As this issue went to press, members of the Fractional Ownership Advisory Rulemaking Committee and the FAA were scheduled to hold a two-day meeting to review the committee's recommendation that fractional ownership be placed under a new FAR Part 91K. The agency has raised several questions about the recommendation, but the most serious sticking point appears to be the reluctance of some FAA rulemakers to consider changes to the runway margin requirements for Part 135 operators.
Aerospace Industries Association (Washington, D.C.) -- Boeing's Blair French has been elected chairman of the trade group's Supplier Management Council Executive Committee. Judy Northrup of Northrop Grumman was elected vice chairman.
University of North Dakota (Grand Forks, N.D.) -- Dr. Bruce Smith has been named dean of the John D. Odergard School of Aerospace Science. Smith is a UND alumnus and former director of training at Delta Air Lines.
A new auction Web site for airport equipment, www.equipmentforairports.com, is planning to launch this month. The site will function much like other Internet auction sites, although it will feature items in categories such as APUs, refuelers, ground support and other equipment of interest to FBOs and general aviation. There is no fee for listing a product, but successful sellers pay a two- to three-percent commission based on the selling price of the item. Future capabilities planned for the site include an online parts search, chat services and a message board.
Edited by Paul RichfieldBy David Esler, in New Orleans International Operators Face Challenges
Lack of consistency in local regulations -- especially among European nations -- and changing technology requirements top the list of concerns among business aircraft users engaged in international operations. Issues faced by international operators run the gamut from Byzantine customs, overflight and visitation rules to significant financial expenditures for avionics upgrades and approvals mandated by airspace restructuring.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries has started test and development flying of the second BK-117 C-2 helicopter in Japan. The first prototype of the helicopter was flown by its partner Eurocopter for the first time in June 1999 at Eurocopter's Donauworth facility in Germany. It is named EC145 in Europe. Certification of these two-crew plus eight-passenger helicopters is projected for midyear in Germany and by year-end in Japan. Forty EC145/BK-117 C-2s have been ordered by two unnamed launch customers, and the first aircraft is slated for hand-over in 2001.
Four of the largest aerospace and defense contractors have teamed to create a secure electronic marketplace for their respective goods and services plus those of their suppliers. Participants in the venture include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and Raytheon, which collectively do business with nearly 40,000 suppliers, airlines, governments and other entities each year.
Gulfstream Aerospace has opened a 53,650-square-foot refurbishment center at its Savannah headquarters. According to the manufacturer, the new facility consolidates and adds to existing completion and refurbishment activity in Savannah. Gulfstream says it plans to ``build a substantial refurbishment business'' in the next few years and will add staff to support the operation. The company also has broken ground on an expansion of its Brunswick, Ga., facility where G-IVSPs and G-Vs in the Gulfstream Shares fractional ownership program are completed and maintained.
Protec has launched a new Web site with information about protecting mothballed aircraft from corrosion. The new site can be viewed at www.protec-inc.com.
The government of Iceland has chosen Danish Engine Trend Analyzing (DETA) to provide engine monitoring for its Beech King Air 200. The aircraft is used as a VIP transport for the president of Iceland as well as ILS calibration and other functions. DETA also won similar contracts for two Beech 1900Ds operated by Trans Travel Airlines and a Beech King Air 90 operated by African operator INCAT.
Edited by Paul RichfieldBy Paul Richfield Grand Canyon Rules Irk Operators
The Clinton administration has moved forward the implementation timetable for new rules designed to limit the impact of aircraft noise on the Grand Canyon National Park. Public knowledge for the past two years, the restrictions alter the current air tour route structure, cap the total number of air tour flights, and increase the size of areas where aircraft are prohibited.
Honeywell plans to redouble its commitment to general aviation around the Bendix/King brand, which it says will become a ``product and services machine.'' New products include the traffic information service, or TIS, which depicts uplinked traffic data on an airborne MFD; the integrated hazard avoidance system (IHAS), which will display weather, terrain, traffic, position and other flight information; and ``Wingman'' -- a new subscription service that will provide GA pilots with a comprehensive weather and communications package.
