ERDA's Ben Bunting will retire on a high note. Bunting announced his retirement in a letter to customers and associates, noting that in the past year since its association with DeCrane Aircraft, ERDA had increased its engineering department by 30 percent, established a service engineering department, a training department, a Wichita program office and service center, and a Dallas field office. Over the same year he stated that ERDA's delivery record had improved 50 percent and its backlog had dropped to below six percent.
WeatherTAP now offers a modified version of its online weather service formatted for personal digital assistants (PDAs). The handheld version has 173 radar products, four satellite products, seven lightning products and 24 aviation graphics. The text and menu screens fit on the browser window and allow users to scroll to view the full graphic. Included in the aviation graphics are surface analysis, extended weather depiction and 12-/24-/ 36-/48-hour surface prognosis charts.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) told a charter operator in July that it would continue to apply the air transportation segment tax on a per-passenger basis retroactively, but would back off from that approach if the secretary of the Treasury instructs the agency to do so. The IRS earlier this year issued a technical advice memorandum (TAM) that the segment tax should be applied per passenger, rather than on a per-aircraft basis, and said charter companies should pay the per-passenger tax retroactively to its beginning if they've been using a per-aircraft formula.
August 4: All three people aboard a Falcon 20 were killed when the aircraft crashed near Nararsuaq, Greenland. The German-registered aircraft was on final approach to Nararsuaq Airport when it flew into a 700-foot mountain approximately 4.5 miles from the field. The 1966 jet was registered to Ortwin Naske, operator of an air charter service based in Hanover, Germany.
John W. Gofman, M.D., Ph.D., says the risks presented by Alan McKenzie, BSc, Ph.D., and the ICRP are serious underestimates. His estimate is that the cancer risk from cosmic radiation is about four times higher than the estimates presented above and that there is an equal risk of radiation-induced coronary heart disease.
Marathon Flight Services has broken ground on a new 8,000-square-foot facility and 16,000 square-foot hangar at Kissim-mee Airport (ISM) in Florida. The FBO owner, Jeanne Birks, said that Marathon has been having a record year in air traffic and in order to properly service all customers it needed to expand. ``We also have a lease on additional property, so our plans for expansion go beyond what we're breaking ground on today,'' Birks said at the July 16 event.
Canada's CHC Helicopters International (CHI) reports extensions and expansions to existing helicopter contracts on four continents worth C$48.1 million. The company was awarded a two-year contract extension with Unocal in the Gulf of Thailand, involving two Sikorsky S-76As and one S-61N in support of offshore gas production. Anticipated revenues from this agreement are estimated at C$28 million over two years.
An aging work force and a shortage of young, skilled engineers may pose the greatest challenges to the U.S. aerospace industry, experts say. John Douglass, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, testified on the issue before a House Transportation and Infrastructure panel that the number of aerospace engineers has dropped dramatically since the mid-1980s, from a peak of 144,800 in 1986 to less than 77,000 in 1998.
Sierra Industries is offering an alternative maintenance tracking program for Cessna Citation owners. Sierracom tracks pending and completed maintenance activities by aircraft times and cycles from flight and log entries. Each month an updated Sierracom will be mailed to you for your records. In addition, the company provides a separate form showing what inspections will be coming up within the next 50 hours and/or three months. Price: $900 annually Sierra Industries P.O. Box 5184 Uvalde, Texas 78801
The NBAA annual meeting and convention is many things to many people. More than 30,000 professional visitors will flock to business aviation's Mecca, in New Orleans September 18-20 to hear major announcements by major manufacturers--and to see Richard Hafner's carpet.
Cargolifter Ag of Germany has signed a cooperation agreement with BAE Systems Aircraft Controls. BAE will provide avionics and flight control systems for the CL-160, which will be the largest airship built since the golden age of the zeppelin. Also collaborating on the project is General Electric, which agreed to supply and maintain the CL-160's powerplants over the long term. Eight 2,000-shp GE CT7-8L turboshaft engines will form the main propulsion system for the semi-rigid airship.
It was about 6:30 one late January evening when pilot David Kobus departed northern Maine in a Grand Caravan on a freight run to Manchester, N.H. The temperature was above freezing, and a cool mist filled the cloud-covered skies. Pilot reports indicated cloud tops at 10,000 feet msl, so Kobus anticipated a quick climb through a layer of moderate icing. What he got instead was the ride of his life.
