Edited By Paul RichfieldBy Mike Vines, in Birmingham, England
Bell Helicopter Textron has approved Alan Mann Helicopters Ltd. of Fairoaks Airport, Surrey, England, as a Customer Training Facility to conduct helicopter factory ground and flight training. This is the third such Bell center worldwide (the others are National Airways Corp. Pty. Ltd., in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Helitech Pty. Ltd. in Brisbane, Australia).
Airis Corp. has named Al Shively as senior vice president located in Atlanta. Airis is a private developer of aviation facilities and designs, builds, owns and operates facilities for aviation.
Westfield State College in Massachusetts has inaugurated a summer program aimed to help minority children pursue aviation careers. For two weeks, 50 children will be introduced to different aspects of aviation including weather, principles of flight, airport management, air transportation and local flights at the school. The summer program is supplemented during the school year, and in the third year of the program, eligible students can start ground school. Funding for the program comes from the Irene E. and George A.
A year ago, the focus in Washington aviation circles was the effort to win support for FAA reauthorization legislation, a process that included more plot twists than a long-running soap opera. Finally, however, Congress completed work on the Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR-21) in March and the measure was signed into law in April.
MyAircraft, a Honeywell and United Technologies ``spinoff'' corporation, has developed maintenance management software designed to enhance maintenance planning and scheduling. The software is customized with each operator's criteria and can be used as a complete maintenance platform or integrated into an existing system such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). MyAircraft said they plan to offer the ability to manage and create customized revisions to OEM-supplied information, as well as provide controlled usage by maintenance mechanics in the future updates.
AEBA, Spain's air traffic service provider, has tapped ARINC to assess air safety in the Europe/South America Corridor. The assessment is a step toward introduction of reduced vertical separation minimums (RVSM) in the area in 2002. ARINC's Ed Lutz says the assessment is designed to show the level of risk in ``changing from the current air traffic structure'' to reduced levels of lateral and vertical separation. Most air traffic between Europe and South America already is subject to RVSM requirements in European airspace.
Swearingen Aircraft rolled out the first conforming SJ30-2 light jet prototype in mid-July. Speakers at the San Antonio ceremony included Ed Swearingen, representatives of the aircraft's Taiwanese investors and Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.). The SJ30-2 is expected to begin flight testing in late September and will be followed in the test program by static test aircraft and two additional conforming prototypes by early 2001. Swearingen says it has 164 orders for the $4.8 million aircraft, which is designed for single-pilot operation and a range of 2,500 nm.
Cirrus Design received a production certificate from the FAA for the SR20. With the certificate and four new Designated Manufacturing Inspection Representatives (DMIR), Cirrus now can inspect aircraft coming off the assembly line and award airworthiness certificates without direct FAA oversight.
Swissair plans to spin off its pilot and flight attendant training operation, and offer its simulators for rental to other airlines and operators. Swissair CEO-designate Manfred Brennwald said he expects the new venture -- called the Swissair Training Center AG -- to employ 80 full-time staff and generate annual operating revenues of CHF 60 million. In July, Jeffrey Katz resigned after three years as Swissair's CEO, to take an e-commerce CEO job in the United States.
Raytheon Aircraft has sold a new Beech 1900D airliner to Impulse Airlines of Australia, and leased a Beech 1900C to Helitaxi of Bogota, Colombia. Beech 1900D production continues despite an apparent plateau in the 19-seat turboprop market. Raytheon's Wichita plant is building around 25 new 1900Ds for US Airways Express carrier Commutair, as part of a one-for-one swap arrangement involving the airline's used Beech 1900D fleet.
Atlantic Coast Airlines' new Delta Connection unit -- expects to start service this month, around five months later than planned. Details associated with FAA certification of the airline are blamed for the delays. ACJet recently took delivery of its first Fairchild Dornier 328JET, and has 24 more of the type on order. The Dulles, Va.-based carrier also has 20 Bombardier Canadair Regional Jets on order.
Stripping aircraft paint can be a tough, hazardous job. Peabody, Mass.-based Solvent Clean is trying to change that with D-Zolve GL 15-33, a non-acidic, non-flammable water-borne paint stripper. Formulated with no carcinogens or chlorinated components, D-Zolve dissolves the bond between the substrate and primer, causing the paint to lift off the surface in a single film that then can be removed with high-pressure water or a rubber squeegee.
QuickTurn has added a new King Air C90B flight training device (FTD) at its Grapevine, Texas, training center. The FTD is equipped with a Collins EFIS 84 system, APS-65 autopilot control and KLN90B GPS. QuickTurn is a division of SimuFlite Training International.
As the saying goes, safety is no accident, so the new line of ICAO safety posters should be a welcome addition to any flight department, FBO, regional airline or other aviation-related business. Sporty's is now selling a series of 16 safety posters covering such diverse topics as turbulence, VASI systems, taxiing guidance, wind shear and volcanic activity. All of the posters have vivid graphics and text and will help new and veteran aviators remember the ``rules of the road.'' Price: $11.95 each Sporty's Pilot Shop
New entrant manufacturer Eclipse Aviation has altered the planned performance numbers and price of the Eclipse 500 business jet, now in the design phase. The aircraft's maximum speed has been reduced from 368 KIAS to 355 KIAS, NBAA IFR range was reduced from 1,450 nm to 1,300 nm, and the twinjet's useful load is now 2,000 pounds, a 50-pound reduction.
Edited by Paul RichfieldBy Paul Richfield Falcons Hit With Pitch Trim Directive
Severe pitch oscillations by Dassault Falcon 900 aircraft have led the FAA to adopt a French directive restricting the speed of most Falcon business jets in the event of a certain type of control system failure indication. The action stems from the Direction Generale de l'Aviation Civile (DGAC) investigation into September 1999's highly publicized Falcon 900 loss of control incident over Romania, in which six people affiliated with the Greek government were killed.
Ranger Aviation opened an FBO at Kissimmee Airport in central Florida, offering services for corporate and general aviation operators. Located six miles from Walt Disney World, the FBO provides fuel, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, hangar accommodations, and helicopter and limousine services. Judy Bennett, flight support operations manager, said the FBO's staff had more than 20 years of aviation experience, and can offer an alternative to the already congested area airports.''
Groen Brothers Aviation's Jet Hawk 4T, a turbine-powered gyroplane, took its first flight in July at the manufacturer's Phoenix-area operations facility. Powered by a 420-shp Rolls-Royce Model 250 engine, the Jet Hawk is touted as a low-cost alternative for airborne law enforcement, land management and other package delivery operators that traditionally use helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft. Groen Brothers is hoping to begin deliveries of what it calls ``the DC-3 of gyroplanes'' in 2001. The Jet Hawk 4T is a derivative of the piston-powered Hawk 4 Gyroplane.
First, I am in recovery from Tiger Woods' clinical and surgical dissection of Pebble Beach, and, by the time you read this, he will have spread his talents over the British Open, heavily favored. During the same time spread, NBC's Hannah Storm interviewed Tracy Stewart, Payne Stewart's widow, with snippets of their happy family life together and spotlighting Payne's considerable golfing talents, including his victory at the 1999 U.S. Open. Then it got tacky as Ms.
The FAA recently completed installation of the 20th and final Display System Replacement (DSR) air traffic control computers at the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center in Leesburg, Va. Called the ``cornerstone in building the airspace system of the 21st century'' by Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, the computers replaced 20- to 30-year-old monochrome radar screens with color displays. Lockheed Martin manufactured the DSR, which was designed to accommodate software upgrades such as graphical weather display and other enhancements.
