SEAT (Servicios de Apoyo Terrestre), one of the largest ground handlers in Mexico, has added Roberto Castillo as operations director; Alfredo Riva Palacio has been appointed vice president, operations and maintenance; and Manuel Nava has been promoted to sales and marketing manager. SEAT is located at 45 airports throughout Mexico.
Sporty's Pilot Shop has released ``Flying the North Atlantic . . . Safely!'' on DVD. The two-hour DVD, presented by North Atlantic crossing expert Ed Carlson, covers topics such as requirements for the airplane and pilot, what to take, where to stay, and how to get accurate weather information along the way. Sporty's also offers a planning chart and workbook for North Atlantic crossings. Price: $89.95, DVD; $39.95; workbook Sporty's Pilot Shop Clemont County/Sporty's Airport Batavia, OH 45103 Phone: (800) LIFTOFF Fax: (800) 359-7794 www.sportys.com
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) signed a $94.9 million deal in November 2002 to lease seven Raytheon Super King Air 350 turboprop aircraft for the next 10 years. The new aircraft will replace an aging mix of HS748 and King Air B200 aircraft currently used to support navigator training for the RAAF's 32 Squadron and the School of Air Navigation at RAAF Base East Sale. The RAAF awarded the lease contract to Hawker Pacific, a subsidiary of Germany-based aviation services company Lufthansa Technik.
Embraer has officially undertaken its first industrial initiative outside Brazil, forming a joint venture with two component companies of China Aviation Industry Corp. II (AVIC II). The joint venture, the Harbin Embraer Aircraft Industry Co., will manufacture under license all versions of the ERJ regional jets, including the ERJ-135, -140 and -145. Harbin Embraer will be headquartered in Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province. The aircraft it produces are to be marketed throughout all regions of China.
Don Wylie President and Chief Pilot, Aviation Safety Training, Houston, Texas After retiring from the U.S. Air Force as a B-52 and F-4 Phantom pilot, Don Wylie joined an executive search firm and used his own Saratoga to visit clients. Preferring flying to headhunting, he opened his pilot training company in 1992. It was from that hands-on experience that he developed an Advanced Maneuvering Program, which he now teaches both in aircraft and in simulators.
Keystone Helicopter Corp. has been named an Organizational Designated Airworthiness Representative (ODAR) by the FAA. This allows Keystone to issue export airworthiness approvals for Class I (aircraft, engines and propellers), Class II (major components of Class I) and Class III (parts) products.
Raytheon Aircraft, Wichita, has appointed key employees to the following positions: Tom Sarama is named vice president, strategic programs; David Riemer has assumed the position of vice president, product development and engineering; Sherry Grady will replace Riemer as vice president, government business; Bob Feazell has been named director, Hawker and Horizon Certification Program; and Glenn Oka is appointed director II, product assurance.
Mountain Aviation, Inc., Broomfield, Colo., has promoted Rich Bjelkevig to president/director of operations; Gary Emmerson to vice president; and Wallace Nestingen to secretary/treasurer and director of maintenance. Mountain Aviation manages and owns a charter fleet of 10 aircraft.
The FAA's draft legislation includes management changes that would permit the appointment of the deputy administrator and fill certain vacancies on the Federal Aviation Management Advisory Council (MAC) without Senate conformation. The FAA is the only transportation mode administration within the DOT that has a deputy administrator whose appointment requires Senate confirmation. The White House recently nominated Robert Sturgell to the position, which has not had a permanent officer since Linda Daschle during the Clinton administration.
The delay is just fine with GA industry officials who have read the draft notice of invitation to participate in the ARC. They are concerned that language describing the review is overly broad; so broad that there would be unintended consequences affecting FAR Parts 91 and 121. Several industry associations will use the delay to press the FAA to tighten the descriptive language before the notice is published in the Federal Register.
Embraer cut its 2002 delivery projection from 135 to 132 after two customers requested delivery delays. One airline customer put off two aircraft until April 2003, and one Legacy corporate aircraft will slide from its original delivery date to early this year, the company said. Deliveries should rise during the next two years, according to an Embraer forecast released in December 2002. The company expects to deliver 148 aircraft this year, rising to 155 in 2004. Embraer's firm order backlog is worth about $9 billion.
