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.
CCH Inc., a provider of business and regulatory law information, has introduced Issues in Aviation Law and Policy, a journal designed to broaden awareness and discussion of civil aviation law trends in government and business. The publication examines the building market, regulatory and legislative forces that affect the airline industry. Future issues of the journal will cover topics such as alliances, antitrust, privatization of ATC and airports. The main body of this loose-leaf reference is organized into broad subject areas.
American Helicopter Society International, Alexandria, Va., has elected John Murphey, president of Bell Helicopter Textron, as its chairman and Gilles Ouimet, president and CEO of Pratt&Whitney Canada, as its president.
Nav Canada President John Crichton discussed ATC privatization recently in a private meeting with White House staffers, according to B/CA sister publication Aviation Daily. Neither the White House nor Nav Canada would confirm the meeting, which reportedly took place while Crichton was en route to Canada from an IATA meeting in Madrid. Crichton has often said Canada's air traffic control privatization scheme would succeed in the United States.
Eurocopter has signed a Shareholders Agreement with IAR S.A. of Brasov, Romania to form a joint venture company named Eurocopter Romania S.A. The Romanian plant in Transylvania will build new Eurocopter light-twin helicopters for the Romanian market. Eurocopter then plans to transfer support activities for its first generation of helicopters to the Romanian company. IAR has built more than 350 Alouette III (IAR 316B) and Puma (IAR330) helicopters under license, and has exported them to more than 20 countries.
Pratt&Whitney Canada and Raytheon Aircraft have agreed to jointly develop the PW625F, a turbofan engine designed specifically for general aviation aircraft. A ``technology demonstration'' version of the 2,500-pound-thrust engine is expected to run before the end of the year, with first flight aboard a flying test-bed aircraft by early 2002. P&WC launched the PW600 family of light jet engines in August 2000, saying its core design would be ``scaleable'' across a family of turbofans and turboprops.
In an effort to grow its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business for the regional commercial and business aviation markets, Myrtle Beach, S.C.-based Reliance Aerotech has acquired Flight International Services (FIS) group, of Newport News, Va. With the addition of FIS, Reliance gains over 100 skilled technicians and more than 180,000 square feet of hangar space at the FIS' FAR Part 145 repair station at Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF).
The Aerostructures Corp. of Nashville has agreed to build the primary structure for the Sino Swearingen SJ30-2 business jet now under development. The agreement is valued at $300 million over the life of the program, which requires Aerostructures to provide the wing assemblies and fuselage for the new entry-level design.
After almost 30 years of watching the FAA miss deadlines in its never-ending quest to ``modernize'' the air traffic control system, I know better than to bet the agency would actually accomplish one of those projects on time. So the skeptic in me won't wager real money that agency officials will actually deliver their Operational Evaluation Plan (OEP) on schedule. Still, I have to admit that the OEP unveiled recently appears to have a lot better chance of success than some of the FAA's more ambitious undertakings.
New Piper Aircraft became the latest small-plane maker to slow production in reaction to the softening economy, cutting planned output from 538 airplanes to 489 this year. At the same time, the company completed the first phase of its new flow management approach to manufacturing in an effort to move away from its historical ``batch'' production processes. The planned production cuts caused management to revise its revenue estimates from 75-percent growth to 60 percent over 2000's $181.5 million.
The Klein-Lite Twin Leg Deceleration Lanyard is designed for aircraft maintenance professionals who require 100-percent tie-off. The lanyard is engineered so one leg can always be connected to an anchorage point while a working position is being changed. The device features an energy-absorbing inner core of polyester, a nylon-web outer shell and three drop-forged steel Klein-Lok snap hooks. One snap hook is attached at the center for the harness connection and allows for a six-foot working length.
A U.S. Marine Corps C20A (Gulfstream IV) that suffered heavy damage in a skirmish with a tornado has been returned to service after receiving $11 million in repairs at Sabreliner and Midcoast Aviation. The aircraft was clobbered by ground equipment lifted in a Miami twister in February 1998. The Gulfstream -- its fuselage crushed, left wing torn open, cockpit smashed and tail damaged after striking a concrete wall -- was initially thought to be a total loss.
