Unison Industries will supply engine nacelle harnesses for Falcon 2000EX air-craft under the terms of a new agreement with the Nordam Group's Nacelle/Thrust Reverser Systems Division.
Honeywell President Michael A. Smith has been elected chairman of GAMA. Smith, a four-year GAMA board member, will serve a one-year term. Replacing Smith as vice-chair is NORDAM Group Chairman and CEO Ray H. Siegfried, a GAMA board member since 1994 and former chairman of the association's International Affairs Committee.
It is unfortunate that John Wiley chose to include in his article on sterile cockpit procedures a NASA report that was apparently filed by someone totally ignorant of the ``60 and out'' regulation, and who made a totally unfounded insinuation (``The Sterile Cockpit,'' November 2000, page 66). There was not at its instigation, nor is there now, any basis, either medical or scientific, for forced retirement at an arbitrary age. It is widely recognized that the rule was promulgated in 1959 as an economic favor to an airline president.
Canada's CAE received the Governor's Awards for its work in flight training technology at the annual Interservice/Industry Training Simulation and Education conference in Orlando
BBA Group plc, the parent company of Signature Flight Support, has agreed to acquire Ranger Aerospace Co. and its associated Aircraft Service International Group (ASIG) for $152 million with assumption of all bonds and debts. The transaction is expected to close this quarter and under that agreement Signature will hold the Ranger stock.
British Regional Airlines Group is said to be in talks with an unidentified bidder. A British Airways code-share partner, British Regional Airlines also operates as Manx Airlines. Rob Hearn, the carrier's chief operating officer, says BRAL anticipates delivery of four additional Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets this year, to be used on new routes and as a replacement for turboprops. Sir Michael Bishop is BRAL's chairman as well as its largest individual shareholder; Bishop also is the chairman and major shareholder of British Midland Airways.
Air BP has been tapped to take over Bolivia's newly privatized aviation fuel business. The fuel supplier will assume responsibility for facilities at 15 Bolivian airports and will have marketing rights in the country for the next 22 years. Bolivia's airports handle about 50 million gallons of fuel annually. Although Air BP currently has fueling operations and other businesses in Brazil, Chile, Venezuela and Argentina, Chief Executive Peter Ragauss called the deal ``our first major entry into South America,'' adding that its a good base in the region for future growth.
Canadian Aerospace Group expected to receive in late December 2000 the first of 16 firm Harbin Y12-IV turboprops it ordered from the Chinese manufacturer. The 19-seaters will arrive in Canada with Pratt&Whitney Canada PT6A-27 engines, but Thunder Bay, Ontario-based CAG plans to upgrade these to the more powerful -34 standard before marketing the aircraft as the Twin Panda.
The AOPA funded a cable television ad campaign to extol the virtues of community airports and general aviation. The commercials aired on The Weather Channel between December 22 and January 3.
Midcoast Aviation's three Midwest FBOs have received the National Air Transportation Association's (NATA) Safety 1st designation. Line service personnel at Safety 1st participants must pass a written and practical exam demonstrating their knowledge of aircraft fueling and handling within 90 days of being hired. Midcoast's Michael J. Mueller says the Lambert-St. Louis International, St. Louis Downtown-Parks and Little Rock National Airport staffs undergo rigorous training for up to a year before being considered fully trained for their jobs.
Computer reservation service Worldspan is now offering travel agents the ability to price and book air charters online on the company's Worldspan Go! system. Worldspan has signed an alliance with CharterHub, an online provider of real-time charter availability and booking. The new service is available for charters in the United States and Canada.
Shandong Airlines in China has ordered three new Cessna Caravans with options for 37 more, a deal that will make it China's first commercial Caravan operator. Deliveries are scheduled to begin with one Grand Caravan and two Caravan 675s on amphibious floats in the spring. Shandong says it plans to use the single-engine turboprops on ``high frequency flights'' between cities with en route flight times less than one hour. Founded in 1994, Shandong also operates Boeing 737s, Saab 340s and Bombardier CRJs.
``I feel enormous relief,'' Gary Burrell, co-founder and co-chairman of Garmin International, told B/CA last month shortly after an Initial Public Offering raised $147 million for the avionics firm. The December 8, 2000 IPO involved 10.5 million shares, all purchased by institutional investors at $14 per share. The company shares trade on the Nasdaq stock market (symbol: GRMN).
While the FAA was doling out employee raises, some were also receiving accolades. The agency presented Facility of the Year awards to control towers at Chicago O'Hare; Portland, Ore.; Fort Worth Meacham; Ann Arbor, Mich.; and the Minneapolis Tower and TRACON facility. The Dayton Automated Flight Service Station also received recognition as the AFSS facility of the year. Achievements at the honored facilities range from O'Hare's operational error-free record from March 1999 to April 2000 to Meacham's five-year operational error-free record.
Kollsman's All Weather Window incorporates a specially designed sensor and electronics processor that provides a video image that will interface with raster-capable head-up displays. The system is designed to detect and display the high-intensity light emissions of runway systems without ``blooming'' the lights or washing out the airport scenery. A CAT I-equipped aircraft with the All Weather Window will have the ability to land at an approved airport when encountering visibility that is below minimums.
DeCrane Aircraft Holdings division Avtech has added a second SELCAL product line with its acquisition of Motorola's SELCAL manufacturing business in late 2000. Avtech purchased SELCAL maker Coltech earlier in the year. After a brief transitional period, production of the former Motorola products will move from that company's Schaumburg, Ill., facility to Avtech headquarters in Seattle.
This is in response to David Collogan's invitation to comment on John King's views on flight training (Washington, November 2000, page 126). I don't know what part of the aviation community has been ``telling the big lie.'' Surely not us ``old ducks.''
Corporate Express Airlines, a Calgary, Canada, operator, has taken delivery of a Saab 340A from the manufacturer's aircraft leasing division. The aircraft joins four 19-seat Jetstream 31s
Bombardier Aerospace has mated the wing and fuselage of the first Continental business jet, now nearing completion at the company's Wichita plant. John Holding, Bombardier's executive vice president for engineering, said the program ``continues to proceed as planned, and this first aircraft is on target to fly before the middle of [this year].'' Certification of the twinjet is slated for the fall 2002, with delivery of the first ``green'' aircraft following before the end of the year.
Air Group's maintenance department has received the FAA's Service Training Excellence commendation for completing training programs far in excess of what regulations require. In addition, six of the company's technicians received individual awards.
Westchester Air, White Plains, N.Y., has named Bob Tidler as director of operations/chief pilot and Reed Vander Schel as director of maintenance services.
