Northern Executive Aviation (NEA) was appointed a Learjet Service Center with JAR 145 approval on the Learjet 31A, 35A, 45 and 60. Located in Manchester, England, NEA operates three Learjet 35s, a Falcon 900 and a Challenger 604 on charter and management contract. NEA also is an authorized Bendix/King and Garmin repair facility.
President Clinton has named attorney and former White House aide Francisco J. Sanchez as the assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs at the DOT. Until recently a special assistant to the president, Sanchez will be responsible for advising Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater on aviation and international transportation. His appointment is awaiting U.S. Senate hearings and approval. The DOT says it is ``greatly hindered in fulfilling its mission'' without an assistant secretary.
Greeley-Weld County Airport (GXY) in Greeley, Colo., opened its new 10,000-foot runway in August. The first aircraft to land on the runway was scheduled to be a Conagra Learjet 35 carrying local dignitaries. Runway 16/34 joins a recently opened 6,000-square-foot general aviation terminal as part of the airport's expansion plan.
GKN of the United Kingdom and Italy's Finmeccanica have merged their respective rotorcraft businesses after more than two years of talks, creating the world's largest helicopter manufacturer. Named AgustaWestland, the combined company has an interest in nearly every major European helicopter program -- including the EH101, NH90 and WAH-64 -- and an order backlog worth more than $8 billion.
Air Service of Macedonia plans to launch this summer with four leased BAE Systems Jetstream 32EPs. Based in the Macedonian capital of Skopje, the start-up carrier hopes to provide service throughout the Balkans, and regards NATO, the United Nations and other international groups as potential customers. Air Service also has signed up for MACRO, BAE's fixed-cost maintenance program.
SimCom International and Pan Am International Flight Academy (PAIFA) have broken ground on a 50,000-square-foot training center at Orlando International Airport. Slated to open in second quarter 2001, the training center will have simulators for Learjet 35/36, Citation II, Hawker 800, Falcon 20 and Beechjet 400 aircraft. Tracy Brannon, SimCom's managing director, said market demand will determine future simulator acquisitions. Privately held PAIFA bought SimCom earlier this year.
Bombardier (Toronto) James A. Dailly is named vice president of contracts, Walter Galloway is now vice president of sales for Asia/Pacific, Cameron Mountenay becomes vice president of business development and David Penhorwood is vice president of international development.
A recent hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Aviation Subcommittee devoted to the pilot shortage issue turned into a de facto hearing on the age 60 rule. National Air Transportation Association (NATA) chair Linda Barker said their group is among those hardest hit by the shortage, with perhaps the most to gain from a change in the mandatory retirement rule. When asked the inevitable age 60 question at the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture in Oshkosh, FAA Administrator Jane Garvey deferred to U.S. Sen.
Continental Express (ConEx) has placed a firm launch order for 75 Embraer ERJ-145XR regional jets, with options for 100 more. The $1.02 billion deal -- which includes a 10-year maintenance agreement with engine-maker Rolls-Royce -- launches a new ERJ-145 variant designed to enable full passenger loads on long point-to-point routes.
It's easy to forget that only 10 to 15 years ago, most of the computerized aviation tasks we've grown used to were either non-existent or done with a greaseboard, an E6-B or over the telephone with a human being on the other end. There may be those who still romanticize that era, but most folks in this business wouldn't -- couldn't -- get through a day at work without using one or more of the products and services you'll find in this report.
The new DHS 150 XEL Heat-Spy from Wahl Instruments offers the ability to take handheld, non-contact temperatures from -26 to 932F, with the aid of laser-sighting. The IR thermometer offers improved accuracy and a dual temperature backlit display with a laser sighting system that produces a bright, easily visible pulsating dot on the target spot. An auto-off/auto-hold feature displays the last reading for six seconds after trigger release, then shuts the unit down automatically to extend battery life.
