Bombardier, which has become a major international aerospace manufacturer through the acquisition of companies that have fallen on tough times, has a team of engineers in Germany to assess insolvent regional aircraft maker Fairchild Dornier in what could be the beginning of a takeover of the 728/928 programs. Bombardier apparently is one of three potential investors interested in taking over parts of the German regional manufacturer, but discussions with the other potential buyers are supposedly not as far advanced as those with Bombardier.
``It's not your fault. It's just that your name is on the master terrorist list.'' Unidentified ticket agent after detaining an innocent 70-year-old grandmother from boarding a shuttle flight (for the second time). (The New Yorker)
Di Blasi of America has created an angled NavPad kneeboard, which can accommodate a number of handheld GPS units or personal digital assistants (PDAs). The NavPad is shaped for a leg-conforming fit and is secured with a Velcro strap. The GPS or PDA attaches with Velcro to the front-top surface of the NavPad, which is raised 30 degrees to allow a clear view of the screen. Price: $49.95 Di Blasi of America, Inc. 2633 Lantana Rd., Ste. 19 Bldg. 207 Lantana, FL 33462 Phone: (800) 342-2214;
In its annual analysis of the business aviation market, Forecast International has projected that the hottest selling jets over the next decade will be in the entry-level category, followed by long-range jets.
Signature Flight Support, Orlando, has named Paul Reynolds as general manager of the company's DeKalb Peachtree Airport in Atlanta. Reynolds, who began his aviation career in the U.S. Air Force, brings over 20 years of experience to his latest position. His curriculum vitae includes Avolar, Executive Jet, Airborne Express and Westates Airlines.
We like to think that we have good judgment, and that regardless of the situation, we will always make the right call. We train, we practice, and we follow the SOPs. We use the checklists and follow the rules. But despite experience and professionalism, flight crews still get themselves into trouble -- sometimes deep trouble.
The prototype Extra 500PA turboprop crash-landed during a test flight just a week before it was to debut at the Berlin Air Show in May. Both crewmembers walked away uninjured. A spokesman for Extra said that engine response had not been immediate and that the aircraft's power management system was being studied.
EBACE 2002: Recipients of this year's European Business Aviation Awards are Richard E. Gooding, managing director of London City Airport, and Jean-Pierre Jobin, director general of Geneva International Airport. The awards were presented during the EBACE second annual awards reception and banquet in Geneva on May 29.
Jet Aviation's Biggin Hill facility won approval from the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority to operate as a JAR-145-approved maintenance facility. The new status permits the Biggin Hill operation to perform maintenance, repairs, defect rectifications, inspections and avionics modifications on Citation, Challenger, Falcon, Gulfstream and Hawker business jets. The Biggin Hill operation includes two hangars totaling more than 55,000 square feet.
Duncan Aviation has won a string of STCs for installations in various aircraft. It received an STC for installation of the IS&S Air Data Computer as part of an RVSM package for the Gulfstream G-100. It also has approval for installation of the Universal TAWS and an optional MFD in Citation 500s and 650s, the Hawker 800 series, and the Learjet 55, which satisfies the upcoming Class A and B TAWS requirements.
Challenger 604s are now being delivered with the Bombardier/Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 PrecisionPlus avionics upgrade, starting at s/n 5500. It's also available for retrofit for all Challenger 604s as a $65,000 upgrade with a 25-day turnaround time or as an exchange package for $115,000.
Stevens Aviation Dayton at Dayton, Ohio (DAY), is now an authorized by Raytheon to perform heavy and scheduled maintenance, airframe maintenance and engine repair on Premier Is. Stevens provides turboprop and jet aircraft services also at facilities in Denver, Colo. (BJC), Nashville, Tenn. (BNA), Lexington, Ky. (LEX), and Greenville, S.C. (GYH and GSP).
Israel is not the only user of armored farm and construction equipment. Air Tractor has delivered the first of eight highly modified AT-802 turboprop aerial application aircraft to the U.S. State Department for narcotic crop eradication in Colombia. Instead of the familiar yellow, the AT-802 is painted navy blue and features bulletproofing material around the engine compartment and cockpit. It also features self-sealing fuel tanks and bulletproof glass in the windshield. There's a fire suppression system, and the cockpit instrument panel is night vision system compatible.
