AECMA, the European Association of Aerospace Industries, Brussels, Belgium, has named Roger Hawksworth as its secretary general. Hawksworth joins AECMA after serving as chief of staff at BAE Systems in London, England.
Nine Socata TBM 700 single-engine turboprops flew from the United States to the Paris Air Show in June for the latest and most ambitious TBM owners' get-together so far. Of the nine pilots who flew the Atlantic, two came from Florida, the others from Calgary, Canada; Montana; Wyoming; Michigan; North Carolina; New York; and Texas. Pilot experience varied from new owners with around 200 hours to those with several thousand hours in type.
If you're having trouble deciding whether or not to purchase a maintenance cost control package for your equipment, you're not alone. Said Cigna Vice President Tom Prevost, ``The question you need to resolve is how much risk can your organization tolerate. Once you know the answer, then the rest is simple.''
Within six weeks of being named Raytheon Aircraft chairman and CEO, Jim Schuster is realigning senior management at the Wichita manufacturer. Calling the changes ``critical'' in efforts to improve customer satisfaction, aircraft deliveries and financial results, Schuster has tapped Senior Vice President Richard Danforth to integrate sales, marketing and program management of Raytheon's commercial aircraft business.
Q. If an IFR approach procedure has only circle-to-land minima that are limited to Category A, B and C aircraft (Figure 1), is it legal for a Category D airplane to fly the procedure, provided the approach is made straight-in? -- Gulfstream II pilot A. No. There are several aspects to this question. First, a brief review of some pertinent regulations and AIM advice:
Signature Flight Support, Orlando, has named the following as general managers: Gary Daniels for the company's Dallas Love Field (DAL) facility, John Stafford at West Palm Beach International (PBI) and Robert Grant at DeKalb Peachtree Airport (PDK) in Atlanta. Additionally, Ed Zwirn has been appointed area general manager in Florida.
Bombardier Business Jets set eight speed records en route to the Paris Air Show in June. The manufacturer's Global Express, Challenger 604, and Learjet 31A, 45 and 60 each set FAI records, including a one hour, two minute Learjet 31A flight from Belfast and a nine hour, 10 minute Learjet 60 trip from Wichita to Paris that included a 12-minute refueling stop in Gander.
The long-awaited passage of the landmark Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR-21) 16 months ago makes this year's legislative outlook seem like pretty thin gruel by comparison. In fact, the ramifications of AIR-21 are still unfolding as FAA officials struggle to implement the hundreds of provisions Congress inserted in the massive reauthorization bill.
A Nebraska businessman took delivery of the first Raytheon Premier I in late June, ending the manufacturer's five-year quest to bring the entry-level business jet to market.
Bombardier of Canada has won a hard competition to sell up to 150 regional jets to Northwest Airlines, beating Brazilian rival Embraer with the help of a lucrative government financing package. The 75 firm orders are valued at $1.68 billion, with the Canadian government providing Northwest with $1.2 billion in low-interest loans over 15 years. Canada says the loan will match the terms of Brazil's ProEx (PromoteExports) financing package, which Embraer allegedly offered to Northwest.
Planning for the future is a necessary role for any manager. It's our job to help minimize the missteps in the imperfect exercise. Not long ago I got a call from a flight department manager, asking whether I, or another staff editor of my choosing, would be willing to address his local aviation group. ``What's the topic?'' I asked. ``The future of aviation,'' he said.
TAG Aeronautics of Dubai ordered five additional Bombardier Continental business jets, effectively doubling its previous order to 10 aircraft. First flight of the super midsize jet is expected this summer, with certification and first green delivery expected in 2002. TAG, Bombardier's Middle East distributor, expects delivery of its first Continental in spring 2004. Estimated value of the additional aircraft is $75 million.
Aviation Research Group/U.S., Inc. (ARG/US) is an industry leader in the specialized field of aviation information collection, analysis and distribution. Founded in 1995, ARG/US combines information with focused advisory services and has come to be relied upon by companies that manufacture, finance, operate, maintain and market commercial and business aircraft.
On June 17, more than 70 felons, many of them violent, broke out of a maximum-security prison near Escuintla, about 40 miles south of Guatemala City. Most of the escapees remain at large. As a result of the prison break, the Guatemalan government has suspended several constitutional guarantees, including protection from arrest without a warrant and the right to enter and exit the country freely.
Bombardier is close to certifying its de Havilland Dash Q400 turboprop for the 5.5-degree steep approach into London City Airport (LCY). This certification will also be required for operations into Florence; Lugano, Switzerland; and Stockholm-Bromma airports.
Bombardier will now provide MedAire's MedLink medical support to buyers of new Learjet 31A, 45 and 60 series aircraft. Under the terms of the agreement, flight crews will have access to MedLink's board-certified physicians for assistance in dealing with inflight medical emergencies.
The Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) was designed to help citizens defend themselves from unjustified governmental actions. In the context of a fight with the FAA, a pilot or mechanic who seeks to recover attorney's fees will only be paid if he or she (1) prevailed in the underlying proceeding, (2) meets certain net worth requirements and (3) incurred the sought fees and expenses in connection with the underlying proceeding.
In a deal worth as much as $3 billion, Brazil's TAM Airlines ordered 25 Embraer ERJ 190-200 aircraft, with options for 75 additional aircraft in the ERJ 170/190 family. Just weeks after appearing with Embraer executives at the Paris Air Show to announce the order, TAM President and CEO Adolfo Amaro was killed when the helicopter he was piloting crashed near the Brazil-Paraguay border. Amaro joined TAM in 1961 as a pilot when it was a small air-taxi service and built the carrier into Brazil's second largest airline behind Varig.
Embraer has launched an online electronic marketplace in conjunction with turboprop builder ATR, software provider Oracle and KPMG Consulting. Called AEROChain, the new enterprise represents a $21 million investment from Embraer and ATR, and is expected to be fully operational by the middle of 2002. ``Our goal is to trade the majority of Embraer parts through this venture,'' said Embraer CEO Mauricio Botelho. ``This is an answer to customer requests to put our Web programs on a stronger platform.''
From the standpoint of midyear 2001 it still looks like deliveries of new turbine-powered aircraft will closely approximate the impressive record of calendar year 2000.
Boeing is planning a cooperative effort with Sukhoi Civil Aviation and the Ilyushin Design Bureau to jointly develop a new regional jet. Their feasibility study will include a joint market forecast, analysis of product development and export certification issues for a Russian-built airplane. The study also will prepare a preliminary business plan for a possible joint venture.
Bombardier Aerospace, Montreal, Canada, Chief Test Pilot Wally Warner has been awarded the 2001 Trans-Canada (McKee) Trophy by the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute. Warner won the honor ``in recognition of his sustained high level of performance and outstanding contributions'' in the development and flight testing of Dash 8 aircraft.
