New TSA chief Edmund Hawley emphasized the agency's belief that industry and the government must approach security in a risk-based and collaborative way. Speaking before an Aero Club of Washington, D.C., meeting, Hawley noted that the TSA can't assess and try to mitigate risk based on past history like an insurance company would, because success in terrorism is predicated on the element of surprise. TSA officials rely heavily on random checks to disrupt any potential terrorist plans.
Ray H. Siegfried II died Oct. 6 after a long battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Siegfried, chairman of the privately held NORDAM Group, grew the company from a bankrupt acquisition with eight employees in 1969, into a $500 million global leader in aerospace manufacturing, repair and overhaul. Siegfried was diagnosed with ALS in October 2001, only weeks after the tragedies of 9/11 and the Oct. 8 loss of NORDAM President Charlie Ryan in a plane crash. Siegfried ceded the position of CEO and became chairman. Interim Succession plans had been announced on Oct.
Sikorsky Aircraft sold three S-92 helicopters to Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) for offshore oil service. BSP is the first oil company in Asia to operate a fleet of S-92s, and Sikorsky said the contract builds upon a relationship with BSP that spans nearly 40 years. BSP bought its first Sikorsky helicopter, a S-61N, in 1967 for offshore oil service. BSP's S-61N fleet has since accumulated more than 139,000 flight hours. The S-92, which entered service in 2004, is used for offshore oil support in the North Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and off Nova Scotia, Canada.
Westchester County Airport, White Plains, N.Y., Peter Scherrer has been named the new HPN airport manager. He replaces Joel Russell, who is the new airport manger at Albany International Airport, Albany, N.Y.
West Coast Charters, Santa Ana, Calif., appointed Roy J. Irwin as general manager. Irwin will oversee operations at both the Santa Ana and Long Beach facilities.
Jet Aviation Engineering Services secured an FAA STC for a VIP interior installed in a Boeing 767. The yearlong project was a joint effort between Jet Aviation's facilities in San Antonio and Basel, Switzerland. The interior includes a library, bedrooms with adjoining lavatories, a dining room and a salon. The cabin has wireless Internet access, high-speed data service, satellite television, air filtration and humidification, digital entertainment and a cabin management system.
Rockwell-Collins Hi-Focus maps for the Airshow 4200 multimedia information and entertainment system offer passengers up-close views of a wide variety of cities and points of interest, providing detail such as rivers, roads, buildings and other features on their travel route and at the destination. ``Airshow 4200's Hi-Focus maps meet passengers' growing demand to stay informed during their flight,'' said Matt Smith, senior director of Airshow Systems for Rockwell Collins.
The Air Group added six aircraft so far this year, bringing the aircraft management company's fleet to 42 aircraft. The new additions include a Gulfstream GIV-SP based in Teterboro, N.J.; a GIV that alternates between the Van Nuys, Calif., Airport and Haneda Airport near Tokyo; a Hawker 800Pi based at Van Nuys; a Hawker 800XP in Denver; a Falcon 900C based in San Jose, Calif.; and a Cessna Citation II that operates out of Honolulu.
The FAA has approved Eurocopter's application to build A-Star 350 B2 and B3 helicopters at American Eurocopter's 85,000-square-foot facility in Columbus, Miss. The AS350 B2 and B3 are single-engine aircraft each capable of carrying a pilot and six to seven passengers; 1,127 of this series have been sold in 45 countries to 587 customers. ``This is a major step in our strategy to invest in our manufacturing capabilities in the largest market in the world. By manufacturing the AS350 in our Columbus facility with U.S.
Honeywell Aerospace is evaluating a technology from the automotive and industrial markets that the company hopes will substantially strengthen its customer support capabilities. Honeywell is developing a Telematics sensor that can be imbedded in an aircraft's electronic components and transfer real-time operational information to Honeywell facilities once the aircraft has landed. Like the technology to the OnStar safety and security system installed in cars, the Telematics unit uses wireless technology to transmit a slate of diagnostic, usage and other data to Honeywell.
January 2004 marked a watershed event in FAA history. That's when the agency issued a Final Rule amending FAR Part 91.175 to allow use of ``enhanced flight visibility'' (EVS) in lieu of natural vision to identify the approach lights and runway environment in order to continue an instrument approach procedure beyond decision height, decision altitude or MDA. This approval took courage and insight on the part of FAA rulemakers because it was controversial.