Question: RNAV approaches with TAAs depict holding pattern course-reversals. When is it necessary to fly the racetrack? -- A Falcon 900 pilot Answer: The short answer is, ``not very often in a TAA environment'' -- but the subject merits additional discussion. Terminal Arrival Areas -- aka TAAs -- provide pilots and ATC with excellent tools for RNAV approach operations. TAAs are designed to facilitate the transition from the en route phase of flight into the terminal environment.
The FAA received more than 2,000 comments in response to its light-sport aircraft proposal. A majority expressed support, but some maintenance personnel remained concerned about the possibility of relaxed safety standards in the proposed rule. The FAA released the notice of proposed rulemaking on Feb. 5 for a three-month comment period that ended May 6.
Two Great Lakes Airlines Beech 1900Ds were destroyed on May 14 when fire swept a hangar at the airline's heavy-maintenance facility at Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Grand Island. According to airline CEO Doug Voss, the aircraft were valued at $4 million apiece. Great Lakes' fleet includes 40 Beech 1900Ds, as well as four 1900C models and eight Embraer Brasilias. The cause of the fire, which occurred during completion of a new hangar door, is under investigation.
Frank Robinson has delivered a $1 million check to Peter Wright Jr., chairman of the American Helicopter Museum, earmarked for the museum to purchase the entire building it now partially leases at Brandywine Airport in West Chester, Pa. Robinson is founder and president of the Robinson Helicopter Co. Wright founded the museum project in 1993 and opened the doors in 1996. After the purchase of the entire building and its five-acre site, the museum will have ample room to expand the scope of its exhibits and accommodate visitor growth.
The Air Group has added a Bombardier Global Express to its charter fleet. The aircraft, based in Windsor Locks, Conn., outside Hartford, is only the second Global Express to be available for charter in the United States. The Air Group is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in Teterboro; Chicago; St. Louis; San Francisco; Denver; Santa Ana and Santa Barbara, Calif.; Honolulu and West Palm Beach. The Web site is www.theairgroup.com.
The Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA) and AirLog Imaging are offering PAMA members a service to store documentation of individual employment activities on CD-ROM. The MxTx on CD -- Maintenance Technician on CD -- program allows complete duplication of individual records for personal record keeping. The program archives an individual's aviation maintenance experience in a compact form that provides protection against fire, flood and other losses.
Positron Systems, Inc. announced it can detect fatigue damage buried in second layer materials without disassembling the material. Their tests were conducted through the wing skin using wing spar samples provided by Sandia National Laboratories' Airworthiness NDI Validation Center. Positron Systems' process is called Photon Induced Positron Annihilation (PIPA). During testing, a specimen composed of a wing spar and the exterior surface of the wing was analyzed. Known damage in the second layer around a taper lock fastener hole was identified.
Edited by David RimmerMike Vines, in Birmingham, England
BAE Systems Regional Aircraft is relaunching itself as a service business following last year's cancellation of the Avro RJX program and the ending of regional aircraft manufacturing by the company.
Production at Bombardier's Challenger and RJ lines resumed in early May after workers voted to accept an arbitration settlement ending a three-week strike.
Continental Express has converted to all-jet service at its Newark International Airport (EWR) hub. The carrier dropped its last remaining ATR 42 flights at the airport in early May, transitioning to Embraer Regional Jets on flights to Albany, N.Y.; Baltimore; Burlington, Vt.; Portland, Maine; Syracuse, N.Y.; and Washington/Dulles.
Single-engine helicopters continue to hold a strong position in the U.S. law enforcement market, according to MD Helicopters, Inc. of Mesa, Ariz. The company announced two completed sales: a MD 500E to the Columbus, Ohio, police department and a MD 600N to police in Indianapolis. It says four other single-engine sales to law enforcement agencies are in the final stages. Officials stated that despite the availability of larger, heavier twin-engine helicopters, agencies with prior single-engine operating experience are comfortable with the smaller, very agile machines.
Midcoast Aviation Vice Chairman Gary Driggers has been elected chairman of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) board of directors. A 14-year Midcoast Aviation executive, Driggers is an ATP-rated pilot with more than 10,000 hours flight time, including two tours of duty flying helicopter gunships in Vietnam. Joining the NATA board are three new members: Abilene Aero President Joe Crawford, Elliott Aviation President Wynn Elliott and Elizabeth Haskins, president and CEO of Signature Flight Support.
