The Air Safety Center of the Aviation Week Web site (which, by the way, is where B/CA can be found on line) features some new links. Users can now connect directly to the Industry CRM Developers Group and the FAA's International Safety Assessment Home Page, as well as to the FAA and NTSB databases, through Aviation Week's ``Safe Links'' section of the site's Air Safety Center.
Boston JetSearch, Inc. (Bedford, Mass.) -- Matthew F. Harnett has joined the company as senior vice president, and Jeffrey S. Wieand came aboard as senior vice president and general counsel. David A. Neville has been promoted to vice president, market research.
DeCrane Aircraft Holdings of El Segundo, Calif., a manufacturer of avionics components and cabin management products, purchased Custom Woodwork&Plastics of Savannah, a manufacturer of interior furniture components for corporate aircraft.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is holding its annual convention at Atlantic City, N. J., this year, from October 21-23. Scheduled seminars will cover high altitude flying, GPS and bad weather hazards. The group also will emphasize aviation safety, medical issues and the financial considerations of aircraft ownership. Atlantic City International is the ``fly-in'' field, though a static display is planned for nearby Bader Field. Registration is available on site, or by calling 1-888-GO2-EXPO.
Russian flagship carrier Aeroflot chose AlliedSignal to supply Airborne Collision Avoidance Systems for the airline's eight Ilyushin IL-76 transport cargo airplanes.
BFGoodrich Avionics Systems (Grand Rapids, Mich.) -- Suzanne Finney was promoted to account manager, air transport group, in the company's sales and marketing department.
ColumbusJack Corp. has announced its 2000 Series of jacks and towbars for a wide spectrum of business aircraft. Jacks feature a hydraulic hand pump, threaded ram with safety locknut, chrome cylinder and heavy duty casters. The yellow acrylic enamel finish is Skydrol-resistant. Towbars have a variable-head system and lifting handles, and most models have ball-bearing pneumatic wheels and an integral shock absorber. Price: Complete set of jacks, from $3,395 for a Cessna to $12,500 for a Bombardier Global Express Columbus Jack Corp.
Cleveland-based Flight Options, the youngest of the four national fractional ownership programs, has signed more than 100 owners since its launch at the 1998 NBAA Convention, and currently has a fleet of nearly 30 aircraft, plus an additional 24 under management. The program is growing at a pace of about 20 owners per month and has reached the ``critical mass'' that allows it to be profitable, according to chairman Kenn Ricci.
As icing season begins in earnest over the Northern Hemisphere, manufacturers of most turboprops and some small jets are reviewing their recommended deice-boot operating procedures and, in some cases, rewriting them. The activity stems from the FAA's July proposed AD directly affecting 17 models of turboprops and light jets including the Cessna 500 series, the Saab 340 series, and de Havilland's Dash 7 and Dash 8 among others. (See the complete list in the NPRM sidebar.)
In the five years since enactment of the General Aviation Revitalization Act, aircraft production has doubled and more than 25,000 new jobs have been created, according to a report to Congress and the president by the GAMA. Other measures of the act's success include a 150-percent increase in research and development funding by GA companies, a rebound in the number of student starts and a doubling of exports of GA aircraft, the association said.
ERDA offers a newly designed side-facing divan to satisfy FAA 16-g requirements for takeoffs and landings. The divan is built in sections (one passenger per section), and each section has a shoulder harness and a sliding back. Seatbacks retract during cruise so that passengers can window gaze. The Divantage System's options include a variety of doors and drawers, in-arm video/IFE screens, food trays, plug-ins and berthable tops. The seat is built from a lightweight composite material and aluminum. Price: Varies ERDA, Inc.
The term ``flagship'' has been a cliche for more 300 years. In the case of the Global Express, however, it's most appropriate. The Global Express not only is the leader of Bombardier's business aircraft fleet, it's also the 500-knot banner bearer in Bombardier's quest to contest Gulfstream Aerospace for the title of King of the Heavy Iron business aircraft class in the next millennium. How important is this market to Bombardier? Take a look the numbers.
