A Piper Aerostar piston twin was destroyed and all four people aboard were killed when the aircraft crashed on December 31, 2000 in British Columbia. The 602P, N88AT, was registered to Skyline Ranch Investment Co. and was en route from Salt Lake City. The aircraft had been cleared for an instrument approach to the Penticton, B.C. Airport, but struck terrain at an elevation of about 5,100 feet msl in the Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park north of Penticton. The terrain in the park has a maximum elevation of 5,164 feet.
CitationShares -- the fractional ownership partnership between TAG Aviation and Cessna -- has ordered Safe Flight 50 N1 computers for use in its planned Citation fleet.
Of all the helicopters produced by Sikorsky during the last 60 years, perhaps none has been as important to the advancement of the civil rotorcraft industry as the S-61. Although the versatile twin-turbine commercial helicopter first flew 40 years ago, more than 80 percent of the 136 civil S-61s built by Sikorsky through 1980 remain in service today, flying for airlines, offshore oil support companies, and logging and utility operators.
George Thorogood can sing the blues. His ballad ``I Drink Alone'' underscores a serious problem in our society. If you prefer to be by yourself with your dear old granddad (the liquid type) or with your old buddy weiser (in a can), chances are you have a drinking problem. If you're an alcoholic, know that alcoholism is one of the oldest medical problems in society and that you're not alone. The disease doesn't invalidate your past success as an airman. If you recognize the symptoms and want to stop (self-diagnosed) there are no shortages of paths to take.
Air BP assumed operational control of commercial refueling at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The move is the result of an agreement between Air BP and Sunoco, the former airport refueling operator, under which Air BP will supply jet fuel and manage refueling operations at the airport.
Rockwell Collins' Pro Line 21 Continuum has been certified for use aboard Gulfstream II and IIB aircraft. The installation includes the Collins FDS-2000 Flight Display System, which also is available and certified for the G-III. Duncan Aviation completed the installation and STC for the aircraft depicted.
Make sure that the supply of components becomes a contractual commitment and not subject to availability as is sometimes the case. Also, if the service provider cannot supply from his own stock ensure that he will supply from an alternative source in the same timeframe at no additional charge to you. You might want to consider operating with a smaller inventory of only ``stopper'' items relying on back-up from the provider's base stock.
Well, Hersch, the fat lady done sung in Tallahassee, the army of lawyers are schlepping home with bulging wallets and, for the second time in the history of our great nation, we will have father and son presidents, the first time being the family Adams. John Adams (1735-1826) was the first vice president under G. Washington and the second president, beating out ole Tom Jefferson, who made it the second time around.
Are foreign pilots with poor English skills a threat to U.S. air safety? Probably, though the way the FAA collects data on ``near miss'' incidents makes it nearly impossible to prove. Such was the conclusion of a recent study by the DOT's investigative arm, triggered by an April 2000 letter from then Congressman Bob Franks. Franks' letter cited a ``disturbingly high incidence of international pilots flying in U.S. airspace who are unable to communicate with air traffic controllers due to inadequate knowledge of the English language.''
The American Airlines DC-9-82 was climbing through 9,000 feet on November 29, 2000, in an area of moderate rain showers after a routine departure from Reagan National Airport (DCA) on an IFR flight plan to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW). It was dark -- 1753 EST -- when the cockpit crew was startled by a bright flash on the right side of the aircraft. The pilots scanned the instruments looking for trouble while the smell of burning insulation drifted into the cockpit. The instrument indications were normal.
Have you ever joked about alcohol destroying brain cells? Dr. Barton Pakull, the FAA's chief psychologist, says medical research has ample evidence that alcohol does just that. By the time alcoholic pilots reach their 50s, as they lose brain cells naturally to aging, the additional loss due to alcoholism significantly affects their critical decision-making ability. You need that additional reserve for complex thinking and for the stresses of an emergency. The older you are the less helpful it is to drink.
FlightTime, a charter operator based in Waltham, Mass., signed promotional and marketing agreements with two professional golfers for the company's ``Freedom Plan,'' which ``enables travelers to enjoy the benefits of private jet ownership without an up-front, long-term capital investment,'' FlightTime said. Professional golfers Doug Tewell and Mike Weir bought 75-hour and 100-hour packages, respectively, that permit them to fly that many hours each year.