August 1: A Bankair Mitsubishi MU-2B-35 crashed in Hilton Head, S.C., during a positioning flight, killing the commercial-rated pilot. The aircraft was en route from Columbia, S.C., to pick-up additional cargo. The flight was operating under an IFR flight plan, although VFR conditions prevailed at the time of the crash
John Pope is slated to receive the NBAA's first Staff Lifetime Achievement Awards at the group's annual meeting and convention this month. Pope, who retired in 1984, was the third employee to join the NBAA -- then known as the National Business Aircraft Association -- in 1961. Pope is credited with helping to increase the NBAA membership roster from 325 to almost 3,000 companies, for running the annual convention and for his ``overall dedication to the safety and efficiency of business aviation.''
Flight simulator developer CAE and Agusta SpA have established a new company to develop simulators and training programs for Agusta Westland helicopters. Known as ROTORSIM, the new Cascina Costa, Italy-based firm will build on CAE's reputation as ``the world's premier provider of rotary-wing simulation and training for many years,'' said CAE Executive Vice President Donald W. Campbell.
The FAA granted Level `C' certification to the first Premier I simulator at the FlightSafety Raytheon Learning Center in Wichita. Certification is expected to be upgraded to Level `D' once further data becomes available from Raytheon's continued flight-testing of the new aircraft.
A US Airways Express worker at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was killed in early August after walking into a spinning aircraft propeller. The unidentified employee died instantly after being struck by the propeller of a Bombardier Dash 8 bound for New York's Westchester County Airport (HPN). The carrier suspended most of its outbound service on the day of the accident and resumed normal operations the next day.
Boeing received Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval for the satellite-based component of its planned Air Traffic Management System. The Boeing system relies, in part, on satellites to gather and provide data to pilots and air traffic controllers including communications, navigation and aircraft tracking. The FCC approval clears the way for Boeing to build a constellation of satellites to support the system.
It is ironic that as navigation systems have become more accurate -- thanks to GPS, high-spec flight management systems, and other yields of computerization and improved software -- the experts tell us we still need to attend to basics. These include crew coordination and adherence to good cockpit procedures, religious reliance on crosschecking, and faithful maintenance of flight logs and plotting charts. And just because you're flying behind an all-glass panel with all the bells and whistles doesn't mean you should forget about your dead-reckoning skills.
Aero Taxi, an FBO that provides aircraft charter and management at New Castle County Airport (ILG) in Delaware, is constructing a 15,000 square-foot hangar. ``We have been asked to make bids on several occasions in the last three months for corporate flight departments,'' said Air Taxi President Dirk Dinkeloo. `` In order to meet this demand we had to double our hangar capacity.'' Completion of the new facility is expected in.
Perhaps it's time to step back and take a look at the fixed-wing business turbine aircraft market and also view the fractional market activity at mid-year.
AviationNow.com, Aviation Week's Web portal has launched a new online video feature dubbed AvWeek TV. The new section includes stories relating to business and general aviation, as well as military programs, space exploration and the airline industry. B/CA Editor-in-Chief Bill Garvey is a frequent contributor, with B/CA Editors Fred George and Richard Aarons slated for future segments. Access to the features is free at www.AviationNow.com, which is also home to B/CA's Internet content.
Alaska Aerofuel has opened a new facility at Fairbanks International Airport (FAI) offering operators a pilot's lounge, conference room, computer access, flight tracking, cable television, crew bedrooms with showers, crew cars and a courtesy van. ``Because of our location and low fuel prices, you will save time, money and travel distance as compared to other Alaska cities,'' said Robert Hawkins, Alaska Aerofuel's general manager.
Your reputation -- good or bad -- follows you forever. The way others regard your character is important since your future will probably be shaped by those opinions. When you manage a group of pilots and mechanics, your behavior will be measured right from the start. You will be expected to set the standard by which your department will operate. And when it comes to ethical behavior, you'd better set the right tone right away.
Adventurer Steve Fossett piloted his Cessna Citation X to two more speed records in late July. En route to his latest around-the-world balloon attempt, Fossett clocked 704.452 mph flying from Perth to Brisbane, Australia and 755.59 mph from Perth to Hobart. Fossett and his two copilots benefited from tailwinds as high as 174 mph. Once sanctioned by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, the feat will stand as the fastest aviation record ever in a non-supersonic aircraft.
