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.
GAMA: CHINA'S AIRFRAMERS SEE GROWTH CHALLENGES IN RECOVERY - Chinese general aviation manufacturers face a raft of challenges if they hope to capitalize on the worldwide economic recovery, ranging from developing China's limited infrastructure to building products that can meet the exacting standards of aviation regulators outside China, a U.S. association executive said.
WISCONSIN AVIATION EXECUTIVES LAUNCH MANAGEMENT, CHARTER COMPANY - Executives from Wisconsin-based Scott AirCharter and corporate flight specialist Volare Partners have teamed to form a new aviation services company at Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee. The new company, Sterling Aviation, will provide aircraft management, charter, maintenance and acquisition services. Sterling will be owned primarily by Chris and Dan Doerr, who owned Volare Partners.
Gulfstream Aerospace signed an agreement with Varig Engineering & Maintenance (VEM), the largest aircraft maintenance provider in Brazil, under which VEM will perform heavy maintenance, warranty work and inspections on all Gulfstream IV/IV-SP, G400, G300, GV, G500 and G550 business jets. Gulfstream said VEM will stock a new Gulfstream parts inventory valued at $2.4 million and will send two of its technicians to four-week maintenance training classes conducted by FlightSafety International in Savannah, Ga.
TAG Aviation USA, Inc. and a charter affiliate added nearly two dozen aircraft to their fleets last year. TAG said it added 10 aircraft to its management program at nine different locations while AMI Jet Charter, Inc. added 12 airplanes to its charter management program in 2003.
"If we could close Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) altogether, we would," are the words that apparently led off a recent internal Department of Homeland Security report discussing whether general aviation should be allowed access to the airport. David Stone, acting administrator for the Transportation Security Administration, met with an intra-agency planning group to discuss a congressionally mandated plan to allow access to DCA, but reports from the agency are that the plan was not well received.
Adam Aircraft's A500 transition training syllabus was accepted by FAA as an FAA Industry Training Standard (FITS), the manufacturer said. The FITS program is a joint project among FAA, leading aeronautical universities and participating aircraft manufacturers designed to significantly reduce general aviation accidents through the use of mission-specific training.
AEROSPATIALE Model ATR 42-500 and ATR 72-212A series airplanes (Docket No. 2002-NM-301-AD) - proposes to require repetitive inspections for cracking of the upper closing rib of the vertical fin, related investigative actions, and corrective actions if necessary. This action is necessary to prevent interference between the upper closing rib and the rudder, which could result in a rudder jam and consequent reduced controllability of the airplane. Send comments in triplicate before April 16 to FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, ANM-114, 1601 Lind Ave. S.W., Renton, Wash.
Sporty's Pilot Shop is offering FAA approach charts on DVD through its ChartViewer software. The DVD includes every current FAA terminal procedure publication including approaches, departures, arrivals and airport diagrams for the U.S., Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. Pilots can load the charts directly onto their computers or view them on DVD. Sporty's has priced the DVDs at $9.95 each and is offering them on a subscription basis.
National Transportation Safety Board faulted Bombardier's flight test procedures and the actions of the pilot in the crash of a Canadair Challenger 604 on Oct. 10, 2000. The pilot and flight test engineer were killed in the crash and ensuing fire, and the co-pilot died 36 days later as a result of his injuries. NTSB said the probable cause of the accident "was the pilot's excessive takeoff rotation, during an aft center of gravity takeoff, a rearward migration of fuel during acceleration and takeoff and consequent shift in the airplane's aft c.g. to aft of the aft c.g.
