The Federal Aviation Administration will publish a final rule on the implementation of domestic reduced vertical separation minimum (DRVSM) today (Oct. 27), officially kicking off a 14-month race for operators to complete necessary aircraft equipment updates by the time the rule goes into effect Jan. 20, 2005.
Raytheon Aircraft Company certified the AirCell ST 3100 Iridium-based Satcom system on the Hawker 800XP business jet and is offering the system as a factory option. The AirCell system also is being offered as an option on the Hawker 400XP (formerly the Beechjet 400) and as the standard airborne telecommunications system on Raytheon's Flight Options fractional aircraft ownership fleet.
Embraer Aircraft Corp. said an Embraer 170 flight simulator won FAA and JAA Interim Level C approval, permitting cockpit crew training to begin immediately. The simulator was developed in a joint program with Canadian simulator manufacturer CAE, Inc.
RTI International Metals said United Steelworkers of America employees at its RMI Titanium Company were scheduled to vote Oct. 25 on a new labor agreement. The previous contract had been scheduled to expire Oct. 15, but the agreement was extended while talks between the parties continued.
Cessna Aircraft says it remains on schedule for a November 2004 grand opening of its new Citation Service Center in Wichita. The 447,259-square-foot building will be one of the largest general aviation/business jet aircraft maintenance facilities in the world. To date, the apron, taxiway and run-up areas have been completed with over 800,000 square feet of nine-inch-thick concrete. Work is under way on steel framing of the buildings, laying underground utilities and completing a fuel farm.
Gulfstream's parent company General Dynamics last week painted a cautious, conservative outlook for next year in announcing improved GDearnings in the third quarter and predicting that Gulfstream will benefit from an aggressive reduction in costs and elimination of used inventory.
With just under two months of shopping time left before the holidays, The Christmas Book from Neiman Marcus is in circulation featuring a full-page photo of a Learjet 45XR on the ramp as an attractive young woman disembarks. Neiman Marcus is offering the full Learjet line - from the 40 through the 60 - at B/CA-equipped prices ranging from $7.73 million to $12.74 million.
ECLIPSE STANDS DOWN FIRST TEST AIRCRAFT - Eclipse Aviation, which has been flight testing a version of its Eclipse 500 entry level business jet with substitute powerplants, said it has completed that flight test program.
Jet Aviation's Basel, Switzerland facility recently completed its eighth Boeing Business Jet, a head-of-state aircraft configured to a VIP airliner style. The aircraft seats up to 44 passengers and five crewmembers. The BBJ is configured with a first-class seating area, forward and aft club seating areas, and a forward lounge. The cabin management and entertainment system includes a six-channel SATCOM system with CD, DVD, VCR and Airshow 400 capabilities.
Marconi Corp. won a five-year contract from FAA to deliver equipment and service to provide primary and backup power for air-to-ground communications systems. The contract, which has a minimum value of $6.7 million, covers deployment of Marconi's Vortex DC power platform. The Marconi system will be installed at numerous FAA facilities, including remote transmitter/receiver sites, remote communications air/ground sites, remote communications outlets, backup emergency communications and Level 1 and Level 2 air traffic control towers.
Lee Aerospace appointed Aviation Solutions, Inc. (ASI) in Mississauga, Ontario as its exclusive Canadian distributor. ASI will be a stocking distributor of Lee's full line of aircraft cabin and cockpit windows for aircraft such as King Airs, Learjets, Beechjets, Beech 1900s and Challengers. For more information, contact ASI General Manager Danny Di Vincenzo at (905) 405-1546.
Mesaba Airlines, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., contracted all heavy maintenance (C-checks) on its Saab 340 and Avro RJ85 fleet to Triad International Maintenance Corp., effective Oct. 22. The move eliminates 65 jobs at Mesaba's maintenance bases at Central Wisconsin and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airports, the airline said. Both bases will remain open for line and overnight maintenance.
