The General Aviation Coalition (GAC) took its message to senior White House officials on Dec. 12, 2002, to discuss aviation security and other pressing concerns. Industry officials are concerned about the apparent perception among some government officials that aviation in general and general aviation in specific is an inherent security risk. Led by the National Air Transportation Association, the coalition met with the incoming Homeland Security team, including Asa Hutchinson, senior White House officials, and members of Congress.
Advising it is in the best interest of the business aviation community to be proactive on security issues, NBAA President Jack Olcott said the association is developing security protocols that could serve as a template for corporate operations. ``We may look back at Nov. 20 [2002] and say those were the good days,'' Olcott said during remarks on that date to a group of corporate pilots at a meeting at Dulles International Airport. He noted that the TSA is nearly fully occupied with congressionally mandated airline-oriented deadlines.
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When aviation services company FlightTime went belly-up in June, there was concern in business flying circles about the ultimate fate of FlightTime subsidiary Wyvern Consulting. One of the pioneers in the aviation safety auditing trade, Wyvern had established a significant customer base in business aviation, especially among corporate flight departments regularly using its inspection and reporting services.
In 1995, the AOPA, GAMA, Helicopter Association International, National Air Transportation Association and NBAA petitioned the FAA to make ASDI information available on a ``need-to-know'' basis. Subsequently, the NBAA became concerned with the broad-scale dissemination of ASDI data.
This past August, the FAA released a memorandum that would permit the Boeing Business Jet and other large aircraft to operate under FAR Part 135 as long as the aircraft met certain seating and payload limitations. The memorandum ``reaffirmed'' FAA policy that aircraft with seating for 30 or fewer passengers and a payload capacity of 7,500 pounds or less could be flown under Part 135. But the decision also opened the door for operators to fly large aircraft for the first time under the more flexible regulations of Part 135 rather than those of Part 121 or even Part 125.
The charter and small commuter airline industry has changed substantially since 1978 when the current Part 135 was written, but some of the circumstances spurring the review are similar to those that existed back then.
By Richard N. Aarons [email protected] Focus is on crew actions in both a Challenger flight-test crash and Engen motorglider break-up.
ON OCT. 10, 2000, at 1452 CST, a modified Canadair Challenger CL 604 crashed during takeoff from Runway 19R at Wichita Mid-Continental Airport (ICT). The accident aircraft had been equipped with a modified pitch feel unit and was scheduled to run a series of tests at altitude. The crew -- two pilots and a flight-test engineer -- ran the appropriate checklists as they taxied the aircraft out from the Bombardier flight-test center. The left-seat pilot was the pilot flying and he was familiarizing the right-seat pilot with the aircraft.
Hawaii's governor-elect said five general aviation airports should stay open. With her November election victory, Linda Lingle will become Hawaii's first female governor. Current Gov. Ben Cayetano was criticized by the AOPA in October when he announced his plan to privatize or close Dillingham, Waimea-Kohala, Upolu, Kapalua and Port Allen airports. In recent news reports, Lingle indicated she wants to stop some ideas the Cayetano administration proposed, such as closing smaller airports. ``I think it's a bad idea anyhow, to be closing those airports.
Cessna Aircraft recently celebrated the delivery of its 100th Model 525A CJ2, a benchmark in the life of a business airplane. Recently B/CA surveyed operators to determine how well the aircraft is living up to their expectations. Almost all operators gave the CJ2 a qualified thumbs up. Indeed, not one of the dozens of operators with whom we spoke was dissatisfied with the overall performance and utility of the CJ2, even though most had gripes about something -- airframe, engine, avionics or systems.
Garrett Aviation Services has announced William ``Butch'' Howell as the winner of the Harley-Davidson ``V-Rod'' motorcycle giveaway at the NBAA Convention in Orlando earlier this year. Howell is director of aircraft maintenance for Wachovia Flight Operations, operating as HawkAire, of Charlotte, N.C. JetCorp announced John Heller as the winner of two tickets to the 2003 Super Bowl. Heller, who is employed by McCormick&Co. in Middle River, Md., was selected at random during a drawing held by JetCorp at September's NBAA Convention.
