Jet Aviation, West Palm Beach, Fla., has promoted Michael Gregory to senior vice president of FBO services for operations located in Bedford, Mass.; Dallas; Teterboro; and West Palm Beach, Fla.
Louisville International Airport, Louisville, Ky., has named Robert Slattery as its first full-time airport noise officer. Slattery, who recently retired from the U.S. Navy, has 20 years experience in compliance and enforcement of aviation and OSHA regulations, and has previously held positions that include aircraft maintenance, quality assurance and safety.
A group of Swiss investors has agreed to acquire Pilatus Aircraft, the Stans, Switzerland-based manufacturer of high-performance single-engine aircraft. Pilatus had been for sale for some time, but officials at parent company Unaxis said they were seeking a buyer committed to existing Pilatus programs, most significant among them the PC-12 turboprop and the proposed PC-21 military trainer.
Mesa Air Group has sold its approximately $2 million stake in Mesaba Airlines, and acquired around one million shares of America West Holdings at $10.50 per share. Mesa also plans to repurchase up to one million additional shares of its own stock, and opened a $35 million line of credit with Fleet Capital.
Florida's Panama City-Bay County International Airport Authority has submitted plans to the FAA for a new regional airport. The St. Joe company donated the 4,000 acres selected for the site, which will be located in Bay County, Fla. In December 2000, the airport authority approved the location; results from the FAA are expected this month. ``We are confident of a prompt FAA approval of the site,'' said Randy Curtis, executive director of the airport authority.
The avionics subsidiary of freight giant United Parcel Service (UPS) expects to offer precision instrument approach capability using the FAA's Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) before the end of the year. The onboard equipment is expected to provide continuous horizontal and vertical guidance to 250-feet agl (50 feet above Category I ILS minimums), even at airports with no published precision approach procedure.
Pratt&Whitney Canada's Service Centre Network recently completed work on its 50,000th engine. P&WC's Bridge-port, W.Va., facility refurbished a PW305B for use on a Raytheon Hawker 1000.
Skyway Airlines parent Astral Aviation has named James P. Rankin as its new president and chief executive officer, roles he has held on an interim basis since June 2000. Rankin, 37, has worked at Midwest Express Airlines since 1995, most recently as assistant chief pilot and MD-80 captain.
Following an assessment of the country's civil aviation authority, the FAA's International Aviation Safety Assessment Program (IASA) has determined that the Bahamas now falls into Category 2 -- meaning it no longer complies with ICAO safety standards. Although Bahamian carriers serving the United States can maintain their current levels of service under what the agency terms ``increased surveillance,'' they can only expand service if the Bahamas returns to Category 1 status -- signifying ICAO compliance -- or if the carriers wet lease aircraft from U.S.
Rep. James Hansen (R-Utah), the new chairman of the House Resources Committee, is seeking help from the new administration to roll back some of the land use policies promulgated by the Clinton administration. Hansen reportedly wrote a letter to President-elect George W. Bush in late December 2000, seeking the incoming administration's support in overturning some initiatives, including a series of restrictions on air tour operators flying near national parks.
In the wake of Al Gore's presidential election defeat, James Hall resigned as chairman of the NTSB. Hall reportedly hoped to be named transportation secretary in a Gore administration. Years earlier, he had been on the staff of Gore's father, Sen. Al Gore, Sr. Hall's departure leaves unclear who will lead the agency. Any nominee as NTSB chairman would have to be confirmed by the Senate, with federal law stipulating that no more than three members of the NTSB can be members of the same political party.
The Florida Community College at Jacksonville (FCCJ) and the Duval County School Board are planning to create a new airframe and powerplant program for high school students. The school system is surveying eighth grade students and their parents to measure interest in aviation maintenance. The school board said the students would take their academic courses at the Frank H. Peterson Academies of Technology, and then later in the day they would be bussed to the new, Cecil Field, Aerospace Center of Excellence that FCCJ plans to complete in November.
A Samaritan's Purse Sabreliner 65, piloted by Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Dr. Billy Graham, became the first authorized business jet to visit North Korea. Graham flew two doctors to Pyongyang, Sunan Airport, North Korea to meet with North Korean officials regarding diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis. Samaritan's Purse is based in Boone, N.C.
