SANTA MONICA CHARTER COMPANY SUED BY MICHAEL JACKSON - A charter company based in Santa Monica, Calif. is the latest party to be embroiled in the legal proceedings and media frenzy surrounding singer Michael Jackson.
The Senate confirmed the nomination of James Loy Wednesday as deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, a move that was hailed by Ed Bolen, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. "We are very pleased that Admiral Loy has been confirmed," he said. "Throughout his remarkable career of public service, Admiral Loy has demonstrated extraordinary management skills and a tireless work ethic.
After months of partisan gridlock over air traffic control privatization, the Senate finally approved the four-year FAA reauthorization bill, which contains key provisions designed to help the general aviation industry.
A November 17 directive from the Transportation Security Administration mandating much tighter security rules for on-demand, all-cargo carriers is outrageous, unreasonable and in many cases impossible to comply with, according to industry officials. TSA gave on-demand cargo carriers 72 hours to implement an elaborate series of requirements, which included prohibitions on pilots carrying pocketknives and requiring that pilots be physically searched for banned items before they can operate a flight.
JAMES BELL was named acting chief financial officer at Boeing. He was most recently senior vice president of finance and corporate controller at Boeing. Bell joined Rockwell as an accountant in 1972 and moved over to Boeing when the company acquired Rockwell's space and defense businesses in 1996.
TRANSPORTATION TREASURY FUNDING FOLDED INTO HOUSE OMNIBUS - The Transportation and Treasury funding bill, which holds $14 billion for FAA for fiscal year 2004, was scooped into a larger omnibus spending bill filed by the House last week.
DASSAULT CERTIFIES FALCON 900EX EASy - After some unexpected delays in the certification of its EASy flight deck, Dassault finally won certification from the FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency for the its newest version of the Falcon 900EX. Deliveries of the Falcon 900EX EASy "will begin almost immediately" from Dassault's completion center in Little Rock, Ark., said the company's president and CEO, John Rosanvallon.
Netjets designated Execaire Toronto as an official service provider in the Canadian city for the fractional aircraft ownership company's Cessna Citation fleet. Execaire, which is also an authorized service center for Citation business jets, will service all Citation models and handle AOG/line service, parts, heavy maintenance and avionics and non-destructive testing.
NATA TAKES EXCEPTION TO NTSB COMMENT ABOUT AIR TAXI SAFETY - The National Air Transportation Association disagreed last week with remarks by NTSB Chair Ellen Engleman criticizing the safety record of air taxi operators. In a press release accompanying the board's report on the King Air 100 crash that claimed the life of Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.) and members of his family last year, Engleman said the "tragic accident...shocked us all. It sadly and starkly points out the need for more aggressive action to improve safety in the on-demand charter industry."
FLIGHTSAFETY VETERAN BRUCE WHITMAN NAMED PRESIDENT - Bruce N. Whitman, who joined FlightSafety International in 1961 as assistant to the president, was named president of the New York-based company Friday. A.L. Ueltschi, founder of the simulator training company, will retain the title of chairman.
Dassault Falcon Jet established the Ed Allen Memorial Aviation Scholarship Endowment to honor the memory of the company's former director of flight, who died in 2001. The $20,000 endowment will be invested and the interest used to provide scholarships to qualified students enrolled in aviation programs at Georgia Aviation Technical College. Gene E. (Ed) Allen was born in Eastman, Ga. in 1937. He served as a KC-135 tanker pilot in the U.S. Air Force.
GD FORMS NEW C4 UNIT, APPOINTS PRESIDENT - General Dynamics has integrated two business units to form a new division to provide command and control products and services for its military customers. GD integrated its Decision Systems and C4 Systems to form the new C4 (Command, Control, Communication and Computers) Systems division. Mark A. Fried, 57, who had been president of GD Decision Systems, was named president of C4 Systems. He will report to Gerard J. DeMuro, executive vice president of GD's Information Systems and Technology Group.
ACQUISITION OF AHI WILL RESULT IN DOUBLING OMNI HELICOPTER FLEET - Omni Energy Services, Carencro, La., completed the acquisition of American Helicopters, Inc., a deal that will approximately double the size of Omni's fleet. Under terms of the agreement, valued at $4.5 million in cash and long-term debt, Omni will get AHI's fleet of 17 helicopters based in Texas and Louisiana that primarily serve oil and gas producers in the Gulf of Mexico. AHI, based in Angleton, Texas, has about 70 employees, including pilots, mechanics and administrative personnel.
The Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association will hold its annual spring conference May 17-19, 2004, at the Radisson Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz. In addition to presentations from aviation industry leaders, the conference will have speakers from the Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Congress. To register for the event, log on to www.raccaonline.org or contact RACCA President Stan Bernstein at (508) 778-7788.
GA AIRPORT SECURITY RECOMMENDATIONS APPROVED BY TSA COMMITTEE - The Transportation Security Administration's Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC) approved last week general aviation airport security recommendations developed by a working group made up of industry stakeholders.
FlightSafety International will provide pilot, maintenance technician and dispatcher training for FedEx Express' new fleet of ATR 42 aircraft, a pressurized high-wing twin turboprop. The training programs will include initial, recurrent and upgrade training for pilots, airline troubleshooting for technicians and an ATR 42 type specific program for dispatchers. FedEx Express started to build its ATR fleet earlier this year and chose two contractors, Mountain Air Cargo and Empire Airlines, to operate the fleet.
The 38th Annual Southern Methodist University Air Law Symposium will take place Feb. 26-27, 2004 at the Hotel InterContinental in Addison, Texas. David G. Leitch, deputy counsel to the President of the United States, will be the keynote speaker at the Friday luncheon. For more information, visit www.smu.edu/lra/als.
FRENCH FIRM SELECTED TO DEVELOP BIOMETRIC ID PROGRAM FOR AIRPORT - French high-technology company Sagem has been selected to undertake one of Europe's largest airport staff identity control projects at Roissy Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports. Sagem announced late last month that it had been chosen by airports operator Aéroports De Paris (ADP) to install a biometric identity control system for 90,000 personnel entitled to access the airports' apron security areas.
January 11-15, 2004 - AAAE Aviation Issues Conference; Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort, Kauai, Hawaii, (703) 820-1395 March 2-3, 2004 - ASME International (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Aero Engine Life Management Conference, Thistle Royal Horseguards Hotel, London, England, (404) 847-0072; [email protected] or www.asme.org.igti March 15-17, 2004 - Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo 2004, Las Vegas, Nev., (703) 683-4646
