With all those dot-coms bombing, the timing for raising private equity to fund an aircraft start-up venture hardly could be worse. But good time or not, that's precisely what Albuquerque-based Eclipse Aviation is doing now to continue developing its revolutionary twin-turbofan Eclipse 500, an entry-level jet promising to deliver nearly CJ1 performance for one-fourth of the price.
A formal proposal involving changes in operating rules for fractional aircraft ownership programs and on-demand charter operators is on the street. The new rules are significant. The issues involved are contentious. And the FAA wants feedback.
Signature Flight Support says it will acquire Wheeling, Ill.-based Priester Aviation for an undisclosed sum. Priester -- located at Palwaukee Municipal Airport (PWK) -- is Signature's fourth Chicago-area FBO. Plans call for the construction of a 10,000-square-foot executive terminal at the field, where Priester already maintains an executive terminal as well as 463,000 square feet of hangar and office space. Charles E. Priester, president and CEO of the FBO, will become a consultant to Signature after the sale.
Numerous airports merit a detailed briefing due to unusual operating procedures. An example is New Mexico's Los Alamos County Airport. Owned and operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the place was recently opened to public use, but it deserves mention due to its unique entry and exit requirements and gusty surface winds. As part of your thorough airport briefing, you'd call the Albuquerque FSS to obtain the airport manager's phone number. After contacting him, he'll send or fax you an airport briefing sheet.
One year after its launch by Cessna and Tag Aviation USA, CitationShares signed the 100th customer for its business jet fractional ownership program. The customer purchased a one-eighth share of CitationShares' first Citation Excel. CitationShares recently expanded its operations to include all areas east of the Rocky Mountains and opened an Orlando crew base. In addition to the new Excel, CitationShares operates CJ1s and Citation Bravos.
West Star Aviation, at Walker Field (GJT) in Grand Junction, Colo., has just completed construction of a three bay, 28,000-square-foot maintenance hangar. The new facility will double the company's maintenance capabilities. A full-service FBO, West Star provides avionics, airframe, powerplant, paint, interior and parts sales for Cessna Citation, Learjet and Hawker series aircraft.
Airplane powerplant manufacturers, pilot groups and regulatory bodies worldwide have taken note of a striking paradox. Simply stated, the more reliable propulsion systems become, the more likely flight crews will take inappropriate action when an engine malfunctions.
A World Trade Organization panel has ruled in the ongoing dispute between Canada and Brazil over subsidies for customers who buy their competing regional jets and, curiously, both sides are claiming a decisive victory.
If you have better things to do at your flight department or FBO than worry about maintaining the grass, then Air-FieldTurf might be the solution for you. Derived from advances in sports playing- field surfaces, this synthetic grass is being tested for certification on runway and taxiway shoulders. Covering areas of the airport infield with Air-FieldTurf could eliminate soil erosion, and because it is nonorganic, the surface will not support vegetation, dissuading birds from habitating the airport. Another benefit of the grass is its bright green color.
During the 1970s, a British Antarctica Survey (BAS) research group monitoring the atmosphere above Antarctica noticed a dramatic loss of ozone in the lower stratosphere as compared to earlier baseline levels. When the first measurements were finally taken in 1985, the drop in ozone levels was so rapid and large-scale (over most of the Antarctic continent) that at first scientists thought their instruments were faulty. It wasn't until the measurements were confirmed with replacement instruments that the ozone depletion was accepted as genuine.
The FAA's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on fractional aircraft ownership programs is a remarkable document, both in terms of substance and the process employed in its development.
Dassault Aviation gave the aviation trade press a sneak preview of its new 3,800-nm-range Falcon 2000EX, several weeks prior to its official rollout in late August. In traditional Dassault fashion, the event was as much a celebration of French lifestyle -- complete with a field trip to Chateau Dassault, the family-owned vineyard on the north slope of St. Emilion -- as it was an official business function.
Despite a reputation for aviation-unfriendly policies such as a ``voluntary'' curfew and restrictive lease covenants, new facilities continue to be built at Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains, N.Y. Air charter operator Westchester Air recently moved into its new 18,200-square-foot home at Hangar M, while Panorama Flight Service -- a charter operator, aircraft management firm, aircraft dealer and flight school -- is building a major new facility that should be completed in November.
