NATO's bombing of Serbia over its treatment of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo brings to light a long history of ethnic strife in a part of Europe that served as the sparking point for World War I and was one stepping stone on a perilous path toward World War II just 30 years later. Divisions in the region are the root of the word ``Balkanize,'' which Webster's defines as: ``To break up [as in a region] into smaller, ineffectual and frequently conflicting units.''
Continental Express plans to build a new, 65,000-square-foot maintenance facility at McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Knoxville, Tenn. The site will perform overnight maintenance work on the airline's fleet of Embraer regional jets and is located between Continental's hubs in Houston, Newark and Cleveland. Completion of the $12 million hangar is slated for fall 2000, but the airline plans to use an ``interim facility'' in Knoxville beginning in July.
Local officials have agreed to allow London's Stansted Airport to double its capacity to around 15 million passengers per year. The expansion is part of U.K. airport operator BAA's plan to grow Heathrow airport to 80 million passengers per year, and Gatwick to 40 million. At Stansted, which is popular with corporate users, work will involve extending the existing terminal on each side to allow more room for check-in counters, and carousels in the baggage claim area.
The NBAA has published guidelines to help operators develop FMS/RNAV arrival, departure and approach procedures for public use. According to Bob Blouin, the NBAA's senior vice president for operations, airlines have spearheaded most of the work in this area, and FAA oversight has yet to have much impact. ``The FAA issued an order to its staff that provides some guidance, but many field offices have no knowledge of its existence and have little direction, training or resources to assist in RNAV development,'' he says.
Raytheon declines to specify its commercial aircraft backlog, saying the data could ``tell competitors which models are selling and which are not.'' Its combined military/commercial aircraft backlog was $2.13 billion at the end of 1998, compared with $1.71 billion at the end of 1997. The company attributes the increase to orders for its Hawker 800XP, Hawker Horizon and Premier I business jets. Cessna received 1,147 firm orders for jet, turboprop and piston-engine aircraft in 1998 -- sales worth around $4 billion.
Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA) may terminate its United Express feeder contract if United Airlines (UAL) fails to grant it permission to operate smaller regional jets by January 2, 2001, according to ACA's annual report. The Dulles, Va.-based regional is seeking approval to operate regional jets with 44 seats or less, in addition to its growing fleet of 50-seat Bombardier Canadair Regional Jets (CRJs).
Germany's Federal Border Guards (BGS) have taken delivery of the first three of 13 Eurocopter EC155s ordered to replace aging Bell UH-1D aircraft. Turbomeca's Arriel 2C1 engine powers the EC155, which also is equipped with weather and laser radar, GPS, ferry tanks, autopilot and Eurocopter's ``avionique novelle'' glass-cockpit. Tailored for surveillance and pursuit missions, the EC155s also have gyro-stabilized TV and infrared cameras, a conventional and infrared spotlight and a quiet ``Spheriflex'' five-blade main-rotor system.
The 10th International Women in Aviation Conference, held March 18-20 in Orlando, attracted 2,500 attendees, an increase of 18 percent over the 1998 event
Regent Aerospace Corp., an aircraft modifications company, moved into expanded headquarters at the Valencia Commerce Center in Valencia, Calif., increasing its space from 15,000 to 45,000 square feet
United Technologies' (UTC) Sundstrand acquisition enables it to offer ``one-stop shopping'' to aircraft manufacturers seeking APUs, engine controls, hydraulics and other items hitherto available only through varied sources. Sundstrand will be blended into UTC's Hamilton Standard unit; the combined company will be called Hamilton Sundstrand. Overlap is minimal, with UTC's Pratt&Whitney unit producing large APUs, and Sundstrand catering mainly to the smaller APU market dominated by AlliedSignal Aerospace.
America's economy will suffer if 806 smaller airports are denied federal funding, according to a lobby group that represents the general aviation industry. The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) estimates the cost of these improvements at $3.3 billion, money it wants Congress to allocate under the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). ``Although there is about $4 billion in uncommitted funds in the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, these funds cannot be used for AIP because of federal budget restrictions,'' NATA says.
