Airfield operations were uninterrupted during the repaving of the 10,000-foot Runway 11/29 at Oakland International Airport. The repaving was completed in just 126 hours and probably set a record for a job of that magnitude, say airport officials. The $21.5 million project was expected to take 10 days, but was accomplished in six. The work required closure of the runway while two crews of about 250 people each worked 12-hour shifts. Crews placed approximately 105,000 tons of asphalt and installed 664 runway lights.
Jeppesen will provide customized approach charts to Aeroflot reflecting that airline's operating minima at each of the 140 cities it serves worldwide. Aeroflot crews must follow Russian regulations regarding operating minima and currently must consult company documents as well as standard approach charts to ensure compliance with requirements. Aeroflot will supply Jeppesen with its required minima information and Jeppesen will tailor its instrument approach charts to reflect their specific requirements.
The DOT is now seeking qualified candidates to oversee security at FAR Part 139 airports. ``These directors will have the authority and the resources to ensure that effective security surrounds civil operations at each airport,'' said DOT Secretary Norman Mineta. The directors will fall under the newly created Transport Security Administration and will be responsible for passenger and baggage screening, as well as protection of the aircraft and secure airport areas. Initially, the DOT is looking to fill 81 positions.
In a new study, ``The World Rotorcraft Market Through 2010,'' Forecast International/DMS (FI) has projected that the commercial helicopter segment will remain relatively flat through the next 10 years. In fact, FI is predicting production of 9,261 commercial helicopters worth just under $18 billion, and 4,970 military machines valued at $66 billion through 2010. On the upside, the report stated that helicopter deliveries rose in 2001, reversing a three-year downward trend, but this was due to a sharp increase in piston-powered helicopters.
Because Sikorsky designed the S-92 to meet both military and civilian standards, civilian operators benefit from the military's field maintenance requirements as well as the corrosion resistance demanded by North Sea service companies.
Edited by David RimmerMike Vines, in Birmingham, England Westland to Axe 950 Jobs
Westland, the British helicopter manufacturer, will axe 950 jobs at its Yeovil helicopter production facility and close Westland Industrial Products Ltd. (WIPL) at Weston-Super-Mare. Six hundred of the job cuts will be in the Helicopters and Transmissions business and 350 will go at WIPL where work has been reliant on EH101 and Lynx sub-assembly work. The company is to reorganize and consolidate on one site at Yeovil.
Vantage Point, which specializes in international event management, is offering luxury day trips from England to Continental European and Irish destinations using a Beech King Air 200 and a Swearingen Metro III. Called ``Fly For Lunch,'' the operation is being planned to run from March through November using Blackbushe and London-Biggin Hill airports to fly up to eight passengers in the King Air and 18 in the Metro. The idea is for companies to entertain their guests or use the day as an incentive for key people.
Dassault Falcon Jet, Teterboro, N.J., has named Scott Fairbee, Bob Leathers and John Taylor as field service representatives. Fairbee joins Dassault from the U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Training Center in Alabama; Leathers comes from Wendy's International, where he served as chief of aircraft maintenance; and Taylor served as Dassault's Falcon 900/900EX program manager in Little Rock, Ark.
Torrance, Calif., Airport has begun Phase I of a major redevelopment program. Grading work has begun for 36 new hangars and a multi-use FBO building at Torrance Municipal (TOA).
Bereavement in wartime is never acceptable, but at least understandable. The year of 2001 was fraught with tragedy as terrorists changed the whole complexion of our country, but failed to change our spirit. September 11 will live with us into infinity. The four plane crashes served to stiffen the backbone of our citizens despite all the tertiary discomfiture caused by the tragedies, a rippling effect throughout the land, then reverberating around the planet.
The A Check interval for the Gulfstream V has been extended from 450 to 500 hours. Larry Flynn, senior vice president of aircraft services, points out this blanket -- as opposed to an item-by-item -- extension is no small benefit to G-V operators. A blanket extension translates directly into reduced aircraft downtime. The 50-hour extension reduces the scheduled A Check maintenance by 10 percent, which yields a six percent savings in overall scheduled maintenance labor costs, according to Gulfstream.
