INITIALLY, WHAT WAS known about Northwest Airlink Flight 3701 was sad, but straightforward. The Bombardier CL-600-2B19 RJ was on a nighttime non-revenue positioning flight from Little Rock (LIT) to Minneapolis (MSP) on Oct. 14, 2004, and attempting to establish cruise flight at FL 410 when, according to ATC tapes, the two-pilot crew ran into problems.
Vibro-Meter's Omniguard Model 760 Multi-Spectrum IR5 senses infrared radiation in five discrete infrared (IR5) wavelengths for early detection of hydrocarbon- and certain non-hydrocarbon-based fires. The Model 760 is Factory Mutual, ATEX and CSA approved and features field selectable sensing levels, advanced self diagnostics, through-the-lens clarity checking, NEMA 4X, and a five-year warranty. The Model 760's automatic self-test function monitors the detector's ability to sense fires and reports a fault condition when impaired.
The Illuminaviator TF-31 flashlight offers two light sources. Three red LED bulbs provide illumination in a dark cockpit without disrupting night-vision adaptation. A push button on top of the light activates the LEDs; and for preflight inspections or other activities where additional candlepower is needed, a bright, white xenon bulb throws a powerful beam. To prevent illumination of the bulb in the cockpit, the controls are on a separate switch on the tailcap of the light. Pressing on the tailcap turns on the xenon bulb momentarily.
Premier Jet Aviation named John Hall president. A long-time member of the Cessna Citation sales organization, Hall most recently had been senior vice president of the CitationShares fractional aircraft ownership program. A graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Hall is a Citation-rated pilot. He will be based at Premier's San Antonio office and will report to Mark Schweibold, chairman and CEO of the business aircraft acquisition and sales organization, which is headquartered in Indianapolis.
NBAA has worked closely with the FAA to improve Florida air traffic. In recent years there has been substantial traffic volume from November through March to and from Florida with no accompanying changes in airspace, which has resulted in airspace complexity that led to delays and extended routings for operators. After substantial input from the NBAA, the FAA will implement significant changes to both en route and terminal airspace in Jacksonville and Miami ARTCCs and various TRACONs in Florida. On Sept.
Bombardier announced that it has delivered the 150th Global aircraft. The Bombardier Global 5000 business jet was delivered on August 26 to Dwight Management of St. Paul, Minn. It was the third Bombardier Global 5000 aircraft to be delivered into service.
Columbia Aircraft has expanded the number of U.S. facilities in its factory-authorized service network to 70. Many of the facilities are affiliated with the Air BP FBO chain. The facilities will be prepared to perform all routine maintenance, warranty repairs and aircraft upgrades.
Honeywell Aerospace is combining its customer support functions into one organization, which company executives hope will result in a simpler, more user-friendly approach for customers, said Adrian Paull, recently named vice president of customer and product support. Paull told B&CA editors that the move to aggregate the business, commercial, military and space customer support functions is part of a much larger reorganization throughout Honeywell Aerospace.
Multi-function displays have created favorable conditions for a tidal wave of upgrades and retrofits (also see item below). Elliott Aviation says it has applied for STC approval for a major flat-panel upgrade for the Citation 650 based on the Universal 890R large-format flat-panel display suite. Not only will the Elliott program provide a modern cockpit with an array of capabilities, its built-in upgradeability assures easy addition of additional sensors and systems.
Air Methods has shipped a third Sikorsky S-70A Firehawk helicopter to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Based on the Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk, the Firehawk is configured for missions that include airborne firefighting, search and rescue, emergency medical transport, fire crew transportation and cargo transport. The aircraft can deliver 1,000 gallons of water through a belly-mounted tank. Air Methods supplied the multi-mission interior system and upgraded the flight instruments.
Lufthansa Technik signed a contract to complete the interior of a Boeing Business Jet for a Russian customer. This is the company's 18th BBJ interior installation. Lufthansa is again teaming with designer Andrew Winch of the United Kingdom, who also collaborated with the German completion center on a BBJ2 interior in 2003. The new BBJ will have a dedicated dining and conference area, a bathroom with a shower, an executive lounge and private stateroom.
