Airways Express -- crashed shortly after takeoff from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) on Jan. 8, 2003, at about 0848 EST. The two pilots and all 19 passengers were killed. Only moments before, all had seemed normal as the airplane taxied into position on Runway 18R and began its takeoff run. Radar data and controller witnesses indicate the airplane lifted off at approximately 0847:00 between the intersections of Runway 18R and taxiways E6 and E7.
FlightSafety International, La Guardia Airport, N.Y., has named Kyle Davis manager of its Toledo Learning Center. Davis was most recently the center's assistant manager. Since 1997, he also served as regional marketing manager and product marketing manager.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK over the past six months about how the NBAA needed to find a new leader with a higher profile among members of Congress and key decision-makers in the Executive Branch. With the selection of Shelley A. Longmuir, the former top lobbyist for United Airlines, it appears the NBAA board has found the woman of its dreams. Longmuir, an attorney, held senior posts at the DOT, where she worked closely with Andrew Card -- who just happens to be the White House Chief of Staff these days.
Stephane Mayer is EADS Socata's new president, CEO and more. He will not only replace his predecessor, Philippe Debrun, but will also take over the responsibilities of Senior Executive Vice President Jean-Francois Trassard. Both Debrun and Trassard are leaving the company. Mayer, 40, holds an engineering degree and is a private pilot.
Some general aviation groups want legislators to add a provision to a House security bill that would direct the Bush administration to allow FAR Part 91 operators who have incorporated approved security programs to regain access to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The provision would be similar to a measure already included in the sweeping aviation security ``technical corrections'' bill that calls for procedures that would provide for certain on-demand charter operators to fly into DCA.
The Flight Safety Foundation published the crew rest/duty recommendations of the Ultra-long-range (ULR) Operations Crew Alertness Steering Committee in the May-June Flight Safety Digest. According to Robert Vandel, the foundation's executive vice president and co-chair of the steering committee, the consensus of participating scientists was that inflight sleep in a horizontal bunk is the best solution to maintaining crew alertness and performance in ULR operations, which are defined as flight leg lengths greater than 16 hours and crew duty periods of 18 to 22 hours.
The Logbook X Maintenance System is a combination of electronic logbooks and maintenance management programs. The software includes Airframe, Engine, APU, Battery, Propeller and Modification Logbooks, a maintenance tracking and forecasting program, an inventory program, a component change Record, FAA compliance forms, weight and balance records and change forms, an equipment list, flight logs, maintenance planner, work orders, discrepancy forms, cost savings reports, and maintenance and parts pricing request forms. Price: $1,500 Logbook X c/o AirLog Imaging 3269 Hwy.
S-B Industries has introduced its BR-200M 12-volt cordless electric rivet gun. Equipped with charger and battery pack, the gun is ideal for aircraft line repair and any application where air is not available. Designed to set up to three-sixteenth-inch rivets, the unit weighs 4.4 pounds and is 12 inches in length. Call for pricing S-B Industries 210 Fabricator Dr. Fenton, MO 63026 Phone: (636) 343-1011 Fax: (636) 343-1487 www.sbrivetguns.com
Start valve open . . . Rotation . . . Oil pressure . . . Fuel flow . . . Ignition . . . Peak EGT . . . Start valve closed . . . Turning number two.'' This was the litany heard every time we cranked the JT-8Ds that powered Boeing's mighty tri-motor, the B727. The flight engineer and first officer would go through this singsong duet, calling out what was expected and normal in a routine engine start. Time and again.
These three graphs are designed to provide a broad sketch of the B-717 Business Express' performance, based upon projections from Boeing's engineering team. Special thanks to Kevin Heise at Boeing for all his efforts. Do not use these data for flight planning. Time and Fuel vs. Distance -- This graph shows the performance of the B-717 Business Express at 0.76 Mach recommended long-range cruise and high-speed cruise, which varies from 0.77 to 0.80 Mach, depending upon cruise altitude. The average maximum-range cruise speed is slightly slower than long-range cruise.
As the aviation industry struggles to regain its footing in the soft economy, the FAA has begun to re-evaluate how rapidly to move forward on some of its long-term projects. With an eye on the industry's money woes, the FAA is becoming increasingly concerned that certain air traffic modernization projects may become too costly for industry to support in the current environment.
The Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) urged its members to start last-minute lobbying to ensure language guaranteeing repair stations have complete access to critical component maintenance information remains in the House version of the FAA reauthorization bill slated for floor debate as we went to press. ARSA worked with Rep.