Edited by David RimmerBy Mike Vines, in Birmingham, England
The 100- to 129-seat Airbus A318 made a successful maiden flight on January 15 from Airbus' Finkenwerder airfield in Hamburg, Germany. The aircraft was airborne 3 hours and 44 minutes with a five-man test crew aboard. With a fuselage some eight feet shorter than the A319/ACJ series, the A318 is the smallest airframe in the Airbus family. ``We took the aircraft from minimum to maximum operating speeds, and thanks
The DOT's Office of Inspector General (OIG) called on the FAA to pause and reassess both its Free Flight initiatives and its Operational Evolution Plan (OEP) to take account of the longer-term impacts of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
So far, the investigation into American Airlines Flight 587 has produced no evidence of fleetwide tail problems, according to sources close to the probe. Some delamination, or peeling away of layers, has been found in Flight 587's tail, but experts haven't determined if the damage happened before, or as a result of, the impact. The NTSB ``has not ruled out either mechanical malfunction or structural defect as causing or contributing to the accident,'' the board said in a January 15 update.
The FAA has announced that it will likely implement a new approach to DCA's Runway 19 using Required Navigation Performance (RNP) technology from its Project Capstone. A total of 140 aircraft in Alaska are equipped with Capstone technology and things seem to be working fine. The new approach would align with the runway and have lower minima, perhaps as low as 250 feet. RNP blends GPS position information with that from other sources, crosschecking each source against others so that one bad source can't spoof the system.
Edited by David RimmerBy Mike Vines, in Birmingham, England New Pan-Euro Separation Standards Authorities say system is ready, but some aircraft and operators are not
European-wide RVSM finally arrived one minute after midnight on January 24 after four years in the planning. It will free up airspace above 42 European countries and two in North Africa. Reduced Vertical Separation Minimums (RVSM) are now mandatory between FL 290 and FL 410. The introduction of 1,000-foot (300-meter) vertical separation instead of the traditional 2,000 feet has freed up six new flight levels over congested continental Europe. EUR RVSM covers 65 air traffic control (ATC) centers employing 6,000 controllers.
They're not as comprehensive as a major-leaguer's stats, but the wins and losses of a pilot's career are on the books and get passed around -- that's the law. The Pilot Records Improvement Act (PRIA) of 1996 is the tattletale engine of aviation. It targets airline pilots, but can affect every professional aviator and those who employ them.
Congress has directed the DOT to set aside some Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act loss compensation money for air carriers, such as air medical services and air tour operators, hurt by the fallout from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But the DOT isn't sure how to compensate these operators. The major airlines were compensated using a formula based on available seat miles.
Corrosion Technologies is now offering operators RejeX polymer coating to protect painted aircraft surfaces from staining, tar and bugs. When applied to a clean, bare surface, RejeX forms a slick barrier that prevents damage from exposure and facilitates easy removal of exhaust trails with mild detergent and water. A group of B/CA readers tested the RejeX product on a number of exposure-prone aircraft areas and found that the product lived up to its claims. However, if the painted surface is not in good condition, RejeX will not restore the quality of the paint.
U.S. business jet and turboprop accident and fatality rates were significantly higher in 2001 than in the previous year, according to statistics compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla.
ARINC announced its airborne two-way broadband FCC license on January 9. The ARINC system operates in the Ku-band and links an aircraft with a geostationary satellite. Its system would have nearly identical capability as Boeing Connexion, but ARINC didn't specify any predetermined entertainment or business service package to be bundled with its service. Data rates for the ARINC broadband service are somewhat higher than Connexion's. Downlink from the satellite is a maximum 10 MBPS with the return link from the aircraft topping out at 2 MBPS.
Will corporate aircraft ever be permitted to operate into Reagan National Airport (DCA) again? That's the question NBAA officials tried to answer last month during a packed-house meeting in what used to be the bustling lobby of Signature's FBO at DCA.
In late 2000, just when the competition thought Gulfstream was getting smug about celebrating the 100th sale of its ultra-long-range G-V, the firm surprised the market and upped the stakes. Gulf-stream launched the G-VSP, an aircraft that, when compared to the G-V, would offer more range and speed, more usable cabin and baggage volume, shorter takeoff distances and lower direct operating costs.
Garrett Aviation is offering all Hawker aircraft operators an electrically driven auxiliary hydraulic pump designed to aid maintenance crews in troubleshooting. In the past, maintainers had to pull around a hydraulic mule to bleed the brakes or run the landing gear. With the new pump, they can plug a 50-foot remote extension cord into the auxiliary control panel and operate all of the hydraulic systems. In addition to ease of use, the electric pump also reduces the possibility of hydraulic contamination.
Attendees of AS3 2002 in Indianapolis will find that the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association and the National Air Transportation Association have made it easier to attend sessions without trading off trade floor time.
