Meggitt PLC, a U.K.-based aerospace and electronics group, acquired autopilot manufacturer S-TEC Corp. to expand the product line of Meggitt Aerospace Systems' MAGIC line. Meggitt noted that S-TEC's worldwide network of general aviation dealers was a major consideration in the decision to acquire the company. Meggitt and S-TEC already are teamed in providing avionics for the New Piper Aircraft's Malibu Meridian single-engine turboprop aircraft. Approval by regulatory agencies is expected by early this month.
The FAA will require all U.S.-registered turbine aircraft with six passenger seats or more to be equipped with an upgraded Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) within five years. The controversial ruling affects more than 15,000 aircraft operating under FAR Parts 91, 135 and 121, at a cumulative cost to operators that is expected to climb well into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
An Internal Revenue Service (IRS) proposal that changes the way taxes on air charter flights are collected has incited criticism from at least one industry group. The National Air Transportation Association (NATA), which represents FAR Part 135 operators and FBOs, says cutting the filing time for excise tax credit forms from the present 60 days by half will ``severely impede the cash flow of air charter companies.'' The revised schedule, NATA says, will obligate operators to pay the government before sales revenue can be collected.
Executive Aircraft Corp. has sold all its assets to EAC Acquisition Corp., an investment group headed by Ben E. Ames, Jr. of Columbia, Mo. Robert Taylor will continue as EAC president, and the new owners say they plan to retain all employees of the company. EAC founder Stan Roth and his brother died in a July 1998 airplane crash. ``The continued success of the business that Stan developed over 25 years is important to me, as well as maintaining a quality work environment for employees in Wichita and Newton,'' said Jan Roth, EAC's owner and chairman.
Airline Training Academy in Orlando has signed a five-year lease for a second British Aerospace Jetstream 32, which will be used for scheduled charter flights under the Discover Air brand.
Aircraft emissions represent a growing threat to the environment and are a major source of ``greenhouse gases'' that produce global warming, according to a recent report from the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO). While the emission issue is the subject of much talk in Europe -- as evidenced by the ongoing debate over the importation of aging aircraft -- the GAO's interest could be a harbinger of fresh U.S. emphasis that could lead to new standards and restrictions.
Hong Kong-based Metrojet is leading an effort to create an Asian Business Aviation Association, similar to Europe's European Business Aviation Association and the United States' NBAA.
The NTSB has recommended that the FAA mandate crash-protected cockpit video recorders in FAR Part 121, 125 and 135 aircraft now required to have cockpit voice recorders and digital flight data recorders. According to the NTSB, the new recorders should produce color images with sufficient clarity to show the ``identities, locations and actions of the people in the cockpit'' as well as to discern instrument readings.
A new association serving business aviation interests in Central Iowa has been formed. The Central Iowa Business Aviation Association (CIBAA) claims 92 members from 45 companies throughout the state. The CIBAA joins several other state aviation groups, including the Iowa Business Aviation Association, Aerospace Education Council of Iowa, Iowa Public Airports Association and the Iowa Aviation Promotion Group. Further information is available from Bob Dickson at (515) 256-5517.
Charles (Chuck) Millard Cox, who recently retired after a 27-year career training corporate pilots, died on March 5, at age 67. Cox most recently was an instructor at SimuFlite in Dallas, and before that worked for FlightSafety in Wichita. Before he began training pilots, he flew for several corporations. Cox is survived by his wife, three children, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
The FAA has approved the $35 million, 99-year lease agreement between the state of New York and airport operator National Express Group (NEG), clearing the way for the privatization of Stewart International Airport (SWF) near Newburgh. NEG assumed operational control of the airport on April 1, replacing Airport Group New York, which had managed the airport under a contract with the state DOT.
The results are in. Air Security International (ASI) has identified 10 of what it calls ``the most dangerous locations for foreign travelers and businessmen throughout the year.'' Houston-based ASI excluded those locations where the primary threat is from medium- to high-intensity armed conflicts. In alphabetical order, the 10 most-dangerous places for 1999 were:
The company that owns the rights to the Aerostar piston twin is on the verge of putting the aircraft back in production -- only this time as an entry-level business jet powered by two Williams FJ33-1 turbofans. According to Jim Christy, vice president of Hayden Lake, Idaho-based Aerostar Aircraft, the FAA has accepted a preliminary certification plan for the six- to eight-seat aircraft, and a ``test article'' fuselage is being used for functional tests of the tooling fixture.
If you're planning to fly to or within Europe after January 24, 2002, your turbine-powered aircraft must be approved for reduced vertical separation minimums (RVSM) or you can forget about filing for a flight level between 290 and 410. On that date, vertical airspace restructuring, reducing separation from 2,000 to 1,000 feet, will go into effect over the 15 European Union members plus 24 other nations, effectively blanketing the entire Continent.
Petroleum Helicopters, Inc.'s (PHI) pilots voted for representation by the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU). The election, conducted by the National Mediation Board in Washington, D.C., was the third in four years. Of 540 pilots eligible to participate, 293 (54 percent) voted in favor of the union. ``We are obviously disappointed, but will move forward assessing all our options. PHI will work with its pilots and all our other employees to continue providing our customers with safe, efficient services,'' said Carroll W.
Potez Aeronautique, already a major contributor to Dassault Falcon programs on the OEM side, is looking to grow its repair and overhaul work on the French-made jets. A structures specialist, the 87-year-old company makes cockpit, wing box and tail sections for current-production Falcons. Potez has worked with Dassault on several after-market continued airworthiness fixes, but wants to branch out on its own -- particularly with U.S. customers.
Flight Environments has selected Stevens Aviation to distribute and install its Cabin Comfort Systems sound insulation at seven East Coast and Southern locations.
The Airports Council International-North America honored Rep. Bud Shuster (R-Pa.) for his work on AIR-21 and other aviation related issues. ACI-NA Airports Council President David Z. Plavin called Shuster a ``true friend'' of aviation, citing his advocacy of increasing airport-imposed PFCs as evidence of his value to the group's membership. Shuster chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and was the sponsor and main cheerleader for AIR-21.
Midway Airlines is terminating the leases on four Fokker F100s in early 2001, about two and one-half years ahead of schedule. The carrier has begun taking deliveries of 17 new Boeing 737-700s.
Simple solutions would appear elusive as United Airlines struggles to find the best way to integrate regional jets into its network, according to Captain Rick Dubinsky, master chairman of the United Airlines chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). The following is an excerpt from an interview with Dubinsky that appears in the March Rupanews -- the Journal of the Retired United Pilots Association:
