AirShares Elite New England added a base at T.F. Green Airport in Providence, R.I. for its shared aircraft ownership program. AirShares offers shares in Cirrus SR22 single-engine aircraft. AirShares established a presence at Horizon Aviation at the northwest ramp. Under the AirShares program, pilots pay for the time they expect to use the aircraft. Maintenance and fuel costs are included in the fees.
Witnesses interviewed by National Transportation Safety Board investigators say there was heavy low-level fog on the afternoon of June 2 when a chartered Model 35A Learjet crashed into Long Island Sound while on final approach for landing at the Groton-New London, Conn. Airport (GON).
Fractional helicopter provider Heliflite added another Bell 430 twin-engine aircraft to its fleet. The company, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, now operates four Bell 430s and one Sikorsky S-76B. The new 430 will operate out of the Newark, N.J. International Airport.
Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport (MKE) has been cleared as a "gateway" airport that can link approved business aircraft to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The Transportation Security Administration announced in May that MKE, Dallas Love Field (DAL) and Memphis International Airport (MEM) would be added to a list of 12 airports that can serve as gateways for DCA-bound flights (BA, May 15/219). TSA is still going through the approval process for DAL and MEM.
Gulfstream Aerospace is adding three enhancements to its CMP.net computerized aircraft maintenance tracking program. The Work Order Module tracks day-to-day hangar floor activities to help manage costs, the Inventory/Purchase Order Module integrates inventory and parts management with purchasing and Smart Cards were designed to save customers time by replacing traditional handwritten CMP task cards with an electronic version.
Named general manager of Landmark Aviation's Greensboro, N.C. fixed-base operation. James, who has 13 years of aviation management experience, had served as general manager of Landmark's facility in Albany, Ga. since 2000. Earlier he was business manager for the company's FBO in Norfolk, Va.
Named vice president and general manager of Landmark Aviation's Springfield, Ill., maintenance, repair and overhaul operation. Candler has more than 30 years of corporate and general aviation experience, most recently as director of operations for Bombardier Business Aircraft's Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Denver service centers. He also held sales and customer support management positions for Bombardier. Candler has corporate flight department experience and worked for CTS Aviation Services in Seattle.
The Government Accountability Office and the Transportation Inspector General praised progress by the JPDO during a House aviation subcommittee hearing last week, but noted that the organization still faces a number of challenges. The JPDO has made considerable inroads in establishing a framework to coordinate plans for the NGATS, but GAO notes that JPDO is just a planning and coordinating body and lacks the human and technological resources to implement those plans.
National Transportation Safety Board will hold a hearing in July focusing on air transportation of hazardous materials. The board scheduled the hearing as a result of its continuing investigation of a Feb. 8 incident in which a UPS DC-8 flight made an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport after a fire broke out on board. See article below
A Cessna 172 carrying three members of an Air Force Junior ROTC program crashed Thursday in western Maine, killing all four people on board. The aircraft was being flown by a 24-year-old flight instructor who picked up the students at the Bethel airport about an hour before the crash. Initial reports said the aircraft was being operated by Twin Cities Air Service of Auburn, Maine.
Gov. Christine Gregoire of Washington headed a list of dignitaries at the dedication Wednesday of a new 18,500-square-foot, $1.58 million hangar at the Spokane International Airport. The aircraft maintenance and avionics hangar is leased to XN Air LLC, which installs and repairs avionics equipment and performs aircraft maintenance and modifications for private operators. XN Air, a subsidiary of XN Technologies of Cheney, Wash., also will conduct applied research on aircraft avionics equipment, software and electronics being developed by the parent company.
William Voss, a veteran FAA executive who most recently held a senior post with the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal, was named last week to succeed Stuart Matthews as president and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation later this year.
The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a two-day hearing next month to explore concerns about the carriage of hazardous materials on cargo aircraft.
A Dornier 328-300 aircraft was substantially damaged this month when it ran off the end of a runway at the Manassas, Va. Regional Airport (HEF) while the crew was attempting to abort the takeoff.
Aviation Safety in Alaska will come under scrutiny at a field hearing scheduled by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) for July 5 in Anchorage. The hearing will discuss infrastructure, funding and the technology needed to keep up with safety regulation.
Landmark Aviation completed a $300,000 interior renovation of its fixed-base operation at Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Virginia. The renovation included upgrades to the lobby, restrooms, weather room, conference rooms, snack rooms and pilots' lounge at the 8,000-square-foot facility. The renovation also included new furnishings that reflect the hunt country heritage of the region. Landmark called the IAD facility one of its flagship FBOs. The facility also has 54,000 square feet of hangar space and 27,000 square feet of shop and office space.
Doug Schwartz, a long-time FlightSafety International executive and former head of AT&T's flight department, has joined TAG Aviation USA as vice president of flight operations and standards. Schwartz will report directly to Jake Cartwright, president and chief executive officer.
Bristow Helicopters placed a firm order for two S-92 helicopters from Sikorsky Aircraft, and took options for another 13 of the 19-passenger rotorcraft. Based on a B/CA-equipped price of $17.5 million for the S-92, the order could be worth more than $260 million if all options are exercised.
Pinnacle Aviation added a Cessna Citation Excel to its charter fleet. The business jet is the fifth Citation Excel to be operated by Pinnacle. The aircraft is based at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., giving the Scottsdale, Ariz. charter and management company additional lift in Southern California. Pinnacle also offers a Gulfstream III for charter that is based in Ontario, Calif.
Camp Systems and Gulfstream Aerospace are engaged in a legal battle regarding the use of maintenance manuals produced by the Savannah, Ga. business jet manufacturer. Gulfstream claimed copyright and trademark infringement by CAMP, but a federal district judge ruled in favor of the maintenance tracking provider. Now Gulfstream is asking the court to reconsider that decision, and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association has filed a brief in support of Gulfstream. See article below.
The Federal Aviation Administration's new requirement that Part 121, 135 and 91(K) operators include a 15 percent safety margin in the landing distance calculations for their aircraft is drawing strong opposition from the National Air Transportation Association, which says the requirement is misguided and should be shelved. FAA issued a notice of the controversial requirement earlier this month, saying it would release a new Operations Specification/Management Specification this month implementing the new mandate (BA, June 12/268).
The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) is seeking bids from parties interested in running a fixed-base operation at Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) in Buffalo, N.Y., where incumbent FBO Prior Aviation Services has been providing fuel and related services for more than 40 years.