Jet Aviation Dusseldorf will almost double the size of its maintenance base by this month. The company has added 1,900 square meters (20,451 square feet) within its existing hangar one, creating at least six new maintenance bays. This work follows the completion of a new building in hangar two earlier this year, which includes a new pilot lounge, logistics control, and warranty and billing departments, as well as the maintenance control center and Jet's management team.
On the morning of Jan. 8, 2003, 19 passengers boarded a Raytheon 1900D turboprop at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT), Charlotte N.C., for a short scheduled flight to Greenville-Spartanburg International (GSP), in Greer, S.C. Two days prior to the flight, the aircraft underwent a scheduled maintenance check; including cable tension inspection of the elevator, rudder and trim tabs.
Flight Options is using its recent cash infusion from Raytheon to restructure its fleet. Originally the company acquired used aircraft in good condition and resold them in shares to customers. That allowed Flight Options to offer lower share acquisition prices but generally yielded higher overall maintenance costs. In addition, operating 12 different aircraft types meant the company was challenged to consistently provide the type of aircraft in which the customer had a share, forcing it to substitute other aircraft models in too many instances, the company said.
WE WERE HEADING for the cabin in the woods once again, but this time, we planned stops en route. So, we needed shelter. I called a motel. ``I'd like a non-smoking room for Saturday night.'' ``One with a king-sized bed or two queens?'' the clerk asked cheerily. ``The two queens. My wife and I are traveling with children.'' ``How many?'' ``Three.'' ``That will be cozy.'' ``And a dog.'' ``Oh my.''
Today, Hamilton Sundstrand is a truly diversified aerospace manufacturer. But before the aircraft engine controls, gearboxes and ram air turbines, before the auxiliary power units and fuel pumps, and before the electrical and environmental control systems, flight controls and actuators, there were the propellers. And for many of the nearly 80 years since Hamilton Aero Manufacturing and the Standard Steel Propeller Co. merged, propellers have been the most visible product of this United Technologies division that is headquartered in Windsor Locks, Conn.
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S-TEC achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification of its quality management systems. The Mineral Wells, Texas-based producer of avionics systems for business and personal aviation implemented 50 standard operating procedures, developed a quality manual and created a standard operating procedures training matrix to secure certification.
NEWARK IN NOVEMBER? How about Detroit in December? The list of desirable convention sites can narrow dramatically when your organization's first choice gets pulverized by a major hurricane two and one-half months before the members are supposed to begin arriving.
GAMA joined the National Air Transportation Association in disputing some comments that the FAA included in a fact sheet accompanying its Draft Flight Plan 2006-2010 warning of future funding shortages. GAMA called the FAA's assertion of a growing gap between FAA revenues and costs misleading and said it disagrees that the balance in the Trust Fund will decline in the near term. NATA called the FAA statements troubling because they point to the imposition of user fees.
The NBAA's Aircraft Charter Consumer Guide has been developed to educate air charter users about the safety, operational and consumer issues related to flights conducted under FAR Part 135. The guide includes: Procedures for finding charter operators and charter brokers. Guidance for placing inquiries with the FAA for charter safety information. Information for locating contractors who audit charter companies for safety. Sample pre-screening questions consumers may use to vet charter operators.
The AOPA is taking on the top federal prosecutor in Minnesota over exaggerated airport security fears. U.S. Attorney Thomas B. Heffelfinger says security must be tightened at the Twin Cities' general aviation reliever airports to counter terrorists. The local press quoted him saying that someone could ``kill 3,000 people'' by flying a single-engine airplane into the roof of the Metrodome stadium during a Sunday afternoon football game.
The General Accounting Office recently reported to the Senate Commerce Committee on privatized ATC systems that were at least partly government-owned in Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Aircraft noise continues to be a big issue in Europe for operators of older business jets. According to Jeppesen DataPlan's Nancy Schnetz, manager of international trip planning, ``Some countries will no longer allow aircraft in that are 25-plus years old, even if [in some cases] they are hush-kitted.''
Signature Flight Support has completed the acquisition of the PrivatAir FBO at Le Bourget Airport in Paris, France. Signature, which is a division of BBA Group of the United Kingdom, said the PrivatAir FBO would complement the chain's existing FBO at the airport by providing an additional terminal, nine more hangars and a large aircraft parking ramp. Signature now plans to remodel the PrivatAir facility and then will move its existing aircraft handling operation to the newly acquired property.
