Avcraft Aviation of Germany has taken over Fairchild Dornier's 328JET unit and plans to restart production of the airplane in five months. Heretofore an aircraft refurbishment, engineering, maintenance, charter and management services company, Avcraft hopes to sell another 300 to 500 328JETs during the program's life. Contrary to earlier plans, U.S.-equity investors Dimeling, Schreiber & Park were not involved in the transaction.
Gary Bristow's Encyclopedia of Technical Aviation covers a wide range of topics that pilots and other professional aviation personnel encounter daily. If you're an experienced pilot or know someone who's just getting started in aviation, this book can be a useful reference source. Price: $44.95 McGraw-Hill Books 2 Penn Plaza, 12th Fl. New York, NY 10121 Phone: (877) 833-5524 Fax: (614) 759-3749 www.books.mcgraw-hill.com
Essick Air Products has added the GadAbout Blaster series of mobile evaporative coolers to its Tradewinds product line. The three cooler models -- M300, M335 and the M482 -- are designed for optimum portability and cooling capacity. GadAbout Blasters can spot-cool exterior and interior locations such as hangars, outbuildings and ramp-parked aircraft. The M300 provides air delivery of 3,000 CFM. Its compact width (31.5 inches) allows it to easily fit through standard-size doors for maximum portability.
The Chinese government is making strides in easing requirements for general aviation access to its nation's airspace, according to reports in Chinese publications. The articles indicate that beginning May 1 the government would officially permit private aircraft to fly within China. Previously there was no clear regulation on such approval, making it difficult for operators to apply for and receive approval to fly. The government also plans to simplify and expedite the process, according to the reports.
A THING YOU LEARN pretty early in life is that there's still a chance until time's up. You can still make the shot or ask the girl to dance or tell the zinger that will have them laughing through next Wednesday. But with the final bell or klaxon or time-gentlemen-please, all possibilities expire and what remains is the record of what actually happened -- the facts, stubborn and undeniable.
Moller International says that its original four-passenger M400 prototype Skycar is being offered for sale on eBay. The auction was scheduled to start on Jan. 31. Heavily promoted and long in development, the Skycar is described as a ``powered lift'' VTOL aircraft fitted with eight Rotapower engines and intended to carry four passengers at a top speed of 380 mph. The company hopes the flight-tested prototype M400 will go for over $2 million at auction. Safe Flight Instrument Corp.
The NBAA will conduct its next Business Aviation Forum on March 28 at Long Beach Airport in Long Beach, Calif. The forum will use AirFlite's FBO, hangar and ramp facilities. In addition to exhibits and a static display of aircraft, the daylong event will feature seminars and brief-ings for NBAA members. For information about attending, exhibiting at, or sponsoring this event, contact the NBAA's Benjamin Jones, [email protected], or Joe Ponte, [email protected]. Phone: (202) 783-9452.
Flight data monitoring (FDM) is nothing new. Following a lead taken years ago by Portugal's TAP (Air Portugal's Flight Training Center in Lisbon) and British Airways, most major European airlines routinely analyze cockpit readouts to check that their aircraft are being operated in a consistent and safe manner. Many of today's line pilots who grew up with FDM accept that it's a tool for managing risk and, thus, improving flight safety. U.S.
The FAA awarded early development contracts for its NEXCOM (next generation air/ground communication) program to Harris Corp. and ITT Industries. The 20-month contracts are valued at $21 million for Harris and $16 million for ITT. The FAA said the NEXCOM program, which will integrate data link with digital voice communications, is aimed at making more efficient use of the available frequency spectrum.
Elliott Aviation, Moline, Ill., obtained an STC for a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 Continuum avionics system on a Hawker 700, bringing the total number of Pro Line 21 Continuum certifications to 14. Western Aviation in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and Duncan Aviation in Lincoln, Neb., also hold STCs for Hawker 700 Pro Line 21 Continuum retrofits.
Manchester Airport in England tested a new biometric system to monitor access to administrative areas at the airport. A group of about 60 airport staffers tried out the Hand Geometry Recognition system to confirm their identities instead of using swipe cards and door codes, airport officials said in January. The test, which was to run until Feb. 14, was done in conjunction with Human Recognition Systems, a Liverpool company that specializes in biometric technology and its application to security.
Jet Aviation off the block. The Hirschmann Group has decided not to sell Jet Aviation, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, after reviewing a number of offers for the company. ``I would like to inform you that this evaluation process has ended and our shareholders have decided not to accept any of the proposals set forth by potential buyers,'' said Thomas M. Hirschmann, chairman and CEO of the Hirschmann Group of Companies.