Metro Business Aviation changed its company radio frequencies at London-Luton, London-Stansted and London-Heathrow to the same frequency of 130.57 on August 13. The FBO said the frequency switch is designed to ensure that arriving crews can communicate quickly and easily with operations personnel. Metro advises that new Jeppesen inserts incorporating the changes are available from its Operations section, and apologizes for any inconvenience.
Jet Aviation Basel (Switzerland) has completed its first Airbus A319 Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) interior for Qatar Airways, which plans to operate the 36-seat luxury aircraft on a mix of private and scheduled services from its base in Doha, Qatar. Modifications to the aircraft include a satcom installation and four additional belly fuel tanks to give the aircraft nonstop intercontinental range. The aircraft has a 6,000-cubic-foot cabin divided into an executive seating area for 20 passengers and a first-class cabin with 16 electrically controlled seats.
A Bush administration official has echoed industry fears that U.S. aerospace companies can't compete fairly in Europe, claiming the market is warped by government subsidies and favors for native companies.
By Paul Richfield United Biz Jet Plans Modest Debut The new operation plans to launch with a Hawker 800, then switch to an Embraer Legacy in shuttle configuration
Billion-dollar aircraft orders notwithstanding, UAL Corp.'s investment in its new business aviation unit -- United Biz Jet Services, Inc. -- will be a modest $4 million during the subsidiary's first year of operations. Start-up expenses are expected to reach $3.05 million, so United estimates that it will have $950,000 in working capital when operations are launched around a single leased aircraft in November. ``UAL is committed to funding entry into the business aviation industry at a level sufficient to ensure success, so the
Nav Canada and ICAO will host the 2001 International Oceanic Conference from October 2-4 at the Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada. This year's theme for the annual oceanic airspace management event is ``Improving Customer Service Through Advanced Technology.''
Russell W. Meyer, Jr. Chairman, Cessna Aircraft Co. A Harvard-trained lawyer and former U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot, Meyer was chosen by investors to help oversee development of the fledgling American Aviation Co. That six-month assignment went on for years as the company evolved into Grumman American. In 1974, Dwayne Wallace, Cessna's legendary chairman, selected Meyer as his successor, and he has been with the company ever since.
James C. Christiansen, 54, executive vice president and chief operating officer of TAG Aviation, has resigned in order to ``pursue fresh opportunities.'' Formerly president of Wayfarer Aviation, Christiansen joined TAG when it acquired Wayfarer -- an evolution of the Rockefeller family's flight department -- two years ago. Since then, he has led the effort to integrate the two companies.
Citing health reasons, AirNet Systems founder Gerald G. (Jerry) Mercer, 54, has stepped down after 26 years leading a company that grew from humble beginnings to become the nation's largest carrier of canceled bank checks. Joe Biggerstaff, 45, recruited as Mercer's eventual successor and named as the company's CEO in April 2000, succeeded Mercer as AirNet's chairman on August 2.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will host its annual Industry/Career Expo on November 7 and 8 in Daytona Beach, Fla. Aspiring aviation professionals and seasoned professionals can interview with hiring pros from more than 100 companies including manufacturers, airlines and service providers. Among the companies planning to attend this year's expo: Boeing, Gulfstream and Signature Flight Support, as well as American, Continental and Southwest Airlines. The expo is free and open to the public. Further information is available online at www.embryriddle.edu.
With scheduled air service between smaller communities waning, at least one FBO is attempting to fill the void with reduced-cost charters. Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Business Aviation Services has created Share-A-Ride, which, as its name implies, matches travelers with similar itineraries who want the convenience of air charter without bearing the full cost.
TAG Aviation is expanding to Palm Springs, Calif. The desert city will become TAG's 50th aircraft base with the addition of a managed Falcon 50. TAG says it will ferry the aircraft at a reduced price for charter customers traveling from certain Southern California cities, as well as Phoenix, Tucson and Las Vegas. There are now almost 150 aircraft in TAG's managed fleet.
The Orleans Parish Levee Board, overseer of New Orleans Lakefront Airport (NEW), has decided to sign a 50-year lease with Santa Monica, Calif., based American Airports Corp. (AAC) to manage the facility. The panel voted 5-2 in favor of AAC, the only competitor for the contract. The next step for Lakefront is federal ap-proval, but city officials said they are confident the agreement would pass because the FAA had previously reviewed the proposal.
