Premier Turbines, Cahokia, Ill., has named Brian Harrington as TFE731 service and support manager in the Central United States and Mike McGowan as TFE731 service and support manager for the West Coast region.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has upheld a lower court ruling that validates common standards for determining how companies can deduct costs associated with personal use of a company-owned aircraft. The focus of the case is Sutherland Lumber-Southwest, a retail lumber chain based in Kansas City, Mo., that used its 1976 Learjet for both business and pleasure.
Modernizing the U.S. air traffic control system is a lot like trying to reach Teterboro in a business jet on a stormy afternoon -- lots of people have the same goal, but nobody knows how many twists and turns to expect before they'll finally arrive. Most of the key players agree that space-based technology is the key to the future, and the DOT and, more recently, Boeing each have come up with plans to speed the transition from ground-based aids to satellite navigation.
British Airways began test-flying a modified Concorde in mid-July in the hope of regaining certification for the world's only passenger-carrying supersonic transport later this year. The first flight, a three-hour, 20-minute trip originating at London Heathrow and ending at RAF Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire, was to determine what effects, if any, retrofits on the Concorde's landing gear and fuel tanks have on the its flight characteristics.
Latin America has become a major market for Bell Helicopter Textron, which has sold more than 100 new aircraft to commercial and government operators there in the past two years. The machines are being employed in a variety of roles, including drug interdiction, crop fumigation, offshore oil support, disaster relief and general transport. At the top of the list, Mexico's Procuraduria General de la Republica (PGR) recently took delivery of 24 new Bell 206L-4 Long Rangers, to be employed in the anti-drug role.
One of the most important resources for lightning strike information comes from flight crews who voluntarily report their encounters for inclusion in a database maintained by LTI. The program is called the Airlines Lightning Strike Project (ALSRP) and it receives financial support from several sources including the FAA's Hughes Technical Center. Recently the program has been expanded to capture data from regional carrier and corporate flight crews.
The new Bombardier Continental was about to fly as B/CA went to press. Development of the ``super midsize'' business jet is underway at Bombardier's Learjet plant in Wichita; the first flight was set to take place at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport (ICT) with Bombardier test pilot Jim Dwyer at the controls.
BAE Systems Canada has been renamed CMC Electronics, following the company's acquisition by ONCAP L.P., an investment firm formed by Canada's Onex Corp. and several pension funds and investment firms. Founded nearly a century ago, CMC Electronics began focusing on high-end electronics for commercial and defense sectors in the 1960s. The company was associated with the Marconi name until 2000 when it was renamed BAE Systems Canada. Honeywell recently selected CMC's new CMA-4024 GPS receiver for inclusion in several Honeywell aviation navigation products.
Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) plans to build a 41,600-square-foot regional jet maintenance facility next to Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport in Louisiana. The new facility will serve as the airline's primary overnight maintenance base for Canadair Regional Jets serving the Dallas/Fort Worth hub. Construction of the hangar is expected to begin this summer and will last about a year. When the hangar opens, ASA will employ more than 350 maintenance personnel at five maintenance facilities in three states, including a staff of 55 in Baton Rouge.
The FAA has downgraded the status of Trinidad and Tobago's civil aviation authority to a Category 2 from Category 1. The designation means that the country no longer complies with ICAO international aviation standards. No new carriers from the Caribbean nation may serve the United Status nor can existing carriers expand service here until the Category 1 status is restored, although existing service can continue under increased scrutiny from the FAA.
Pioneer Electric&Research has introduced a hardened digital multimeter featuring total harmonic distortion measuring on AC voltages. The Model PDM-550 has been designed for flight-line maintenance that requires a professional, rugged and easy-to-use meter. In addition, the instrument measures temperature, capacitance, true RMS, AC/DC voltage and current, resistance and continuity and has functions such as record, data hold, relative value, and a power down or sleep function that activates after 30 minutes of inactivity.
Safire Aircraft has named veteran aerospace executive Robert M. Kuhn as president and CEO. Kuhn held positions with Rockwell International, Hamilton Standard and Pratt&Whitney before heading up the West Palm Beach, Fla., manufacturer. Kuhn says that one of his main short-term goals will be ``to attract substantial financing'' to Safire. Dimitri Margaritoff, brother of Safire founder Michael Margaritoff, who was named chairman, president and CEO of the company in January, remains chairman.
