Fear of a softening economy not-withstanding, aircraft manufacturers reported robust sales in 2000 and strong backlogs going forward. GAMA labeled 2000 ``a great year for aviation'' as billings and new aircraft shipments increased for the sixth consecutive year. Billings for the year were up 9.1 percent to $8.6 billion, with the OEMs shipping 2,816 general aviation aircraft -- a 12.5-percent increase over 1999. Turbine-engine aircraft shipments were up 19.4 percent to 903 units in 2000.
Atlantic Coast Airlines' pilot union leaders have tentatively agreed to management's latest contract proposal, which is likely to include improvements in pay and benefits for the carrier's Air Line Pilots Association-represented flight crews. Union representatives held ``roadshow'' presentations explaining the contract in Dulles, Va., and Chicago in late January.
Italian airports have launched top-level lobbying efforts to torpedo a new law that would ban all night flights in the country. The law, being discussed by the national parliament's environment committee, would ground all flights between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. except for emergency and official government flights.
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey, the FAA's Management Advisory Committee and the Air Traffic Services Subcommittee are wrestling with finding a chief operating officer to head the FAA's air traffic operations. AIR-21 set the COO's salary at the same level as the administrator's -- $145,000 plus a possible 30-percent performance bonus. Garvey told the U.S.
J.A. Air Center at West Chicago's Du Page Airport recently equipped a 2000 Cessna 208B Caravan with cutting-edge avionics. The aircraft now features a dual Garmin GPS system with a GNS530 and GNS430 comm/nav/glideslope/GPS/map. An Avidyne FlightMax 750 also was installed, as were BFGoodrich's WX500 Stormscope and SkyWatch traffic advisory systems.
Challenger Aviation Products and Global Filtration have received FAA approval for a new premium aviation spin-on filter for piston aircraft. The filters are shipped with 8130-3 airworthiness tags, certificates of conformance and are factory new with traceability. Each filter contains a lot number, which also is reflected on the 8130-3 tag, certificate of conformance, the pack slip and the invoice for internal tracking. The filters use the latest German technology that also is offered on Porsche, Mercedes and BMW automotive engines.
PrivateSky Aviation Services, located at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers, Fla., is constructing a 62,000-square-foot ``mixed use'' aviation complex consisting of an FBO combined with a maintenance service center, customer service center and executive terminal.
Progress continues on the creation of new FAA regulations governing fractional ownership operations, though it could be some time before a ``proposed rule'' hits the industry for comments. Doug Carr, the NBAA's director of government affairs, says the proposal submitted to the FAA by the Fractional Own-ership Aviation Rulemaking Committee (FOARC) a year ago has reached Tom McSweeney, the agency's associate administrator for regulation and certification.
Executive Jet Management's, Cincinnati, manager of technical services, Michelle Schopp, received the FAA's ``Good Friend'' award for promoting, enhancing and supporting its ``Flight Standards mission.''
Aviation industry leaders face an April deadline to develop recommendations on the future of aviation communications, but those leaders are sharply divided on whether to transition to an all-digital data link, called Nexcom. General aviation groups are concerned that a rapid transition to Nexcom would necessitate the installation of new digital-compatible communications equipment in aircraft before the data link is proved viable.
NTSB veteran John C. Clark has been named as the Board's new director of the Office of Aviation Safety, replacing Bernard S. Loeb, who has retired from government service. Clark has been with the Board since 1981, serving most recently as deputy director of the Office of Research and Engineering. He also has held NTSB positions covering aviation safety, vehicle performance, aerospace engineering and survival factors.
A recent Air Traffic Control Association seminar revealed widespread agreement in the aviation community that construction of new airports and runways is the only way to reduce traffic congestion. There have been expectations in some circles that new technology being developed by the FAA and independent contractors would result in substantial reductions in congestion, but that promise is now in doubt.
Fractional clients of Flight Options, one of the United States' major fractional ownership companies, will start to use the new alliance with Chauffair's U.K. corporate fleet for European travel this spring. Flight Options linked in late 2000 with Chauffair, the United Kingdom's largest corporate charter fleet operator, based in Farnborough, Hampshire, to supply business jet flights throughout Europe.
