MAY SEEKS CHANGES IN TAX SYSTEM - The U.S. airline industry shoulders a tax burden of $14 billion annually under an excise tax and fee system that needs dramatic changes to protect the long-term vitality of the industry, Jim May, president of the Air Transport Association, told the Aero Club of Washington Wednesday. May noted that while airlines pay $14 billion into the air transportation system, air carriers only bring in about $100 billion in revenues. This weakens a faltering industry.
ATR delivered a fourth ATR 72-500 to Spanish carrier Binter Canarias. The 72-seat regional turboprop is the fourth of six ATR 72-500s that Binter Canarias ordered in January. The operator was founded in March 1988 and carries some 2.4 million passengers on the Canarian inter-island network.
Justifying new regulation is becoming harder and harder for FAA, Deputy Administrator Robert Sturgell said during FAA's International Aviation Safety Forum. Noting that the aviation industry continues to achieve record safety levels, Sturgell said new regulations often will provide incremental, rather than dramatic safety improvements. Those incremental improvements are difficult to justify when the agency conducts the required cost-benefit analysis for new rules, he said. Sturgell said FAA must conduct business differently to improve safety. See article below.
AOPA URGES TSA TO DELAY FLIGHT TRAINING COMPLIANCE DATE - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association last week petitioned the Transportation Security Administration to suspend the compliance deadline for background checks on aliens seeking flight training in aircraft that weigh 12,500 pounds or less, calling the Oct. 20 date an "impossible deadline." AOPA noted that the rule, released last month (BA, Sept. 27/137) was published without prior notice or advance opportunity for review and comment.
The Federal Aviation Administration must find new ways to conduct its business, turning more toward collaborative processes such as aviation rulemaking committees and seeking out performance-based regulations to foster rather than hinder new technologies, according to FAA Deputy Administrator Robert Sturgell. Participating on a panel last month at FAA's International Aviation Safety Forum, Sturgell agreed that FAA needs to evaluate "what we can do better to encourage innovation."
Trego-Dugan Jet Management (TDJM), a private jet management company affiliated with the Trego/Dugan Aviation fixed-base operations, received an investment from Chicago-based venture capital fund OCA Ventures and plans to expand its presence to the Chicago area. "TDJM evaluated the market and realized Chicago needs a top-tier jet management company," said TDJM President Traci Dugan. "Expanding our presence to Chicago is something we have been targeting for a number of years and is the natural extension of our business."
DANNY CLIFTON was appointed vice president of flight operations for Kitty Hawk Aircargo, Inc. Clifton formerly was with ABX Air Inc./Airborne Express in Dayton, Ohio, where he was assistant chief pilot for DC-9 aircraft. Before he was at ABX, Clifton served as a pilot and flight instructor for Newport News, Va.-based charter operator Rick Aviation. He served in the U.S. Air Force for 24 years and commanded an A-10 squadron in the first Gulf War.
Bell Helicopter Textron, with revenues of about $1.7 billion last year, expects to see revenue grow to about $3 billion annually by 2010, according to Mike Redenbaugh, who took over as CEO 15 months ago (BA, May 26, 2003/238). Redenbaugh also is putting to use lean manufacturing and Six Sigma experience he received at previous employer AlliedSignal/Honeywell to increase manufacturing efficiencies.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey and Patty Grace Smith, associate administrator for Commercial Space Transportation, plan to be on hand today (Oct. 4) in Mojave, Calif. for the second stage of SpaceShipOne's attempt to win the $10 million X Prize by reaching space. SpaceShipOne, designed and built by Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites of Mojave, Calif., made its initial flight in June (BA, June 28/299).
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) presented the 37th Edward Warner Award to Brian O'Keefe of Australia for his contributions to the development of international civil aviation, particularly his leading role in air navigation systems. During a career that spanned nearly 50 years, ICAO said O'Keefe played a key role in the development of future air navigation systems (FANS) worldwide and its successor, the communications, navigation and surveillance/air traffic management (CNS/ATM) system concept.
ARINC Incorporated added a new TWX1200 Thunder Storm Warning System to its ForeWarn lightning warning product line. Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Buffalo, N.Y. will be the first airport to incorporate that system, which uses data from the National Lightning Detection Network and on-airport Electric Field Mills to evaluate threat levels and issue warnings. Vaisala Inc. developed the system. TWX1200 includes high-resolution screen detail for lightning maps and a simple Internet interface for real-time lightning data.
FORMER CLARK AIR BASE TO BE CONVERTED TO CIVIL AIRPORT - The Philippines plans to develop and upgrade the now-defunct Clark Air Base into an international airport, some 13 years after the U.S. government transferred control of the base to the Philippines.
CAE LOOKING FOR NEW CFO - Simulator manufacturer CAE has launched a search for a new chief financial officer. Paul Renaud, who has held that post for 13 years, is leaving CAE at the end of October to take a similar position with the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System. Chief Executive Officer Robert Brown credited Renaud with having made "a significant contribution towards CAE's transformation and growth" during his tenure with the company.
Carmanah Technologies Corp., Victoria, British Columbia, won a contract from FAA to provide 90 units of the company's solar-powered LED taxiway edge lights for field trial testing. FAA wants to determine if the lights are a cost-effective means of increasing safety and preventing runway incursions at general aviation airports. The tests will begin this year and run through next spring. The field trial is a follow-up to a test carried out by FAA and the Illuminating Engineering Society Airport Lighting Committee at the Shelton, Wash.
FORMER FAA CHIEF COUNSEL ACCEPTS POST WITH NBAA - New National Business Aviation Association President Ed Bolen continued to reshape the organization's staff last week, announcing the hiring of veteran aviation attorney J.E. (Sandy) Murdock as senior vice president of administration and general counsel. "I have known and worked closely with Sandy for nearly a decade," Bolen said in a statement last week. "He's a top-notch aviation lawyer and is highly respected in policy circles. I think he will be a great addition to our staff."
More than 100 Gulfstream business jets are now equipped with the Gulfstream Enhanced Vision System (EVS), which improves the pilot's situational awareness. The system, developed in conjunction with Kollsman, Inc., incorporates a specially designed forward looking infrared (FLIR) camera that projects an image on the pilot's head-up display in conditions of reduced visibility and minimal light. It enables pilots to identify runway markings, taxiways, adjacent roads and surrounding landscape that would not otherwise be visible.
Seacor Holdings Inc. of Houston, Texas ordered three Agusta Grand helicopters from Agusta Aerospace Corp. of Philadelphia. Deliveries of the light twin-turbine helicopter are to begin in 2005. "The Agusta Grand's spacious cabin, high cruise speed and payload/range capability are important considerations for our helicopter operations. We are excited about the potential of the Agusta Grand," said Ed Washecka, vice president of Seacor Holdings, which provides marine transportation services to the offshore oil and gas industry.
FlightSafety International won European Joint Aviation Authorities approval for its Gulfstream G550 full-flight simulator. The simulator previously earned FAA Level D acceptance. The simulator includes a VITAL 9 visual system, surrounding the cockpit, which presents day, night and various weather conditions. The simulator also has the G550's avionics package, including the Honeywell Primus 2000XP suite, a head-up display and enhanced vision system. The simulator is based at FlightSafety's learning center in Savannah, Ga.
