Edited by Paul RichfieldBy Paul Richfield, in Las Vegas
Sikorsky Aircraft hopes refinements to its S-76 helicopter will keep the corporate and offshore mainstay hovering well into the 21st century. Recent improvements include graphite doors, a Honeywell dual-digital automatic flight control system, Parker flat-panel displays, and Collins navigation and communications radios.
As a result of an alliance with Echo Flight, Garmin International's GNS 430 and GNS 530 GPS/Comm units soon will be capable of providing NEXRAD weather radar data and e-mail service in flight. Using a new transceiver to interface with the GARMIN units, Echo Flight will provide current location weather, en-route weather and destination forecasts on a subscription basis. Service is planned for the second quarter. Price: $2,495, transceiver; $40/month (est.), subscription Garmin International 1200 E. 151st St. Olathe, Kan. 66062
Gulf Coast Avionics is planning a golf tournament to kick off the annual Sun 'n Fun fly-in. Entry fee for the April 7 tournament is $75, with proceeds benefiting the Florida Aviation Safety Foundation and the Sun 'n Fun Aviation Foundation. Further information is available from Gulf Coast at (863) 709-9714.
If the idea of designing your own seat belts is appealing, you'll enjoy using Aircraft Belts' new Build-A-Belt Web site. Build-A-Belt draws the belt as you select its length, assembly type, hardware type and method of attachment to the aircraft -- even the color. Once completed, the design can be e-mailed or faxed to Aircraft Belts, which promises a price quote within 24 hours. Build-A-Belt's Web site is a variation of the company's CD-ROM program bearing the same name. Price: Varies with design Aircraft Belts, Inc. 2000 Anders Ln.
John J.T. Helms is now branch manager of the company's new pleasure and business office. Craig Williams is now branch manager of the aviation insurance agency's new San Francisco office.
Imagine a flight where a controller issues an altitude clearance, you read back what you thought you heard, and the controller does not correct your readback. A few minutes later, the controller angrily restates the altitude clearance, gives a turn to your traffic, and gives you a phone number to call on the ground.
Beginning this summer, operators of transport-category aircraft will be able to participate in aircraft parts auctions on the Internet. The project is a joint venture between SITA, a Geneva-based telecommunications company, and AAR Corp., an aircraft parts supplier headquartered in Wood Dale, Ill. Among other features, the Web site will serve as a parts clearinghouse and central location for auctions, reverse auctions and inventory listings.
A U.S. District Court Judge ordered Comair's 1,100 pilots back to work in late December 1999 after an apparent work slowdown. The Cincinnati-based regional was forced to cancel hundreds of flights in December, most due to mechanical irregularities. Comair sources say Richard de Lagarde, the chairman of Comair's Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) chapter, encouraged pilots to be ``especially zealous'' in writing up maintenance items, refuse overtime and even taxi slowly to disrupt the airline's schedule.
Case Western University's Weatherhead School of Management named Cleveland, Ohio-based fractional operator Flight Options to its Weatherhead 100 -- a listing of Northeast Ohio's fastest growing companies.
Transportation Safety Institute's 2000 Schedule Aircraft Accident Investigation (6 1/2 class days, $1,261 per person) February 16-25 March 14-22 April 11-19 May 16-24 June 6-14 July 18-26 July 27-August 4 August 6-16 September 13-21 Human Factors in Accident Investigation (3 1/2 class days, $735 per person) February 8-11 April 25-28 July 11-14 August 22-25
Corporate aviation has always had an image problem. Especially in the early days of business flying, the man on the street found it difficult to identify with travelers who were zipping around the country ensconced in the spacious, luxurious cabins of private aircraft. But what if a popular figure, a seemingly regular guy whom the masses trusted implicitly, urged everyone to fly and regularly reminded the public that aviation was the best thing since sliced bread?
Congressman Steve Rothman (D-N.J.) and a group of state legislators are asking the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to close Teterboro Airport to traffic between 12 midnight and 6 a.m. Rothman, co-chair of the Congressional Air Noise Caucus, cited ``safety concerns'' and ``intolerable noise disruptions'' as justification for the proposed flight ban.
Cessna and Northrop Grumman celebrated milestones in new aircraft production: delivery of the 100th Citation X and the 100th Gulfstream V wing, respectively. Townsend Engineering President Ted Townsend took delivery of the 100th Citation X, just over three years after Arnold Palmer took delivery of the first Model 750. Gulfstream's 100th G-V is expected to leave the factory in late March, with customer delivery planned for late in the year.
Mesa Airlines has appointed Robert Stone, 43, to fill its long-vacant chief financial officer (CFO) position, allowing acting CFO Mike Lotz to resume chief operating officer duties. The Phoenix-based carrier will, however, file its annual SEC financial report late. Stone most recently served as Boeing's vice president of financial planning and analysis.
In a bid to improve service, Mercury Air Group has altered the management structure of its Mercury Air Centers FBO operations on the West Coast. Dan McDyre was named western regional director, Wes Daniels will be general manager of the company's Reno, Nev., facility and Fred Allega will return to manage Mercury's FBO at Los Angeles International Airport.
Fastening snow baffles can be an expensive and time-consuming process -- especially if you're flying with them installed when it's not necessary. Paravion's new Dzus Fastener Kit enables operators to fasten and remove snow baffles on Bell 206L-1, L-3, L-4 and 407 helicopters without any tools. Now snow baffles can be stowed until they're needed, saving time and fuel. Price: $550 Paravion Technology, Inc. 2001 Airway Ave. Fort Collins, Colo. 80524 Phone: (970) 224-3989 Fax: (970) 224-3899
Raytheon Aircraft Services is the first FBO network to join the National Air Transportation Association's ``Safety 1st Professional Line Service Program.'' The trade group -- which represents FBOs and Part 135 operators -- says the initiative will enhance safety by ``identifying the knowledge and skills required of professional aviation line service personnel, and assuring their competence through objective testing. Raytheon operates 15 FBOs in the United States and the United Kingdom. Signature Flight Support also has agreed to participate in the NATA program.
Sun Air Aviation at Southern California's Camarillo Airport (CMA) plans to operate newly acquired Camarillo Electronics as its avionics sales and service division. Camarillo Electronics was one of the largest avionics shops in the region; former owner James Straka will stay on with Sun Air as chief avionics engineer. ``We feel quite fortunate to have Jim Straka and his expertise in avionics involved in this new operation,'' says Harry Gantner, Sun Air's president.
We incorrectly stated that UNC Airwork is a subsidiary of BBA Aviation (January, page 40). When Dallas Airmotive acquired Airwork in December 1998, the Airwork name was retired.
Schweizer Aircraft has unveiled a helicopter it says will ``set a new standard'' for light utility, turbine-powered helicopters. Plans call for the new Model 333 to carry four people, cruise at around 105 knots and offer 3.5 hours of endurance. The 333 will have a useful load of 1,340 pounds -- a 220-pound increase over the earlier Model 330SP -- along with a more powerful Rolls-Royce Allison 250-C20W engine and a redesigned rotor system with larger diameter blades.
Universal Avionics Systems Corp., is on the verge of certifying an advanced avionics system that will provide a stepping stone to SVS in business aircraft. The Tucson-based firm is on track to be the first avionics firm to integrate FMS and Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) technologies, thereby providing pilots with an enhanced defense against the risk of Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT).