Raytheon Aircraft Corp. reported sharply improved results for 2002, turning a huge operating loss in 2001 into a tiny one last year. The Wichita-based aircraft manufacturer posted an operating loss of $760 million for 2001 as the company wrote off millions of dollars in commuter airline aircraft. In the 12 months just ended, however, RAC had an operating loss of just $4 million. Aircraft sales fell from $2.57 billion in 2001 to $2.15 billion in 2002.
Ibis Aerospace Ltd., Kerrville, Texas, has named Chris Danner director of product support for its Ae270 Propjet program. Danner recently held a similar position at Sino Swearingen Aircraft Co.
George F. ``Rick'' Adam anticipates that Adam Aircraft will deliver 125 aircraft over the next three years and plans to build them in Pueblo, Colo. CEO Adam said the Colorado governor's Office of Economic Development has approved a $193,536 job training grant, and the Colorado Economic Development Commission has preliminarily approved a $448,000 incentive grant. Adam was recently nominated for an Aviation Week Laurel award for ``setting a new benchmark in how aircraft are designed, built, tested and produced at reasonable cost.
Aviation Week's AviationNow.com Web portal has a new look, feel and an expanded menu of information. AviationNow.com is the most widely used Web site for aviation and aerospace professionals, with more than 400,000 users per month and nearly three million page views, says publisher Mark Lipowicz. ``With the new design, all the Aviation Week magazines and business intelligence services are featured front and center on the AviationNow.com home page, so users of the site can get right to the content they want.''
TAG Aviation has a 99-year lease to operate Farnborough Airport as the United Kingdom's first dedicated corporate jet airport. A new $14.8 million control tower became operational on November 22 and a CAA License was granted in late January.
Elliott Aviation opened a 48,000-square-foot paint and completions facility at Moline International Airport (MLI) with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception on Feb. 13. Elliott Aviation President Wynn Elliott and Director of Operations Alan Nitchman led guided tours of the facility, which offers custom interior designs and completions, avionics and noise reduction modifications, and paint. The centerpiece of the new facility is a state-of-the-art 5,600-square-foot downdraft paint booth capable of handling aircraft up to the Hawker Horizon and Citation X.
ADS: Automatic Dependent Surveillance (also known as ADS-A). A satcom link between the aircraft's FMS and an ATC ground-based computer in which the aircraft's GPS-calculated position is automatically transmitted on a pre-selected periodic basis, providing controllers with a computer-generated display showing the aircraft's near-real-time position, i.e., a virtual display or ``pseudo-radar'' plot in remote areas (like over the ocean) where radar coverage is not possible.
The TSA Aviation Regulatory Inspection Division has a new address: TSA Headquarters East 11th Fl., TSA-7 Aviation Regulatory Inspection Air Carrier Inspections Division 400 7th St. S.W. Washington, DC 20590 Attention: Gail Richards (#1180S) or Lon Siro (#1183S) The TSA International Waiver Office has two fax numbers: Primary: (571) 227-1947 Secondary: (571) 227-2920 The TSA Domestic Waiver Office fax number: (571) 227-2948
Jon Winthrop CEO, The Air Group, Van Nuys, Calif. While selling typewriters and office equipment for IBM, Jon Winthrop was so intrigued by a customer that towed targets for the U.S. Air Force, he wound up pitching for them. That experience evolved into his co-founding in 1980 The Air Group, an aircraft management/charter company, with aircraft spread from Teterboro to Honolulu. 1 These have been challenging times. How's business? Winthrop: Our best charter year was 2000. That was off in 2001 and 2002, because of a terrible economy and people being afraid to travel.
Atlantic Aero installed and certified RVSM equipment on a Cessna Citation 550 under a licensing agreement that authorizes the company to use Garrett Aviation Services' comprehensive RVSM STC for the 500-Series Citations. The STC covers both single ($104,500 for parts and labor) and dual ($124,000 for parts and labor) flight director-equipped airplanes.
GAMA's 2002 year-end report appears to validate the cumulative predictions of the three industry forecasts issued in fall 2002 and summarized in October's B/CA (page 14), at least in terms of onset timing and the rate of decline in worldwide turbine-powered unit shipments.
Twenty-four hours later, the FAA and TSA imposed additional restrictions on airspace surrounding the national capital area. These were announced in a conference call with representatives from the general aviation community conducted by FAA Administrator Marion Blakey and TSA Chief Operating Officer Adm. John Shkor. The restrictions were not published in detail until the next day, Feb. 9, but took effect at 0600 EST on Feb. 10.
