WHILE THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT moves to reopen Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to general aviation, agency officials still are deciding when to allow transient operations to resume at three small Maryland airports just outside Washington, D.C. The government allowed based aircraft to begin operating at College Park Airport, Potomac Airfield and Washington Executive/Hyde Field in February after a five-month shutdown (BA, Feb.18/87).
WHILE ADVOCATES continue lobbying to win support for the $5.5 billion general aviation relief bill, they face more challenges than just opposition from the Administration (BA, May 6/209).There appears to be confusion among some legislators, who believe that all of aviation has received help through the $15 billion Air Transportation and Stabilization Act adopted shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks. That bill was limited only to the airlines.
May 12-15 - Regional Airline Association Annual Convention, Nashville, Tenn., (202) 367-1170 May 28-30 - National Business Aviation Association/European Business Aviation Association European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition, Palexpo Convention Center, Geneva, Switzerland, (202) 783-9000 June 1 - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Fly-In and Open House, Frederick, Md., (301) 695-2000 June 14-15 - 7th Annual NBAA Flight Attendants Conference, Nashville, Tenn. (202) 783-9000
HOUSE LEGISLATORS DEBATE TSA FUNDING, AIR CARRIER COMPENSATION - House legislators last week began debate on a sweeping funding bill that would provide some $4 billion in additional funding for the Transportation Security Administration and give the Federal Aviation Administration some flexibility to move a limited amount of funds around to help its depleted operations budget. The fiscal 2002 supplemental appropriations bill also would give the air carriers up to $100 million more to help them pay for required cockpit door modifications (BA, May 6/209).
House legislators last week began debate on a sweeping funding bill that would provide some $4 billion in additional funding for the Transportation Security Administration and give the Federal Aviation Administration some flexibility to move a limited amount of funds around to help its depleted operations budget. The fiscal 2002 supplemental appropriations bill also would give the air carriers up to $100 million more to help them pay for required cockpit door modifications (BA, May 6/209).
CAE won $35 million (Canadian) in training contracts from Horizon Air, Aerolineas Argentinas and the U.S. Navy Reserve. CAE will provide pilot training for Horizon Air's CRJ700 pilots for the next 14 years. The training will take place at Alaska Airlines' training center in Seattle, Wash. Naval Reserve C-40 pilots will begin training this month at CAE's Dallas, Texas facility on a Boeing 737NG simulator. CAE also will provide Airbus 340 simulator training for the Argentine carrier.
Model AS350B, AS350BA, AS350B1, AS350B2, AS350B3, AS350C, AS350D, AS350D1, AS355E, AS355F, AS355F1, AS355F2, AS355N, and EC130 B4 helicopters; correction (Docket No. 2002-SW-09-AD; Amendment 39-12681; AD 2002-03-52) - corrects AD 2002-03-52 for the specified helicopters that was published in the Federal Register on March 20, 2002. The AD contains a misspelled word and incomplete effective dates. In all other respects, the original document remains the same.
Despite difficulties and slower than expected growth in its NetJets operations in Europe, NetJets Chairman and CEO Richard Santulli maintains that it was "absolutely not" a mistake to expand the fractional aircraft program to Europe.
Bombardier, which has become a major international aerospace manufacturer through the acquisition of companies that had fallen on tough times, has a team of engineers in Germany to assess insolvent regional aircraft maker Fairchild Dornier in what could be the beginning of a takeover of the 728/928 programs. Bombardier apparently is one of three potential investors interested in taking over parts of the German regional manufacturer, but discussions with the other potential buyers are supposedly not as far advanced as those with Bombardier.
Officials are investigating the circumstances surrounding an accident involving a NetJets Model 560 Cessna Citation Ultra, N397QS, May 2 in Texas. FAA said the aircraft, with two pilots and four passengers, departed Houston for a flight to a small airport in Leakey, Texas. The aircraft ran off the end of the runway and caught fire, but all aboard managed to escape without injury.
Boeing Air Traffic Management signed a $750,000 contract with NASA to participate in the agency's Virtual Airspace Modeling and Simulation (VAMS) project, which is designed to increase the capacity of the U.S. airspace system. The contract covers work on the first phase of a four-phase project over a five-year period, but it does not guarantee participation in future phases of the project. Boeing ATM said it teamed with Metron Aviation, Inc., which "offers capabilities in traffic flow management, simulations and cost/benefit tools."
