``There have been many more people killed due to maintenance defects and lack of inspection and oversight than in all the terrorist acts combined in this country.'' Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House aviation subcommittee. AP ``It may be costlier, but the time I save makes it worth it. There are no schedules to deal with, no airport hassles or security lines.'' Jane Heenan, a Los Angeles executive, on air charter. Conde Nast Traveler ``It really is great service [for] those who can afford it.'' Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) on air charters.
Air taxi and commercial jet and turboprop operators had 28 total accidents, eight of which were fatal resulting in 16 fatalities, in 2002. In 2001 the accident count totaled 27, 11 of which were fatal involving 50 fatalities.
``If it's not something you do on a regular basis -- if it's unique to your operation -- then you need to prepare yourself accordingly,'' Gary Campbell, president of the National EMS Pilots Association (NEMSPA), warned helicopter pilots contemplating operations into temporary landing areas. Campbell also flies aeromedical missions (the now-preferred term for EMS ops) for EMS Air Services, Inc., of Canandaigua, N.Y.
Monte Belger, the retired FAA executive, has been named vice president, Transportation Systems Solutions, for Lockheed Martin Air Traffic Management. Belger, a 30-year veteran of the FAA, was acting deputy administrator for the agency from 1997 to 2002. During his tenure with the FAA he also was associate administrator for Air Traffic Services, responsible for day-to-day operations of the nation's airspace system, and supervised the FAA's modernization plan.
The new U.S. Customs office at Bradley International Airport (BDL) in Windsor Locks, Conn., is now open. In December 2002, the Customs office moved from the Southwest Airlines ramp to a new building adjacent to the deicing pads. The NBAA applauds its member companies and the Connecticut Business Aviation Group (CBAG) for their efforts in working with the BDL board of directors and Customs in making this happen.
Dec. 3, 2002 -- A Cessna 421C was destroyed upon crashing during a descent near Tajique, N.M. The commercial pilot was killed. According to the NTSB, at 1430 the dispatcher advised the pilot of possible icing conditions in the Albuquerque area. The airplane departed Alamogordo-White Sands Municipal Airport (ALM) at 1950. At 2126, the Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) lost radar contact with the aircraft. IMC prevailed at the time.
The National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) hopes to present a new set of general aviation security recommendations to the Transportation Security Administration. The recommendations, which include securing unattended aircraft, developing security plans for each airport, monitoring airport property and users, and prohibiting unauthorized access to the airport, were put together by a NASAO committee consisting of nine state government aviation directors.
Jet Aviation Zurich has expanded its refurbishment and engine maintenance capabilities. Working in concert with the company's Basel completion center, the facility recently refurbished a NetJets Citation VII as well as repainted and refurbished two Hawker 800s. Jet Zurich recently received Swiss and Saudi Arabian certification for heavy maintenance and hot-section inspections for Pratt & Whitney Canada PW500-series engines. The facility is also approved for heavy maintenance for the PW JT15D and PT6 engines as well as line maintenance for PW 305s.
Jet Aviation's U.S. Aircraft Charter Services has teamed with CharterX to provide detailed quotes for charter flights on its Web site. The CharterX computerized estimating system allows customers to get estimates on roundtrip or one-way, domestic and international flights. The estimates include an itinerary with a breakdown of per-hour flight time costs, landing fees per leg, total taxes, and the aircraft's flight range, speed and number of fuel stops. Travel time, distance, exterior and interior photos, and floor plans of each aircraft also are listed on the Web site.
In late December 2002, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) released a report by the Electric Power Research Institute indicating that U.S. nuclear power plants could withstand a deliberate crash by a large airliner. The study by ABS Consulting, a Houston-based risk management company, and ANATECH, a San Diego-based engineering consulting firm, used computer models based on a fully loaded Boeing 767-400 jet traveling at 350 mph, their assumed speed at which a hijacked jet struck the Pentagon based on analysis of camera video. Other estimates put the speed much higher.
The FAA has released the latest update of its Operational Evolution Plan (OEP), a blueprint for developing the National Airspace System (NAS). While it confirmed earlier signals by delaying some initiatives, the agency emphasized the importance of not letting the aviation industry's financial weakness derail capacity enhancement.
In ``Stage 2 Aircraft Drive Noise Policy,'' (November 2002, page 54), references to ``ICAO Annex 13'' are incorrect. The correct section of the ICAO codicil addressing aircraft noise standards is Annex 16, Volume I. Author David Esler regrets committing the journalistic equivalent of ``fat-finger error'' (i.e., entering the wrong waypoint into an FMS, then downloading the error into redundant units), and thanks IBAC director and ICAO liaison Peter Ingleton for pointing it out.
Ibis Aerospace appointed Rheinland Air Service (RAS) a distributor for its Ae270 turboprop. RAS, located in Munchengladbach, Germany, will service Ae270 operators throughout Europe. The Ae270 is a large-cabin, pressurized aircraft designed to carry up to 10 people (two crew plus eight passengers). The Ae270 can also be configured for bulk cargo and as a six- to seven-passenger executive transport.
Polish airline LOT confirmed its decision to acquire 10 Embraer 170s plus 11 options that can be converted into the yet-to-fly 190 and 195 models. Final contract negotiations are expected to take place in the coming weeks, according to the Brazilian manufacturer. If concluded successfully deliveries are expected to commence in early 2004.
Step up to a TCAS, or a traffic alert and collision avoidance system, and you'll realize you've missed spotting a lot of nearby aircraft, based upon reports we've heard from dozens of business aircraft pilots. But stepping up to a top-of-the-line TCAS II also can put a $200,000-plus hole in your wallet. Even entry-level traffic alerting systems, such as Honeywell's KTA870 and Goodrich's SkyWatch HP, cost about $17,500 to $25,000, not including installation.
Dassault Falcon Jet Corp., Teterboro, N.J., has named John Rahilly vice president of national sales and marketing. Todd McGahey has been appointed vice president and general manager of Falcon's Wilmington, Del., facility. Dean Anderson has been appointed to the newly created position of service center network director. Anderson will manage the independent service center network, including all authorized service and line service centers in the Western Hemisphere, while overseeing worldwide maintenance training standards for Dassault.
Corporate Angel Network (CAN) announced that Ford Motor Co. will receive the Corporate Angel Award for the first quarter of this year. ``For 20 years, Ford has been providing a great service to many cancer patients and bone marrow donors by opening its executive flights to those needing specialized treatment,'' said Bonnie LeVar, executive director of CAN. Ford will receive $5,000 worth of Chevron/Texaco fuel along with the full-page advertisement appearing in this issue of B/CA (page 31). B/CA, in turn, contributes the cost of the advertisement to CAN.
CHC Helicopters International is flying U.N. weapons inspectors around Iraq under a contract announced on Dec. 16, 2002. CHC will deploy a total of four Bell 212 helicopters to fly missions from the Baghdad headquarters of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission. CHC estimates the value of the contract at $14 million per year. The contract length is one year plus another optional year, but includes a standard termination option in the event the U.N. mission ends before the contract expires.
The FAA should revise its deployment plan and its cost estimates for a new short-term weather forecasting system for use in airport terminal areas, according to a report submitted by the DOT's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in January. The Integrated Terminal Weather System (ITWS), produced by Raytheon, shows great promise as a way to reduce weather-related delays and increase safety, and has been well-received by controllers, the OIG said.
EADS and Rockwell Collins sealed a ``Competitive Partnership'' pact with an MOU signed on Jan. 7. You might ask what a Competitive Partnership is. EADS explains it this way: ``Our global sourcing strategy aims to encourage long-term cooperation between EADS business units and their best-in-class suppliers and create a new type of relationship,'' which involves an exceptional level of cooperation and even joint approaches to certain end customers.
Qantas Airways placed a firm order for three new Bombardier Q300 series turboprop airliners and has also purchased a previously leased 36-seat Dash 8 Q200 aircraft from Bombardier Aerospace. Deliveries of the 50-seat Q300 are scheduled for the second quarter of this year. Qantas will place the aircraft with its QantasLink regional network, which includes the Dash 8 operations of Eastern Australia Airlines and Sunstate Airlines.
The FAA OEP 5.0 outlines its plans for required navigation performance (RNP) and the introduction of area navigation (RNAV) routes, including the publication of RNP-2 and RNP-0.3 this year, and the release of 30 RNAV routes by the end of this year and 30 by the end of 2004, in addition to 40 RNAV routes that were added in 2002. The agency said it will develop a proposal to resume the precision runway monitoring (PRM) program.
LoPresti Speed Merchants, Vero Beach, Fla., has named Curtis LoPresti president and CEO. LoPresti's employment record includes positions with Cessna, Boeing, Bell, Mooney and LoPresti Piper.
West Star Aviation of Grand Junction, Colo., has signed an agreement with Garrett Aviation Services to purchase and stock Garrett's RVSM package for installation on 500-series straight-wing Cessna Citations. The program covers the 500, 501, 550, 551 and 560 Citation models with the exception of the first 275 Citation 500 serial numbers and the S550.