FAA PROPOSES NEW RULEMAKING FOR AIR TOUR SAFETY - General aviation groups are alarmed about a sweeping FAA proposal to revise national air tour operational standards that could put hundreds of sightseeing operations out of business and end many charitable flights.
The Mexican Navy bought two Eurocopter Panther helicopters and took options for eight more. The helicopters will be operated from boats for coastal patrols, surveillance, search and rescue, anti-drug operations and troop transport, the company said. The Panthers will be delivered in 2005 and will be powered by twin Turbomeca Arriel 2C engines.
The slowdown in fractional aircraft sales is evident by the latest pilot hiring figures from AIR, Inc. of Atlanta, Ga. During September, only one fractional operator was hiring, adding 10 pilots. For the first nine months of 2003, fractionals added 148 pilots, a fraction of the 997 hired during the same period last year.
National Transportation Safety Board has scheduled a hearing at its headquarters Nov. 18 into the Oct. 25, 2002 crash of a Beech King Air 100 that claimed the lives of Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.), five other passengers and both pilots. The aircraft was flying from St. Paul to Eveleth, Minn., where it crashed during a low visibility approach to the Eveleth-Virginia Airport. The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. in NTSB's Board Room/Conference Center in Washington, D.C.
The Bush Administration is reported to be considering another round of military base closings that could make some prime military airports available to the public. The Arlington, Va.-based Lexington Institute said this month that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld wants to close 25 percent of existing U.S. military bases in a single round of base closures beginning in 2005.
Thousands of airplanes will have to be modified to comply with new Domestic Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (DRVSM) requirements being published by FAA in the Federal Register today (Oct. 27). CSSI, a Washington-based transportation and engineering company that supported FAA's RVSM economic analysis, said that roughly 44 percent of business jets and 35 percent of the total U.S. jet fleet is currently compliant with the new standards.
Cessna Aircraft engineers have experimented with winglets on the company's Mach .9 Citation X business jet in an effort to increase the aircraft's range, but have not been able to find a satisfactory configuration. Company officials note that aircraft on which winglets have provided the most significant range improvements generally travel at lower speeds - from Mach .75 to Mach .8 - than the Citation X.
Boeing claims it will dramatically reduce the time needed to move components for its planned 7E7 passenger aircraft by using air transportation as the primary method of parts delivery. The company said it expects savings of 20 to 40 percent compared with traditional shipping methods, with delivery times as short as one day, compared with up to 30 days for ground-based shipments. "Transporting large pieces by air will allow us to dramatically reduce flow time," said Mike Bair, senior vice president of the 7E7 program.
DAVID FORD was promoted to senior vice president, technical services, at Keystone Helicopter. He will manage the engine services division as well as Keytech Engineering and Materials. Ford joined Keystone in 1996 and was most recently vice president and general manager of the helicopter services division.
In the meantime, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) has perplexed nearly everyone with his proposal to transfer air traffic control services to the military, an idea that most believe has no chance of winning legislative approval. Mica has scheduled a hearing on the issue before his House aviation subcommittee on Nov. 6.
BUSH SELECTS LOY FOR NO. 2 JOB AT DHS - Former Coast Guard Admiral James Loy, who was named to head the Transportation Security Administration after the first head of the agency came under public and congressional fire for his inflexibility, last week was selected by the White House for the No. 2 job at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the parent agency of TSA.
The City of Atlanta is seeking applications from companies interested in running a fixed-base operation at Hartsfield International Airport (ATL). The city began distributing packages to potential bidders this month, and has scheduled a pre-proposal conference and site tour Oct. 29. Bids are due Nov. 19. Mercury Air Center is the incumbent FBO on the airport. For more information, contact Toni Darden, contracting officer, at (404)330-6204 or e-mail [email protected] or Jessica Boston, administrative assistant, at [email protected].
Officials of Gulfstream Aerospace and FAA signed an agreement last week designed to foster communication between them on certification and manufacturing issues and ensure that the government uses a uniform regulatory approach in overseeing Gulfstream manufacturing and service facilities in a number of states and several FAA regions.
