The power and capability of electronic commerce over the Internet is exploding. One can purchase virtually anything -- books, music, antiques, groceries, vacations, prescription drugs, cars -- online. You can even reduce the fine on a speeding ticket by attending an online driving school.
New York City became the most-popular urban destination for rotorcraft almost as soon as the first heliport opened in Manhattan a half century ago. Since the 1940s, New York's forward-thinking government leaders have viewed helicopters as key to the metropolitan area's transportation infrastructure. However, nowhere has the struggle to ensure that helicopters have an adequate number of places to land been more dramatic than in the core of the Big Apple.
Titletown Jet Centre at Austin Strauble Field in Green Bay, Wis., has just completed a major renovation. Changes include a larger lobby area that features new carpeting and furniture, plus an assortment of Green Bay Packers memorabilia. ``In addition to our daily service to transient and local aircraft, we specialize in serving aircraft flying to Green Bay for Packer games,'' the company says. ``Since we are the closest FBO to Lambeau Field [``The Frozen Tundra''], the ride only takes 10 minutes.''
The NTSB has asked the FAA to require all occupants of single-engine aircraft to wear life preservers on commercial flights performed out of gliding distance from land. According to the recommendation, operators also would be required to brief passengers on ditching procedures and the proper use of flotation devices. Between 1983 and 1996, 21 people lost their lives in 29 accidents caused by single-engine failures over water.
Meggitt Avionics, the British company developing an EFIS for turboprops, piston aircraft and entry-level business jets has selected Woodland Aviation as its first dealer. An independently owned Raytheon Aircraft sales and service center in Northern California, Woodland plans to help Meggitt develop EFISes for Raytheon aircraft. Testing of Meggitt's MAGIC system is under way on New Piper's Malibu Meridian, and also is planned for the proposed Century Aerospace CA-100 business jet.
GKN Westland has opened a new helicopter transmission test facility in Yeovil, United Kingdom, that is able to test 10 different helicopter gearboxes at the cost of one traditional test. The company expects the new equipment -- called the Flexible Transmissions Test Rig (FTTR) -- to enable it to perform development and production testing for its AH-64 Apache (built under license), Sea King and AB139 helicopters, as well as the new EH101.
Shell has unveiled a new look for its Aeroshell product line. The packaging is color-coded for the different types of oil and is now packaged in stronger black bottles that are recyclable. While the exterior has changed, Shell says there are no changes to what's inside.
A new, lightweight emergency locator transmitter (ELT) for helicopters is available from Artex Aircraft. Powered by a four-year lithium battery, the ELT-200HM weighs only 1.91 pounds. In addition to being a lifesaver, the unit also is a space saver, measuring 2.5 by 2.75 by 6.25 inches. The device received FAA certification in summer 1999 and is available for delivery from Artex or one of its dealers throughout the United States. Price: $1,095 Artex Aircraft 10714 S. Township Rd. Canby, Ore. 97013
Jim Gregory joins the instrument manufacturer's customer service department in Van Nuys, Calif., while Larry Wyatt joins the company's customer service department in Wichita. Industry veteran Charles Shumate is now quality assurance manager.
Although it is considered a derivative model, Eurocopter's new EC 155 medium twin only barely has a foot in the past. Not since the original Dauphin got a second engine and a major rework in the mid-1970s has the line made such an evolutionary leap.
In the latest twist to their ongoing trade dispute saga, Brazil and Canada have asked the World Trade Organization (WTO) to create a ``compliance panel'' to oversee each other's regional aircraft subsidy programs. Embraer continues to benefit from Brazil's ProEx financing scheme, Canada's Bombardier maintains, four months after the WTO upheld its earlier ruling that ProEx, Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC) and other financing schemes employed by the two nations violated international law.
Airborne, an Elmira, N.Y.-based provider of charter and management services, is preparing to launch a new fractional ownership program called FirstFlight later this month. Flight operations are expected to begin March 1 with a core fleet of five used Falcon 50s, and the company expects to add Falcon 900s in the first half of this year. Service initially will be offered east of the Mississippi, although the program will be national by the end of this year, according to Craig Fahning, vice president of sales and marketing.
U.K. charter operator EURO Executive Jet received charter authorization for its Cessna Citation 1. The aircraft is equipped with a dual Garmin GNS-430.
Fleet Capital and Jet Support Services (JSSI) have teamed up to provide Fleet Encompass, a financing plan for JSSI's aircraft maintenance programs. Fleet will finance all JSSI programs, including JSSI Complete, Select, Unscheduled and Term.
Chalk's International -- which bills itself as the world's oldest airline -- has re-launched as Chalk's Ocean Airways. The carrier will operate six daily roundtrips between the commuter airline terminal at Fort Lauderdale International Airport and the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Chalk's, which has been through a series of owners in recent years including casino titans Merv Griffin and Donald Trump, has refurbished two Grumman 73Ts for the service, with plans to have six turbine Mallards operating by the end of the year.
Nearly all of the 800 members of the Air Traffic Specialist Association of Canada (ATSAC) have approved strike action if ongoing negotiations with Nav Canada fail. The union's membership -- which includes flight service specialists working at 79 airports across Canada -- has worked without a contract since April 1998. Key issues are job security, wages and working conditions. The Canadian government recently appointed George W. Adams, a federal commissioner, to assist with the talks.
Cessna delivered its 3,000th Citation -- a Citation X -- to John Menard, president and CEO of Menard, Inc., a Wisconsin home improvement retailer. Menard has been a Citation customer for the past 13 years. Cessna expects to deliver another 1,000 Citations within the next three years.
Schweizer Aircraft, perhaps the nation's oldest continuously operated, family owned airframe manufacturer, is celebrating its 60th year in business this year, but the company is spending most of its time looking forward, not backward. ``I don't think I've ever seen a more exciting period than the one we're in now,'' says Paul H. Schweizer. ``We're hardly an old, stodgy company.''
Gulfstream Aerospace delivered a G-V to Kuwait Airways for use by senior Kuwaiti government officials. Two additional G-Vs are on order. Gulfstream also announced that its international sales headquarters has moved to larger offices in Farnborough, England.
Spatial zones encircle each plane. The smaller zone (in yellow) is called the ``protected zone.'' The protected zone of an aircraft can never meet the protected zone of another aircraft. The larger ``alert zone'' extends well beyond the protected zone and, upon contact with another aircraft's alert zone (shown in red), signals that action may be required by the air traffic controller and pilot.
