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.
Business aviation tenants at New York's Westchester County Airport (HPN) are being given a no-win choice: Agree to pay fines for violating the voluntary curfew, or risk being denied renewal of their lease at the county-owned facility. ``This is tantamount to extortion,'' one tenant complained.
Jet Aviation at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport (TEB) has implemented a new software program called FOS/NT used to support the company's flight operations, charter and maintenance planning. The software is designed to quickly process customer requests and gives information such as charter quotes, crewmember availability, aircraft tracking, scheduling and costs.
General maintenance for the PA-46-500TP Meridian has been simplified by the bonding of the all-metal fuselage and multi-sectional wing. The process is performed in an autoclave and causes the ribs to permanently adhere to the structure. Advantages of this type of construction include decreased weight because of the lack of rivets and increased strength. The main drawback comes when any major structural repair is necessary.
Bombardier Aerospace's CRJ900 prototype made its maiden flight on February 21, from Montreal's Mirabel International Airport, on what crewmembers described as a ``flawless initial flight'' for the stretched aircraft. The prototype was taken to FL 350, was airborne for two hours 54 minutes and basic maneuverability and initial systems checks were tested.
American Eagle is to launch three nonstop flights per week from its Caribbean hub of San Juan, to Bonaire, a popular diving and wind-surfing destination. The service is scheduled to start on June 2.
Keystone Helicopters has completed an expansion of its West Chester, Pa., headquarters. Designed to accommodate Sikorsky commercial helicopter completions, the facility includes a new downdraft paint booth as well as fabrication, composite and dedicated parts shops. Company President Peter Wright, Jr. says Keystone recently delivered a third factory-new S-76 ahead of schedule and continues to hire new personnel for the expanded operation.
Before entering World War II, America's major contribution to the Allied effort was providing its future brothers-in-arms with the guns, warships and warplanes they so desperately needed to combat the Axis powers. However, one of the most important advances in aviation technology -- the gas turbine engine -- was shipped from Great Britain to America just months prior to Pearl Harbor.
General aviation achieved a record low accident rate in 1999, according to the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's just-released 2000 Nall Report. Examining accidents involving fixed-wing aircraft weighing less than 12,500 pounds, the Nall Report found that low-level maneuvering, and flight into adverse weather accounted for the vast majority of all accidents.
Flight testing has begun on Garrett Aviation Services' Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) program for straight-wing Cessna Citations. The Tempe, Ariz.-based company placed six aircraft into the program and hopes to receive FAA certification later this year. Garrett also has a Falcon 10 RVSM package in development and in 2000 received certification for its Gulfstream II RVSM package. Citations covered include 500, 501, 550, 551, S550 and early 560 models.
Concerns over a shortage of commercial pilots in Alaska has led to renewed congressional debate over extending the mandatory retirement age for FAR Part 121 pilots past age 60, renewing a campaign that stalled in 2000. On March 15, the Senate Commerce Committee voted 13-8 in favor of legislation that would raise the maximum age for commercial airline pilots from 60 to 63; the bill also authorizes the FAA to mandate medical and cognitive testing for applicable pilots.
Belfort Instrumentation has released DigiWx, an automated local weather reporting system that can be queried by a handheld digital display unit for preflight and inflight use. Designed for installation at airparks, glider ports, seaplane bases, heliports and private airfields, DigiWx uses state-of-the-art sensors to provide real-time, aviation quality data that can be accessed by the handheld unit as far as 10 miles away. The DigiWx system can be customized to provide minimal or extensive weather information.
Stevens Aviation, Greenville, S.C., has named Christopher Crum as its president and chief operating officer. Prior to Stevens, Crum served as vice president of Garrett Aviation's Houston facility, and was responsible for overseeing the maintenance, modification and refurbishment activities.
Bombardier Aerospace, Montreal, Canada, reports that Chip Abbott, pilot for American International Aviation, is the 250th graduate of its Global Express pilot training program.
Bombardier Aerospace has had to make a complete ``U-turn'' on Dash 8 Q400 certification for London City Airport (LCY) operations. The Canadian company had previously regarded the requirement as a low priority for the Q400 program, but pressure from new U.K. Q400 customer British European has changed all that. The airline has requested that the aircraft be certificated for full passenger load operations from both LCY and Belfast City Airports.
`` I really see this as one of the paramount challenges of our industry.'' The speaker was Don Baldwin, manager of Texaco's Aviation Transport Services, and the ``this'' to which he referred is the steady depletion of the pool of experienced young pilots available for positions with business aviation flight departments. The cause is easily identified.
The first Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717-200 was handed over at Boeing Long Beach, Calif., on March 1. The airline has ordered 13 aircraft with seven options. The first aircraft went into inter-island service on March 15. The aircraft are configured to carry 123 passengers, eight in first class and 115 in economy.
Chevron's $35 billion buyout of rival Texaco will see a merger of the two companies' respective flight departments at Oakland International Airport near San Francisco. Texaco's two Gulfstream IVSPs will relocate from Westchester County Airport (HPN) to Oakland, and the flight department's five pilots and 11 other employees are likely to be offered relocation. Texaco also owns a quarter share of a NetJets Citation VII, but its fate is unknown.
Imagine Boeing Business Jets preparing to deliver its first BBJ 2 aircraft, when 10 minutes before departure an earthquake hits and shuts down the field. To Boeing and the customer's relief, the aircraft was not damaged during the February 28 quake, but the runway at Washington State's King County International Airport (BFI) was impaired, leaving only 4,700 feet usable for takeoff.
