Jet-Care International was appointed as a designated analysis center for Pratt & Whitney Canada P&W engine condition trend monitoring. Jet-Care underwent P&W training and examination to secure the designation. Jet-Care monitors engine health of more than 12,000 engines in more than 60 countries. The company also recently upgraded its online aircraft engine monitoring software package ECHO (Engine Condition Health Online) to include both oil analysis reporting and performance trending.
The House Transportation And Infrastructure Committee last week delayed action on a sweeping security package that would provide some relief to banner towers, call for certain on-demand charter access to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and move the foreign student pilot background check program from the Department of Justice to the Transportation Security Administration (BA, May 19/225).
MECHANICS SKIPPED STEPS DURING AIR MIDWEST MAINTENANCE - The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is probing what role dropping steps from the elevator rigging and cable tension adjustment process during maintenance played in the fatal crash two days later of an Air Midwest Beech 1900D in January.
CAE won a two-year contract to provide CRJ200 flight simulator training to Midway Airlines pilots. CAE valued the contract at between $5 million (C) and $6 million (C). The deal includes two renewable two-year terms. CAE will primarily train Midway Airlines pilots at its Denver, Colo. training center, but also will provide support throughout its North American training network. Training will begin next month.
FAA last week issued three notices to airmen (NOTAMs) imposing airspace restrictions in response to the Department of Homeland Security's raising the national security threat level to Code Orange/High. The NOTAMs require that flights into and out of three Maryland airports - Potomac Airfield, Hyde Field and College Park - must undergo a security screening at the "gateway" Tipton Airport.
A New General Aviation Airport Security working group met for the first time last week to begin drafting a series of recommendations for improving small airport security. The Transportation Security Administration last month established the working group to categorize the 5,400 public use general aviation airports and develop best security practices of those groups (BA, May 5/201).
HIRSCHMANN FAMILY SHAKES UP TOP MANAGEMENT AT JET AVIATION GROUP - Thomas Hirschmann stepped down as chief executive of the Jet Aviation Group of Companies, marking the latest in a series of management changes for the Swiss aviation services provider. The company would not comment on his departure, announcing simply that Jet Aviation veteran Heinz Kohli was taking over operations as interim CEO.
June 5 - National Business Aviation Association Forum and Static Display, Republic Airport, Farmingdale, N.Y., (202) 783-9000 June 15-22 - 45th Paris Air Show, Le Bourget Airport, Paris, France, +33 1 532 33333 June 27-28 - NBAA 8th Annual Flight Attendants Conference, Philadelphia, Pa., (202) 783-9000 July 29-Aug. 4 - Experimental Aircraft Association 51st AirVenture Oshkosh '03, Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, Wis., (920) 426-6523
Gulfstream installed its enhanced vision system on the Gulfstream IV-SP. Gulfstream decided to offer EVS on the GIV-SP after hearing encouraging customer response on the system installed on Gulfstream V aircraft. "Their overwhelming positive response led to our decision to also offer the Gulfstream EVS on our large-cabin, long-range Gulfstream IV-SP business jet," said Bryan Moss, Gulfstream president. Prime Jet LLC and Northrop Grumman are among the customers who recently ordered EVS for their new GIV-SP aircraft, Gulfstream said.
Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority, Fla., is soliciting sealed proposals until 4 p.m. June 20 for a fixed-base operation at the corporate aviation terminal and hangar complex at the Space Coast Regional Airport (TIX), according to the Bidder's Compendium. Contract term is 20 years. A mandatory pre-proposal conference and site visit are scheduled for May 30. For more information, contact David Edwards at (321) 267-8780.
Growth in the fractional ownership market continues to slow - in first quarter 2003, slightly fewer than half as many shares were purchased as in the same 2002 quarter, according to preliminary data released by AvData Inc. of Wichita, Kan. Fractional ownership pioneer NetJets outpaced other providers in terms of number of shares sold to customers, followed by Flight Options and Business JetSolutions, AvData reported. Fractional providers added 21 new and used aircraft to their fleets in the first quarter, down from 31 in the first quarter of 2002.
Delta Airelite Business Jets added a Gulfstream 100, based at the Lunken Airport in Cincinnati, to its charter management agreement. A subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, Delta AirElite has more than 300 business jets available for charter around the U.S.