Airline Suppliers Association, Washington, D.C., has named Mitch Weinberg of International Aircraft Associates as a new member of its board of directors
Congressmen representing the districts closest to New York's airports are demanding solutions to the area's air traffic congestion problems, but few appear willing to look beyond parochial interests. Testifying at recent hearings in Manhattan sponsored by the House Subcommittee on Aviation, the representatives vented most of their apparent anger against ``airline greed'' and ``FAA incompetence,'' though general aviation took a few hits as well.
MD Helicopters, Inc. is upgrading its NOTAR-equipped single-engine helicopter line. The manufacturer now offers the MD520N with more-powerful Rolls-Royce 250-C20R engines. The new engines, combined with changes to the helicopter's NOTAR system, give the 520N up to 10-percent more power. MDHI also has introduced a new yaw stability augmentation system for the MD600N, which reduces pilot workload. For operators that still prefer tail-rotor-equipped helicopters, the MD500E offers a four-blade tail rotor to reduce noise.
Honeywell recently received approval from France's DGAC and the U.S. FAA for retrofitting TFE731-40 turbofan engines to the Dassault Falcon 50, essentially transforming the older Falcon tri-jet into a Falcon 50EX. The $5.3 million upgrade package includes engines, increased rudder authority and other systems modifications. The conversion also requires retrofitting the aircraft with a $2.3 million Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 avionics package. Honeywell, though, plans to offer customers an up to $1 million trade-in credit for their old -3 engines.
The author of last year's landmark AIR-21 legislation has been named chief financial officer of the FAA. Agency Administrator Jane Garvey says Chris Berman's experience as a senior aide on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and his 13 years in federal government budgeting will ``certainly assist him in taking on a job of this magnitude.'' As assistant administrator and CFO, Berman will serve as a key advisor to Garvey on financial and administrative issues, as well as oversee an operating and capital budget in excess of $13 billion.
What? Never heard of Charles Taylor? Few have, and that's part of the problem besetting aviation maintenance today. A hands-on mechanical wizard, Charles E. Taylor was the man who built the engine that lifted the Wright Brothers into the air for the very first time. Taylor was the man who put the power into powered flight. He belongs in aviation's pantheon, and yet he's virtually unknown. A mere footnote, the first in what has become a kind of permanent placement for the technicians who keep `em flying.
The FAA has granted Level D certification to SimuFlite Training International's Gulfstream V simulator. The Dallas-based GE subsidiary also has flight simulators available for the G-II/-IIB, G-III and G-IV/-IVSP. The new CAE simulator features Honeywell avionics including FMS, color weather radar, HUD and an AlliedSignal EGPWS.
NASA and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) have teamed up to produce a book for budding aviators in the 10- to 15-year-old set. Written by Flying magazine's Lane Wallace, Wild Blue Wonders: Exploring the Magic of Flight covers aerodynamics, aircraft design and other facets of aviation for what Wallace termed ``an underserved demographic.'' Chuck Yeager, a longtime participant in and honorary chairman of the EAA's Young Eagles program, wrote the foreword for the new book.
Embraer's 44-seat ERJ-140 has been certified by Brazilian civil aviation authorities with the manufacturer anticipating FAA certification of the aircraft as B/CA went to press. ERJ-140 launch customer American Eagle was slated to take delivery of the first aircraft in late July. In addition to American Eagle's 139-aircraft order, Embraer recently announced firm ERJ-140 orders from Trans States and Chautauqua Airlines. Both carriers will operate the aircraft on American Airlines code-share service.
Two single-engine turboprops successfully ditched in early July after experiencing engine failure. In the first instance, a Cessna 208B Caravan en route from Freeport, Bahamas, lost engine power and landed in the Atlantic Ocean about 20 miles east of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. According to preliminary NTSB reports, the ATP-rated pilot said the engine ``came to a screeching halt'' while cruising at 6,500 feet in VFR conditions. Neither of the Caravan's two occupants was injured.
The U.S. business jet fleet suffered a substantial increase in accidents and incidents in the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2000, according to Robert E. Breiling Associates, Inc. of Boca Raton, Fla. The six-month totals included 15 accidents -- four of them fatal -- resulting in the loss of 23 lives. U.S.-Registered Business Jet Accidents/Incidents (Six Months 2001 vs. Six Months 2000) Business Jets