Shadin's Engine Trend Monitor (ETM) is now standard equipment on all new TBM-700 aircraft and is STCed for Bell 206, 412, BO-105, BK117 helicopters, most King Airs, the Cessna Caravan, Pilatus PC-12 and Piper Malibu Jet Prop Deluxe. The ETM combines the functions of Shadin's DIGIFLO and fuel/airdata computers, along with the ability to accurately track engine performance conditions without the pilot filling out forms. The information is automatically recorded and downloaded to a datakey, which can be transferred from the cockpit to a personal computer.
General aviation groups battling airport restrictions received good news in February as a federal judge ruled that a lawsuit challenging a Stage 2 non-addition rule at Van Nuys (Calif.) Airport should move forward. The judge's decision, setting a May 1 trial date, came a week after the Naples Airport Authority board of directors agreed to delay enforcement of its Stage 2 aircraft ban at Naples (Fla.) Municipal Airport.
Frost Navratil Technical Solutions is offering its new 500 MHz ApproachView portable cockpit display for under $4,000. Specifically designed for corporate and individual pilots, the system provides a means of displaying JeppView and FlightDeck approach charts on a Fujitsu pen computer's 8.4-inch SVGA touchscreen. Weighing 2.5 pounds, the ApproachView runs any Windows program and includes a six-gigabyte hard drive. The computer can be purchased with a 12-channel GPS receiver from Garmin with a USB interface to give the unit moving map capabilities.
There are a number of service providers, and more will be established starting this year. Here is a brief rundown of the major programs in service or in test. In addition to direct service from Inmarsat and SITA as well as limited Arnav service, other well-known aviation communication services are moving into passenger satellite communication.
They call themselves the Class of '81. They represent most of the 11,800 air traffic controllers who went head to head with Ronald Reagan almost 20 years ago and lost their jobs in the showdown.
The Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) has pledged $1 million to build a 20,000-square-foot hangar and office building at Millville Municipal Airport in New Jersey. The city of Millville will contribute $500,000 and an additional $400,000 in loans from the state empowerment zone. Airport officials said the new complex is designed to accommodate two to six aviation-related companies and could create more than 160 jobs. Ground-breaking on the project is expected this fall with completion expected by summer 2002.
Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has named Mark Harris as vice president of maintenance operations. Harris is responsible for the management and direction of all Collins Aviation Services maintenance service operations.
An industry working group, tasked with developing recommendations for regulating extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS) for FAR Part 135 operators, is developing a draft advisory circular to codify best industry practices that must be followed to conduct ETOPS and other long-range operations. The working group continues its study of an appropriate Part 135 ETOPS threshold recommendation for a formal FAA rule, the lack of which was cited by ICAO as a deficiency.
Shortly after departing Wichita Mid-Continent Airport in the Citation Encore, a glance at the rate of climb on the PFD almost forced a double take. The aircraft was climbing in excess of 5,500 fpm, and we'd launched only 630 pounds below MTOW. Granted, it was unseasonably cold, but, even if it had been a standard day, the Encore's initial climb rate would have exceeded 4,800 fpm at that weight.
As the new millennium begins its climb, the world fleet of business jets and turboprops comprises 20,571 aircraft operated by 12,973 flight departments. The aircraft total represents a growth of a bit over five percent over the previous year, while the flight department number is up almost four percent. Within the United States the aircraft count is 14,079 units operated by about 9,317 flight departments. In the United States, growth of flight departments is up more than five percent and the aircraft count will be up some six and one-half percent.
Tired of those pesky gear-up landings? Well, Sporty's Pilot Shop may have just the solution: a make-believe landing gear handle complete with three green lights that illuminate when the ``gear'' is lowered.Powered by a nine-volt battery, the training device fastens easily to aircraft instrument panels, car dashboards or any other flat surface. Price: $59.00 Sporty's Pilot Shop Clermont County Airport Batavia, Ohio 45103-9747 Phone: (800) LIFTOFF Fax: (513) 735-9200 www.sportys.com
Flight2ground.com, Salem, Ore., is expected to release its ``free'' electronic ground service scheduling software by midyear. The interactive service is designed specifically for corporate flight departments and scheduler/dispatchers. Currently under development by Multi Service and Valley Oil Corp., the Web-based software connects individual scheduling flights to each FBO along the flight path. The service also includes automatic electronic confirmation, follow up e-mails or multiple phone calls.