THE CORPORATE ANGEL NETWORK, which arranges free travel on corporate aircraft for cancer patients traveling to and from treatment centers, will receive a check for $101,000, the proceeds of last week's Greater Washington Aviation Open (GWAO) golf and tennis tournament. The May 6 event, held at the Indian Spring Country Club in Silver Spring, Md., was the 14th GWAO. Honorary chairman of last week's event was Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
GULFSTREAM DEDICATES AIRCRAFT TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL AND PARTS SUPPORT - Gulfstream Aerospace formally launched a new element in its product support program last week, saying it will use a dedicated Astra SPX to fly critical parts and/or technicians to help resolve Aircraft On Ground (AOG) situations for its warranty customers.
FAA DRAFT RULE SETS PLANS FOR DOMESTIC RVSM BY END OF 2004 - Despite general aviation opposition, FAA has published a draft rule proposing a one-step transition to domestic reduced vertical separation minimums (DRVSM) in December 2004. The notice of proposed rulemaking has a 90-day comment period.
BRIAN BRANDEWIE was named president, avionics systems at Goodrich. He has worked for Goodrich for 21 years and was most recently vice president and general manager of the company's regional, business and military aircraft wheel and brake business.
Model EMB-135 and -145 series airplanes (Docket No. 2002-NM-68-AD; Amendment 39-12730; AD 2002-08-18) - requires repetitive inspections of the actuator clutches of the primary and backup pitch trim systems of the horizontal stabilizer for proper pitch trim indications, and replacement of the actuator, if necessary.
Following additional analysis of Gulfstream V wing tests done for the Joint Aviation Authorities, Gulfstream Aerospace is going to make a minor wing modification to the first 16 GVs that were built. Following up on an earlier conversation (BA, May 6/218), Gulfstream President Bill Boisture told BA Friday that analysis of the just completed wing tests revealed "a non-compliance issue" with FAA certification requirements. Under FAA certification procedures, Boisture said some parameters are satisfied by actual tests, while others are accomplished by data analysis.
The Air Group added a Canadair Global Express business jet to its East Coast charter fleet. The 6,500-nautical-mile aircraft will be based in Windsor Locks, Conn.
Flight Options plans to convert the nearly 100 aircraft it received in the Raytheon Travel Air merger from the RTA livery and "Tango Alpha" N-numbers to its own paint scheme and "Charlie Whiskey" N-numbers. The changes will take place over the next three years as the aircraft go through the regular three-year cabin refurbishment cycle.
OFFICIALS are investigating the circumstances surrounding an accident involving a NetJets Model 560 Cessna Citation Ultra, N397QS, May 2 in Texas. FAA said the aircraft, with two pilots and four passengers, departed Houston for a flight to a small airport in Leakey, Texas. The aircraft ran off the end of the runway and caught fire, but all aboard managed to escape without injury.
Joseph K. (Joe) Walker, senior vice president, sales and marketing, at Gulfstream Aerospace in Savannah, Ga., left the company last month after seven years to pursue other interests. Walker moved from Cessna Aircraft, where he had been vice president of worldwide sales, to Gulfstream in 1995 to become vice president of North American sales (BA, Oct. 13, 1997/162). He later served as senior vice president of international sales before moving up to the company's top sales post.
COLLINS AVIONICS said a U.S. Army C-12 (King Air 200) upgraded with a new Collins avionics suite, won FAA certification. Collins said the certification permits the Army to modify 21 of the C-12s to meet Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) requirements. The new avionics installation includes satellite-based navigation and flight display overlay capabilities and expanded data link capabilities.
The Department of Transportation hopes to release a rule by the end of the month that would allow general aviation to resume operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), provided that operators follow a strict series of security requirements, including providing the passenger manifest 48 hours before the flight, Read Van de Water, DOT assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs, said last week.
Automotive Air Charter signed on with the CharterX on-line reservation system, which provides live price quotes for trips on AAC's 21 business jets. AAC represents the combination of the resources of General Motors Worldwide Travel Services and Pentastar Aviation. The combined fleet of those two operators includes five Gulfstream Vs; two Gulfstream IVs; three Gulfstream IIIs; two Challengers; five Citation Xs; two Hawkers; a Learjet 60; and a Citation VII.