Chelton's EFIS has an FAA Approved Model List (AML) STC for all large FAR Part 23 aircraft including commuters. This follows on the approval of the Cessna Citation 501 EFIS STC. This latest approval includes: Beech 1900, King Air 350, Twin Otter, Paris Jet, Cessna Citation 525, Learjet 23, Merlin/Metro, Shorts Skyvan, Dornier 228, Britten-Norman Islander, BAe Jetstream, Embraer Bandeirante and the Skytruck M28.
One online resource is NASA's new Pilot's Guide to Ground Icing, a training course developed at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. It's a free course intended for pilots who make their own deicing and anti-icing decisions. The self-guided course includes general ground-icing knowledge, an understanding of freezing precipitation hazards and decision-making in ground-icing conditions. It discuses the risks of contamination and cues to alert the pilot to ground icing and offers actions that a pilot can take to help ensure safe operations.
Million Air increased the number of FBOs in its chain to 32 with the addition of a facility at Fayetteville (Ark.) Municipal Drake Field. The newest Million Air franchise has a 20,000-square-foot hangar, along with 5,000 square feet of office space, a lounge, reception area, conference room and storage area. Million Air and the city of Fayetteville are jointly financing a $300,000 remodeling project, which will upgrade the main terminal lobby and provide more office space for Million Air and other airport tenants.
Panorama Flight Services at HPN reports that its jet fuel sales through August were up 35 percent over the same period in 2004. President Gene Conderas also says that work is complete on its redesigned lobby and the expanded passenger lounge that now holds 32 people comfortably. The pilot lounge and crew quiet room have also been redone.
Bombardier Aerospace said that SkyWest Inc. of St. George, Utah, has agreed to purchase 22 Bombardier CRJ700 regional jets for its Delta Connection operation. The transaction includes conversion rights to other Bombardier CRJ aircraft. In addition, the 80 options for CRJ700 aircraft previously announced were reaffirmed as part of the agreement. The revised contract is valued at approximately $798 million U.S. If all options are exercised, the entire order could be worth $3.7 billion U.S.
WHEN I GOT OUT OF THE AIR CORPS in 1947, I anticipated a career with the airlines. And I had one, for a while. I flew with Pan Am, but got furloughed in 10 months. After that came a stint flying Peruvian International Airlines DC-4s between New York and Santiago, Chile. It was great while it lasted, which wasn't very long. Next, was All American Airlines, a USAir predecessor. Again the experience was good, but after three years, I wanted something more.
Premier Air Center/West Star Aviation, Grand Junction, Colo., announced the appointment of Rick Brainard as general manager of West Star's Grand Junction facility.
Parking at the side entrance to Million Air at Teterboro (N.J.) Airport, Jeffrey Prusan eased out of his swank silver BMW 745i sedan and walked into the FBO. An industrious, spit-shined Million Air attendant at the counter inquired, ``Who've you come to pick up?''
Sabreliner Corp., Independence, Kan., has promoted Susan Thompson to operations manager. Richard McKinney has been named accessories business development manager.
Premier Jet will build a new Jet Center complex of hangars and offices at McClellan-Palomar Airport with designed-in security features and ``smart-building'' technology. The $33 million project in California's North San Diego County is to open in early 2006. Premier will use Navigance Technologies Group's SAFE (Secure Aviation Facilities Environment) security system for the new 15-acre Jet Center project. Premier Jet's new Jet Center will include 61,000 square feet of offices and 132,000 square feet of hangar space.
Duncan Aviation, Battle Creek, Mich., announced the appointment of John Kauppila as Gulfstream technical representative at the Battle Creek facility. Dean Williams has joined Duncan's project management team as a manager. Jeremy Buschlen is now the Gulfsteam team leader and Dan Fuoco, Hawker service sales representative, was awarded the position of team leader for the Lincoln, Neb., airframe service sales team.
The National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA) has rescheduled its annual meeting to coincide with the NBAA convention in Orlando. NARA's 2005 annual meeting will be held on Nov. 7 from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Villas of Grand Cypress, which is located approximately 10 minutes away from the Orlando Convention Center. The featured guest speaker at the NARA meeting will be David Davis, president of the National Aircraft Finance Association (NAFA). A reception, co-hosted by NARA and NAFA, is to follow at the hotel from 6 to 8 p.m.
