Photograph: Hansel Tookes After less than two years at the helm of Raytheon Aircraft, Chairman and Chief Executive Hansel Tookes has left to become president of Raytheon International. James E. Schuster, vice president of Raytheon Co. and president of its Aircraft Integration systems unit, will succeed Tookes as chairman. Tookes, a long-time United Technologies Corp. executive, was selected in 1999 to be the successor of Art Wegner, former chairman and chief executive of Raytheon Aircraft.
Illustration: Graph: (Percent Relative to Average) Tradeoffs are a reality of aircraft design, although engineers attempt to optimize the blend of capabilities, performance and passenger comfort. In order to portray graphically the strengths and compromises of specific aircraft, B/CA compares the subject aircraft to the composite characteristics of other aircraft in its class, computing the percentage differences for the various parameters.
Like a butterfly with sore feet landing on a rose petal Lear Jet 24B-N62 DM kissed Runway 16 at Reno, Nev., on the morning of April 24. Reaching the Mercury Air Center FBO terminal the pilots, Capts. Roger Humiston and John Lear, deplaned to greet their passengers, Moya Lear, Shanda Lear, David Lear and Tina Lear. After fueling they departed for Washington, D.C., via Addison, Texas. This was the first time that Moya and the four siblings had ever been in a Lear Jet together. The occasion?
UAL Corp.'s new fractional ownership business has committed to up to 130 new business aircraft from Gulfstream Aerospace and Dassault Falcon Jet. Announced at the Paris Air Show, the orders are the first for the embryonic United Bizjet Holdings, and will be worth around $3.75 billion if all options are exercised.
Buying a preowned aircraft often is a financially risky venture. To aid prospective buyers in their search, Aviation Research Group/US (ARG/US) is now offering its Aircraft Background Check (ABC) report. ARG/US recognized that the need for a pre-purchase check to alert the buyer if an aircraft has been involved in an accident or incident has significant maintenance impact. The process is made simple and quick through ARG/US's Web site. The aircraft's current and previous registration number and serial number are queried against more than 2.5 million records.
Raytheon has named Elliott Aviation's Omaha and Minneapolis facilities as authorized service centers for the new Premier I business jet. The move came after Elliott's maintenance technicians completed FlightSafety International training on the Premier I and as the company's avionics technicians were nearing completion of Collins Pro Line 21 suite training. Elliott also expects to win approval from Williams International as an authorized service provider for the Williams-Rolls RJ-44-2A turbofan, which powers the Premier I.
John W. Hawthorne, 81, former pilot at Armstrong World Industries, Inc., died in May. Hawthorne served as a captain on the company's Sabreliner 60, Convair 580 and Douglas DC-3 aircraft and was a recipient of the NBAA's Million Mile Safety Award. During World War II, Hawthorne served with the Royal Canadian Air Force as a fighter pilot flying the Hawker Hurricane. Hawthorne is survived by three daughters: Theresa Royer, Penny Rager and Jennifer Reinhold; one son, John W., Jr.; eight grandchildren; and three great grandchildren.
General aviation leaders are pushing Congress to at least re-examine, if not repeal altogether, a 1994 measure that allows U.S. agents to help foreign countries in drug interdiction efforts that involve shooting down suspect aircraft. The AOPA is backing a bill, H.R.1818, introduced in May by Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), to eliminate the ``shoot down'' authority, and recently sent a letter to every member of Congress urging their support.
A report commissioned by European Transport Ministers into the implications of Europe's growing air traffic saturation problem says that by 2005 the system will be unable to accommodate around seven percent of demand. Entitled ``Constraints to Growth,'' the report predicts that 36 percent of anticipated demand for air travel will be unsatisfied by 2020, and lack of airport capacity will be ``as constraining as lack of en-route capacity.''
The FAA has expanded a mandate to pull unapproved parts from General Electric CJ610 and CF700 business jet engines, adding 32 parts to a list issued in a January 2000 airworthiness directive. The action follows the discovery of a compressor rotor with suspected military markings during an FAA audit. GE confirmed the rotor lacked proper documentation, and other inspections turned up three additional unapproved rotors.
A coalition of approximately 1,500 demonstrators marched on Teterboro Airport (TEB), on June 7, protesting airport noise, pollution and airport growth. This was the second demonstration held since the formation of the Committee for Health and Safety, the 13-town coalition that has requested county officials to place a referendum question on the next ballot to close the airport.
The fight to save Chicago's Meigs Field is continuing at the local and national level. Locally, supporters have formed the Meigs Action Committee (MAC) to wage lobbying and public information campaigns to preserve the lakefront airport. The group was formed as a companion to Friends of Meigs, which has restrictions on lobbying and other activities due to its tax-exempt status. Further information about MAC is available on the Internet at www.meigsaction.net.
