Gary/Chicago Airport (GYY) has been named by the Boeing Corp. as its new corporate facility. The 30,000-square-foot hangar bay is designed to accommodate up to two Boeing 727 size aircraft, and comes with over 37,200 square feet of office/shop space. Boeing said it selected the GYY facility because ``it is an immediate and viable solution to air traffic congestion that challenges the Chicago area.''
Shuttle America, operating under bankruptcy court protection since last April, hopes to add aircraft and destinations under the terms of a reorganization plan filed in mid-September. The agreement calls for Wexford Capital, LLC to acquire all of the carrier's stock and finance Shuttle America's future expansion plans.
At London Heathrow Airport, Metro Business Aviation and Swissport UK have teamed up to serve corporate aircraft. The new operation, Metro-Swissport Executive Aviation, will combine new ramp equipment from Swissport and Metro's existing facilities to support aircraft up to and including B747s. Stan Anderson of Swissport will head up the 20-person service staff. Swissport is a Swissair company operating more than 130 stations in 25 countries, with 20 of those stations providing business aviation services.
EADS will donate $2 million to U.S. terrorist attack victims. The European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. has dedicated the money ``to people in need in New York and Washington as well as to the bereaved of the passengers in the aircraft which crashed.'' EADS CEOs Philippe Camus and Ranier Hertrich said, ``In this time of unprecedented sorrow and challenge to values we share and cherish we want to show our solidarity with all those who have suffered and are still suffering owing to this cruel and ruthless attack.''
The decisions about the degree of dietary modification and whether or not to use a drug for correction of abnormal blood fat levels must be made by your physician. Always seek the advice of your flight surgeon before taking any new medication. After treatment begins, your physician will monitor your blood fat levels with periodic blood tests to judge effectiveness of the treatment and to determine whether additional measures are needed (such as increasing the dose or changing the medication).
Bell Helicopter has become the latest aircraft manufacturer to reduce its workforce. The company in early September laid off approximately 175 assembly workers and left open the possibility of future job cuts -- including additional production workers and white-collar workers. All of the affected employees work in the Textron division's Fort Worth-area facilities.
ALPA reportedly advised its members to stay out of uniform in public and away from airports in general during ground stops to avoid the off chance they might attract the attention of potential hijackers. Business aviation crews might want to think about their clothes and refrain from wearing badges or passes except on the flight line or within the secure premises in which they are required. And you may want to rethink that crew tag on your luggage.
Technological innovations that change the course of an industry are few and far between. For business aviation, Garrett's TFE731 turbofan engine, the first general aviation jet to use a geared fan and electronic fuel controls, was such a product. Much more fuel-efficient than the turbojets that powered first-generation corporate jets, the TFE731 quickly won the hearts of airframe manufacturers who were looking for a way to push the corporate flying envelope during the 1970s.
3M has introduced a new colored adhesive film that provides a high performance, low surface energy coating and serves as an alternative aircraft covering to standard paint. The ``Paintless Technology'' is a fluro-polymer film with a wide range of self-stick and curing adhesive options. The film comes in standard colors of white, gray and black; custom color matching is available. In addition, the film is resistant to a number of man-made and natural elements including acids, bases, hydrocarbons, jet fuels, hydraulic fluids and cleaning solvents.
Bombardier unveiled PrecisionPlus, an upgrade for the Pro Line 4 avionics suite on the Challenger 604. Developed by Rockwell Collins, the enhanced system's features include automation of both V-speed calculation and thrust setting as primary information, and three-dimensional display of the aircraft's flight plan.
Mercury Air Centers has opened a new hangar and tenant facility at its Hanscom Field Airport (BED) FBO in Bedford, Mass. The 38,000-square-foot facility with its 28-foot high bay doors can accommodate a Global Express-size aircraft and has compressed air and heated flooring. In addition to the maintenance spaces, the facility will be equipped with a full galley for food preparation, as well as a dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer and an ice machine.
Atlantic Southeast Airlines has agreed to pay a $5,000 civil penalty in a federal lawsuit that could have wider-ranging implications for the carriage of disabled passengers. The case emerged from an incident in September 2000, during which an ASA employee in Dothan, Ala., refused to board a paraplegic passenger who was traveling alone.
August 21: The right main landing gear of a Beech 99 collapsed on landing in Monterrey, Calif., causing substantial damage. The Redding Aero Enterprises aircraft was operating an on-demand cargo flight at the time of the mishap. The two pilots were uninjured.
CMC Electronics said it had successfully completed a series of developmental flight trials of its Infrared Enhanced Vision System. The Canadian company said the tests proved the effectiveness of the system in seeing the runway, approach and runway lights, runway surface markings and ground vehicles in a variety of weather conditions. The system sensor is scheduled to begin its certification process in fourth quarter 2002.
Rockwell Collins and Universal Weather have entered into an agreement to provide data and operational management services through e-flight, a new Collins system. Designed to improve situational awareness, e-flight will be integrated through the Pro Line 21, Pro Line 21 Continuum and Pro Line 21 CNS avionics systems. The new system provides flight crews with map overlays, Controller Pilot Data Link Communications and graphical weather displays. For passengers, it delivers high-speed e-mail and Internet access.
Jeppesen has added a Windows interface and lots of graphic tools to its JetPlan flight planning engine, now dubbed JetPlanner, and is targeting small to midsize airlines and flight departments. It features the capabilities of JetPlan plus some tricks of its own, such as a ``rubber-banding'' function to manipulate planned routings.
More than one year after British and French aviation officials lifted Concorde's certification, the aging supersonic aircraft was, again, cleared to fly in early September. The approval is subject to compliance with airworthiness directives, and as a result, re-certification will actually occur on an aircraft-by-aircraft basis, as modifications are completed.
AirCell has $12.8 million in new financing for system expansion and upgrades. AirCell is the only airborne system authorized by the FCC to connect with the existing cellular infrastructure. With network enhancements and a new data center in Colorado, AirCell will be able to offer better airborne access to services such as NEXRAD maps, e-mail and the Internet.
Piedmont Hawthorne is preparing a Saab SF340A corporate shuttle demonstrator as a result of its recent alliance with Saab Aircraft Leasing Inc (SAL). Michael Magnusson, president and CEO of SAL, said, ``We are targeting the corporate shuttle market, as this sector is growing fast both in the U.S. and Europe, but we are not aiming these refurbished aircraft at the VIP market.''
The September 11 highjackings and attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon caught the nation, the world by surprise. The long-term ramifications are unknown, but its effect on business aviation was immediate and, except for lifeguard flights, for three days left the industry grounded and wondering aloud. Here are some of the voices from that time:
Two senior FAA executives depart for greener and perhaps more peaceful pastures. Nick Lacey, long-time head of Flight Standards until a recent reassignment prompted him to resign from the FAA, report for duty at the Washington consulting firm of Morton, Beyer and Agnew in early September. His former boss, Tom McSweeny, associate administrator for regulation and certification, and the senior safety, certification and enforcement officer, will end his 28-year FAA career and join Boeing's Washington, D.C., office.
Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. (PHI) Chairman Carroll Suggs retired in mid-September after selling her 52-percent interest in the company for about $30 million. Oil and gas industry veteran Al A. Gonsoulin, a 4,000-hour fixed wing pilot who acquired the majority of the stock from Suggs, is now Chairman of the PHI board of directors.