Finnair says it has ``started a process'' to create a new regional carrier for the Baltics, and as a link between Estonia and Finland. At least some of Finnair's nine ATR-72-200s are likely to fly for the new venture, which has been named Aero Airlines -- the name Finnair took when it first flew in 1923. Aero's ownership structure has yet to be finalized; Finnair says it is searching for Estonian partners to fulfill the requirement that local interests maintain majority ownership.
United Technologies unit Hamilton Standard closed in January on its acquisition of Claverham Group, Ltd., a United Kingdom-based supplier to the European aerospace defense industry. Hamilton Standard said the acquisition will enhance its ability to offer ``an entire line of actuation products for flight control systems.'' Claverham builds secondary mechanical actuation systems, which are used to move flaps and other control surfaces. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Transport Canada has reduced the maximum speed of the Bell 407 from 140 knots to 100-110 knots as a result of the fatal Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. (PHI) accident that occurred on December 29, 2000 in the Gulf of Mexico, south of Sabine, Texas. Prior to this incident there were three non-fatal accidents in which the tail boom was severed by the tail rotor, resulting in the same speed restrictions. After installation of airspeed-actuated pedal stops, the 407's original 140-knot design speed limitation was reinstated.
Aviation Sales Co. sold its Dixie Aerospace Bearings new parts operation to Wencor West, Inc. Atlanta-based Dixie Aerospace distributes multiple lines of aircraft bearings, carbon seals, sealants, adhesives, lubricants and epoxies. Aviation Sales now consists of six maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) businesses.
In a move to expedite European approval, Sino Swearingen plans to forgo seeking a higher weight exemption there for its SJ30-2 and will certify the twinjet at 12,500 pounds MTOW under the JAR 23 normal category. The manufacturer came to the decision after learning that the European Joint Aviation Authorities had never granted an exemption to JAR 23. At that weight, the aircraft has a range of 2,100 nm, a figure the company described as ``very viable,'' particularly in Europe.
Potomac Air has begun service from Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) with up to eight Dash 8-200 turboprops. A US Airways Express unit, Potomac Air was created to establish a framework for DC Air, the DCA-based airline proposed as a way to alleviate antitrust concerns raised by United Airlines' proposed acquisition of US Airways. John Leonard is Potomac Air's president; the company now has 120 employees at its operation and maintenance base in Roanoke, Va.
Markings on the sidewall of a tire spell out the performance ratings of the tire: tire size, load rating, speed rating, ply rating, molded skid depth (depth of the grooves in the tread) and the applicable TSO. The serial number of the tire provides information to manufacturers and operators alike. The first digit of the eight-character serial number identifies the last number of the year of manufacture (i.e. ``6'' for ``1996''). The next three characters are the Julian date of manufacture. The last four digits are used to aid in tracking tires.
Piedmont Airlines' unionized flight attendants voted to strike if current contract negotiations, ongoing for the past 18 months, fail. The carrier is a significant part of US Airways' regional network, flying 15 percent of the mainline carrier's daily schedule from Charlotte, N.C., for example.
Atlantic Coast Airlines has placed firm orders for 32 Fairchild Dornier 328JETs, in addition to the 30 328JETs it previously ordered for its subsidiary, ACJet. ACA also increased its 328JET options from 30 to 83, orders that may be assigned to either carrier. ACJet, which operates as a Delta Connection carrier, has taken delivery of 14 328JETs since August 2000; the 16 remaining in that order are expected this year.
Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc. signed a contract with Millennium Aerospace to pursue certification for and market an aircraft emergency parachute system for the Cessna 172. BRS expects a 12- to 18-month certification program for the BRS-172 parachute system. Millennium Aerospace unit Aerospace Marketing Inc. will act as the factory authorized distributor for aftermarket sales of the BRS-172 unit while AirFlight Technologies, another Millennium unit, will acquire and refurbish Cessna 172s with the system and then offer them for sale.
Concern over pilot fatigue has led the FAA to mandate a maximum 16-hour duty day for all pilots in domestic service under FAR Parts 135 and 121. The Air Line Pilots Association says the ruling (handed down by FAA Deputy Chief Counsel James W. Whitlow) falls short of its goal, and plans to continue to press for a 12-hour duty period and ``other limitations'' to prevent pilot fatigue.
Designed to allow enough vision to see vital instruments and the flight path, the Emergency Vision Assurance System (EVAS) offers the fllight crew the ability to perform emergency functions in the event of smoke in the cockpit. The EVAS system uses an inflatable vision unit that is filled with filtered air from the cabin to provide an unobstructed view to the window and primary instruments. The EVAS is self-contained and occupies a space approximately the size of a flight manual.
