Labor considerations have led American Eagle Airlines to become the first U.S. carrier to buy the new, 44-seat variant of the Embraer ERJ-145 family of regional jets -- the ERJ-140. The decision to buy 44-seaters follows American Airlines pilots' refusal of their latest tentative contract -- a deal that would have removed the current 67-aircraft cap on the number of RJs (with 45 seats or more) that Eagle may operate.
Cessna Citation X aircraft for the 2002 model year will incorporate several improvements, including increased gross weight and engine thrust and an expanded standard equipment line. Maximum takeoff weight will be increased by 400 pounds, from 35,700 pounds to 36,100 pounds, allowing the Citation X to carry up to seven passengers with full fuel in typically equipped airplanes.
Honeywell has authorized five additional Hawker Service Centers to perform TFE731 and APU line maintenance services. The new authorization applies to Raytheon Aircraft Services facilities at Atlanta's Fulton County Airport (FTY), Atlantic City (ACY), Houston (HOU), Little Rock (LIT) and Wichita (ICT).
Crew shortages led Mesaba Airlines to cancel a number of flights this summer, though the problems are said to have stabilized with the less-demanding fall schedule. Training backlog is blamed, as the Minneapolis-based carrier struggles to fill captain's seats made vacant by major airline hiring.
Bucking a recent trend, Delta Air Lines has replaced regional jets with mainline aircraft on three daily roundtrip Delta Shuttle flights between Boston Logan and Washington Reagan National. Boeing 727-200s will hold the line until January 2001, when the Delta Shuttle transitions to new Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Delta Connection regional Comair had flown the route with 50-seat Bombardier Canadair Regional Jets (CRJs).
Fairchild Dornier is seeking regulatory approval to operate its 328JET aircraft at London City Airport (LCY), known for its steep (5.5-degree) approach path. To meet the requirements, the 328JET will have to demonstrate a 7.5-degree descent to landing with a full passenger load. John Wolf, Fairchild's chief operating officer, said the aircraft's roll spoiler system will need modification for LCY operations, a process the company hopes to complete by the end of 2001. Dornier 328 turboprops already fly into LCY.
Dallas Finch has been appointed as the new aerospace coatings facility and technical director. In addition, Stuart Mack was named as director of technical development.
It used to be part of the accepted wisdom of the used aircraft sales fraternity that prospective buyers were more concerned with hours and cycles than calendar years when evaluating potential buys. Now that many popular models are passing 20 years or more, age may become a greater factor, particularly in view of the FAA focus on aging aircraft. Fractional ownership programs are rapidly changing utilization rates.
Tracer Corp. of Milwaukee has signed a $20 million agreement to serve as Honeywell's exclusive sales channel for surplus aircraft parts. On a consignment basis, Tracer will provide sales, servicing, warehousing and logistical support for auxiliary power units, wheels, brakes, control surfaces and avionics components.
Raytheon Aircraft plans to build the new, 2,000-nm-plus Hawker 450. Billed as the fastest, highest-climbing, largest-cabin aircraft in the light-midsize-jet category, the Hawker 450 will cruise at 0.80-plus Mach and feature double-club or center-club seating for eight in a stand-up cabin with 5.9-foot headroom, 6.0-foot width and 19.3-foot length. Positioned between Raytheon's Premier I and Hawker Horizon, the 450's main competitors will be Bombardier's 1,900-nm-range Learjet 45 and Cessna's 1,700-nm-range Excel.
The Van Nuys Airport's Citizens Advisory Council has elected Coby King as its new president. King is a lawyer and owns a public affairs firm in Los Angeles.
Online air charter broker eJets has contracted with the Flight Safety Foundation's Q-Star program and Aviation Research Group/U.S. (ARG/US) CHEQ programs for safety auditing of its operators. The Q-Star Charter Provider and Verification Program conducts on-site audits of charter companies, while the Charter Evaluation and Qualification (CHEQ) service offers a monthly statistical analysis of operators based on FAA and NTSB records and other measures.
Winfair, parent company of South Florida charter operator Hop-A-Jet and Santa Monica, Calif.-based Air Castle, has acquired the Air Credit Alliance for an undisclosed sum. Former National Aircraft Finance Association President Joseph L. Dini founded Air Credit Alliance. He will remain with the Bedford, Mass., company as president and chief operating officer.
With a takeoff thrust rating of 2,400 lb to ISA+7C at sea level, it's readily apparent the -2C engine produces 26-percent more thrust than the -1A engines fitted to the CJ1. The -2C's additional takeoff thrust results from using a larger diameter fan with fewer and wider chord blades, one that turns 1.7-percent faster than the -1A's fan, providing increased mass flow.
This year's NBAA convention was the largest civil aviation trade show ever, 12-percent larger than last year's convention and 20-percent larger than the 1998 gathering. Kicking off the festivities, NBAA President Jack Olcott said more companies are using business aviation than ever before, and NBAA membership has reached 6,200 -- a record. ``New products have had the greatest influence on growth, but the environment in which business aviation operates is just as important,'' Olcott said.
Eclipse Aviation continues to progress toward the projected 2003 certification and delivery of the Eclipse 500 light jet. The manufacturer says it will use friction stir welding to simplify and speed up the construction process. Friction stir welding, already in use on Boeing Delta rockets and in shipbuilding, uses heat rather than rivets to bond pieces of aluminum. Williams International also has filed type certificate applications for both the Eclipse 500 aircraft and the EJ22 turbofan engines designed to power it.
Edited By Paul RichfieldMike Vines, in Interlaken, Switzerland
The European Regions Airline Association (ERA) held its 20th anniversary convention at Interlaken, Switzerland from September 27 to 29, hosting around 50 airline presidents and CEOs. Hot topics included the EC's newly proposed changes to slot allocation rules (see October, page 59), the high cost of fuel and the high value of the U.S. dollar, as well as possible heavy increases in air traffic control fees.
Computerized technical manuals are silently revolutionizing the aircraft maintenance industry by helping the technician isolate problems quickly, and in the process reduce downtime and costs by more than 10 percent. These electronic publications can reduce the numerous volumes of maintenance manuals, microfiche and work cards that are used to maintain engines, airframes, avionics and their associated components.
It may seem hard to believe, but business aviation entered the jet age almost 40 years ago, and a surprising number of those first-generation aircraft are still flying.
Nestle into the cabin of a Galaxy and you might mistake it for a Gulf-stream II, if it weren't for the Galaxy's four-inch dropped aisle, plus the numerous and smaller cabin windows.
