The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) unveiled its 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction in a ceremony at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on March 18. The EAA's Flyer reproduction will re-enact the Wright brothers' first flight 100 years to the minute on Dec. 17, 2003, in Kill Devil Hills, N.C. The aircraft is the centerpiece of the EAA's Countdown to Kitty Hawk touring pavilion that was scheduled to debut at April's Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In at Lakeland, Fla.
Wisconsin Airport Management Association named Wisconsin Aviation CEO Jeffrey Baum Wisconsin Aviation Person of the Year. Baum was honored for initiating and completing construction of a $2.5 million, 15,000-square-foot General Aviation Executive Terminal at the Dane County Regional Airport in Madison.
LightWedge offers a unique approach to the traditional reading light. The 8.5-ounce device uses a 6.75-by-9.25-inch acrylic lens that, when placed directly on the page, reflects LED-generated light onto the reading surface. LightWedge uses four AAA batteries and can provide up to 40 hours of illumination. The manufacturer claims that the lens is difficult to crack and most scratches can be buffed away with a soft cloth. The company is currently developing a smaller version and a magnifier version.
The FAA granted the AOPA's request to participate in the Flight Service Station (FSS) Modernization Study that could change and modernize the way FSS services are provided to pilots. In a letter to the AOPA, the FAA outlined the association's role in shaping the future of flight service and agreed to conduct ongoing meetings with AOPA representatives during the development of the study. The AOPA is concerned that the current FSS system runs on obsolete computers from the 1970s and modernization efforts are behind schedule and over budget.
Preliminary statistics provided by Wichita's Aviation Data Service indicate that the number of previously owned turbine-powered aircraft delivered to retail customers worldwide in March declined 15 percent, compared with the number delivered in February. The March 2003 figure also was 23 percent below the March 2002 total. In fact, the March 2003 total was lower than the totals for the third month of any of the past three years.
Robert E. Breiling Associates' Business Aviation Safety Statistics for U.S.-operated business jet and turboprop aircraft showed little change for first quarter 2003, vs. the same period in 2002. During the three-month period, the turbine business fleet experienced 17 accidents -- of which seven were fatal to 15 passengers and crewmembers. In the first three months of 2002, there were 19 turbine-aircraft accidents, five of which were fatal to six passengers and crewmembers.
Schubach Aviation, San Diego, has hired Greg Gitchoff as a pilot. In his new position, he will operate the company's Hawker and Learjet. In addition, Daniel R. Hulen has been hired as director of flight standards.
Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA) just can't get a break. Buffeted by problems not of their own making, employees and management have hunkered down to weather the current storm. After ACA surmounted the lack of factory support for its Fairchild Dornier 328s by establishing direct relationships with parts suppliers, the United Airlines' bankruptcy dried up UAL's payments to ACA and froze ACA's fee per departure for its United Express operations at 2002 rates that ``do not adequately compensate the company,'' said an ACA announcement on April 14.
Stevens Aviation, Greenville, S.C. -- Stevens maintenance technician Floyd Mathews recently received two FAA awards: 2003 Southern Region Maintenance Technician of the Year and 2003 South Carolina District Maintenance Technician of the Year. Mathews has been a maintenance technician since 1958 and is a 35-year veteran of Stevens.
TeleMedic Systems' VitalLink 1200 is a portable inflight monitoring device that allows real-time transmission of vital signs to a ground-based physician. The unit allows the physician to communicate with the on-site personnel via voice and text messages and to remotely take control of the unit to take additional medical measurements if required. Price: $19,995 TeleMedic Systems 5600 Seventy Seven Center Dr., Ste. 140 Charlotte, NC 28217 Phone: (704) 529-8400 Fax: (704) 529-6368 www.telemedicsystems.com
Steven A. Ridolfi has been named president of Bombardier Aerospace, Regional Aircraft for the second time following the decision by John Giraudy to take semi-retirement. Ridolfi will maintain his position as executive vice president, programs and strategic planning at Bombardier Aerospace. Giraudy, who was senior vice president, sales, succeeded Ridolfi as president of the regional aircraft unit in February 2002. Giraudy will remain on staff in a part-time role as senior advisor to Ridolfi.
British charter operator Twinjet has become an accredited participant in the U.S. waiver program, which means that nationals from qualified countries can now travel on Twinjet to the United States without a full U.S. visa -- the same system that is used by the major airlines. The company has also been accepted as an FAR Part 129 Foreign Operator by the U.S. DOT and FAA, which allows Twinjet unlimited ad-hoc charter access between the United Kingdom and the United States for both its 34-seat Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) and its 10-seat Bombardier Challenger.
Signature Flight Support President and CEO Elizabeth Haskins argued recently that the federal government should compensate Signature and other affected businesses for losses stemming from the ban on general aviation at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Haskins said the flight ban is known legally as ``a regulatory taking'' and added that the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution provides that no ``private property shall be taken for public use without just compensation.''
Editor's Note: The following article is provided as a complement to ``FANS: Where Is it for Business Aviation?'' which appeared in our March 2003 issue.
Productivity is the essential quality for making a profit in the regional airline industry, and as one leading airline executive put it, ``You build from profitability, not to profitability.'' Productivity is derived from operating cost, block-to-block speed, runway field performance, passenger and freight capacity, and the versatility to operate profitably over widely ranging mission distances. B/CA's 2003 Regional Airliner charts measure productivity over three different stage lengths to see where each aircraft best fits in the marketplace.
How does El Al do it? How often since 9/11 have we heard that question when the subject of aviation security comes up? Often cited as the paragon of passenger, crew and aircraft protection, the Israeli flag carrier has earned a reputation for being almost impenetrable through both application of a layered approach to security and reliance on aggressive self-protection.
