Eclipse Aviation founder Vern Raburn has been named one of Time magazine's Top 100 Innovators of the 21st Century, now in its second year. Calling the proposed Eclipse 500 a ``baby jet'' and ``the ultimate escape vehicle,'' the magazine lauded Raburn's early success attracting $120 million from investors and several dozen orders for the $837,500 twin jet and cited his alliance with Dr. Sam Williams of Williams International as a key to the project's success.
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways has become the second airline customer to use the Learjet 45 for advanced pilot training in the Asia Pacific region. Cathay's order is for one aircraft plus one option for its newly developed advanced pilot training program. The initial aircraft will enter the flying program in the third quarter of this year. The Model 45 will be operated and maintained by BAE Systems Flight Training (Australia) Pty Ltd. on behalf of Cathay, at its flight school at Parafield near Adelaide in South Australia.
England's Manchester Airport formally opened its second 3,048-meter (10,000-foot) runway in February. The new Runway 24/06L is officially known as Runway Two and runs parallel to the existing Runway One. The new runway, which cost $258 million and took 10 years from planning to completion, is the U.K.'s first full-length runway be built at a civil airport since London City's, 20 years ago.
Executive Jet Management, Cincinnati, has named Phillip Vanderwitt as its new director of shuttle operations and Paul Moening has been promoted to chief pilot of shuttle operations. Based at Mather Field in Sacramento, Calif., Vanderwitt will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company's air shuttle program that operates Embraer regional jets between Sacramento; Hillsboro, Ore.; and Olympia, Wash.
`` I really see this as one of the paramount challenges of our industry.'' The speaker was Don Baldwin, manager of Texaco's Aviation Transport Services, and the ``this'' to which he referred is the steady depletion of the pool of experienced young pilots available for positions with business aviation flight departments. The cause is easily identified.
Jack Olcott and New Jersey -- perfect together? In a variation on the state tourist bureau's former advertising slogan, it appears that Garden State aviation folks are high on the NBAA president. Olcott is scheduled to keynote the New Jersey State Aviation Conference on May 2 at McGuire Air Force Base. Theme of the gathering: New Jersey's Airports in the 21st Century: ``It's More Than Pavement.'' Later in the month he'll be inducted into the New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum at Teterboro Airport.
House aviation leaders asked the FAA to accelerate a study on air taxi operations that they said will ``provide essential analytical data for safety and oversight of the FAR Part 135 on-demand air charter industry.'' Mandated by Congress in comprehensive aviation legislation adopted in 2000, the study will analyze the size and type of aircraft fleet, hours flown, utilization rates, safety record by aircraft type, sales revenues and airports served by the air taxi fleet.
The FAA has adopted as an AD a manufacturer's service bulletin prohibiting the flight of Learjet 45s into known icing conditions. The restriction resulted from an incident in which a Model 45 aircraft experienced anti-ice system difficulties, generating a warning to the flight crew of an overheat condition of the horizontal stabilizer. The AD requires replacement of the anti-ice manifold assembly within 100 flight hours, whereas the alert service bulletin required such action within 25 hours.
The BFGoodrich Co., now primarily an aerospace company, hopes to distance itself from its history as a tire maker by changing its name to Goodrich Corp., and with that change, introduce a new logo design. ``The long and short of it is, this company's transformed,'' said company spokesman Kevin Ramundo. ``It's now one of the leading aerospace suppliers in the world, and it's also strong in engineered and industrial products. And we think it's very appropriate to have an identity that reflects the transformation of this company.''
Fear of a softening economy not-withstanding, aircraft manufacturers reported robust sales in 2000 and strong backlogs going forward. GAMA labeled 2000 ``a great year for aviation'' as billings and new aircraft shipments increased for the sixth consecutive year. Billings for the year were up 9.1 percent to $8.6 billion, with the OEMs shipping 2,816 general aviation aircraft -- a 12.5-percent increase over 1999. Turbine-engine aircraft shipments were up 19.4 percent to 903 units in 2000.
A Beech 1900D operated by Great Lakes Aviation was heavily damaged February 10 during a gear-up landing on Runway 4R at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. The FAR Part 121 flight, which originated in Springfield, Ill., was operating under an active instrument flight plan. Seven of the 15 passengers were evaluated and treated for minor injuries at a local hospital. The two pilots and the other eight passengers were not injured.