Signature Flight Support is offering a free Web-based fuel tracking system to airline customers. The Fuel Management System (FMS) is password protected and available online only to Signature airline customers that manage fuel inventories in the United States. Steve Lee, vice president of marketing and business, said the FMS system, originally developed for Federal Express, provides a real-time fuel database to airline customers instead of transmitting the information via telephone orfacsimile.
Aeromedix is now an authorized distributor of Woodside Biomedical's ReliefBand, which offers an effective remedy for motion sickness without the adverse side effects normally associated with anti-nausea drugs. The three ReliefBand models available are the original 144-hour disposable RB-6, a new 48-hour disposable version and the reusable 144-hour RB-R. ReliefBand is an FDA-approved, drug-free device that uses an electrical pulse to stimulate the P-6 meridian.
Originally designed for the International Space Station, Pilot Communications has introduced a panel-mount version of the Independence headset called the PA 17-79 DNC XL-P. The new version weighs only 9.9 oz. (280.7 g) and also can be used with a nine-volt battery pack allowing the unit to be portable and used in various aircraft. The Independent series headset has incorporated into its design a proprietary DSP circuit that enhances audio within the speech frequency.
When working in an area that restricts the use of electrical lighting, an alternative light source is necessary. The Coppus Pneumatic Safety Lamp is activated with compressed air through an internal turbine generator that produces 250 watts of light. Safety features include an over-pressure trip to prevent overspeed of the generator and an air turbine shutoff that cools the lamp should a gasket or lens break. The explosion-proof lamp is designed to provide lighting in hazardous environments and is constructed from bronze, aluminum and non-sparking materials.
IEC International (Berkshire, England) Trevor Carris was appointed to director of the airline division, and Neil Morgan has been named business development manager.
The market for new turbofan engines is expected to remain strong for the remainder of the decade, according to a recent Forecast International/DMS study. ``Booming demand for corporate and larger regional jets'' will fuel the demand for about 4,500 new engines annually through 2009. The light jet transport segment will account for about 39 percent of the engine market during the study period.
The future of Concorde passenger service grew uncertain in mid-August as British and French regulators suspended the supersonic transport's airworthiness certificate. Having concluded that a burst tire caused the July crash of an Air France Concorde shortly after takeoff, killing 109 people aboard the aircraft and four on the ground, safety officials called for ``appropriate measures'' to be taken to prevent a recurrence. Airline officials now must decide whether any such fix is economically justifiable given Concorde's age and reportedly thin profit margins.
The DOT has awarded AirServ, sister company of Indigo Air, a certificate of public convenience and necessity, clearing the way for Indigo to begin public charter service with a fleet of Falcon 20s. Indigo Air has been operating corporate charters since January and expected to begin public charters within weeks of the DOT action. Initial service will connect Chicago's Midway Airport with ``several New York [City] Metropolitan airports'' with near-term plans to add service between Chicago and Minneapolis, Washington D.C., Pittsburgh and Atlanta.
Newly launched manufacturer Alliance Aircraft says it has signed an agreement to sell up to 450 regional jets to Global Airlines, a proposed New York-based airline.
Asserting that identifying and correcting mistakes can help reduce the overall accident rate, Flight Safety Foundation Chairman Stuart Matthews called on a congressional committee to protect aviation workers from prosecution when inadvertent errors lead to aircraft accidents. Matthews told members of the Aviation Subcommittee of the U.S.
Sabretech officials say they will appeal a federal court verdict fining the defunct maintenance company for its role in the 1996 crash of a ValuJet DC-9 in the Florida Everglades. A U.S. District Court Judge in Miami placed the company on three years probation, imposed a $2 million fine and ordered it to
Threatening aviation professionals with criminal indictments will undermine industry safety initiatives. What's the most troubling trend in civil aviation these days? According to representatives of pilot and mechanic unions, the NTSB, trade associations and attorneys, it is the growing tendency of prosecutors to launch criminal investigations into aviation accidents.
