NBAA and other industry associations are regrouping in light of the latest reports to come from TSA on access to Washington's close-in airport. NBAA is stepping up political pressure with association members contacting their elected officials for help. NBAA, meanwhile, continues to refine its "Secure Access" plan, unveiled at a hearing on DCA last month (BA, March 22/125).
Federal Aviation Administration received authority from the Office of Personnel Management to offer early-out retirement packages to its workers. The move could open the way for the departure of thousands of employees in the agency's Air Traffic Organization, which is in the midst of being restructured. The OPM approval is not expected to generate a sudden exodus of employees, however, since "receiving that authority and actually implementing that authority are two different things," according to a message sent to agency employees last week.
AVCRAFT MOVES DORNIER 328JET WING WORK TO GERMANY - AvCraft is bringing Dornier 328Jet wing production in-house at its Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany facility with all new tooling, saying "there was insufficient life left" in the former tooling in San Antonio, Texas, to make wing production there practical. The former FairchildDornier aircraft was built in both Oberpfaffenhofen and San Antonio, but AvCraft opted to buy new tooling and retain former Dornier aircraft engineers in Germany rather than use the San Antonio assets.
Sun Air Jets added a Hawker 800XP to its Southern California-based charter operation. The Hawker will be based at Sun Air Jets' fixed-base operation in Camarillo, Calif. The aircraft also will fly trips from Sun Air's satellite facility at Van Nuys Airport. In addition to the Hawker 800XP, Sun Air Jets operates a Hawker 700 and a Gulfstream III from Camarillo.
NATA NOMINATES THREE FOR BOARD SEATS - The National Air Transportation Association nominated three veterans of the fixed-base industry for seats on the association's board of directors. Those nominated are Dean Harton, president and CEO of Piedmont Hawthorne Holdings; Jim Spinder, president and COO of Atlantic Aero; and Bill Koch, COO of SevenBar Enterprises.
April 20-22 - Society of Automotive Engineers, SAE 2004 General Aviation Technology Conference and Exhibition, Century II Convention Center, Wichita, Kan., (724) 772-7131 or [email protected] April 27-29 - Flight Safety Foundation/National Business Aviation Association Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar, Tucson, Ariz., (202) 783-9000 May 17-19 - Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association Spring Conference, Radisson Resort and Spa, Scottsdale, Ariz. Contact Stan Bernstein, (508) 747-1430
Aircraft Belts, Inc. (ABI) teamed with automotive safety supplier Autoliv to further develop and enhance its safety restraint technologies. Under the agreement ABI will conduct design and development research as well as component and system testing at Autoliv's testing and research facility in Auburn Hills, Mich. "We are excited to support ABI with their focus on improving safety for occupants of aircraft," said Patrick Jarboe, director of corporate communications for Autoliv.
FIRST AVIATION SERVICES NAMES FANELLI TO HEAD API - Aerospace Products International, Inc. (API) and its parent company First Aviation Services elected Paul Fanelli president and chief executive of API. Fanelli had been senior vice president and chief operating officer of API since February.
Excelaire, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., added another Gulfstream III to its charter fleet, which now totals six Gulfstream business jets -- four G-IIIs, one G-IISP and one G-II-TT.
Russell Chew, FAA's chief operating officer, is expected to discuss aviation safety with pilots and controllers as part of an open panel of industry leaders at the National Air Traffic Controllers Association's Communicating for Safety conference next week in Dallas. The panel, which also will include NATCA President John Carr, will address issues such as security, system capacity and increased use of regional jets.
FlightSafety International has developed a new training system, called MatriX, that brings the functions of a full flight simulator onto the classroom's desktop displays. The interactive system presents a fully active cockpit for real-time training on aircraft systems, in-flight operation and flight management systems. The courses are performance-specific to the aircraft simulation. FlightSafety is first implementing the system for the Falcon 2000 at FSI's Teterboro learning center.
