K. Josef Laakso was named chief financial officer at ShAirForce, LLC. He was most recently vice president of global sales finance for Fairchild Dornier, where he managed the manufacturer's regional jet financing and leasing program.
A CitationJet full flight simulator manufactured by NLX Corp. of Sterling, Va. won FAA Level D qualification at the CAE SimuFlite Center at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. The CitationJet simulator is the third of five Level D devices on order from CAE SimuFlite to be delivered, and a Falcon 900B/C/EX Level D convertible FFS and a Falcon 2000 Level D FFS will be delivered in the first half of 2003. The contracts for those simulators were issued while SimuFlite Training International was a part of GE Capital.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-100, -200, and -300 series airplanes (Docket No. 2000-NM-307-AD; Amendment 39-12849; AD 2002-16-10) - requires various modifications of the airstair (main passenger) door specified in certain service bulletins. This action is necessary to prevent failure of the airstair door to open after a landing, which could result in a blocked escape route during an emergency evacuation.
PILOT'S LACK OF TIME IN AIRCRAFT UNDER SCRUTINY IN CALIFORNIA CRASH - The pilot's lack of time in type of aircraft is under scrutiny as a key factor in the fatal crash of an Aero Commander 690A near Bishop, Calif. last month (BA, Aug. 19/80).
While TSA is giving charter operators of aircraft weighing 95,000 pounds or more until the end of September to review proposed compliance guidance on new security requirements, the agency has yet to begin distributing the guidance. TSA plans to use FAA Principal Operations Inspectors to get the material to operators, as it did with proposed guidance for security requirements imposed on commercial operators of aircraft weighing 12,500 pounds or more.
Aircraft Owners And Pilots Association vowed to fight apparent efforts of Kent State University officials to close Kent State University Airport (1G3) and redevelop the 300-acre property. Anne Esposito, AOPA vice president of airports, wrote the university late last month that they were obligated to operate the airport for the next 20 years since they had accepted federal grant money to rehabilitate the apron, taxiway and runway. "These agreements are contracts with the federal government that must be honored," Esposito said.
Max-Viz Inc. delivered an EVS-1000 enhanced vision system (EVS) to Total Aircraft Services (TAS) in Van Nuys, Calif., for installation on a customer's Bombardier Challenger CL-601-3A business jet. TAS is working with Max-Viz on a tail-mounted installation of the EVS and expects FAA certification this fall. The EVS uses infrared imaging to improve the pilot's ability to see ground vehicles, equipment, obstacles and other aircraft on ramps, taxiways and runways when visibility is poor. The delivery of the Max-Viz EVS-1000 was the first to an operator customer.
Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. said its field service representatives will now have a "Model Specialist" designation, meaning they will demonstrate "particular proficiency in two models specifically, and general working knowledge of the rest of the Falcon family." The adoption of the new model specialist designation "will facilitate quicker technical solutions and reduce aircraft downtime," said Ron Velivis, director of field service.
Regional Jet Flying accounts for 23 percent of flights at American Airlines, 21 percent of United's flying, 37 percent at Delta, 32 percent at Continental and at 26 percent at Northwest, based on data from Bombardier.
Jay E. Bosch was named vice president of engineering at Sinex Aviation Technologies. He will oversee quality assurance and software and network engineering. Bosch most recently worked at Berkley Information Services as vice president of systems development.
Douglas P. Nowinski was named vice president, regional airline accounts at Sinex Aviation Technologies. In his new position, Nowinski, most recently a vice president at AAR Corp., will be responsible for business development and account management for regional airlines worldwide.
LEARJET Model 45 airplanes (Docket No. 2002-NM-167-AD; Amendment 39-12866; AD 2002-17-01) - requires pulling the FOOT WARM circuit breaker located on the copilot's circuit breaker panel, and installing a collar on that circuit breaker. This action is necessary to prevent an electrical short circuit between the pilot's and copilot's foot warmers and the composite floorboards, which could result in outgassing of the faceply material of the composite floorboards, and consequent smoke in the cockpit. The AD is effective Sept.
MedAire is offering its Management of Inflight Illness and Injury course at Farnborough Airport in the United Kingdom. MedAire will provide both two-day initial and one-day recurrent training at Farborough with courses taught by emergency medical professionals. The curriculum is based on MedAire's experience in managing inflight medical emergencies through its MedLink Global Response Center.
