The FAA says it will install automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in all agency facilities with 50 or more employees during the next year — which would cover about 68 percent of the FAA workforce. The agency will then evaluate implementation costs and whether a sufficient number of employees are volunteering to be responders. Pending positive results of the evaluation, the FAA intends to deploy AEDs to the remaining FAA facilities with 10 or more employees during the following two years, which would cover 97 percent of agency personnel.
Aeroydyne, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., promoted Nick Oster to manager of Material/Supply Chain. AWAS, Dublin, Ireland, announced that Hamish Murchison and Mariyan Adanov have joined the company as vice presidents. Frederic Mireur has been appointed head of Corporate Finance. BBA Aviation, Dallas, has appointed Clarke Mouncher global program director, Rolls-Royce 250 for all of ERO’s RR250 activities. Bird-X, Chicago, announced that Dave Kogan is the new marketing manager.
A consortium of Wichita-area business, government and educational organizations have formed the Wichita Aero Club. Patterned after the Aero Clubs of Washington and Atlanta and The Wings Club in New York, the new club plans to host monthly luncheons and invite high profile speakers to address major aviation industry issues. It will also have a Web site, publish an online newsletter, and host an annual awards gala. Bob Stangarone, vice president of corporate communications for Cessna Aircraft Co.
3M Aerospace has introduced a new double-coated tape for use when replacing carpet. The flame-retardant 3M Tape 9377 offers users an efficient solution to bond carpet to aircraft floorboards. The tape’s advanced adhesive technology provides a strong bond but still allows clean removal. It also tears by hand, reducing the need to use a separate tool for cutting. The tape’s release liner allows it to be unwound and protects the adhesive from collecting debris. It’s also color-coded for easy application.
As economists like to say, the only constant is change, and that applies equally to aviation and to medicine, particularly aerospace medicine, which is the specialty practiced within the FAA flight surgeon’s offices.
Sensis Corp. has won its fourth contract from Airservices Australia to install an Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS). The new unit will be installed at Perth Airport. In 2001, the East Syracuse, N.Y., company won A-SMGCS contracts to track aircraft at Australia’s Big Three airports — Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. A-SMGCS fuses data from multiple surveillance sources to locate and track aircraft and provide tower controllers with predictions of collisions, issuing visual and audio alerts to avoid them.
Airbus has selected Rockwell Collins to provide side displays and docking stations for the new Class 2 electronic flight bag (EFB) on its A320 family of aircraft for both production and retrofit installation. The system helps improve operational efficiency by electronically connecting airline and pilot operations. The Rockwell Collins system includes two dedicated touch screen, large-format displays integrated in both sides of the cockpit — and two docking stations that receive aircraft parameters from the avionics.
Looking for a school that will help advance your aviation career? Many colleges and universities have aviation-related degree and certificate programs, but finding the right one can be difficult. To help narrow your search, visit the University Aviation Association at www.uaa.aero to find accredited programs that fit your particular needs. The Web site has useful tools and information on what to pinpoint in an accredited program. For more information about NBAA CAM and PDP, visit http://web.nbaa.org/public/education
WAEA , McLean, Va., announced that Christine Ringer, inflight entertainment system engineer and project manager for Swiss International Air Lines, was elected president of the World Airline Entertainment Association for the 2008-2009 term.
West Star Aviation, Inc. , Dallas, announced that Greg Meals and Ron Larson are the new maintenance service managers at the Dallas facility reporting to Susie Corn, operations manager. Al Diaz and Steve Nifong have been promoted to service supervisors. Keith Rash has joined the regional sales team as one of nine regional sales managers and will be responsible for the Texas sales territory. Dave Krogman was named general manager of the company’s Grand Junction, Colo., facility replacing Rick Brainard who vacated the position to become the new vice president of sales.
Ross Detwiler’s “Think Before Speaking, Please” (July, page 102) covered the field well, and left me only a few personal favorites to add to his list: (1) Pilot responding to traffic calls with, “We have him on the fish finder” or to a call to ident with, “HHHHere’s the flash” . . . totally superfluous comments.