Title VIII - MISCELLANEOUS Section 801. Definitions * Defines "small hub airport" as a commercial service airport that has at least 0.05 percent but less than 0.25 percent of U.S. passenger boardings * Defines "large hub airport" as a commercial service airport that has at least 1.0 percent of U.S. passenger boardings * Defines "medium hub airport" as a commercial service airport that has at least 0.25 percent but less than 1.0 percent of U.S. passenger boardings
ALLIED CAPITAL COMPLETES MERCURY ACQUISITION - Allied Capital Corp. completed the purchase of Mercury Air Centers, Inc., which operates a chain of 20 fixed-base facilities across the U.S. (BA, April 12/161). The transaction was announced Oct. 28 and approved by the shareholders of Mercury Air Group April 12.
USA Today last week raised the ire of general aviation advocates with an editorial entitled, "Why should overtaxed fliers subsidize private planes?" The editorial compares airline taxes to those paid by general aviation and calls for "a more equitable system," noting attempts by the White House during the 1990s to raise user fees. The article also quotes Northwest Airlines CEO Richard Anderson, who said last month that commercial fliers are subsidizing private aircraft owners.
French engine-maker Snecma is set for partial privatization before the end of June, but no shares will be reserved for General Electric, Snecma's partner in CFMI, which produces the CFM56-series turbofan engines. Nicolas Sarkozy, France's newly appointed minister of the economy, confirmed plans to privatize 30 percent to 40 percent of Snecma, which is 97.2 percent state-owned. Some 90 percent of the shares to be offered to the public will be for institutional investors and individuals, while the remaining 10 percent will be offered to Snecma employees.
EAA WORKING TO FIND INSURANCE FOR SPORT PILOT SEGMENT - The Experimental Aircraft Association, one of the principal advocates of the upcoming sport pilot/light-sport aircraft rule, is working to ensure that owners and operators of such aircraft have access to insurance for those planes.
NASA RECOGNIZES CABIN PRESSURE MONITOR AS 'INVENTION OF THE YEAR' - NASA lauded an internally developed cabin pressure monitor and warning system as its Commercial and Government Invention of the Year for 2003. Designed by NASA engineer Jan Zysko and a team from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the cabin pressure altitude monitor and warning system (CPM) is a portable, hand-held device that senses local pressure and provides a warning to the crew of potentially dangerous cabin conditions.
Cessna Aircraft and Aero Trader Online.com created a new Web site to help customers track parts and service. The new site, CessnaParts.AeroTraderOnline.com, provides a directory of and online access to more than 350 Cessna factory authorized facilities.
Midcoast Aviation broke ground for a new 46,000-square-foot paint hangar at St. Louis Downtown Airport. Construction is slated for completion in October. The facility will use the latest downdraft air system technology, improving paint efficiency levels and quality, Midcoast officials said. "Environmental conditions are critical to paint quality, as airborne contaminants interfere with good paint application and adhesion, which are essential to appearance and corrosion resistance," said Danny Farnham, senior director of modifications for Midcoast.
BUSINESS AVIATION TURBINE ACCIDENTS UP IN FIRST QUARTER - Accidents involving turbine-powered business aircraft were up 26.3 percent in the first quarter, according to data compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates, Inc. of Boca Raton, Fla. Breiling said there were 24 accidents, including seven fatal accidents that claimed 21 passengers and crewmembers, during the first three months of 2004. That compares with 19 accidents, including eight fatal accidents that involved 18 fatalities, during the first quarter of 2003.
Jet Aviation Dallas, based at Love Field Airport, added 55,000 square feet of space to its transient ramp to accommodate bigger aircraft and more small and mid-sized jets. The addition increases the total amount of ramp space to 185,000 square feet. Jet Aviation is completing renovations at the terminal, including a refurbished customer lounge, multi-media conference room, expanded flight planning capability, Internet access and a new pilot's lounge.
RALPH MARTINEZ was promoted to director of operations for Schubach Aviation, the on-demand charter operator based in Carlsbad, Calif. Martinez will be responsible for revamping the company's in-house training program to reflect the current fleet and equipment. He also will oversee FAA approval for the company's international training program. Martinez, who has more than 26 years of aviation experience, joined Schubach Aviation in 2002 as a pilot. He formerly worked for American Trans Air and Delta Air Lines/ Western Airlines.