Ideal Aerosmith, Inc. won a contract from Rockwell Collins, Inc. to design, develop and deploy automatic test equipment to support the new Collins eTES inflight entertainment system. The contract has a potential value of up to $3.9 million over two years.
Max-Viz Inc. delivered an EVS-1000 enhanced vision system (EVS) to Total Aircraft Services (TAS) in Van Nuys, Calif., for installation on a customer's Bombardier Challenger CL-601-3A business jet. TAS is working with Max-Viz on a tail-mounted installation of the EVS and expects FAA certification this fall. The EVS uses infrared imaging to improve the pilot's ability to see ground vehicles, equipment, obstacles and other aircraft on ramps, taxiways and runways when visibility is poor. The delivery of the Max-Viz EVS-1000 was the first to an operator customer.
Canadian Simulator manufacturer CAE, Inc. closed an agreement last month to sell CAE's sawmill operations in Salmon Arm, British Columbia; Ukiah, Calif., and Covington, Ga. to Coe Manufacturing Co. CAE said last December it intended to divest its Forestry Systems businesses to focus on its core business of providing advanced flight simulation and integrated training for customers in the civil aviation, military and marine markets.
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA Model 206L, L-1, L-3 and L-4 helicopters (Docket No. 99-SW-80-AD) - revises an earlier AD that would have required inspecting the tailboom skins for a crack, replacing a cracked tailboom with a modified tailboom before further flight, and implementing a recurring inspection of the modified tailboom. That proposal was prompted by several reports of cracks found during mandatory inspections.
Despite the sagging economy, fractional ownership provider CitationShares continued to make inroads into the fractional market, more than doubling its business in the past year, the company said last week. Founded in July 2000 through a joint venture between Cessna Aircraft and TAG Aviation, the company's portfolio has grown from 58 shareholders of 11 aircraft after the first year to 250 shareholders of a fleet of 30 aircraft. The company now employs 117 pilots.
National Air Transportation Association will present a series of risk management seminars that cover a variety of insurance topics, including selecting an aviation insurance broker, reducing claims by aggressively managing risk and an overview of the current aviation insurance market. The next session will be held Thursday, Sept. 26, at the Hilton Airport Hotel in Austin, Texas. Price to attend is $225 for NATA members and $275 for non-members. For more information, contact NATA at (703) 845-9000.
B/E Aerospace will be exhibiting a "one-of-a-kind comfort system" at NBAA this month. The aircraft seating and interior manufacturer promises this new system "provides a subtle walking-like motion that stimulates circulation through the upper thighs, buttocks and spine. The comfort system reduces restlessness, fatigue, discomfort, lower back pain and stiffness." There was no indication whether the B/E comfort system is retrofittable into the standard Lazy Boy recliner or is restricted to business jet passenger seats.
Honeywell signed a strategic supplier agreement with Lockheed Martin Corp. that will establish a long-term business relationship between the two companies. Honeywell said under the agreement, the companies will adopt a common business approach that will be more efficient and reduce costs for military customers.
National Air Transportation Association will present a series of risk management seminars that cover a variety of insurance topics, including selecting an aviation insurance broker, reducing claims by aggressively managing risk and an overview of the current aviation insurance market. The next session will be held Thursday, Sept. 26, at the Hilton Airport Hotel in Austin, Texas. Price to attend is $225 for NATA members and $275 for non-members. For more information, contact NATA at (703) 845-9000.
The pilot's lack of time in type of aircraft is under scrutiny as a key factor in the fatal crash of an Aero Commander 690A near Bishop, Calif. last month (BA, Aug. 19/80).
General Dynamics acquired Command Systems, Inc. (CSI) of Fort Wayne, Ind. for an undisclosed amount, the company said Aug. 27. CSI, with a work force of 34, provides command and control software and hardware to U.S. and international military markets. The company will become part of General Dynamics C4 Systems, based in Taunton, Mass.
Ideal Aerosmith, Inc. won a contract from Rockwell Collins, Inc. to design, develop and deploy automatic test equipment to support the new Collins eTES inflight entertainment system. The contract has a potential value of up to $3.9 million over two years.
