It used to be part of the accepted wisdom of the used aircraft sales fraternity that prospective buyers were more concerned with hours and cycles than calendar years when evaluating potential buys. Now that many popular models are passing 20 years or more, age may become a greater factor, particularly in view of FAA focus on aging aircraft. Fractional ownership programs are rapidly changing utilization rates. Higher average hours and cycles per year, coupled with standardized fleet maintenance programs are beginning to change community opinions of what is high use.
Crossair is shuffling its senior management team, following company president Moritz Suter's replacement of Philippe Bruggisser on the board of S'Air Group, parent company of Crossair, Swissair and Sabena of Belgium. Andre Dose, formerly Crossair's vice president of flight operations, has been named as the airline's new president and CEO. Thomas Brandt, formerly cockpit personnel chief, will replace Dose.
Bearskin Airlines has launched Fairchild Metroliner service between Kapuskasing and Timmins, Ontario. The Thunder Bay, Ontario-based carrier -- one of Canada's last independent regionals -- says the decision to fly the route is based on direct solicitation from the community of Kapuskasing, plus Air Creebec's withdrawal from the market in fall 2000. Bearskin offers around 200 daily flights to 37 destinations, including many remote villages with no road access.
Primedia has joined the group of companies providing flight tracking software, releasing its AC-U-KWIK Flight Tracker Web-based product that will allow FBOs, charter companies and corporate flight departments to monitor inbound and outbound flights through any public airport in the continental United States or Canada. The program allows companies to access real-time flight information through the Internet using aircraft tail numbers.
PrivateSky Aviation Services, located at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers, Fla., is constructing a 62,000-square-foot ``mixed use'' aviation complex consisting of an FBO combined with a maintenance service center, customer service center and executive terminal.
Dalloz Safety has introduced Bilsom 202 NST disposable earplugs with super attenuating EarDown foam material. Available in two sizes, the Bilsom 202 earplugs feature uniform and moderate attenuation so the wearer can hear co-workers' voices, warning signals and other sounds. Constructed from a polyethylene film, the plugs contain no additives and are color coded for easy identification. The combination of increased comfort and uniform attenuation is designed to ensure predictable performance in all types of environments. Price: $0.12 to $0.24 per pair
Gulfstream has expanded its dominance of the U.S. government's VIP-transport market with the sale of a Gulfstream V (C-37A) to the U.S. Coast Guard. The service will take delivery of the aircraft in mid-2002 as a replacement for a Gulfstream III (C-20B), which has been used primarily to transport senior federal officials and high-ranking military officers.
Dassault Falcon Jet, Teterboro, has named Lloyd Hardwick as its field service representative for the Atlanta area. Hardwick is an FAA licensed A&P mechanic with over 20 years of experience maintaining corporate aircraft.
Raisbeck Engineering is testing a new aft fuselage for the Gulfstream IV that can serve as a locker or add 2,200 pounds of fuel capacity. An owner/operator survey is currently underway, the company says. and preliminary results have resulted in a favorable response to the product. According to Raisbeck, the locker can carry an additional 1,500 pounds of baggage or cargo, and the fuel cell can increase cruise range by 45 minutes.
They call themselves the Class of '81. They represent most of the 11,800 air traffic controllers who went head to head with Ronald Reagan almost 20 years ago and lost their jobs in the showdown.
Be a Pilot will begin an aggressive campaign to increase new pilot starts this year, according to President and CEO Drew Steketee. Among the initiatives: new incentives for flight schools to increase local marketing, hiring of an outside marketing and public relations firm and a commitment to provide leads generated by the group's advertising to local flight schools. The Be a Pilot board of directors elected new officers: Sporty's Pilot Shop founder Hal Shevers is now chairman of the group, succeeding Russ Meyer, who will remain chairman of the finance committee.
A U.S. District Judge has given city officials in San Jose, Calif., until the end of this month to rule on the validity of the night noise curfew at San Jose International Airport. The case has wider implications. Easing the curfew or shelving it altogether could open one of the nation's most noise sensitive airports to 24-hour operations, but with the potential loss of up to $1.5 billion in federal airport improvement funding. ``The stakes are high in terms of the enforceability and integrity of our curfew,'' City Attorney Rick Doyle said.
Remember Cheers, that great sitcom set in a Boston pub? A typical opening scene showed the patrons chatting quietly over their beers. Suddenly the front door bursts open and a large, rumpled figure charges into the room, headed for his favorite seat at the end of the bar. ``Afternoon everybody,'' the character Norm said as he bustled into their midst. ``NORM!'' the patrons roared in response, with the enthusiasm, camaraderie and affection reserved for old friends and touchdowns by the home team.
Western Michigan University will train up to 40 female and minority pilot candidates under a new ab initio training agreement with Delta Air Lines. The students will include graduates and undergraduates, who will be given priority hiring consideration at Delta Connection carriers Comair and Atlantic Southeast Airlines. Delta has pledged $1.65 million over four years in support of the program.
The Encore inherits the Ultra's very capable Honeywell Primus 1000 avionics package, which embraces the familiar hub-and-spoke architecture. The three eight-by-seven-inch CRT displays -- left- and right-side PFDs and a central MFD -- are the most visible elements of the system. The MFD is flanked by twin Honeywell Primus II radio management units.
Progress continues on the creation of new FAA regulations governing fractional ownership operations, though it could be some time before a ``proposed rule'' hits the industry for comments. Doug Carr, the NBAA's director of government affairs, says the proposal submitted to the FAA by the Fractional Own-ership Aviation Rulemaking Committee (FOARC) a year ago has reached Tom McSweeney, the agency's associate administrator for regulation and certification.
Bombardier has delivered two de Havilland Dash 8-Q400 turboprops to Augsberg Airways. The 72-seat aircraft are the first of five ordered by the German regional airline, which expects to begin Q400 service in the next few weeks. Augsberg, a Team Lufthansa partner, has operated the Dash 8 since 1991, and with the most recent additions has 16 in its fleet. To date, Bombardier has delivered 21 Q400s to five airlines. Eight airlines have firm orders for 68 of the type, and options for 54 more.
The FAA has named Bill Peacock, a 27-year agency veteran and private pilot, to direct its Air Traffic Service. Peacock joined the FAA in 1973 as an air traffic controller in Lubbock, Texas, and has since held positions of increasing responsibility. Most recently he was director of air traffic tactical operations, where he oversaw daily flight operations in the national airspace system. He also managed the agency's Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Herndon, Va.
Spirited industry resistance has led the Bush administration to shelve a proposal to slice up to $568 million from the FAA's fiscal 2002 operations budget. The AOPA and other trade groups said the proposed cuts threatened the budgetary gains made with AIR-21, the FAA reauthorization bill signed into law in April 2000.
The Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) has pledged $1 million to build a 20,000-square-foot hangar and office building at Millville Municipal Airport in New Jersey. The city of Millville will contribute $500,000 and an additional $400,000 in loans from the state empowerment zone. Airport officials said the new complex is designed to accommodate two to six aviation-related companies and could create more than 160 jobs. Ground-breaking on the project is expected this fall with completion expected by summer 2002.
Two unions have asked the FAA to take its Capstone demonstration program off line in Alaska until the agency resolves software glitches that cropped up in January.
Honeywell Commercial Aviation Systems, Rockwell Collins, Thales Avionics (the former Sextant Avionique/Thomson CSF Sextant) and Universal Avionics Systems Corp. are probably the best-known developers and manufacturers of satellite communication systems and antennas for aircraft.
