Fractional clients of Flight Options, one of the United States' major fractional ownership companies, will start to use the new alliance with Chauffair's U.K. corporate fleet for European travel this spring. Flight Options linked in late 2000 with Chauffair, the United Kingdom's largest corporate charter fleet operator, based in Farnborough, Hampshire, to supply business jet flights throughout Europe.
Bombardier Aerospace has signed a Letter of Intent with Shandong Airlines Rainbow Jet Co. Ltd., of the People's Republic of China, for the purchase of four Challenger 604 corporate jets. The deal is worth $100 million and the aircraft will be used for the airline's new global charter business. The first aircraft is due for delivery in March 2002.
Norman Mineta, who was sworn in as secretary of transportation after sailing through the Senate confirmation process, warned Congress that this coming summer likely will be as bad as, if not worse than, last in terms of air traffic delays and congestion, and pledged to ``take whatever steps we need to, no matter how large or small, even if the payoff is not immediate.''
D-Zolve GL 15-33 is billed as an environmentally safe aircraft paint stripper, which can be used on aluminum, magnesium, stainless steel, carbon steel, cadmium-coated steel and titanium. The paint stripper removes several layers of aircraft paints with cross-linked polyurethane topcoats including epoxy, polyurethane, fluid resistant BMS and desothane as well as topcoats with high solid content fluoride. D-Zolve is a non-embrittling, non-flammable and non-acidic chemical that contains no chlorinated components or peroxides.
Tired of those pesky gear-up landings? Well, Sporty's Pilot Shop may have just the solution: a make-believe landing gear handle complete with three green lights that illuminate when the ``gear'' is lowered.Powered by a nine-volt battery, the training device fastens easily to aircraft instrument panels, car dashboards or any other flat surface. Price: $59.00 Sporty's Pilot Shop Clermont County Airport Batavia, Ohio 45103-9747 Phone: (800) LIFTOFF Fax: (513) 735-9200 www.sportys.com
Jetfly Aviation of Luxembourg took delivery of the first of 10 TBM 700Bs for its new fractional program at Le Bourget, France on February 1. The $24 million contract includes a ``power by the hour'' maintenance plan, and deliveries are at the rate of one every three months.
The IBM corporate flight department won FAA approval to conduct CAT III approaches in Falcon 2000 business jets equipped with the Flight Dynamics Head-up Guidance System (HGS). The approval, believed to be one of the first such authorizations for an FAR Part 91 operator, permits properly trained company pilots to make approaches to airports in conditions as low as 700 feet RVR and a 50-foot decision height. IBM has been operating a Falcon 2000 since 1995 and had it retrofitted with the HGS system in 1998.
Italian airports have launched top-level lobbying efforts to torpedo a new law that would ban all night flights in the country. The law, being discussed by the national parliament's environment committee, would ground all flights between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. except for emergency and official government flights.
Essential Air Group has released FltOps 210, which includes an optional interface with Microsoft Outlook. The interface enables the software to ``talk'' to Outlook and automatically post trips to an Outlook calendar. The calendar then can be configured to show flight schedules for the entire company, individual pilots or aircraft. The Outlook interface also enables the calendar to be shared with others via e-mail and automatically updates the individual's calendar.
Marc Fruchter Aviation, Reading, Pa., has appointed Jeffrey Alderfer as its president and chief operating officer. Previously a line captain and the director of training, Alderfer will oversee daily operations and will report to Marc Fruchter, the company's chairman and CEO.
Miami-Dade County is assembling a list of other possibilities for relieving the increasing strain on its current airport system in the wake of a January U.S. Air Force decision that barred aeronautical use of 700 acres of surplus land at the former Homestead Air Force Base. County officials for years had plans to develop the Homestead site as a commercial airport, but those plans were squashed after the Air Force, at the request of the Department of the Interior, reversed a 1994 Record of Decision to enable aeronautical use there.
Shuttle America, the first new U.S. regional carrier to emerge under the FAA's new ``uniform'' certification guidelines has reached profitability three years after its inception. The Windsor Locks, Conn.-based company is serving secondary markets like Boston's Hanscom Field (BED), Buffalo, N.Y. (BUF) and Trenton-Mercer County, N.J. (TTN), and says it now is poised for expansion toward the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic states.
Shadin's Engine Trend Monitor (ETM) is now standard equipment on all new TBM-700 aircraft and is STCed for Bell 206, 412, BO-105, BK117 helicopters, most King Airs, the Cessna Caravan, Pilatus PC-12 and Piper Malibu Jet Prop Deluxe. The ETM combines the functions of Shadin's DIGIFLO and fuel/airdata computers, along with the ability to accurately track engine performance conditions without the pilot filling out forms. The information is automatically recorded and downloaded to a datakey, which can be transferred from the cockpit to a personal computer.