The NBAA formed a new Standing Committee to coordinate the activities of local business aviation groups. Richard Schuller, chairman of the Arizona Business Aviation Association and head of Schuller Aerospace Services International, is interim chair of the new Local Business Aviation Organization Committee. Although the organizations are independent, the NBAA often facilitates their creation so they can address local and regional issues such as airport access and noise abatement and to help establish a relationship with neighboring communities.
Grob Aerospace has introduced a composite four-seat single-engine turboprop, known as the G140TP. The aircraft, which is powered by a Rolls-Royce Allison 250-B17F, is quoted at $890,000. Design to prototype stage was achieved in four months, Grob says.
NDT Systems' new ``Touch 'n Go'' ultrasonic thickness gauge features a color touch-screen operation of over 40 control knobs and switches. The new unit, called the NovaScope 5000, allows easy-touch storage and recall of all instrument setup parameters. When a function is selected on the screen, a single large knob on the front panel is used to act on the selected function. A scroll bar at the bottom automatically pops up when it can assist in defining certain functions. The NDT unit is suited for both contact spot gauging and non-contact gauging.
New Orleans International Airport is changing its name this month to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. The change takes place in a year that would have marked the jazz great's 100th birthday.
British European (BE) plans to sell its four Bombardier CRJ200 regional jets and acquire four more Dash 8 Q400 turboprops. This move, which will bring its total fleet of Dash 8 Q400s to eight, comes as a result of a major boardroom re-shuffle and aircraft fleet review. The company remains committed to larger RJs, however, and said it finalized negotiations with BAE Systems/Avro for 12 RJXs in late June, with options for eight more. The RJXs will replace the airline's BAe 146s one-for-one as the new aircraft come online from spring 2002.
If nothing else, the European Commission's decision to block the General Electric-Honeywell merger on competitive grounds has underlined just how ``global'' the aerospace industry has become. GE-Honeywell is the first instance of the European body blocking a merger that already had received the U.S. government's blessing.
Continental Airlines is planning an initial public offering (IPO) of stock in its ExpressJet regional airline subsidiary. ExpressJet, which operates as Continental Express, has been on a regional jet-buying spree of late, placing orders for 178 Embraer Regional Jets with options for 100 additional aircraft. ExpressJet expects to have 137 ERJs in its fleet by the end of the year and has committed to ``aggressively retire its remaining fleet of 66 turboprops.'' Proceeds of the IPO will help retire ExpressJet's debt to its parent company.
CitationShares, Greenwich, Conn., has named Philip Marraccini as its vice president of flight operations. Marraccini joined CitationShares in 1999 as a captain and has logged over 10,000 flight hours.
Westchester County Airport officials recently presented awards to local corporate operators who had strictly adhered to HPN's voluntary curfew and had not exceeded its high-range noise event limit of 93 dB during the previous calendar year. In recent months, several scheduled air carriers have re-ignited controversy at the suburban New York City airport by conducting early morning departures in violation of the curfew, which extends from midnight to 6:30 a.m.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Air Response Team, Lebanon, N.H., Crew Chief/flight paramedic John Hinds has received a Certified Medical Transport Executive (CMTE) designation from the Association of Air Medical Services.
The Piper 500TP Malibu Meridian received its U.K. Part 23 certification on June 21, making it the first single-engine pressurized turboprop certified in Britain. Piper says European Meridian deliveries will reach five by midsummer, and will total 11 before year-end. Twenty-five Meridians were delivered in 2000 and New Piper plans to have delivered 104 worldwide by the end this year; the current waiting list is seven months. The Meridian also has been certified in Sweden and awaits certification in Denmark, Switzerland and Germany.
Traditionally, monetary policy takes at least six months, and often nine to 12 months, to work. The Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates at the start of the year, and we should begin to see results soon. At the same time, tax cuts in the form of rebate checks began to arrive in July and continue into September. These should combine with the Fed's easing of interest rates to spark renewed life into the U.S. economy.
Flightcom's iNova portable stereo intercom provides the pilot, crew and passengers with ``true high fidelity'' sound and ``clean, sharp'' radio communications. Using a proprietary architecture, the intercom is optimized for the wider frequency range found in CD players. The iNova features pilot and crew isolate modes allowing the pilot total isolation from intercom and music function during times when high concentration and focus are a must. The unit weighs less than 10 ounces and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Price: $395.00 Flightcom
