Liberty Aerospace hired Joseph Fucci, a colonel who formerly commanded the U.S. Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment at Fort Campbell, Ky., to spearhead the company's effort to market its Liberty XL2 single-piston aircraft for the airborne law enforcement and surveillance markets. Liberty is marketing an XL2 platform with a high-resolution telescopic infrared and thermal imaging system as a low-cost alternative to helicopter operations for search and rescue, surveillance and reconnaissance, border and maritime patrol and environmental monitoring.
The Transportation Security Administration is expected to release today (May 17) a series of guidelines for improving general aviation airport security. The guidelines were based upon recommendations drafted by the industry-based Aviation Security Advisory Committee and presented to the TSA in November (BA, Nov. 24/233). The TSA recommendations are expected to generate support from most segments of the industry, but some groups are taking a wait-and-see attitude. They fear that some states may attempt to make the guidelines mandatory.
Boeing and Airbus are jointly sponsoring a series of symposiums to build a consensus about Global Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology standards on commercial aircraft. Boeing and Airbus are promoting the Air Transport Association SPEC 2000 automated identification and data capture guidelines. "This technology offers the aviation industry many proven benefits with the ultimate objective being continued safety, airworthiness and operational efficiencies for commercial airplanes," said Kenneth Porad, RFID program leader for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Cessna Aircraft will hand over five Cessna 172R Skyhawks to Bonn, Germany-based Theorie Training Center (TTC). TTC will provide both private and instrument training on the aircraft. The company has used Cessna airplanes for flight training for 15 years.
AIR SAFETY FOUNDATION PRAISES SAFETY RECORD, QUESTIONS TRAINING - While general aviation continues to record decreasing numbers of accidents, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Foundation (ASF) expressed concern that pilot-related actions account for nearly three-quarters of all GA accidents and questioned whether changes in training are necessary. In the ASF's annual Joseph T. Nall General Aviation Report released this month, the ASF found the improving accident trends encouraging.
THOMAS ARNSMEYER was named a vice president for Northrop Grumman's Information Technology sector. Arnsmeyer will oversee security and infrastructure business for the Federal Enterprise Solutions unit, overseeing programs with the Transportation Security Administration, Departments of Justice and Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He has a 23-year career in the design, development and management of large government programs.
General Aviation Manufacturers Association added EADS Socata and Pilatus Aircraft to its membership. Stephane Bernard, president and CEO of Socata Aircraft, Inc., and Thomas Bosshard, president and CEO of Pilatus Business Aircraft, Ltd., will serve on the GAMA board. GAMA represents more than 50 general aviation aircraft, engine, avionics and other equipment manufacturers.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT CLAIMS BIG GAINS IN CUSTOMER SERVICE - Raytheon Aircraft Company has substantially increased its customer support and spare parts availability, and "we are approaching [being] a world-class organization," according to Ed Dolanski, vice president of customer support operations. Dolanski, who spent the early years of his career at retail giant Wal-Mart, said the improvements in the customer support area at RAC are due to changes in systems, processes and the management team.
Former Dassault Falcon Jet President and CEO Jean-Francois Georges and European Business Aviation Association CEO Fernand Francois were selected as the 2004 recipients of the European Business Aviation Convention and Exposition's (EBACE) European Business Aviation Awards. The awards were created to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of business aviation in Europe. The awards will be presented during EBACE May 26 in Geneva. Georges retired from Dassault Falcon Jet in late 2003 after serving with the company for nearly 40 years.
PILOT KILLED AS MU-2 CARGO FLIGHT CRASHES NEAR BWI - The pilot of a Mitsubishi MU-2 turboprop was killed early Friday morning when his aircraft crashed into a residential area as he attempted to land at Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Airport. The aircraft, which was carrying financial documents, was on a flight from Philadelphia, Pa. The aircraft was operated by Epps Aviation of Atlanta. Officials there told reporters the person killed in the crash was an experienced pilot who had been flying the route for about the last five years.
Eaglemed, a unit of Ballard Aviation that provides medical evacuation services, leased hangar space formerly occupied by Raytheon Aircraft at Salina Municipal Airport in Salina, Kan. EagleMed will use the hangar as a helicopter base for medical transport flights. EagleMed provides critical care transport in Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.
MAYO DEVELOPS NEW HYPOXIA TRAINER - The Mayo Clinic has developed a new training device and curriculum designed to prepare pilots to properly handle situations involving loss of oxygen that could lead to hypoxia. The computer-based, portable Hypoxia Awareness Training System simulates the effects of hypoxia by having pilots breathe a controlled mix of oxygen and nitrogen. During about a 10-minute test, pilots are prompted to respond to commands and to carry out tasks while a video camera records their actions.
AUSTRALIAN BANK AGREES TO BUY ATLANTIC AVIATION FBO CHAIN - An Australian financial institution signed a purchase agreement to buy Executive Air Support and its network of 10 Atlantic Aviation fixed-base operations for $238 million (U.S.). The buyer is Macquarie Bank, which is headquartered in Sydney, Australia. The Atlantic deal is subject to various regulatory requirements, including approval by the airports on which the FBOs are located.
Delta Airelite, which has teamed with Bombardier Flexjet to offer fractional aircraft membership, is renaming the Fleet Membership Select program Flexjet Membership. Under the program, customers can buy 25-hour increments of occupied time in either a Bombardier Learjet 31A, Learjet 45, Learjet 60 or Challenger 604 aircraft. Through the program, customers can access fractional business jets without long-term investments. Customers also receive "Medallion" status in the Delta SkyMiles program.
AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGIES OF AUSTRALIA Model N22B, N22S, and N24A airplanes (Docket No. 2000-CE-43-AD; Amendment 39-13536; AD 2004-06-10) - requires inspecting the forward and aft face of the rear fuselage frame for cracks and repairing or modifying accordingly. This AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Australia. FAA is issuing this AD to detect and correct cracks in the rear fuselage frame, which could result in failure of the fuselage rear bulkhead and consequent loss of structural integrity.
Kathleen Blouin, the National Business Aviation Association's vice president of conventions and seminars, was named one of the Top 25 association managers by Tradeshow Week. Blouin joined NBAA in 1992 as senior manager, convention services, overseeing an annual meeting and convention that registered 17,312 individuals, included 636 exhibiting companies and covered 226,000 square feet of booth space that year. The convention has since grown to 28,574 attendees and 1,068 exhibitors occupying 445,200 square feet of booth space at 2003's event.
PRATT & WHITNEY BEGINS TEST RUNS OF ECLIPSE ENGINE - Pratt & Whitney's new PW600 engine family reached another milestone last week with the first run of the PW610F turbine engine selected to power the Eclipse 500 Very Light Jet. The engine run followed the first flight of the Canadian engine-maker's PW615F aboard Cessna's CitationJet test bed late last month (BA, May 3/200). That engine will power Cessna's new Citation Mustang, giving Pratt & Whitney a stronghold in the entry-level jet market.
TSA SHELVES CERTIFICATE REVOCATION RULES - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association praised a decision by the Transportation Security Administration to suspend enforcement of regulations that would allow the agency to revoke certificates of pilots deemed security threats. "This little bit of common sense has been a long time coming," said AOPA President Phil Boyer.