It's not just the Gooney Birds. Concerned that restrictions associated with the National Wildlife Refuge on Midway Island/Sand Island have given Henderson Field an unwelcoming image, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has instituted an outreach program to make sure people know the airport is still open. A plaintive FWS action report details its efforts and the results over a recent 10-day period.
Sino Swearingen SJ30-2 flight testing continues with envelope expansion flights to 0.83 Mach and 49,000 feet. Production aircraft serial number 0002 flew to its VMO/MMO on Sept. 23 and climbed to and flew level at 49,000 feet on October 10. Sino Swearingen chief test pilot Carroll Beeler flew both flights and reported no handling problems in either the high-speed or high-altitude regimes. Dr. Carl Chen, the company's recently appointed president and CEO, said that fuel burn at 49,000 feet was 300 pph per side.
Champion Aerospace, Liberty, S.C., has promoted Jim Liddle to director of operations. Liddle, who has been with the company for seven years, is responsible for manufacturing engineering, quality engineering and support functions, and manufacturing operations.
Firemen, security staff and operational support workers employed by the British Airports Authority (BAA) in November voted to conduct six one-day strikes. The job actions were set for Nov. 28, Dec. 2, 10, 15 and 23, and Jan. 2, with workers walking out for 24 hours beginning at 0600 on each of the strike days. BAA members of the Transport&General Workers Union (T&G) rejected a pay offer of 6.3 percent over two years and 65 percent voted for the strike plan.
Bombardier Aerospace, Dallas, has appointed Trevor Cornwell as vice president, strategy and business development, of Bombardier Business Jet Solutions. Cornwell will add these responsibilities to his current role as president and CEO of Bombardier Skyjet.
Embraer has delivered the first eight extra-long-range ERJ-145XRs to launch customer ExpressJet for Continental Express. The airline was expected to take delivery of 18 of the 2,000-nm range aircraft by year-end. Continental Express placed 104 firm orders and holds options on a further 100. The 50-seat XR is designed to open up minimal-risk ``long thin'' routes that can bypass congested U.S. hub airports. The aircraft features a belly fuel tank and winglets to improve fuel economy and provide better hot-and-high performance.
Pegasus Interactive has introduced its VFLITE Garmin GNS 530/430 Interactive Guide. The software provides realistic product simulation, including over 90 minutes of detailed movies, a feedback system with training and solo modes and on-screen ``pop-up'' prompts. The program is a standalone interactive guide that is Windows and Macintosh compatible. In addition, the Plus version of the software includes Garmin's original GNS 530/430 simulator and has progress tracking so users can assess their learning retention.
Milwaukee officials expect a new ground runup enclosure at General Mitchell International Airport (MKE) to reduce noise from engine maintenance runups by 75 percent. The three-sided hangar-like structure was built on a 24-inch-thick concrete pad with 157 tons of structural steel and 2,400 acoustic panels. The $4.5 million project cost about $500,000 less than first estimates. Local officials said aircraft maintenance accounts for 677 jobs producing $26.5 million in wages at the airport.
In trying to ascertain the long-term availability of 100LL avgas, many sources B/CA contacted, including FBO retailers, said the fuel was so specialized and so environmentally unpopular that it would disappear in the foreseeable future. Some of these sources, we should note, had vested interest in ethanol or represented a faction of aviation that did not have a large number of 100LL users in its fold.
Privatair added four aircraft to its charter fleet. A Gulfstream II and Gulfstream IV-SP are based in Stratford, Conn.; a Citation S-II is based in Teterboro, N.J., and a Hawker 125-800 is based in Van Nuys, Calif.
Corporate Rotable&Supply, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has added Regina Malec to its team. Malec will handle warranty claims and the management of consignment inventories.
Eclipse also announced the start of construction on a new 50,000-square-foot friction stir-welding facility in Albuquerque, scheduled to be completed in spring 2003. The facility is in addition to Eclipse's plans for a new permanent facility at Double Eagle Airport. Eventually the company hopes to produce up to 1,500 aircraft per year.
