Jetcruzer manufacturer Advanced Aerodynamics and Structures, Inc. says certification of the proposed all-composite turboprop is progressing, as it fights attempts by Nasdaq to delist some of its stock. AASI says the Jetcruzer successfully completed a steady roll test of its composite wing -- the last of four FAA-mandated wing tests. However, Nasdaq is seeking to delist the company's common stock and class B warrants. At press time, AASI stock had plunged to less than fifty cents per share, down from a 52-week high of $5.50.
The first certified synthetic vision systems (SVS) -- three-dimensional guidance displays that blend aircraft attitude, position and synthetically derived environmental data on one screen -- could be operating in business aircraft soon, possibly as early as 2002. Several companies say their SVS programs are nearing production status, but, curiously, the biggest names in avionics are on a much slower schedule.
The Midwest Jet Center located at Lunken Field (LUK) in Cincinnati has been named a Phillips 66 Aviation Performance Center. The 30-year-old independent FBO features a 10,000-square-foot facility and two 14,000-square-foot hangars that can house a Gulfstream V-size aircraft. In addition, the FBO offers avionics and maintenance services and has enough ramp space to park and service 30 business jets.
Pratt&Whitney Canada (P&WC) has acquired Turbotech Repairs of San Diego. Formerly part of the Premier Turbines group owned by Sabreliner Corp., Turbotech is a leader in repairing components for small turbine engines and auxiliary power units. ``The acquisition is an important step in our efforts to expand our global aftermarket services,'' said Gilbert Gaudette, P&WC vice president of service centers.
Executive Jet is giving a big boost to the aviation careers of Ohio State University students under the terms of a new ``educational partnership.'' The arrangement calls for creation of Executive Jet scholarships and grants, an accelerated flight training program for graduates and continued use of student interns at Executive Jet operations in Columbus, Ohio. EJA also has agreed to consider using products and services created by OSU students and faculty.
Several training companies conduct programs designed to put pilots -- some beginning with zero time -- into the right seats of regional turboprops and jets largely, and often entirely, at the trainees' expense. While such ventures are not new, the ``pay-for-training'' (PFT) concept is an issue that has divided the pilot community.
Aviation groups celebrated Congress' overturning of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's controversial Ergonomics Protection Standard, which was issued in November 2000 and took effect in mid-January. Critics complained that OSHA rushed through the rule, adopting it less than nine months after the comment period closed on the proposal. The bill was intended to protect against musculoskeletal disorders with a plan for some six million employers to design ergonomics programs that cover training, risk assessment, record-keeping and compensation.
Cornerstone Logic, Inc. has developed PocketFuel, a ``rental car style processing'' unit, designed to simplify and speed aviation fueling transactions. PocketFuel uses a handheld Windows CE device, infrared printer and magnetic card reader, and a wireless ethernet connection. This allows an operator to pay by credit card for fuel and other services and receive a receipt, while never having to step inside the terminal. PocketFuel's technology enables the handheld device to communicate from the fueling ramp to Cornerstone Logic's FBO Manager program inside the terminal.
Executive Jet Management, Cincinnati, has named Phillip Vanderwitt as its new director of shuttle operations and Paul Moening has been promoted to chief pilot of shuttle operations. Based at Mather Field in Sacramento, Calif., Vanderwitt will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company's air shuttle program that operates Embraer regional jets between Sacramento; Hillsboro, Ore.; and Olympia, Wash.
Details of state aviation services and regulations are available in the National Association of State Aviation Officials' new ``State Aviation Funding and Organization Data'' report. The publication includes state and federal aviation funding data, and a state-by-state accounting of registration and licensing requirements, noise programs and other useful information. Further information and an order form for the $60 publication are available online at www.nasao.org/publications.
Air traffic control errors are relatively flat for the beginning of the fiscal year, according to DOT Inspector General Kenneth Mead. There were 397 operational errors from October 1, 2000 through February 19 of this year, versus 399 for the same period ending last year.
Online Charter Evaluation and Qualification (CHEQ) reports are now available from the Aviation Research Group/U.S. (ARG/US). The FAR Part 135 studies ``objectively evaluate the historical safety record of charter providers,'' according to ARG/US Executive Vice President Mark Fischer. Fischer adds that the reports monitor national databases ``on a daily basis'' for information that changes an operator's evaluation.
