Edited by David RimmerBy Richard N. Aarons NTSB Perturbed by FAA's Requirements in Light of Fatal Crash
The FAA has no requirement for partial-panel instrument training once a general aviation pilot acquires an instrument rating, and that fact worries some members of the NTSB. The Safety Board, at this writing, was reviewing the findings of investigators who looked into the much-publicized October 16, 2000, crash of a Cessna 335 that took the life of Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan, pilot Roger Carnahan (the governor's son) and one of the governor's campaign aides.
Due to U.S. National Security Council requirements during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, the FAA has issued Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) around the Salt Lake City, Utah, area. The restrictions will affect anyone who wishes to obtain a slot during the Games, which will be held from February 8 through 24.
It's easy to become disheartened. The horrors of September helped to produced a series of reactions that are unjustified, frustrating, expensive and more than a little bit frightening. Osama bin Laden declared war on the United States, and, as a consequence, unidentified security officials have turned the federal government against private aviation.
Goodrich Corp. has unveiled its new IceHawk wide-area ice detection system that provides real-time color images of frozen contaminants on aircraft surfaces. Designed for use on deicing trucks with either open buckets or enclosed cabs, the system scans aircraft surfaces with a beam of polarized infrared light and computes a display for the operator with contaminated patches highlighted in red. The system can see through substances such as anti-icing fluid, hydraulic fluid or fuel to detect underlying frozen build-up.
Air Canada has begun offering luxury charters aboard specially configured Boeing 737s. The carrier's new AC Jetz unit is targeting sports teams and corporate executives for the charter service, which promises dedicated flight crews and the use of corporate FBOs for the convenience and confidentiality of its clientele.
The AOPA lost its top Capitol Hill lobbyist in November. William Deere, senior vice president of legislative affairs for the association, was appointed director of House affairs for the U.S. Department of State, effective November 5. Deere rejoined the AOPA nearly five years ago after spending five years as a senior aide to former Rep. Jim Lightfoot (R-Iowa). His first stint with the AOPA ran from 1987 to 1991, when he was director of congressional affairs and manager for the AOPA Political Action Committee.
Jet Aviation has placed a new Bell 430 helicopter in charter service, based in Zurich. Configured for four to six passengers, the cabin is separated from the cockpit by electronically controlled tinted panels. Leather passenger seats feature Airshow displayed on 12-inch monitors.
Aviation General, Inc. reported significant losses for the quarter and nine-month periods ended Sept. 30, a situation the company attributed to the slumping U.S. economy and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The company also said it plans to seek additional capital or a merger. The Bethany, Okla. manufacturer had a net loss of $559,764 in the third quarter, compared with net income of $252,353 during the same period a year ago. Revenues for the quarter plunged - from $4.8 million a year ago to just $1.55 million in the most recent period.
Illinois Gov. George Ryan (R) submitted a $6 billion regional aviation plan that calls for building a new airport in Peotone, Ill., permitting O'Hare operations to grow no more than about 20 percent from current levels and keeping embattled Meigs Field open.
The NBAA's board of directors elected a new slate of officers, including George Saling, vice president of aviation and travel services for Philip Morris Management Corp., as chairman. Saling joined Philip Morris in 1991 after holding management positions with FlightSafety International, GTE Service Corp. and Tenneco Inc. The board named Donald Baldwin, director of corporate aviation for The Coca-Cola Co., as vice chairman. Baldwin joined Coca-Cola this year after retiring from a 25-year career with Texaco.
Remember the old FAA? The fellow aviators whose first question is, ``What is the root of the problem?'' The FAA that attacked problems with training for the novice, reminders for the experienced and clarification of the confusing? That FAA is alive and well in the Office of Runway Safety. Runway incursions and surface incidents have become a subject of considerable interest and concern in the past few years and the Office of Runway Safety has set out to do something about it.
W. Stephen Dennis has been named chairman of Metro Business Aviation, a British FBO chain with operations at Heathrow, Battersea, Luton and Stansted airports. A well-known executive in the U.S. FBO industry, Dennis has relocated to London and, according to Metro, will work closely with CEO Steve Grimes ``to develop the business model for a major expansion of the company.''