THOMAS FALCO was named director of maintenance at Atlantic Aviation Flight Services. Based at the company's headquarters in Teterboro, N.J., Falco will manage Atlantic's local Northeastern fleet. Falco has experience with a wide array of airframes and power plants, including Boeing, Gulfstream, Citation, Learjet and Sikorsky.
TEXTRON TAPS HONEYWELL'S REDENBAUGH TO LEAD BELL HELICOPTER - Textron Friday named Honeywell veteran Michael Redenbaugh to lead Bell Helicopter as chief executive officer, reuniting him with his former Honeywell colleague Steven Loranger. Redenbaugh succeeds John Murphey, who was named chairman emeritus of the Fort Worth, Texas rotorcraft producer.
The National Park Service and the First Flight Centennial Foundation Wednesday held ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the First Flight Centennial Pavilion built to commemorate the centennial of powered flight. The pavilion, based at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, N.C., is expected to remain open for five years, providing educational exhibits, a place for speakers and aviation-themed activities.
BE A PILOT recently launched a $1 million television campaign to promote the program. Commercials will air on at least eight national cable channels including 29 airings on the Discovery Channel, 252 airings on ESPN2, ESPN News and ESPN Classic and 445 spots on an aviation-oriented digital cable channel called Discovery Wings. "BE A PILOT is general aviation's first use of regular, national TV advertising to attract consumers to the benefits of flying," said Drew Steketee, president and CEO of BE A PILOT.
Wichita, Kan., officials are sponsoring the Wichita Aviation Festival Sept. 18-21 to celebrate the 100 years of flight. Part of the U.S. Centennial of Flight events, the festival will include local and regional activities, including an air show at McConnell Air Force Base. In addition, the city Arts Council is sponsoring a Plane Crazy art program, which will place airplane sculptures throughout the city. The Plane Crazy program began this month, and the planes will remain on display through September.
POOR WEATHER HURT FIRST QUARTER BUSINESS AT AIR METHODS - Its business affected by poor weather, emergency air medical transportation provider Air Methods posted a net loss of $516,000 in the first quarter of 2003, ended March 31. The losses were within the expected range that the company disclosed in April. "As previously disclosed, our first quarter results were adversely affected by severe weather throughout the country, particularly in February," said George Belsey, Air Methods chairman and CEO.
The House And Senate late last week approved a tax cut bill that would increase the bonus depreciation percentage from 30 percent to 50 percent. Under the provision, property acquired after May 5, 2003, and before Jan. 1, 2005, would qualify for the 50 percent accelerated depreciation (BA, May 5/209). Both the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and National Business Aviation Association pushed for the increase, hoping to jump-start aircraft sales and provide relief for business aircraft operators.
Strategic Research Institute's 8th Annual Corporate Aircraft Transactions and Fractional Ownership Interests Forum will be held July 10 and 11 at the Metropolitan Hotel in New York City. Dassault Falcon President John Rosanvallon and Boeing Business Jet President Lee Monson will be among the presenters at the forum. A discussion on changes in security, increasing insurance costs and liability issues and new regulations will be led by Kathy Perfetti of the Federal Aviation Administration and Jack Olcott, president of the National Business Aviation Association.
EMBRAER SELLS 12 REGIONAL JETS TO REPUBLIC AIRWAYS - Embraer signed a $240 million contract with Republic Airways Holdings for 12 ERJ 145LR regional jets. The order, announced at the annual Regional Airline Association convention in Phoenix, Ariz. last week, comes just after Embraer received a US Airways order for 85 Embraer 170 aircraft, one of the largest regional jet orders in years (BA, May 19/228).
General Aviation Manufacturers Association elected James Schuster, chairman and CEO of Raytheon Aircraft, as vice chairman of the association. Schuster fills the slot vacated when Rockwell Collins President and CEO Clayton Jones was named chairman on May 1 after former Gulfstream President Bill Boisture stepped down from the post (BA, May 5/208). Schuster joined the GAMA board in 2001 and will continue to chair GAMA's Security Issues Committee.
Northrop Grumman's California Microwave Systems (CMS) unit last week handed over to the U.S. Coast Guard the last of 15 HU-25 Falcon airborne surveillance aircraft on order. CMS won the $44 million contract in March 2000. The first nine Falcons were fitted with Northrop Grumman's AN/APG-66(V)2 radar. The remaining six are equipped with Telephonics AN/APS-143 inverse synthetic aperture radar. All 15 received Wescam MX-15 forward-looking infrared sensors and Raytheon OASIS tactical workstations.