Jeppesen GmbH of Frankfurt, Germany has reached a major agreement with the United Kingdom's Oxford Aviation to publish a 15-volume series of Theoretical Knowledge Manuals for flight schools engaged in training for the JAA-FCL Airline Transport License. Oxford Aviation is supplying the manuals' content, which is based on the school's last three years of developing JAA-FCL ATPL ground examination requirements.
The Vail Valley Jet Center, located at Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) in Colorado, has partnered with the White River Executive Center to provide fully equipped executive office suites in Avon, Colo., at the base of Beaver Creek Ski Resort.
A recent Air Traffic Control Association seminar revealed widespread agreement in the aviation community that construction of new airports and runways is the only way to reduce traffic congestion. There have been expectations in some circles that new technology being developed by the FAA and independent contractors would result in substantial reductions in congestion, but that promise is now in doubt.
Aero Cosmetics is offering operators Wash Wax ALL, a universal cleaning and waxing product. The cleaner provides a non-stick, anti-static coating to aid in repelling dirt, moisture and the damaging effects of ultraviolet rays. It also can be used on dry or wet surfaces and carries dirt away without scratching. Wash Wax ALL is water-based, petroleum-free and designed for use on surfaces such as paint, plastic, composites and rubber. Price: $8.95 per quart 411 Sandau RD#5 Aero Cosmetics San Antonio, Texas 78216-3648
Elliott Aviation won STC approval to install Honeywell's Mark VII enhanced ground proximity warning system in Falcon 10 aircraft. The installation, initially completed on a Falcon 10 based in Omaha, includes a Collins TCAS-94 TCAS II system, a Collins MFD-85D multi-function display, dual RTU-4210 radio tuning units, a Collins WXR-8450 Doppler radar system and new Collins Pro Line II nav/coms.
Westjet Air Center, Rapid City, S.D., has completed construction of its 27,200-square-foot heated hangar facility. The new hangar has the capability of holding a Gulfstream V and Global Express size aircraft at the same time. Westjet Air Center is a full-service FBO, located at the edge of the Black Hills of South Dakota, near Mount Rushmore.
As the new millennium begins its climb, the world fleet of business jets and turboprops comprises 20,571 aircraft operated by 12,973 flight departments. The aircraft total represents a growth of a bit over five percent over the previous year, while the flight department number is up almost four percent. Within the United States the aircraft count is 14,079 units operated by about 9,317 flight departments. In the United States, growth of flight departments is up more than five percent and the aircraft count will be up some six and one-half percent.
Concern over inadvertent autopilot engagement or mode changes during critical phases of flight has led the FAA to look at ``protecting'' or relocating autopilot switches now installed on the control wheels of turbine aircraft. The agency says its goal is not to create any ``binding norms'' or new regulations, but to refine the certification guidelines for all turbine-powered aircraft in the normal, utility, acrobatic and commuter categories.
Australian air safety regulators plan to require audible ``loss of pressurization'' alarms on all turbine-powered aircraft by the end of November, reversing their earlier position that such devices would do little to enhance safety.
Atlantic Coast Airlines' pilot union leaders have tentatively agreed to management's latest contract proposal, which is likely to include improvements in pay and benefits for the carrier's Air Line Pilots Association-represented flight crews. Union representatives held ``roadshow'' presentations explaining the contract in Dulles, Va., and Chicago in late January.
Business Aviation Services, Sioux Falls, S.D., has named Barry Dunmire as its director of flight operations. Dunmire previously served as the company's flight instructor and charter pilot.
NTSB investigators are continuing to examine the cause of two separate Raytheon King Air A90 crashes killing 13 people earlier this year. Poor weather, an aircraft that was not equipped for flight in instrument conditions and a VFR flight that continued into instrument meteorological conditions appear to have led to the January 14 fatal crash of an A90 into the Great Salt Lake near Salt Lake City, Utah. The pilot and all eight passengers were killed in the accident.
An ICAO committee has proposed the adoption of a new aircraft noise standard that is 10 decibels below the current Stage 3 standard by 2006. ICAO's Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP), meeting in Montreal in mid-January, issued a series of recommendations aimed at reducing aircraft noise. The group also established a framework to address lowering aircraft emissions.