Elliott Aviation was awarded an STC for the installation of AlliedSignal's Mark VII Enhanced GPWS in King Air 90-series aircraft. The STC includes an optional special provision for the System's video display capability. In addition to Moline, the company has facilities in Des Moines, Iowa; Minneapolis; and Omaha.
GKN Westland Helicopters awarded a contract to Cox and Co. of New York for the development and production of an ice-protection system for the engine bay cooling scoops on all variants of the EH101 helicopter.
Gulf Coast Avionics completed a custom instrument panel for air show legend Bob Hoover. The new panel includes dual Garmin GNS 430 NOAV/COM/IFR GPS systems and as well as a Garmin GTX-320 transponder.
Accelerated Cost Recovery System: The 1981 Economic Recovery Tax Act's ACRS provided more accelerated depreciation schedules than previously available for certain types of assets, with the intention of spurring new investment activity. Accelerated Depreciation: A method of depreciating an asset for tax purposes that substantially outpaces fair market depreciation. The goal is to create tax benefits that increase after-tax income, thus freeing up cash to invest for future purchases.
Boeing's 717-200 received joint certification from the FAA and JAA in a ceremony at Boeing's Long Beach, Calif., division. The 100-passenger aircraft is the first under a new FAA/JAA program called ``Current and Cooperative Certification''.
As January 1, 2000 approaches, many business aircraft operators are completing internal checks to make sure all of their equipment that relies on computer chips is ready. The FAA has promised that the ATC system will remain up and running when 2000 arrives, but will operations at your home airport and the destinations you visit frequently continue uninterrupted into the new year?
Not long after announcing its unusual partnership with DaimlerChrysler Aviation, General Motors (GM) has announced another aviation business partner -- Detroit-based new entrant carrier Pro Air. Pro Air will operate three GM-leased Saab 2000s in a new regional operation to be called Pro Air Express. GM formerly operated the aircraft on employee shuttles. Under the new arrangement, the automaker will continue to lease the aircraft while Pro Air will be responsible for all operational costs, including crews.
China's Hainan Airlines has placed a firm order for 19 Fairchild Aerospace 328JETs worth $226 million, with options for 20 more. Hainan now operates nine Fairchild Metroliners, 16 Boeing 737s, a Learjet 60, a Hawker 800 and a Beechjet 400. The 32-seat 328JET received FAA and JAA certification in July.
If you bought an airplane for $1 million dollars six years ago, and you use the airplane in a business, chances are that you have now fully depreciated (deducted) the cost of the airplane, and chances are, the airplane is worth more today than when you bought it. If you sell it and don't replace it, you will be taxed on the gain (profit) of the full sale price. However, if you replace it with another aircraft, you may not have to recognize the gain.
Gross Navigational Errors (GNEs) over the North Atlantic have decreased from six to four from 1998, though movements have increased from 9,327 to 9,987 year-to-year. Peter Berry, the IAOPA's observer of North Atlantic systems, attributes the result to the accuracy of modern inertial navigation systems (INS), but says input errors are not uncommon.
Rolls-Royce has agreed to buy National Airmotive Corp. (NAC) -- an Oakland, Calif., turbine-engine repair and overhaul business -- from First Aviation Services for $73 million. NAC specializes in Allison T56, 250 and Pratt&Whitney PT6 turboprop engines, and in 1998 reported sales of $94 million. With the acquisition, Rolls-Royce's repair and overhaul network includes 15 whole or partly owned facilities, servicing 48 different engine types. Last year, NAC won a $189 million U.S. Navy contract to repair T56 engines.
Pilots from AirNet Systems -- the United States's largest carrier of bank checks and other financial instruments -- are voting to determine if the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) will represent the pilot group. Jerry Mercer, the company's CEO, said the final decision is up to the pilots, but ``our core values are not consistent with having a union impose itself between management and the pilots.''