Deliveries of 16 new Beech 1900D airliners to Air New Zealand's Eagle Airways regional subsidiary are expected to begin later this year and continue through late 2002. The South Pacific carrier says the aircraft, which will operate on flights through New Zealand, will offer customers ``a new standard of comfort.'' Air New Zealand is a new customer for the Wichita manufacturer.
Dispatcher Mark Jyono and customer service rep Marla McGatlin (a former dispatcher) at TAG Aviation's San Francisco base offered the following potpourri of advice for keeping your handlers honest -- and you out of trouble -- when planning and flying your trips abroad: -- Be sure you give the handling service the correct destination. ``For example,'' McGatlin said, ``if you just say `Monterey,' that could be either California or Mexico. Be clear in what you're requesting -- it's all about communications.''
Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corp. completed a second SJ30-2 airframe and moved it from the company's headquarters building where it was assembled to the structural test facility on the opposite side of San Antonio International Airport. The static test unit, which will be fitted with an extensive instrumentation package, is the second of five SJ30-2 airframes to be assembled for FAA certification testing. The No.
Columbia Air Services, located at Connecticut's Groton-New London Airport (GON), has opened a new FBO facility at Allaire Airport (BLM) in Belmar, N.J. The contract with BLM provides exclusive rights to the new FBO and fueling operation. Columbia said Bill Reber, manager of the GON facility, will oversee the management and transition of the Allaire facility. Columbia specializes in line services, maintenance, avionics, charter/management and aircraft sales, and recently was appointed the Northeast distributor for Socata Aircraft's TBM 700 turboprop.
Faced with mounting delays, the FAA is accelerating efforts to redesign the airspace around the New York and Phila- delphia metropolitan areas. Under the system being contemplated, aircraft will rely mainly on their onboard FMSes for navigation, and less on ground-based navaids and fixes. Satellite positioning systems including Automatic Dependent Surveillance -- Broadcast (ADS-B) also are expected to gain new importance. This technology will permit additional routes to be placed closer together than now.
Bombardier Aerospace delivered its 600th production Dash 8 aircraft, a Q300 model, to Air Nippon Co. Ltd. (ANK) of Tokyo, Japan on March 6. This milestone was reached just a few weeks short of 18 years from the original rollout on April 19, 1983. Both the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet and Dash 8 Q100 already are in service with Japanese carriers, and in March, Japan's Civil Aviation Bureau certified the Q200 and Q300.
Moody's Investor Services predicts the regional jet and general aviation industries will continue to prosper for several years, but warns of a potential overcapacity problem for airframe manufacturers. ``Demand for corporate/business aircraft will . . . be strong,'' the ``Global Aerospace/ Defense Industry Outlook'' says. Positive factors include continued growth in the economy -- albeit at lower rates than in recent years as U.S. economic growth slows -- and the introduction of new models by several manufacturers that will stimulate demand.
House aviation leaders asked the FAA to accelerate a study on air taxi operations that they said will ``provide essential analytical data for safety and oversight of the FAR Part 135 on-demand air charter industry.'' Mandated by Congress in comprehensive aviation legislation adopted in 2000, the study will analyze the size and type of aircraft fleet, hours flown, utilization rates, safety record by aircraft type, sales revenues and airports served by the air taxi fleet.
America West Express, operated by Mesa Air Group, started CRJ200 operations between Phoenix and Stockton, Calif., on February 28. The three times daily service saves San Joaquin Valley residents a long drive to the more crowded airports in the Bay area.
Flight Explorer has released Professional Version 3.0 of its PC-based, real-time, graphical aircraft situation display (ASD) and management tool for schedulers, dispatchers and operators. The system enables the user to monitor diversion alerts and animated weather, calculate distance bearing and find detailed airport information. The software operates on a personal computer linked to the Internet. The system is designed to track any aircraft operating in the United States or Canada and lets the user identify and track a constant set of aircraft.
The University of North Dakota's Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences will begin offering a new Aviation Master's Degree program in August. The degree is intended to prepare graduates for careers in corporate or general aviation, the airlines or airport management and includes coursework in management, aviation regulations, human factors and labor relations. Enrollment in the two-year program also will be available for online learning beginning in January 2002. Further information is available at www.aer.und.edu/avitms.