Photograph: Eurocopter EC120 Paul Brou Helicopters Reshuffling of the players in the helicopter market continued in 1998, with some unexpected twists and turns along the way. As last year's handbook went to press, it appeared Bell would acquire the single-engine line of the former Boeing Helicopters. How quickly times change. Federal Trade Commission concerns about Bell's market dominance and willingness to support the MD line eventually undid the deal, leaving the Boeing line temporarily in limbo.
ICAO is calling for a 16-percent reduction in the permissible limits of aircraft oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions, with the new standards applicable to all engine designs after 2003. Previous NOx limits were reduced by 20 percent in 1993. ICAO also seeks to reduce pollution by other means, and is studying the use of charges, taxes and ``emissions trading.'' In February, the FAA issued a final rule altering jet engine emission standards to meet ICAO criteria for NOx and carbon monoxide, while revising test procedures for all gaseous emissions.
Air Security International, provider of security services to corporate flight departments and government agencies, has opened an office in Reston, Va., headed by Carl A. Provencher, director of international consulting and services
Delta Air Lines has selected AMR Services' Miami cargo subsidiary, CFS, to provide cargo handling at Miami International Airport under a two-year contract. CFS will provide the same services for Swissair, CityBird and Aeroflot, which Delta now handles. AMR Services also provides fuel service for Delta aircraft at Jackson, Miss., and Raleigh/Durham, N.C., and interline baggage handling at LAX. CFS' Miami operation already supports eight airlines and has more than 200 employees.
The average size of regional airliners continues to increase. So also is the airlines' ability to carrier more cargo. More and more regional airlines are actively marketing their freight-carrying capabilities, often in conjunction with the cargo and small-package services of their senior partners, and it is paying off, according to carrier officials. Airlines have gone to great lengths to fill empty airplane seats. Yield management has enabled carriers to ``anticipate'' the number of empty seats on any particular flight and offer those seats at a discounted rate.
Photograph: The EH101 is the heart of the joint venture. Westland U.K.-based GKN and Italy's Finmeccanica S.p.A. have agreed to merge their respective helicopter businesses -- GKN Westland Helicopters and Agusta -- in the latest consolidation of Europe's aerospace industry. The new company will be approximately equal in size to rivals Bell Helicopter Textron and Boeing, and larger than Franco-German Eurocopter.
BMW/Rolls-Royce is positioning itself as the only engine manufacturer with a family of powerplants spanning the 70- to 130-seat airliner market, which is chock-a-block with new and proposed aircraft programs. Among the strongest prospects are the proposed Bombardier BRJ-X family and the newly announced Embraer 70 and 90 seaters. Other possibilities include Fairchild Dornier's 728 and 928 jets and derivatives of the Boeing 717, powered by the BMW/Rolls BR715. Rolls-Royce also provides the AE 3007 powerplants for the Embraer ERJ-135 and ERJ-145.
Embraer's ERJ-170/190 advisory board met for the first time in late March. The board includes representatives from six regional airlines and plans to meet periodically ``to assure full customer participation during the final studies and throughout the development phases of both aircraft,'' the company said.
K.F. Goodrich and Associates of New Milford, Conn., specializing in sales and acquisition of Cessna Citations, has changed its name to Citation Store, Corp.
Edited by Paul RichfieldPerry Bradley, in Brussels, Belgium Europe Considers JAA Replacement
The European Commission (EC) has endorsed the creation of a new safety agency that would replace the Joint Airworthiness Authority (JAA) as Europe's dominant regulatory force. Rules governing the ``European Aviation Safety Authority'' (EASA) will be circulated to EC member nations for comment upon their completion.
Qualitron Aero Services plans to update its passenger terminal at Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH), pave an additional three acres for ramp areas and build new fuel storage facilities. Phone: (281) 443-8865.