Mike Vines, at Biggin Hill U.K. Base for Jet Aviation
Jet Aviation has opened a facility at Biggin Hill Airport in Kent, its first base in the United Kingdom, taking over two hangars vacated by bankrupt completions company Trace Worldwide. With a total of 55,830 square feet, the structures are not able to ac-commodate the Boeing Busi-ness Jet or Airbus ACJ, but can hold aircraft up to the size of the Gulfstream V, Global Express and BAe/Avro 146/RJ. Jet had wanted to build hangars sized to house the larger aircraft, but were denied permission to do so.
Aircraft visiting Italy, England, France and Spain may have been exposed to a disinfectant that may cause extensive -- and expensive -- damage to landing gear assemblies. Officials in these countries have been using bleach -- or sodium hypoclorite -- to stem the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. According to maintenance technicians at Fort Myers, Fla.-based PrivateSky Aviation Services, U.S. Air Force tests have determined that bleach can hasten corrosion of aircraft brakes, axles, gear legs and other steel components.
Based on a 12-month moving average and preliminary numbers through May, worldwide deliveries of new business jets and turboprops are running ahead of the comparable period in 2000. The same holds true for activity in the United States. But the key word here is ``new.''
By Paul Richfield On the Trail of the `Yeti' How far would you go to recover a rare aircraft? Some Swiss pilots have gone to the Himalayas.
A group of Swiss aviation enthusiasts has launched an expedition to recover the wreck of the ``Yeti'' -- the very first Pilatus PC-6 Porter -- lost in the Himalayas while supporting a history-making climb in May 1960. The group, which calls itself the Porter Vintage Association (PVA), said it hopes to restore the aircraft to flyable condition, and preserve it as a ``real piece of Swiss aviation history.'' ``On June 1, our [15-20] Nepalese porters set out to bring the wreckage down the mountain,'' said Leo Caminada, the PVA's vice president.
Bombardier Aerospace Northern Ireland has contracted with Russian freight carrier Volga-Dnepr Airlines to haul Canadair Regional Jet fuselages to Canada for final assembly. Volga-Dnepr is using the massive Antonov AN-124-100, which can carry up to six CRJ200 fuselages at the same time. Fuselages for the 70-seat CRJ700 and 90-seat CRJ900 also are being flown aboard the Antonov, but fewer of these longer airframes can be carried on each trip.
Reno/Tahoe International Airport's ``B'' Concourse will be renamed in honor of William and Moya Lear. Thomas J. Gribbin, chairman of the Airport Authority of Washoe County, Nev., called the renaming ``a fitting tribute for two aviation pioneers whose contributions to the Reno community have had a long and lasting impact.'' Airport officials also plan to display artifacts from the Lear family archives in an exhibition on the newly named concourse.
Deutsche Structured Finance (DSF) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the purchase of 50 Bombardier CRJ regional jets, plus options for 30 more. A definitive purchase contract is expected shortly for the firm order, which includes 30 70-seat CRJ700s and 20 86-seat CRJ900s. Model selection for the optional order is pending, but could include 50-, 70- or 90-seat CRJs. The firm order portion of the MOU is valued at $1.5 billion, with deliveries slated to begin in first quarter 2003 and extend through mid-2009. The option portion is worth around $1 billion.
``The term `sound' is used to describe the mechanical radiant energy that is transmitted by pressure waves in a medium [solid, liquid, or gas]. Sound waves are variations in air pressure above and below the ambient pressure, which describes the sensation perceived by the sense of hearing. All sounds have three distinctive variables: frequency, intensity [level], and duration,'' says Melchor J. Antunano, M.D., director of the FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute.
The FAA has added a comprehensive listing of Airworthiness Directives (ADs) to its Web site. Compiled by the agency's Flight Standards Service, the searchable listing includes all ADs from the 1940s to the present. The site can be accessed directly at www.airweb.faa.gov/rgl or through the FAA's home page at www.faa.gov.
AirNet Systems ordered five Cessna Caravan Super Cargomasters to replace a similar number of twin-engine pistons in its fleet. The Caravans, scheduled for delivery through 2003, join AirNet's mixed fleet of Learjet 25s and 35As, Piper Aerostars and Navajo Chieftans, Beech Barons and Cessna 310s. Initially the new aircraft will provide additional lift, but they will ultimately replace the Aerostars. The Columbus, Ohio-based air cargo carrier lauded the Caravan's ability to carry four times as much cargo as the Aerostars and at similar speeds.
Honeywell pushed back the certification schedule for its new AS900 engine program until early 2002 to incorporate what company executives called ``durability and maintainability'' enhancements. At the same time, Honeywell reorganized the management of the program and tapped 20-year company veteran Mike Redenbaugh to become vice president and general manager of the newly formed ``AS900 Enterprise.'' The decision to let the schedule slip came after company executives discussed the enhancements with
