A dearth of open space suitable for urban development has combined with the need for cash-strapped municipal governments to seek short-term tax revenues, creating a "perfect storm" in the ongoing assault on general aviation airports.
The FAA published a final rule regarding drug or alcohol testing and medical certifications that includes several changes to airman medical certification standards and applies to all certificated airmen. It also impacts all organizations with FAA-mandated Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs. The rule changes the airman medical certification standards to disqualify an airman based on an alcohol test result of 0.04 or greater breath alcohol content.
Embraer announced the firm order backlog and production schedule for its Executive Jets business at a press conference during the 45th Farnborough International Airshow. "As of June 30th, 2006, our executive jet firm order backlog stands at U.S.$ 1.25 billion," said Maurício Botelho, Embraer chairman, president and CEO. "In respect to the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300, since our launch announcement just over a year ago, we have logged in excess of 235 firm orders." The Legacy 600 was launched in 2000 at the Farnborough Airshow, with deliveries beginning in the following year.
Vice President - Analysis, The Teal Group, Fairfax, Va. Raised in metropolitan New York, Aboulafia earned a master's degree in War Studies at Kings College in London. Trained in the details of armed conflict, he became an expert on the technology employed in war, particularly aircraft and engines. Hired by Teal in 1989, his field of interest has expanded to include all of aerospace. A fine writer, unemotional observer and pithy commentator, he is a favorite source of news editors and producers, trade conference speaker and lecturer.
The International Registry of Mobile Assets established by the Cape Town Convention and Protocol of 2001 has been significantly better accepted than expected. Over 3,500 users have been registered -- four times the number forecast for the entire first year. Niall Greene, managing director of Aviareto, which manages the registry, said, "The International Registry was established to settle competing claims to property interests in aircraft and engines.
COMPETING PRIORITIES AND new technology are on a converging course in Washington, D.C., and how they eventually intersect could have huge ramifications for aviation safety and the freedom to fly. What we're talking about here is the potential explosion in the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in domestic airspace.
New Jersey Aviation Association, Mt. Laurel, N.J., named Arlene Feldman as president. She succeeds John W. Olcott, who will remain on the board of directors.
Landmark Aviation staked its claim on the U.S. West Coast on June 8 when it officially opened the 33rd jewel in its rapidly assembled FBO crown, the lucrative Los Angeles International Airport facility that began life a half century ago as AiResearch Aviation.
Michael A. Dornheim, engineer and pilot, who wrote for our sister publication Aviation Week & Space Technology for 22 years based in Los Angeles, was killed when the car he was driving plunged into a ravine in the Santa Monica Mountains. The accident occurred June 3, but the wreckage of his car was not found until June 12. The Los Angeles County Fire Department used a helicopter to retrieve the body.
A new study co-sponsored by GAMA and the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) says that general aviation contributed more than $150 billion to U.S. economic output in 2005, and employed directly or indirectly, more than 1.2 million people whose collective earnings exceeded $53 billion. "This study quantifies what is at stake in the upcoming user fee debate for a significant number of Americans whose livelihoods are supported by general aviation," said GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce.
The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter could go back into production. Viking Air Limited of Victoria, British Columbia, has acquired the Type Certificates for seven de Havilland aircraft types in a deal with Bombardier Inc. for an undisclosed sum. Viking gains the exclusive right to restart production for any of the models. "Last year we conducted a market research study on all the DHC out-of-production aircraft," said a Viking spokesperson. "The results showed that the Twin Otter had very good market potential.
Pilatus Aircraft and CAMP Systems International announced an agreement that will make CAMP the exclusive factory recommended maintenance tracking service for all PC-12 aircraft. All new PC-12 aircraft deliveries will include a year of CAMP services at no cost to the new owner. Commenting on the agreement, Piotr "Pete" Wolak, vice president of customer services for Pilatus Business Aircraft, said, "Through CAMP, Pilatus customers will now receive the best maintenance tracking tool available.
The Honeywell GTCP36-150 (CL) auxiliary power unit that has been standard on the Challenger 604 since late 2005 is now available to replace the original GTCP36-100 APU installed on earlier Challenger 604s and on Challenger 601 aircraft. The new unit has higher temperature margins that yield an increased hot-section inspection interval of 2,400 hours, with increased reliability and lower maintenance costs.
Duncan Aviation recently completed the first installation of an Executive Alto Aviation Speaker System in a Falcon 900B. ALTO engineers acoustically mapped the aircraft for optimum sound quality throughout the cabin. The custom mapping and installation resulted in a sound system with sound quality rivaling that of the best home entertainment systems, now available in an aircraft flying at 41,000 feet.
We published the incorrect price for the ACSS TAWS+ collision avoidance system in our May Purchase Planning Handbook (page 193). It should have read $78,413.
The FAA released a draft policy order designed to expedite release of its own Airworthiness Directives in the United States after a foreign state aviation authority issues one. Under an ICAO agreement, the FAD is obligated to "assess . . . and take appropriate action" on mandatory civil aviation information (MCAI) that is released about an aviation product by the country that has design authority over the product. "As such it's important that we take steps to improve the timeliness of issuing FAD ADs for imported products," the agency said.
AOPA, noting that the U.S. total pilot population is down 26 percent since 1980, while the country's population has increased 29 percent on the same period -- and that student pilot starts are down 61 percent since peaking in 1961, launched a formal Project Pilot program to put AOPA members into a mentoring relationship with student pilots. This is despite numerous industry "learn to fly" programs dating back at least to the 1970s.
LOCATED AT SASKATCHEWAN'S lateral midpoint, some 50 miles west of Regina and about 115 due north of Scobey, Mont., Moose Jaw is home not only to the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, the country's precision aerobatic team, but also to the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC), drawing contractors and student fighter pilots from the United States, Europe and Canada. The base has grown to become the largest employer in the region.
Small plane-maker Cirrus took a 25-percent stake in a new air taxi service that will use new Cirrus SR22 aircraft to provide transportation. The service, SATSair, is headquartered in Greenville, S.C., and will operate in an area that essentially is east of the Mississippi River.
Looking for someone to provide data analysis for your ECM program? Cedar Knolls, N.J.-based based Jet-Care International provides both ECM and oil analysis for nearly every major engine manufacturer. If you are enrolled in any of several engine MSPs, you probably already know that.
The Midwest Airspace Enhancement (MASE) debuted to favorable reviews the second week of June. Designed to improve traffic flow in the Great Lakes region, MASE affects the airspace controlled by the Indianapolis and Cleveland en route centers. The project includes new SIDs and STARs at some airports, deconflicting high-altitude routes, adding preferred routes, creating new sectors and redesigning existing ones. This airspace is important for traffic from major airports, such as Detroit, Chicago and Minneapolis, and also sees a huge volume of en route overflight traffic.
Helicopter Association International President Matt Zuccaro received the call on June 7 that the HAI has been waiting to receive for many years. The FAA Joint Resource Council (JRC) approved the investment and funding decisions associated with moving forward with ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast) in the Gulf of Mexico. The HAI said the decision is a tremendous achievement for the offshore helicopter community in the Gulf, as the Gulf has been selected for Segment 1 of the new technology.
