The FAA has approved the Gulfstream V for Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) operations. RVSM lowers vertical separation to 1,000 feet for aircraft flying between FL 310 and FL 390, allowing airliners and long-range business jets greater flexibility in flight planning. Separately, Gulfstream recently began construction of a 23,000-square-foot hangar, plus the lease of an additional 20,000-square-foot hangar at its completion center in Brunswick, Ga.
Although unrelated to the 60-day trial issue, an FAA decision in early January to boost certification requirements for some WAAS software means the system will initially only be capable of providing approaches down to 400 feet and three-quarters of a mile visibility, short of the CAT I capability that has been promised.
A number of NDI techniques have been developed for a specific application or for a particular type of fault. Each requires a particular set of skills as well as equipment and/or materials.
Kelly Aerospace (Montgomery, Ala.) -- Jeffrey R. Kelly has been appointed as president and chief operating officer of its Consolidated Fuel Systems and Electrosystems divisions. Kelly's various divisions manufacture parts for corporate and general aviation aircraft.
Business Air Services opened a new charter facility at Waterbury-Oxford Airport in Connecticut. The company will operate three aircraft from the new facility: a Learjet 25 and 35A and a Raytheon Beech King Air 200.
Jet Support Services (JSSI) opened a new office in White Plains, N.Y. Walter Given, Jr. is managing the new office and can be reached at (914) 682-0317. JSSI's Tip to Tail program now offers maintenance programs for select Dassault Falcon 50, 50EX, 2000, 900, 900B, 900C and 900EX aircraft as well as Raytheon Hawker 800XPs, Beechjet 400As, and King Air C90s and B200s.
James Hall, the chairman of the NTSB, spent $400,000 of the board's money in 1999 for a detailed analysis by the RAND think tank on how the Safety Board operates and what could be done to make it function better. The resulting report and recommendations concerning the nation's aviation safety arbiter are both thought provoking and troubling.
A good number of pilots flying corporate and airline operations today (admittedly nearing the end of their careers) trained in airplanes with minimal electrical systems -- six-volt batteries powering navigation lights. If the airplane's electrical system was truly sophisticated, the battery was recharged in flight by a belt-driven automotive-type generator or, perhaps, a strut-mounted, air-driven generator.
The live TV-news images of TWA 800 wreckage burning through the night in the Atlantic Ocean just south of Long Island -- small-screen horrors experienced by millions worldwide in real time -- have become an icon for aviation safety. Richard Healing, the director of Navy Safety and Survivability, was one of those who sat in front of his TV that July night in 1996.
The Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) has chosen Dallas as the site of its 2001 International Convention and Trade Show and Palm Springs, Calif., for its annual meeting in 2002. The Dallas show is scheduled for April 26-28 at the Hyatt Regency Reunion, while the Palm Springs show is set for April 24-26 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. This year's AEA convention will take place in Reno, Nev., from May 7 to 11.
Photograph: Revelers enjoy the merger festivities. The AlliedSignal-Honeywell Aerospace marriage had quite a wedding party at the Phoenix-Sky Harbor Honeywell (nee AlliedSignal) flight operations facility on December 2, 1999, the first day of the new ly combined company. Upbeat music blared and clouds of red and chrome confetti blew over a crowd of more than 300 people, as Robert D. Johnson, president of Honeywell International's aerospace business, unveiled a 75-foot-long ``Honeywell'' banner to the cheers of employees, officially announcing the merger.
TAG Aviation selected FlightSafety International (FSI) for aviation training at TAG facilities worldwide. The four-year deal covers training for flight crews, maintenance technicians, flight attendants and dispatch personnel. TAG's operations staff also will receive FlightSafety Service Excellence customer service training. Geneva, Switzerland-based TAG, which recently increased its U.S. presence with the acquisition of Wayfarer Aviation, also owns Aviation Methods in San Francisco.
The Fractional Ownership Aviation Rulemaking Committee (FOARC) has concluded its meetings and expects to issue recommendations to the FAA late this month or in early February. Although operating under a self-imposed gag order, committee chairman Jim Christiansen -- executive vice president and chief operating officer of TAG Aviation USA -- did say that members have arrived at a ``100-percent consensus'' on its conclusions and that he expected everyone in the aviation community to be happy with the results.
Japan's Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) ordered a Bombardier Global Express for use in flight inspection and calibration. The aircraft interior will be outfitted by Aerodata Flugmesstechnik of Germany with delivery to JCAB planned for December 2001.
R. Gregory Geletka has been named president and CEO of the DaimlerChrysler subsidiary. Debis finances a variety of business acquisitions, including aircraft.
Declaring, ``our intention is to create a new category of air service,'' Indigo Air President and CEO Matt Andersson announced plans to operate regular flights aboard Dassault Falcon 20s between Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and Chicago's Midway Airport. Indigo says service will commence sometime this quarter, with three leased aircraft operating four to five daily roundtrips. The weekday-only flights will operate as public charters under FAR Part 135, although Anderson did say the ultimate plan is to become a Part 121 carrier.
Southern Aviation Technologies of Orlando says it recently completed the first Cessna Citation wing main spar replacement outside of a factory service center. Additional information about the repair station is available at its new Web site: www.southernaviationtech.com.
You have covered all the aspects of a demanding job: The right pilots, a crack maintenance team and an aircraft sufficient for the mission are in place. Your hangar and flight operations define professionalism. Have you missed anything? Take a look at your aircraft. Does their appearance reflect your high standards? Can you see your reflection clearly in the bright work? Do the deicers shine, are the windows clear and does the paint sparkle? Are the cabinets, sidewalls, carpets, leather and woodwork spotless?