Safety Board investigators are examining taped Boston Center radar returns to establish the final path of a King Air B200 that crashed December 22, 2000 while maneuvering for a landing at Rangely (Maine) Municipal Airport. Deutche Bank senior executive Edwin Mitchell, 48, was killed along with pilot Stephen Bean, 58. Mitchell owned the airplane and Bean operated it under an FAR Part 135 certificate. Mitchell, the lone passenger, boarded the King Air at Portland for the final leg of Bean's Rangely-Boston-Portland-Rangely itinerary.
Stage III Technologies plans to begin FAA acoustic flight tests in March for its Gulfstream II and III Stage 3 hush kit ejector and associated hardware. ``Our team of scientists and engineers is quite confident that we have solved the noise problem and that we will pass the Stage 3 noise test in March,'' said Chairman Todd Stimmel. The company hopes to receive an STC before year-end. The hush kit would be the first Stage 3 assembly available for older model Gulfstreams. Dallas Airmotive has the exclusive marketing rights to the hush kits and will coordinate installations.
Stevens Aviation is constructing a 43,000-square-foot hangar and maintenance facility at Jefferson County Airport (BJC) in Denver. The $2.8 million project includes 9,400 square feet of shop and office space that also will serve as the FBO's maintenance and avionics operation. The project also calls for the construction of 26,250 square feet of additional hangar space earmarked for transient aircraft storage. Stevens expects to break ground on the site by March.
Aer Arann Express has won a bid to operate five of the six domestic airline routes the Irish government subsidizes to maintain air service to small communities. These Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes link Dublin with Kerry, Galway, Sligo, Knock and Donegal. Aer Arann Express plans to acquire three 50-seat ATR-42 turboprops to serve the Galway and Kerry routes; 36-seat Short Brothers 360 aircraft will fly the Dublin-Knock sector.
Ron Filler, 60, a test pilot under contract with S-Tec Corp. who had a 16-year career as an FAA certification test pilot, died January 8 from injuries sustained in the crash of a 1974 Bell 206 JetRanger, N152LA, earlier that day.
FlightStar's Bill Giannetti was named by the FAA as a pilot proficiency Examiner (PPE) for the Dassault Falcon 10. Giannetti is president and CEO of the Savoy, Ill.-based charter operator. A former FAA pilot examiner, he has been flying since 1974 and has more than 12,500 hours of flight experience.
Embraer has broken ground on a new factory in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil. The facility will serve as a site for final assembly of the manufacturer's corporate and military aircraft. Flight testing also is planned from the plant's planned 16,400-foot runway.
The FAA and industry are collaborating on a pilot program aimed at expediting STC approvals for avionics. The program, apparently still on the drawing board, would include creation of a Designee Managed Organization (DMO), which would move toward a ``one-stop shopping'' method for obtaining STC approvals, an FAA spokesman said. The DMO would increase use of designated engineering representatives -- a goal of both industry and the FAA -- in the product approval process.
Accidents involving U.S.-registered turbine-powered business aircraft were up slightly in 2000, according to Robert E. Breiling Associates, the Florida-based company that tracks mishaps worldwide for operators and the insurance industry. Some 51 accidents were recorded in 2000 compared with 48 in 1999. Sixteen of last year's accidents were fatal, involving the loss of 56 crewmembers and passengers. Fourteen 1999 accidents were fatal with 51 lives lost. These totals include business turbines used in all types of services.
While automotive and aircraft tires may appear similar, there are distinct differences in both design and performance. An automobile tire is designed for continuous use and maximum traction. Automotive tires typically operate at relatively low speeds and carry lighter loads, but operate continuously for hours on end. As a consequence, they must be designed to dissipate heat at the same rate it is generated.
In our society, alcoholic libations are a key ingredient in bringing people together socially and putting them at ease. They also are a significant source of harm to some imbibers, their loved ones and too often some innocents who just happened to be in the way. Alcohol. We love it; we hate it. As professionals we constantly hone our thinking and reading skills to evaluate information relating to the safety of flight. A review of the FAA's stance on alcohol, its role in flight safety and physiology, opposing viewpoints, and alcoholism is in order.
