In the everything old is new again department, as the flying component of the major aviation exhibitions steadily diminishes, organizers of the Aerospace America International Airshow in Oklahoma City are co-locating a conference and exposition to which the public will be admitted by invitation only. The Aerospace America Aviation Conference and Exposition (ACE 2002) will be held at the Westin Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City on June 13 and 14. The primary focus will be on aviation in the Southwest and Southern Midwest.
If you need to fly above FL 290 and up to FL 410 in EUR RVSM airspace, your aircraft must be RVSM-equipped, -monitored and -approved by your country's civil aviation authority. Also included in the requirement is that operators must prove that they have instituted procedures for continued airworthiness maintenance and have instituted flight crew procedures for operations in EUR RVSM airspace.
In an effort to help maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities build effective customer relationships, Essential Air Group has developed a new online maintenance-tracking program. ``MxAlert'' goes beyond the traditional desktop-based software, providing up-to-the-minute status of aircraft that are in the shop, including current budget information. MxAlert enables operators to log into the MRO's maintenance tracking Web site and update the hours and cycles on specific aircraft, and then immediately print out fresh maintenance forecasts.
The second Ae270 single-engine prototype completed its first flight in late December 2001. The aircraft has entered a flight-test program that has accumulated 200 hours of flight time and 217 landings since its maiden flight in July 2000. The first flights above manufacturer Aero Vodo-chody's Prague factory lasted approximately two hours, achieving a top speed of 180 knots and reaching an altitude of 10,000 feet.
The regional airline industry has lost another of its colorful pioneers with the early January passing of Ransome Airlines founder J. Dawson Ransome at the age of 81. Ransome founded the Philadelphia-based carrier in 1957, initially flying between Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The airline's route structure ultimately blanketed the Northeastern United States and, for a time, included operations in South Florida and Germany.
Link Tools has introduced a line of one-quarter-inch sockets and drivers that automatically lock and are designed to prevent accidental unlocking when palming the tools. The Link ratchets use a locking slide button that must be pushed forward in order to attach or detach another tool; other Link tools use a gold locking collar that releases attached tools when pulled up. B/CA tested the five-piece one-quarter-inch drive set and found it to be of good quality and weight and compatible with other locking tools.
Nav Canada's temporary discount on air navigation services charges was officially terminated on January 1. The Nav Canada board approved the change as part of a plan to respond to a projected $145 budget shortfall in the fiscal year ending August 31, 2002. The shortfall is a result of ``significant declines in both actual and projected traffic.'' Elimination of the discount amounts to about a six percent increase in the cost of air navigation services.
The pilots never saw it coming. Darkness had settled over Narita, Japan, and the Boeing 737-800, en route from Guam, was nearing the end of its flight on a warm August night in 2000. No more than 10 minutes earlier, a DC-10 transitioned the same airspace without difficulty. But when the cockpit and cabin of the 737 filled with haze and dust, the pilots knew something was seriously wrong. They donned their oxygen masks, and within three to four minutes, they were back in clear air. But by then they were in trouble.
Edited by David RimmerBy David Rimmer, in Chicago Indigo Legacy Funding Near
Indigo Air's billion-dollar purchase of up to 75 Embraer Legacy business jets is a step closer to reality. In exclusive interviews with B/CA, senior executives of the public charter operator said Boeing Capital has agreed, in principal, to be the senior lender on the Legacy buys. If consummated, the financing helps clear the way for what will likely be two additional financing companies to fund the remainder. The Legacy financing is also said to be instrumental in Indigo's search for another $15 million in operating capital.
Bombardier will cut 800 more positions at its Wichita manufacturing plant and completion center in Tucson as part of its plans to reduce production. The layoffs are in addition to some 3,800 jobs that the Canadian conglomerate already had begun to eliminate in fall 2001.
Embraer is buying Nashville-based Celsius Aerotech, Inc. to improve support to its U.S. clients, which include Continental Express, American Eagle and Mesa Air Group. The deal, for an undisclosed price, is expected to close in February. Celsius employs about 200 persons and specializes in regional aircraft inspection and maintenance services.
Edited by David RimmerBy Mike Vines, in Birmingham, England Five Dead in Challenger 604 Crash
A Bombardier Challenger 604, N90AG (serial number 5414), crashed January 4 on takeoff from Birmingham International Airport (BHX) in England, killing all three crew and two passengers. The accident occurred shortly after liftoff from Runway 15. Eyewitnesses said the Challenger's wing contacted the runway, the aircraft cartwheeled, and the fuselage broke into two major pieces, finishing 50 yards apart and inverted near Runway 15/33. It then burst into flames on impact and debris was scattered over a 250-square-meter area, according to officials.
The Helicopter Association International (HAI) has named Lt. Michael Melia, Massachusetts State Police, as its 2001 Law Enforcement Award recipient. The HAI recognizes Melia for his ac-complishment in transforming the state police air wing unit as an ``internationally recognized leader in airborne law enforcement.'' Under Melia's direction, the Air Wing has initiated a pilot/tactical flight officer crew concept, which includes required annual factory training and active participation in professional aviation organizations.
Bombardier and DeCrane have formed a joint venture to provide total cabin refurbishment services for the entire family of Bombardier business jets. DeCrane will establish a state-of-the-art interior refurbishment shop co-located with the Bombardier Business Aviation Services (BBAS) service center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. DeCrane has interior upholstery, wood repair and modification capabilities in place. The Fort Lauderdale facility will also administer upholstery and woodwork warranties.
In a further effort to reduce debt and raise funds, Raytheon is selling its Aircraft Integration Systems (AIS) division to L3 Communications for $1.13 billion. The Greenville, Texas-based unit performs aircraft modifications, comple-tions, maintenance and systems integration for business aircraft, airliners and the military. AIS employs approximately 6,000 people, principally at facilities in Greenville and Waco, Texas, and Lexington, Ky.
Keystone Helicopters has been sold to an aviation venture capital group for an undisclosed sum. The West Chester, Pa., company offers a range of services, including helicopter completions, maintenance, compo-nent and modification manufacturing, and helicopter management and flight services.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla., has named Daniel Carrell as chancellor at its Prescott, Ariz., campus. Carrell, a retired U.S. Army aviator who completed two combat tours in Vietnam, previously served as interim chancellor and director of business and administration for the university.
An airport first at Palm Springs (PSP) is an on-airport Harley-Davidson rental agency. According to the agency operator, EagleRider, Inc., visitors at least 21 years of age and holding a valid motorcycle endorsement on their drivers license can rent one of a variety of Harley-Davidson models. Rentals are by the day, week or month. Reservations and information are at (760) 251-5990.
Glass cockpit avionics commonality among current production aircraft has allowed Boeing and FlightSafety/Boeing to develop a common package of glass cockpit training and shorter pilot transition training programs. With redundant material that pilots have already learned from qualifying in other Boeing glass cockpit aircraft washed out of transition training, time savings of 30 to 40 percent are achieved. Core Boeing glass cockpit training introduces the avionics to pilots who are new to them.
Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs) may become the next Non-Destructive Technique (NDT) device to detect early stages of airframe corrosion. The advantage of a SQUID sensor over ultrasound and x-ray NDT is its extreme sensitivity to magnetic fluctuations (a characteristic of corrosion).
I was back in Florida a few weeks ago on a brief business escape. Jogging along the beach one morning, the sight and sound of the crashing waves and the feel of the hot sun on my winter skin prompted a mental na-na-na-nah-na for the snowbound dears back home, along with some reminiscences, mostly happy.
