Oxygen. O2. The breath of life. It's all around us, and yet only rarely do we give it a second thought. But in the event of sudden cabin depressurization or a fire in flight, survival may depend on the proper functioning of the aircraft's oxygen system. And if the system hasn't been maintained correctly, or crew skill in operating it is rusty, those aboard could find themselves waiting to inhale -- though not for long. Oxygen Requirements and Human Physiology
Business aircraft movements at England's Farnborough Airport were up 20 percent in the first three months of this year and total corporate movements are forecast to hit 17,000 by year-end. That accounting comes from Len Rayment, vice president operations at TAG Aviation, Farnborough, who added ``We are seeing new names every week. I haven't checked if we have lost other regulars but our market share in the U.K. is definitely going up, with TAG Farnborough taking business away from Heathrow and Luton.''
Loud, sustained music is a known cause of hearing impairment and tinnitus. Rock legends Pete Townshend and Ted Nugent have suffered substantial hearing loss and are now campaigning for hearing conservation. According to Nugent, who has worn an earplug in his right ear since 1967: ``My left ear is there just to balance my face, because it doesn't work at all.''
When it comes to flying, not all oxygen is the same. Oxygen is available in various grades, including aviation (Grade A), industrial/ medical (Grade B) and technical (Grade C). Although all are safe to breathe, only Grade A is safe to use for aircraft oxygen systems. Both Grade A and Grade B are required to be 99.5-percent pure and must meet specific criteria for acidity, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, halogens and other oxidizing substances. The key difference is in the moisture content.
Flite Guide 3500 is an electronic charting system that is designed to provide fast access to charts using Jepp-View software. The 7.0-by- 5.25' high-resolution color display can be read in direct sunlight and can be dimmed so night vision is not impaired. Flite Guide 3500 uses Windows 98, is capable of supporting moving map software and will interface via serial cable with most GPS devices. The charting system comes with an external 24x CD-ROM drive, battery pack, AC power supply/adapter, internal modem, wireless keyboard and six stylus pens.
``The most successful regional carrier in the country is being dismantled in front of everyone's eyes. There are no winners at this point, or in the foreseeable future. It's just sad.'' Bradley Bartholomew, airline pilot and labor consultant, commenting on Comair strike. New York Times ``They'll just take it up to a place in the Bronx and chop-shop it.'' Prudential Securities analyst Nicholas Heymann speculating on a Honeywell future without GE. Business Week ``Crash Lawyers Like Boeing Move.''
You're no rookie. You have more than 9,000 hours, but with less than 100 hours as first officer in your new assignment, a 747, you are still adjusting. Your captain is not only the senior 747 pilot, he is also the senior instructor and the guy who checked you out on the 747.
Small enough to fit into the top of your tool box, the Inspecta-VU PV-1 handheld high-resolution borescope is completely self-contained. There is nothing to assemble, lose or break, and the illuminator and rechargeable battery are built into the handle. The charge lasts for about one hour. The PV-1's image quality results from a high-resolution fiberoptic image bundle and same magnification system found in optical microscopes. The complete assembly includes the scope, battery charging unit and carrying case.
The union chief for Canadian air traffic controllers told attendees at a National Air Traffic Controllers Association meeting that his members are now sorry they agreed to privatization. Canadian Air Traffic Controllers President Fuzz Bhimji cited a recent poll showing that 81 percent of the controllers would leave if they could get a comparable job elsewhere. ``Privatization is really about money,'' he said, adding that money saved simply goes to airlines.
Dassault Falcon Jet, Teterboro, N.J., has named John K. Loh as its manager of field service. Loh started his career at Dassault in 1988 as an aircraft maintenance technician and was responsible for supporting over 142 aircraft owned by 76 operators.
An NTSB report indicates that the 1999 fatal crash of a Model 1124A Westwind business jet was due to the disconnection of the horizontal stabilizer from the actuator, a situation that investigators suggest may have been related to maintenance performed on the aircraft's horizontal stabilizer control system two days before the accident. Excerpts from the aircraft cockpit voice recorder revealed the pilots discussing problems with the aircraft's trim system. For further information about the accident and the NTSB investigation, please turn to page 102.
Canada's business aviation trade group -- the Canadian Business Aircraft Association (CBAA) -- is continuing its push to regulate the industry it supports, apparently with fresh government backing. Transport Canada has accepted the CBAA's latest report on ``self-regulation'' in principle, and agreed to seek funding for additional work toward finalizing specific standards, processes and procedures.
Goodrich says it is on track to FAA-certify its new SmartDeck cockpit display -- one of the first ``highway in the sky'' avionics platforms -- by early 2003. SmartDeck does away with traditional symbology, replacing it with a series of computer-generated window frames through which the pilot will fly a symbolic airplane over a realistic, shaded, 3-D terrain background. B/CA recently flew a prototype SmartDeck system in Goodrich's King Air 90, accompanied by demonstration pilot Todd Scholten and SmartDeck development engineer Roger Powers.
A. L. Ueltschi President and Founder, FlightSafety International He started FlightSafety in 1951 and nurtured it to become the world's largest independent pilot and maintenance training organization. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway acquired FSI in 1996. Ueltschi, now 84 and a man of considerable wealth, continues as FSI's hard-driving, plain-talking leader. 1 For a while, FlightSafety had the simulator training business pretty much to itself, but now a number of companies have entered. Why?
As part of its aviation access project to raise visibility and preserve access to the nation's general aviation airports, the National Air Transportation Association developed an Airport Community Relations Toolkit workbook. The workbook includes five sections to help aviation businesses maintain good airport community relations: Developing a Community Relations Program; Implementing Community Outreach Elements; Communicating Effectively and Resolving Conflicts; Pulling It All Together - Strategies for Action; and Additional Resources.
They call it the Rocket Ship. By sheer numbers, Gulfstream's G-IV is the heavyweight champion of the in-service, intercontinental-range business jet class. I went down to FlightSafety International's Gulfstream Learning Center in Savannah to learn how to fly one and try to earn a type-rating in the process.
April 25: The elevator trim control of a Continental Express Embraer ERJ-145 failed at cruise altitude during a flight from Newark International Airport to Norfolk, Va. The aircraft landed uneventfully in Norfolk.
Raytheon, Lexington, Mass., has named Thomas M. Culligan as its senior executive vice president and president of Raytheon International. Culligan's responsibilities will also include the Wichita aircraft manufacturing facility.
The Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance (AWAM) has elected Robin Lamar, an aviation maintenance technician at United Airlines, as its new president. Lamar was recently recognized as Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year at the annual Women in Aviation International conference. One of the group's founders, Lamar succeeds Marcia Buckingham who was elected AWAM vice president.
The Air Line Pilots Association said it has launched a ``grassroots campaign'' to pressure the U.S. Congress to vote in favor of maintaining the current age 60 retirement rule for commercial airline pilots. The Senate Commerce Committee has already approved its bill, S.361, which would raise the mandatory retirement age to 63. Further action by the full Senate could come soon. ALPA is seeking to block a similar bill, H.R.488, in the House of Representatives.