West Star Aviation, Inc. , Dallas, announced that Greg Meals and Ron Larson are the new maintenance service managers at the Dallas facility reporting to Susie Corn, operations manager. Al Diaz and Steve Nifong have been promoted to service supervisors. Keith Rash has joined the regional sales team as one of nine regional sales managers and will be responsible for the Texas sales territory. Dave Krogman was named general manager of the company’s Grand Junction, Colo., facility replacing Rick Brainard who vacated the position to become the new vice president of sales.
Business Aviation entered the jet age last September and B/CA went along for the ride. A couple of weeks after industrialist-pilot Henry Timken Jr. checked out in his Beech MS 760 in six hours, I rode in this first business-designed jet with Tom Gillespie, Beech MS 760 project sales engineer. At $210,000 (including handling equipment, tools, small spares, crew training), the 760 is the only business jet delivered in the United States.
Mike Yodice, one of the partners of Capital Jet Group, the McLean, Va.-based business aircraft brokerage firm, says activity “is slower than it has been.” Established in 1994, Capital Jet Group has sold all types of turbine-powered business airplanes, from King Airs to BBJs, to a roughly equal number of U.S. and international clients, ranging from Fortune 100 companies to privately held concerns.
CAE , Montreal, has appointed Sebastien Caire as vice president, Asia and Australasia and Suzanne Roy was named vice president, India. Bill Dolny has been named vice president and general manager of CAE’s Dallas training center; Michael Fedele is the new vice president and general manager of the Morristown, N.J. center. Dolny and Fedele will report to Tom Stelter, who was named vice president, CAE Training, Service and Innovation, North America.
MEDEX Global Group has added “Medical Phrase Translations” and “International Drug Equivalencies” to the MEDEX 360m Global Medical Monitor, a Web site that provides vital and timely health risk and medical care information for specific international destinations. The translation tool serves as an emergency dictionary that allows users to print out and bring with them 180 common medical phrases and translations in 24 languages. The new drug equivalencies feature provides essential information about medications overseas.
Twin Commander Aircraft has introduced a High Intensity Discharge (HID) light system to replace the standard wing-mounted landing lights and, on aircraft so equipped, the nose-mounted recognition lights. The new HID lights will be mounted in the recessed, covered ports used in the nose recognition light kit, and will serve as both landing light and recognition lights. Installation of the HID light and the removal of the standard landing light will remove the airspeed limitation for extension of the standard lights.
M7 Aerospace has teamed with San Antonio Aircraft Support (SAAS) to create a modification center in San Antonio that will specialize in designing and installing custom corporate interiors and avionics upgrades for regional airliners, business aircraft and helicopters. The new modification center combines the strength of M7’s maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operation with its engineering department and SAAS’s nearly 30 years of experience in fabricating interior furnishings for head-of-state and VIP aircraft.
Picture a wooded hillside so steep and craggy with giant boulders that it would be an effort to climb on foot. Got it? Now picture Paul Beattie (pronounced BATE-ey) heading toward it in a four-wheel drive buggy that looks like Bigfoot the monster truck had its way with a moon rover. And he’s going fast. Racing, in fact. Welcome to the fast-growing sport of extreme rock racing, the most competitive form of off-road motor sports there is.
Airbus has selected Honeywell’s IntuVue 3-D Weather Radar for A320s, A330s and A340s. Honeywell values the contract at $300 million over the life of the program, if forecast aftermarket sales are included. IntuVue offers flight crews the ability to detect turbulence, wind shear and dangerous storm activity so they can make more informed route decisions. “Weather-related delays and damage cost the industry over $4 billion each year,” said Garrett Mikita, president of Honeywell’s Air Transport and Regional division.
It was around 8 p.m. on March 21, 2001. We had departed Anchorage en route to the New Tokyo Airport — “Narita” to most pilots — 30 minutes earlier. The weather was clear and the setting sun washed soft light over the gorgeous Alaskan wilderness 37,000 feet below. A line check airman, I was training a new first officer on the nuances of the MD-11’s flight management computer when a call came over VHF No. 2, which was tuned to 121.5. The voice asked if anyone was on the frequency. “Aircraft calling on 121.5, this is FedEx 17,” I immediately responded.