The value of real-time, global communication -- and the potential revenue for businesses providing the connections -- is generally recognized. In fact, hardly a day passes without reports of a new wireless communication proposal. A number of joint ventures have been established or are being formed to develop aviation services. They are an interesting mixture of established aviation companies, telecommunications companies, so-called content providers and a host of other hardware and software organizations.
Adam Aircraft, a start-up company based in Englewood, Colo., plans to price its new twin-engine M-309 aircraft at $695,000 for the first 20 production models. The company is taking $25,000 deposits for the composite, pressurized six-passenger aircraft. ``This is a major milestone for us,'' said Adam Aircraft President John Knudsen.
A venture led by New York City-based Loral Space&Communications Ltd., Globalstar Telecommunications LP of San Jose, Calif., was under great financial pressure in 2000. Speculation was so strong that in November, Bernard L. Schwartz, Loral chairman, issued a statement to reassure customers and service companies that the venture would continue to receive its support and that of its partners. More recently, the company defaulted on its debt, giving rise to speculation that it would be forced into bankruptcy. Investment to date exceeds $1.5 billion.
Flight2ground.com, Salem, Ore., is expected to release its ``free'' electronic ground service scheduling software by midyear. The interactive service is designed specifically for corporate flight departments and scheduler/dispatchers. Currently under development by Multi Service and Valley Oil Corp., the Web-based software connects individual scheduling flights to each FBO along the flight path. The service also includes automatic electronic confirmation, follow up e-mails or multiple phone calls.
ICAO has announced an agreement on a new air route structure over the North Pole that will reduce flight distances from North America and Europe to Asia and the Pacific region. While the new routes are being crafted with the major airlines in mind, operators of ultra-long-range business aircraft also stand to benefit.
National Air Transportation Association (NATA) is developing two checklists that the association hopes will assist its members when they obtain insurance. The checklists stem from growing concerns about the dramatic increases in insurance rates and the realization that those rates are not likely to drop anytime in the near future. In fall 2000, aviation businesses reported insurance rate increases of up to 300 percent, a trend that analysts believe was driven in part by the declining number of insurance providers.
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey, the FAA's Management Advisory Committee and the Air Traffic Services Subcommittee are wrestling with finding a chief operating officer to head the FAA's air traffic operations. AIR-21 set the COO's salary at the same level as the administrator's -- $145,000 plus a possible 30-percent performance bonus. Garvey told the U.S.
Jet Source, Carlsbad, Calif., has named Pat Tierney as its avionics manager. Tierney, who has over 15 years of avionics experience, was the shop foreman and head of helicopter completions for Cinema Air prior to its acquisition by Jet Source.
Ever wonder what happened to all those David Clark headsets in use on the sidelines of Nation-al Football League (NFL) games? The David Clark Corp. is wondering the same thing, though it doesn't admit to fumbling in the big game. ``We had the NFL contract for years, then Telex came in three or four years ago and gave the equipment away,'' says John Farr, David Clark's director of marketing.
Edited by Paul RichfieldDave Benoff, in Anaheim, Calif.
With a downturn in helicopter sales anticipated this year, exhibitors at the 2001 Helicopter Association International (HAI) convention in Anaheim, Calif., vied for the attention of 2,000 fewer attendees than at the 2000 Las Vegas show. As expected, only one manufacturer announced a new product, while others provided updates or revealed new development ideas. Eurocopter unveiled its new FAA/JAA-approved EC130B4 helicopter as expected, with the first delivery going to Blue Hawaiian Helicopters.
The aircraft we flew for this report, 560-0539, was the first Encore off Cessna's assembly line. The cabin was fitted with optional high-gloss wood laminates on the cabinetry, 117 VAC cabin power outlets, MagnaStar 2000 radio telephone, passenger briefing system and various other upgrades. The middle passenger seats are the only seats that can be adjusted fore and aft and turned 180 degrees. Thus, they can be adjusted to form forward club or aft club seating configurations.
General aviation groups battling airport restrictions received good news in February as a federal judge ruled that a lawsuit challenging a Stage 2 non-addition rule at Van Nuys (Calif.) Airport should move forward. The judge's decision, setting a May 1 trial date, came a week after the Naples Airport Authority board of directors agreed to delay enforcement of its Stage 2 aircraft ban at Naples (Fla.) Municipal Airport.