The Aviation and Transportation Security Act President Bush signed into law on November 19 establishes uniform standards, federalizes the screener work force with pilot federal/private programs, calls for 100-percent baggage screening and, according to House leaders, ensures that ``potential threats are protected without unduly burdening general aviation.''
United Air Lines, following the lead of regional carrier Mesa Airlines, has announced that it plans to install Taser electronic stun guns in the cockpits of its aircraft to defend against hijackings. The decision is subject to FAA approval. United said the Taser weapons will be kept in electronically coded lock boxes.
Bombardier and Gulfstream will compete to provide a new long-range anti-piracy, anti-smuggling aircraft for the Japan Maritime Safety Agency. The agency has requested $30 million from the Ministry of Finance to buy the first of two such aircraft. The agency currently uses two Dassault Falcon 900As in that role but announced in 2000 that it would seek longer-range aircraft to perform patrol missions in Southeastern Asia, including the waters off Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The agency wants to be able to operate nonstop between Japan and Singapore.
Air, Inc.'s October pilot hiring report shows a sharp decline across the board. Just 392 new pilot jobs were created with only 82 of the top 209 reporting airlines and operators hiring. Detailed information is posted on Air, Inc.'s Web site, www.jet-jobs.com.
Edited by David RimmerBy David Rimmer eBay'ers Bid Up Business Jet Flights
Some of eBay's 34 million registered users are apparently intrigued by the idea of traveling in a corporate jet. A recent charity auction of $20,000 in business jet charters attracted 38 bids with the winning bid topping out at $24,100. The item was featured in the online Auction for America event to benefit survivors of the September 11 terror attacks.
``The answer to airport chaos is not forcing communities to accept more runways or new, expanded airports. The answer is high-speed rail.'' Former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis in The New York Times
The town of Islip, N.Y., reacting to FAA advice that it should not enforce a $50,000 nighttime landing fee at MacArthur Airport (ISP), said it was ``puzzled'' by the FAA's citation of certain regulations and federal statutes to back its warning, ``since neither [the FAA's] letter or the letter of Eastern region counsel states anywhere therein that either of you have examined the subject ordinance.'' The town asked the agency to ``provide a clear, unequivocal determination of the FAA's position on this specific ordinance,'' adding that such a position would ``weigh heavily'
Honeywell announced that its Bendix/King FIS products will be standard on Socata TBM 700s delivered in the United States. FIS (Flight Information Service)-equipped aircraft can receive continuous real-time text-based weather information broadcast from a dedicated 200-station network at no cost. For a monthly fee subscribers can receive graphic weather displays and other services. Weather information is received on the Bendix/King KDR 510 data radio and displayed on either a KMD 550 or KMD 850 multifunction display.
FlightSafety International has received Level D certification for a PC-based simulator. The company's third Citation Excel simulator, this one installed at the Columbus, Ohio, learning center, marked a significant step forward in the convergence of PC and flight simulation technology when it received FAA Level D certification recently. The simulator's host computer is Pentium-based and runs on a Windows operating system. Don't expect a Level D simulator on your desktop, though.
For the past five years, Meigs Field (CGX), the closest airport to downtown Chicago, has been on the brink of extinction. The city's mayor, Richard M. Daley, has long sought to convert the 53-year-old lakefront landing facility into a bird sanctuary. It appeared as if he would get his way when the city closed the municipal airport in October 1996. Only legal action by airport advocates saved the airport's single, 3,900-foot-long runway from being demolished.
Edited by David RimmerFred George, in San Diego Cockpit and Cabin Monitors
Big Brother could be monitoring airline passenger behavior and cockpit activities by the end of 2002, if Qualcomm Chairman and CEO Irwin M. Jacobs has his way.
Signature Flight Support, Orlando, has appointed Gary Gutkowski as general manager at its Orlando International Airport facility and Dale Krupla as general manager at its Baltimore/Washington International Airport facility.
