The Aviation Trust Fund and FAA budget aren't the only casualties of congressional budget battles. Funds for further development of the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) and Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) also have been put on hold until the FAA can provide additional justification of the planned expenditures. LAAS, which is expected to reduce air traffic delay in IFR conditions, was successfully tested in November at Memphis and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airports.
ACAS MOPS 7 (TCAS Change 7.0) equipment will be required for all aircraft with a 15,000-kg (33,000 lb) MTOW operating in European Civil Aviation Conference airspace after December 31. However, operators with TCAS II Change 6.04 avionics may apply for an exemption until March 31, 2001, if the
Delta Air Lines has acquired the remaining 78 percent of Comair Holdings that it did not already own for $1.8 billion, or $23.50 per common share. The move is indicative of Delta's growing reliance on its affiliates' regional jets, which feed mainline jets at Delta hubs while allowing the reallocation of Delta aircraft to larger markets.
Few things are as dangerous, or as much of a pain in the butt, as a member of Congress with a little bit of information and a desire to make a splash with his new-found knowledge. The latest case in point is Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the ``Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem.''
On the 31st of this month, Cessna Chairman and CEO Russell W. Meyer, Jr., will turn over the day-to-day operations of that company to Vice Chairman Gary W. Hay, thus closing one of the most successful leadership tenures in the history of general aviation management. ``But I am not ready for the rocking chair yet,'' says Meyer in his resonant baritone and wearing his trademark grin.
BFGoodrich became the second firm to announce a low-cost Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) box when it introduced its Landmark TAWS8000 at the NBAA Convention in October. The TAWS8000's terrain avoidance capability complements the firm's Skywatch and TCAS791 traffic alerting systems and its Stormscope hazardous weather detection systems, thus providing protection from the three major causes of fatal accidents.
Air Botswana's fleet of three ATR-42-300 aircraft was destroyed on October 11, when a disgruntled pilot stole one of the aircraft and crashed it into two others sitting empty in front of the passenger terminal at Sir Seretse Khama Airport in Gabarone, Botswana. The pilot was killed but no other injuries were reported. According to local accounts, the pilot had been grounded recently for medical reasons, and broadcast his intentions over the aircraft's radio prior to his fatal dive.
Bombardier Aerospace sold a total of nine CRJ200s to new operators. China's Shandong Airlines ordered seven aircraft, making it the first regional carrier in China to operate the regional jet. Cimber Air A/S of Denmark ordered two, the first pure jets for the carrier, which currently operates a fleet of ATR turboprops.
Effective January 1, 2000, all after-market support, including parts ordering, for Rolls-Royce 250 engines will be available through Aviall. Rolls-Royce says the deal will give operators faster access to parts and information and help eliminate ``manufacturing lead time.'' Information is available through Aviall's Web site (www.aviall.com) and its toll-free support line, 1-(800) AVIALL-1.
Edited by Paul RichfieldMike Vines, in Birmingham, England
British Aerospace (BAe) Regional Aircraft plans to bring its first Avro RJX regional airliner to the marketplace in July 2001, subject to a final program launch decision. The first of the BAe-146-derivative aircraft will be an 85-seat RJX-85, the company says, while the second likely will be an RJX-100, with provision for up to 110 seats.
Here's a fact that will make you feel good: According to Robert P. Mark, author of Professional Pilot Career Guide, some 12,000 pilot jobs were filled this year. While the numbers are forecast to decrease after 2000, the industry will still require some 8,000 to 9,000 pilots per year until 2007 as Vietnam War-era pilots begin to retire in droves.
FlightSafety International has acquired four Czech Republic-built Zlin Z-242L aerobatic aircraft to bolster its flight training programs at Dothan, Ala., and Vero Beach, Fla. At Dothan, two of the aircraft will be used for unusual attitude recoveries, spin training, inverted and vertical flight, and familiarization with high g-forces as part of the U.S. Army's Fixed Wing Instructor Pilots Course. The FSI Academy in Vero Beach will use its two Zlins to familiarize new pilots with upset conditions and spin recoveries.
DeCrane Aircraft Holdings expands its holdings with the acquisition of International Custom Interiors, Inc., a supplier of upholstery and furniture for corporate and VIP aircraft.
Sometimes the simple stuff is simply not simple. Take pre-departure clearances (PDCs), for example. Prior to PDCs, getting a departure clearance at a congested airport could be a frustrating exercise that occasionally degenerated into a verbal fistfight on frequency. The result was a jammed frequency and short tempers. At some point, the controller sentenced to work the frequency would testily broadcast something to the effect, ``ALL RIGHT. EVERYONE! GET OFF THE FREQUENCY! DON'T CALL ME! I WILL CALL YOU!'' There had to be a better way.
Continental Airlines Chairman and CEO Gordon Bethune has called for the ``immediate reform'' of the U.S. air traffic control system, and urged the federal government to consider privatization as a viable solution.
Transport Canada Examining CAT I Visibility Requirement discuss raising the visibility requirements for Category I approaches. The current standard is 1,200 RVR; the focus of the meeting will be determining a new RVR requirement, perhaps as much as two-times higher. A formal recommendation is expected by year-end, but it likely will be a year before a final rule can be implemented. The review stems in part from the crash of an Air Canada regional jet at Frederickton, New Brunswick, and subsequent Transportation Safety Board recommendations.
A consortium of four French companies has acquired a 20-percent stake in Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer, outbidding a BAe/Saab joint venture. Aerospatiale Matra, Dassault Aviation, Snecma and Thomson-CSF reportedly paid around $200 million for 48.5 million common shares of Embraer, shares that are not tied to control of the company. The French consortium says the investment is ``based on confidence in Embraer's growing role in worldwide aerospace markets,'' and is not tied to any specific program or project.
The FAA's long-awaited fractional ownership committee has begun meeting in Washington, D.C. to help the agency determine how best to regulate fractional operations. At issue is whether fractionals should continue to fall under FAR Part 91, the more restrictive Part 135 rules that apply to commercial operators, or a new set of regulations specifically written for the burgeoning industry.
Williams International has produced its 1,000th FJ44 turbofan, seven years after the first production engine was installed on a Cessna CitationJet aircraft. Since then, Ogden, Utah-based Williams has delivered 715 FJ44-1 engines to Cessna, and another 245 FJ44-1C engines for the re-engining of Sweden's SK60 trainer. The FJ44-1 produces 1,900 pounds of thrust; a growth variant producing 2,300 pounds of thrust will power the stretched CJ2 variant of the CitationJet, Raytheon's Premier I and the Sino Swearingen SJ30-2.
Westchester County Airport (HPN) will strictly enforce an existing ban against Glycol-based deicers this winter. The ban was enacted last winter due to concerns over toxicity and the airport's proximity to a local reservoir. Airport manager Joel Russell said the ban will be enforced through spot inspections and monitoring of runoff for evidence of Glycol.
United Technologies (UTC) will acquire suppliers Cade Industries and Dallas Aerospace and merge them into its Pratt&Whitney Engine Services (PWES) unit. By acquiring Cade, PWES extends its reach into the construction and repair of after-market composite structures; the Dallas Aerospace purchase eliminates a competitor while adding to Pratt's engine sales, parts and leasing business.
