The tables above show results of a fuel price survey of U.S. fuel suppliers performed in October 2000. This survey was conducted by Aviation Research Group/U.S. (ARG/US) and reflects prices reported from FBOs nationwide. Prices are full retail and include all taxes and fees. For additional information, contact ARG/US at (513) 852-5110 or on the internet at www.aviationresearch.com.
Honeywell has authorized five additional Hawker Service Centers to perform TFE731 and APU line maintenance services. The new authorization applies to Raytheon Aircraft Services facilities at Atlanta's Fulton County Airport (FTY), Atlantic City (ACY), Houston (HOU), Little Rock (LIT) and Wichita (ICT).
A pilot for Swiss regional carrier Crossair narrowly avoided injury in early October when a shootout erupted near his aircraft during an attempted robbery. The incident occurred at Luxembourg Airport when the pilot was conducting his walk-around inspection of the Saab 2000. Two armed men attempted to steal banknotes being loaded on the aircraft, which was scheduled to fly to Zurich with 37 passengers aboard. Six people were injured in the early morning melee, including the gunmen, two policemen and two civilians.
The New Jersey Aviation Association (NJAA) is facing its first hurdle in the battle against land developers, with Governor Christine Todd Whitman's conditional veto of bill A-2332. The bill would authorize the commissioner of transportation in New Jersey to purchase development rights at private or county-owned airports to ensure that such properties remain part of the airport.
TAG Aviation's worldwide fleet has grown by 39 aircraft since the beginning of the year, bringing the total of charter and managed aircraft to 153. The new aircraft include four Gulfstream Vs in the company's U.S. fleet of 122 aircraft. TAG's European fleet has added a Falcon 900, two Learjet 45s and a Citation Excel, raising its total to 31 aircraft. ``Equally exciting are the five Global Expresses we have in completion that we will deliver to our clients before the end of the year,'' says Jake Cartwright, CEO of TAG's U.S. unit.
Bombardier says it has received its 100th order for the new Continental business jet and construction of the first Continental (serial number 20001) is proceeding on track in Wichita. Bombardier introduced the aircraft at the 1998 NBAA show, and launched the program at the Paris Air Show in June 1999. First flight of the super-midsize business jet is expected by mid-2001, with certification following in third quarter 2002 and first ``green'' deliveries before the end of that year. As the Continental develops, so does its powerplant.
The Van Nuys Airport's Citizens Advisory Council has elected Coby King as its new president. King is a lawyer and owns a public affairs firm in Los Angeles.
BAE Systems has leased 10 Jetstream 32EP's to Corporate Aircraft Partners (CAP), an Atlanta-based company that aims to fill a gap in the aircraft management/leasing market. The concept? Provide companies with on-demand air travel within an 800-mile radius of their home city, in the form of turboprop aircraft with luxury, 10-12 seat interiors and hookups for laptop computers.
Dallas Airmotive will maintain and support Pratt&Whitney Canada's JT15D and PT6A engines for Executive Jet Management's 57-aircraft fleet under the terms of a new five-year agreement. Dallas Airmotive's main engine overhaul facilities in Dallas and Millville, N.J., will provide shop services, while its various Regional Turbine Centers will do EJM's hot-section inspection work. Field support teams also will be provided. Cincinnati-based EJM operates Cessna Citation S/II, Citation V, Citation V Ultra and Raytheon Beech 1900 aircraft.
Ogden Corp. has agreed to sell Flight Services Group (FSG) to Consolidated Lambda Holdings, an affiliate of Latsis Group of Greece. PrivateAir Holding, another affiliate of the Latsis Group, will manage FSG, in addition to its charter operation in Geneva, Switzerland. PrivateAir operates Boeing 737, 757 and BBJ aircraft, and says the addition of FSG will allow it to diversify its product line.
Million Air, Piedmont Hawthorne, Raytheon Travel Air and TAG Aviation are among the first companies to participate in TheAviationHub, an online service hoping to streamline the way business aviation providers procure support services. According to CEO Jay Mesinger, the new service will help reduce the number of faxes and phone calls necessary for air charter and fractional operators to procure such items as FBO services, fuel, ground transportation and catering.
The Flight Options fractional ownership program is equipping its entire 82-aircraft fleet with AirCell's inflight telephones and Jeppesen's JeppView flight guide system. The AirCell system provides passengers with voice, data, e-mail, fax and Internet access, while JeppView units replace paper navigation charts.
Airlines have threatened to stop service to Katmandu's Tribhuwan airport after a spate of bird-strike incidents. At least four airliners were damaged; no injuries were reported.
The Mexican Navy has ordered a Bombardier Q200 turboprop equipped with a convertible interior for VIP transport, all-cargo, mixed-passenger and cargo or standard passenger seating. The aircraft is scheduled for delivery in September 2001. The Navy also has an option for one additional Q200. German regional carrier Lufthansa CityLine doubled its CRJ700 order from 10 to 20 aircraft and is considering options for 10 additional aircraft.
Crew shortages led Mesaba Airlines to cancel a number of flights this summer, though the problems are said to have stabilized with the less-demanding fall schedule. Training backlog is blamed, as the Minneapolis-based carrier struggles to fill captain's seats made vacant by major airline hiring.
Barfield, Inc. has opened a 9,000-square-foot facility adjacent to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Tempe, Ariz. Antoine Mocellin manages the facility, which provides repair and overhaul services for Barfield's Western U.S. and Pacific Rim customers.
After two years of operation, Yelvington Jet Aviation of Daytona Beach, Fla. (DAB), says it has outgrown its facility and is expanding. The company says the first stage of the project is the addition of a second 12,000-gallon Jet-A fuel farm, with a new self-serve avgas fuel farm on the FBO's west ramp. Chadd Collins, Yelvington's general manager, said he intends to offer ``a substantial reduction in avgas price for . . . economy-minded pilots who require no other FBO services.''
DeCrane Aircraft has created a new Seating Division, composed of recently acquired ERDA and Dettmer Industries. Jeff Nerland will oversee the new unit while continuing in his capacity as DeCrane's vice president of business development. Former ERDA President Ben Bunting will oversee sales for the division while ERDA executive Mark Huber has been named vice president of marketing. DeCrane appointed Tom Beatty the new CEO of ERDA, succeeding David Brandt, who left the company.
Ingenuity and resourcefulness remain the watchwords of the aircraft modification business. That was made clear as B/CA contacted scores of companies to update the mod directory for this year. Increasing utility, performance, safety and comfort are evident in many developments both large and small. In years past, we have reflected on the number of aircraft that were considered obsolete until some noodler developed a modification that could breathe new life into old designs.
Online air charter broker eJets has contracted with the Flight Safety Foundation's Q-Star program and Aviation Research Group/U.S. (ARG/US) CHEQ programs for safety auditing of its operators. The Q-Star Charter Provider and Verification Program conducts on-site audits of charter companies, while the Charter Evaluation and Qualification (CHEQ) service offers a monthly statistical analysis of operators based on FAA and NTSB records and other measures.
