Airsys ATM will produce as many as 105 Category I ILS systems for the FAA under the terms of a new $22 million contract. The first five systems are scheduled for installation at McCarren International (LAS) and North Las Vegas (VGT) in Nevada; Zanesville (ZZV), Ohio; Stennis International (HSA) in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi; and Burlington Alamance (BUY) in North Carolina. The new systems will be the first ILSes at all but McCarren. The FAA will purchase up to 15 systems in the first year and as many as 45 in each of two option years.
Edited by Paul RichfieldBy Mike Vines, in Birmingham, England
Druk Air (Royal Bhutan Airlines) will be the launch customer for the Avro RJX program, with an order for two 85-seat aircraft worth an estimated $60 million including spares. Deliveries are planned for November 2001 and January 2002, and the aircraft will be used to connect Druk's base in Paro, Bhutan, with Bangkok and Hong Kong. According to Nick Godwin, BAE Systems' marketing vice president, the company must build at least 18 RJXs per year to justify production, and he expects to announce another 20 sales by year-end.
Edited by Paul RichfieldBy Fred George Spey Hush Kit Flunks Noise Test
In early March, Dallas Airmotive flew the final FAR Part 36 noise test on a Gulf-stream II fitted with Stage III Technolo-gies' Rolls-Royce Spey hush kits -- with disappointing results. While the system enabled the G-II to meet Part 36 takeoff noise standards, ap-proach noise was 1.5 dB above the limit and sideline noise was a full five dB over Part 36 standards, according to a letter sent to customers by Ken Seeley of Dallas Airmotive, the firm that markets the kits.
The Aviation Employment Placement Service has scheduled its fourth aviation career fair for June 16 and 17 at the Los Angeles Airport Hilton in California. According to the company, which also operates an online employment listing service, the March AirFair in Florida attracted more than 800 job seekers and 31 employers, including Bombardier FlexJet and Kellstrom Industries, as well as Mesa, Colgan, Piedmont and other airlines. Another AirFair is scheduled in Dallas on August 18 and 19.
TGA Aviation, a Van Nuys, Calif., charter operation, has filed suit against the Stevens Aviation FBO chain and its chairman, alleging they violated an agreement pertaining to the interior refurbishment of a Gulfstream II. Though limited in scope, the case is a good example of why it is critical for operators to pay attention to detail when negotiating repair or modification contracts.
Edited by Paul RichfieldPerry Bradley, in Brussels, Belgium
European business aircraft operators describe their principal challenge in just three words: access, access, access. Crowded skies, limited numbers of reliever airports and mounting restrictions on access to the facilities that do exist are a constant challenge for operators, according to a host of speakers at the recent European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) annual meeting in Brussels.
A Boeing Business Jet operated by Swiss charter operator PrivatAir recently concluded an extensive demonstration tour of Europe and the Middle East. The BBJ stopped in more than a dozen cities, including Paris, Jeddah, Dubai and Moscow, conducting media and customer demo flights. The aircraft is the first of three BBJs for PrivatAir.
Nav Canada says it will invest more than $100 million in capital improvements to Canada's air traffic control system this year. The money will be invested in updating aging ATC radar displays, opening new towers and weather briefing stations, and further implementation of the Extended Computer Display System, which automates the exchange of flight information between controller positions. The firm also will begin rolling out its new Converging Runway Display Aid -- designed to make runway and airspace usage more efficient.
Beginning June 1, Cessna Service Centers in the United States will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Cessna also has instituted an ``EJA Weekend Shift'' program for Citation 560 Ultra service at its San Antonio and Orlando centers using dedicated maintenance personnel. Both initiatives will help ensure that Citation operators have access to factory service when and where needed.
Delta Connection, Delta Air Lines' regional subsidiary, has signed a letter of intent to purchase 94 Bombardier Canadair Regional Jets (CRJs), with options for 406 more. The order is subject to the signing of definitive sales agreements with Bombardier and General Electric, whose CF34-series engines power all CRJ variants. Deliveries of the 94 firm aircraft are slated to begin in first quarter 2001, and extend through the end of 2004.
With certification of the new Hawker Horizon still two years away, Raytheon plans to deliver more than 60 Hawker 800XPs this year and is considering boosting production even further. ``When your backlog gets over 12 months, you're not that competitive in the marketplace,'' said Raytheon's Ted Farid, vice president-worldwide jet sales. The company already has significantly boosted production since acquiring the Hawker line, which was building 36 aircraft per year under British Aerospace.
DaimlerChrysler Aviation is adding a 14-passenger Gulfstream IVSP and a 12-passenger Gulfstream III to its managed fleet. Both aircraft will be available for charter through Automotive Air Charter.
The FBO line service staff at DB Aviation of Waukegan, Ill., has successfully completed the National Air Transportation Association's Safety First Program.
Kitty Hawk, Inc.'s auditors have expressed concern about the cargo and charter operator's financial ability to continue flying. The carrier says losses due to unexpectedly high maintenance costs on its Lockheed L-1011 fleet and declining values of aging DC-8s, combined with high fuel costs and decreased demand for cargo lift are causing a cash shortfall and stock price freefall. Kitty Hawk also announced that former Atlantic Coast Airlines CFO Paul Tate, who joined as CFO in late March, resigned after just 11 days with the company.
Continental Express plans to turn New York's La Guardia Airport (LGA) into a major hub for its fleet of 50- and 37-seat Embraer regional jets. Assuming the DOT grants it the necessary slot exemptions, ConEx will begin its LGA operations in September with the addition of one city per month, for a total of 22 new nonstop destinations within two years. The airline says its decision to expand at LGA was driven by the recent passage of legislation (AIR-21) encouraging looser slot restrictions for air service to smaller cities.
FlightSafety International (Flushing, N.Y.) -- Jim Lair has been promoted to center manager for the training company's new DFW/Dallas Airport training center.
Air Ontario's 172 unionized flight attendants have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the company, but one that only lasts nine months. According to the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the union that represents Air Ontario's flight attendants, the brief contract is seen as a ``bridge agreement'' designed to position both sides for ``integrated bargaining'' as Air Canada's regional feeders consolidate.
Vail Valley Jet Center (Vail, Colo.) -- Bryan M. Burns joins as president of the FBO. He was formerly general manager of Signature Flight Support's Reagan Washington National Airport FBO.
Jet Aviation (West Palm Beach, Fla.) -- Business aviation veteran Bruce McNeely joins as vice president and general manager of the operator's U.S. aircraft management division. McNeely replaces Jerry Keating, who has been named vice president of operations and special projects with responsibility for Jet Aviation's West Coast operations.
