The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association filed a lawsuit in federal court against the State of Michigan earlier this month, contesting a state law that requires felony background checks for flight school students.
High-frequency voice coverage is now available for both airline and private aircraft using north polar air routes. ARINC, the Annapolis, Md. provider of voice and data services to the aviation industry, said it recently installed a one-kilowatt transmitter near Barrow, Alaska to provide the new high-frequency service. Operational use has demonstrated that "robust coverage is available well beyond 2,000 nautical miles," which ARINC said is "far enough for pilots to maintain reliable contact all the way to the Russian mainland."
Delta plans to aggressively pursue regional jet aircraft maintenance after winning a $1 billion contract to maintain the GE CF34 engines that power Bombardier Canadair Regional Jets flown by the carrier's wholly owned subsidiaries Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) and Comair. "This is a springboard," said Basil Papawoti, director, sales and marketing for TechOps, Delta's maintenance division. "With the ASA and Comair orders we now have critical mass.
Professional Aircraft Accessories will construct a new facility at Space Coast Regional Airport, located south of Titusville, Fla. The first phase of the project, construction of the 37,000-square-foot office building, is expected to be completed in February 2003. The second phase will include building two 30,000-square-foot hangars adjacent to the office building.
Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Almond (R) showed his support for the expansion of T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, R.I. to accommodate more passengers. The governor's statement is the latest in a debate between airport officials who want to update and expand the airport and the Warwick mayor and city residents who have protested against expansion. Almond said T.F. Green is an important part of the Rhode Island economy, and the state should "expect and welcome moderate growth" in air traffic over the next 10 to 15 years.
Sciaky, Inc., a division of Phillips Service Industries, received certification from the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program for its electron beam welding services. The company has a 10,000-square-foot welding bay that houses four electron beam welding machines, an Acuwe ld 1000 advanced arc welding system, several resistance welding machines and a testing and evaluation laboratory. Sciaky operates the largest electron beam contract welding facility in the U.S.
Jet Aviation London Biggin Hill expanded the space at its paint division to 10,760 square feet. New track-mounted curtain assemblies were installed in the facility to allow for one larger or two smaller aircraft to be painted at the same time.
APPEALS COURT SIDES WITH FAA, ENVIRONMENTALISTS IN GRAND CANYON BATTLE - The U.S. Court of Appeals Friday dealt air tour operators another blow when it ruled against the U.S. Air Tour Association's lawsuit to block new restrictions over Grand Canyon National Park, and it agreed that the environmentalist groups had merit in their arguments that Grand Canyon restrictions may not go far enough. The court granted the environmentalists' petition and remanded the case to the Federal Aviation Administration to address their complaints.
AOPA SUES STATE OF MICHIGAN FOR BACKGROUND CHECK LAW - The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association filed a lawsuit in federal court against the State of Michigan earlier this month, contesting a state law that requires felony background checks for flight school students.
DELTA CHARTER AFFILIATE OFFERING SKY MILES AWARDS - Delta AirElite Business Jets, the aircraft management and charter affiliate of Delta Air Lines, has begun offering rewards in the Delta Sky Miles program to its charter customers.
Joe O'Gorman, chairman, chief executive officer and president of DHL Airways, died Aug. 10 of a heart attack. He was 59. O'Gorman joined DHL in March 2001, and since that time had established a headquarters in Chicago and recruited a new executive management team. He had a 35-year aviation career, holding senior posts with United Airlines, US Airways, Air Cal, Frontier, Aloha Airlines and Reno Air. The DHL board of directors appointed Vicki Bretthauer, senior vice president of operations, to be acting CEO.
Raytheon Aircraft Company continues to tweak production models of its Premier I business jet to address potential problems and make improvements. The pitot tube on the left side of the Premier's nose is being moved up and slightly aft to ensure that the airplanes will comply with reduced vertical separation minimums (RVSM) accuracy requirements. The original configuration had the probe situated very near a joint where the radome attaches to the nose.
Sciaky, Inc., a division of Phillips Service Industries, received certification from the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program for its electron beam welding services. The company has a 10,000-square-foot welding bay that houses four electron beam welding machines, an Acuweld 1000 advanced arc welding system, several resistance welding machines and a testing and evaluation laboratory. Sciaky operates the largest electron beam contract welding facility in the U.S.
Rockwell Collins acquired Airshow last week, completing a process started in June. Rockwell will add to its existing line Airshow's portfolio of cabin electronics systems for business and commercial aircraft, including cabin environmental controls, passenger information and entertainment, business support systems, network capabilities and passenger flight information systems.
Federal Aviation Administration continued its modernization of air traffic control equipment with the commissioning of the first production ATCBI-6 secondary surveillance radar at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. This kicks off the deployment of up to 128 ATCBI-6 systems nationwide, upgrading the agency's en route radar network. The radar at Tinker will provide data to FAA's air route traffic control centers in Fort Worth, Texas, and Kansas City, Mo.
Ballistic Recovery Systems reported a 53.8 percent jump in revenues and a more than doubling of net income for the third quarter of fiscal 2002. Revenues in the third quarter were $1.5 million, compared with just over $1 million in the third quarter of 2001. Net income grew from $113,881 in the third quarter of 2001 to $229,000 in the most recent quarter. In the first nine months of the year, sales were $3.4 million, a 26 percent increase over the $2.7 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2001.
Don Burtis was named vice president of avionics and electronics at Eclipse Aviation, where he will lead development of electronic systems. Burtis was formerly the director of avionics and electronics.
Used Retail Jet Deliveries Inside And Outside North America For July 2002 Used Retail Deliveries JULY '99 JULY '00 JULY '01 JULY '02 L M H L M H L M H L M H Jet North 55 40 20 44 27 16 31 13 12 51 28 17 America Jet Outside 7 8 4 3 0 1 7 2 4 8 4 3 N. America
ACM Aviation added a Bombardier Global Express business jet to its charter fleet. Based at Mineta San Jose International Airport in San Jose, Calif., ACM operates a fleet of 30 corporate jets.
Summary: Pursuant to FAA's rulemaking provisions governing the application, processing, and disposition of petitions for exemption (14 CFR Part 11), this notice contains a summary of certain petitions seeking relief from specified requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR Chapter I), dispositions of certain petitions previously received, and corrections. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities.
National Transportation Safety Board renamed its Office of Family Affairs the Office of Transportation Disaster Assistance. "The name change reflects the broad range of the office's duties since it was established in 1996 and the extension of its services in many cases to all modes of transportation covered by the NTSB," the agency said.
SANTA MONICA PROPOSAL TO BAR LARGE BIZJETS DRAWS INDUSTRY OBJECTIONS - A Santa Monica, Calif. Airport Commission recommendation to fine and arrest aircraft operators in an attempt to keep large business jets off Santa Monica Airport (SMO) is drawing fire from the general aviation community, which charges that the proposal is based on faulty assumptions and violates federal law. The recommendations are part of an "aircraft conformance program" that the commission is drafting for Santa Monica City Council consideration.
Pratt&Whitney Component Solutions, Inc. (PWCS) has more than doubled the amount of space at its Muskegon, Mich. warehouse facility with the construction of a 15,328-square-foot addition to the existing facility.
A 1968 Sikorsky S-61L Helicopter crashed Aug. 8 about 50 nautical miles southeast of Prince George, British Columbia. One of the pilots was killed and the other seriously injured. The aircraft was registered as N346AA.
Avfuel added Southwestern Aviation of Benson, Ariz. to its network. Located at Benson Municipal Airport, Southwestern Aviation is a full service FBO with 24-hour security, a pilots lounge and a study room.