FBI agents raided the Orlando headquarters of SunJet Aviation, operator of the Learjet 35 that crashed in October 1999, killing golfer Payne Stewart, three business associates and two crewmembers. Accompanied by FAA personnel and representatives of the DOT's Inspector General, the agents scoured offices and airplanes, seeking evidence of ``criminal wrongdoing,'' including falsified maintenance records or regulatory violations. FBI spokesman Brian Kensel said the records seized are now in the hands of the U.S.
This directory is a selective listing of specialized products and services not included elsewhere in the 2000 Purchase Planning Handbook. In many cases, the products or services are not available directly from the manufacturer, but from authorized distributors. Operators should contact the manufacturers shown in the address listing to obtain purchasing information. The listing of a product or service in this directory is not an endorsement or recommendation by B/CA. Compiled by Anna Santo with Chris Drapala and Kim Gilbert. CATEGORY INDEX
After three months of unsuccessful contract negotiations, the Canadian Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services has approved Bearskin Airlines pilots' request for mediation. ``We believe that a neutral third party can be a catalyst for our negotiations,'' said Dan Parnham, head of the Air Line Pilots Association, International's Bearskin unit. The pilots claim they requested mediation to ensure that an agreement is reached before the peak summer season. Bearskin operates a mixed fleet including Fairchild Metroliners, Beech 99s, King Airs and Pilatus PC-12s.
Though they are designed mainly for the recreational general aviation market, handheld GPS units have found a home in many business and regional aircraft as a backup to other navigational aids. In modest trials aboard an Aviat A-1A Husky, Garmin's latest portable GPS -- the GPSMAP 295 -- was found to be fun and easy to use, thanks to its unique, 16-color display and logical format.
GE Capital Aviation Training and Swiss regional Crossair are teaming up to create a regional aircraft training center at the airline's Basel headquarters. The joint venture will offer training for cockpit crews, flight attendants and maintenance personnel for both Crossair and other carriers. Crossair CEO Moritz Suter says the new facility will ``extend our leading position in European regional air transport to the training sector.'' The carrier has begun taking deliveries of 85 Embraer regional jets, which led to a re-evaluation of its existing training facilities.
The average size of regional airliners continues to increase. So also is the airlines' ability to carrier more cargo. More and more regional airlines are actively marketing their freight-carrying capabilities, often in conjunction with the cargo and small-package services of their senior partners, and it is paying off, according to carrier officials. Airlines have gone to great lengths to fill empty airplane seats. Yield management has enabled carriers to ``anticipate'' the number of empty seats on any particular flight and offer those seats at a discounted rate.
The Professional Pilots Federation (PPF) is waging another fight against the FAA's age 60 rule, filing a petition for exemptions for 69 of the group's 500 members. Each of the members on the petition has undergone extensive medical testing that PPF chief Bert Yetman says goes far beyond what FAA first-class medicals require. Yetman expects the agency to decline the petitions and then challenge the decision in federal court.
The European Business Aviation Association in 2001 will host its annual convention in association with the NBAA. The new show, dubbed European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition, or EBACE, is slated for April 18-20, 2001, in Geneva, Switzerland. The show includes an expanded exhibit area, an aircraft static display and a conference program. The EBAA's sixth annual convention was held in April outside Brussels, Belgium. (See story on page 34.)
Edited by Paul RichfieldBy Mike Vines, in Coventry, England
West Midlands International (Coventry, CVT) Airport in central England is offering Europe's approximately 200 BAe 146 and Avro RJ operators the use of its 5.5-degree PAPI (precision approach path indicator) approach for training purposes, replicating the approach into busy London City Airport (LCY). ``London City is becoming increasingly more popular with airline operators, thereby generating an ever-increasing requirement for pilot training,'' says Peter Jackson, Coventry's airport director.
Dassault Falcon Jet (Teterboro) -- Jon H. Lax has been promoted to director of customer administration, replacing Gerald A. Goguen, who was promoted to senior vice president. Donald J. Pointer succeeds Lax as director of service engineering.