Air Wisconsin has placed a firm order for six additional Bombardier CRJ200 regional jet aircraft as a result of its recently inaugurated code-share relationship with AirTran Airways. The transaction, valued at $140 million U.S. ($213 million Cdn.), represents the conversion of six of 26 conditional orders held by the Appleton, Wis.-based airline. It increases the airline's firm order list to 64 aircraft, of which 27 have been delivered. Air Wisconsin retains 20 conditional orders and 75 options on Bombardier CRJ aircraft.
Mercury Air Centers, Inc., Atlanta, has appointed two aviation veterans to its advisory board of directors: Kenn Ricci, chairman and CEO of Flight Options, and Dick Dodson, former president and CEO of BBA Aviation Services. Mercury Air Centers operates 18 FBOs nationwide.
GateOne is the new name for the Jet Centers FBO chain. CEO Thomas Matthews, who founded the company in 1994, says he wants to develop GateOne into a luxury brand identity. The company has grown from its original Fort Worth Meacham International (FTW) location in Texas through acquisitions at what Matthews says were underserved markets.
Pilatus Business Aircraft, Broomfield, Colo., promoted Piotr ``Pete'' Wolak to the newly created position of vice president, customer service. In addition, Mike Rector was promoted to manager, production.
The first 30 Falcon 2000EX aircraft will share the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 avionics package fitted to the Falcon 50EX and 2000. Four large-format CRT displays dominate the panel, complemented by three Thales Electronic Instrument Engine Displays in the center. The standard package also includes a full suite of dual Pro Line 4 radios, a solid-state, Doppler turbulence detection weather radar, dual FMS-6100 FMSes and Honeywell Laseref IV IRSes.
PrivatAir, Stratford, Conn., has appointed Aurelie Branchereau as director of marketing communications. Branchereau is based in PrivatAir's Geneva headquarters.
Embraer has delivered the fourth and fifth EMB-145 SA aircraft to the FAB (Fora Aerea Brasileira) for the Amazon Vigilance System, which will ultimately be comprised of five EMB-145 SA surveillance aircraft and three EMB-145 RS remote-sensing aircraft.
Congress may create a committee to oversee the Homeland Security Department and aviation and airport security, David Schaffer, House Transportation Aviation Subcommittee chief counsel, recently told the American Association of Airport Executives. Schaffer said the issue wouldn't be resolved until this month, and that his committee would proceed as though it will have jurisdiction over transportation security issues until the matter is settled.
MDHI proudly notes that if you need another reason to see the latest James Bond movie, ``Die Another Day,'' you can go to see two of its Notar helicopters in action. Early in the film, a villain hijacks an MD Explorer twin to make a getaway, and an MD 600N single-engine does its thing in the film's closing sequence. MDHI distributor, Eastern Atlantic Helicopters in Shoreham, England, supplied the aircraft used in the film.
Rockwell Collins says its Multi-Mode Receiver (MMR) with integrated VOR, ILS, Marker Beacon, GPS and Microwave Landing System (MLS) functionality has received TSO approval. The unit is suitable for both civil and military aircraft. In November 2001, Collins successfully completed flight tests of the industry's first MLS receiver fully integrated into an MMR to demonstrate the Category IIIb capabilities of an integrated MLS module.
The new UV Global Networks member operates from the ExecuJet Australia headquarters location, Ramp 394, at Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (YSSY). Universal Aviation Australia provides and coordinates complete ground-handling services 24/7 for business aircraft in Sydney and throughout Australia. ExecuJet Australia offers support services to Universal Aviation Australia clients through its FAA- and Bermudan-approved aircraft maintenance facility.
THE NTSB IS RECOMMENDING that the FAA require helicopter pilots to obtain instrument ratings if they conduct commercial, passenger-carrying flights in areas where ``flat light,'' or whiteout conditions, routinely occur. The Safety Board believes that these pilots should demonstrate instrument proficiency on a regular basis and that their employers should add flat lighting operations safe practices to their training programs.
Unison Industries, Jacksonville, Fla., has named Michael Sanders vice president of engineering. Sanders is responsible for all U.S. and global design engineering, test and certification, and configuration management activities for Unison.
Enstrom has delivered four piston-powered 280FX training helicopters to the Venezuelan Guardia Nacional at Margarita Island, Venezuela. The 280FX Shark is manufactured at Enstrom's Menominee, Mich., facility. More than 300 have been delivered worldwide. Enstrom's Bayard Du Pont noted that the Venezuelan Guardia Nacional has operated Enstrom helicopters for more than 25 years.
