AOPA Helps Stall Legislation

AOPA's lobbying effort against pilot background checks has paid off, as New Jersey lawmakers decided to put off such a bill scheduled for debate.  A key staff member of the state senate's Transportation Committee said at a meeting with AOPA representatives last week that lawmakers are unlikely to take up the bill (S.B. 148) at this time, due mostly to AOPA's repeated assurances that dramatic improvements in GA security and existing federal safeguards make the state legislation unnecessary. In the meeting, AOPA outlined the federal government actions implemented to address security concerns, including recent modifications to checks of non-U.S. citizens seeking flight training. The transportation aide indicated that the legislati

Latin American Bureaucracy Slows Him Down

It appears Gus McLeod is a few miles closer to his polar crossing, but complications of one form or another have slowed his progress a bit. On Wednesday, Gus took off from Panama City enroute to Tumbes, Peru, when he was diverted to land in Ecuador. Gus was forced to land by the Ecuadorians, who forced him to stand before a tribunal and explain how his aircraft -- called the Firefly -- was not a military machine. Apparently, when the Panamanians filed his flight plan to Peru, they somehow listed his trip as a military flight, hence the Ecuadorian confusion. So, with only a few hours of sleep and all the bureaucratic headaches out of his way, Gus set course for Santiago, Chile. Along the way, Gus

Jan ’03 - Dec ’03 Pilot Interview Stats

Aviation Information Resources, Inc. (AIR, Inc.) released its Jan ’03 - Dec ’03 Pilot Interview Statistics on Monday and the results are interesting to say the least. The information published by AIR Inc. was taken from the database of pilots who interviewed between January 1 and December 31, 2003. The Pilot Interview Statistics, divided by military and civilian pilot background, help the interviewing pilot determine what qualifications a competitive candidate possesses in each category. “According to our Jan ’03 - Dec ’03 Pilot Interview Statistics, civilian pilots make up 68% of those hired by airlines,” said Kit Darby, president of AIR, Inc. “The age range for civil

Crash Claims Lives Of Father, Son

The Florida Everglades are an unforgiving environment and unfortunately, a father and son flight crew found their fate in this harsh environment on Saturday. Saul Zadik, 45, and his son, Timor, 16. departed the Marathon Airport in the Florida Keys in their Raytheon King Air after spending a few hours in the island getaway. Tragically, the aircraft plunged nose-down into the sawgrass of the Everglades National Park a few minutes later, killing the father and son instantly. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said the plane went down about 4:20 p.m. north of Flamingo, a few miles inland from Florida Bay. It crashed into a dense area of mangrove trees that thwarted rescue teams in the rainy weather on Saturday. Helicopters brought

State Airports "On Track"

Virginia's 59 general aviation airports are finally on track to becoming more secure from terrorists, the state's aviation director said last week. Charles Macfarlane, who heads the Virginia Department of Aviation, said that Gov. Mark R. Warner's budget includes $1.5 million split between the next two fiscal years. If approved by the state's General Assembly, the funds will be distributed through a voluntary safety compliance program designed to help airports shore up security gaps by improving fencing, cameras and security identification. The state agency says Chesterfield County Airport took the initiative in 2002 to become one of the first general aviation facilities to undergo major upgrades. But the agency claims many other airpor

Association To Present New Tax Seminar For Charter Industry

Do you know the old saying about death and taxes? It also applies to businesses and one industry group is here to help. The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) is offering a special tax seminar specifically geared towards Part 135 air charter operators.  The Tax Seminar for Air Charter Operators is designed to provide answers to some of the most common tax-related issues faced by the charter industry. The one-day seminar will take place on Monday, May 17, 2004, in conjunction with the association’s annual convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.  It will be held at the Las Vegas Hilton.  NATA’s convention is Tuesday, May 18, through Thursday, May 20, at the Las Vegas Conve

Hamilton Sundstrand, Rockwell Collins Join The Team

Boeing announced on Monday that it has selected Hamilton Sundstrand and Rockwell Collins as partners for selected portions of the systems for the all-new Boeing 7E7 Dreamliner passenger jet. Boeing said it has entered into the final stages of negotiations to define work statements and pricing with these companies. Additional 7E7 systems partners will be announced in the weeks ahead. Hamilton Sundstrand, based in Windsor Locks, Conn., has been selected to provide four major systems: the 7E7's auxiliary power unit, environmental control system, remote power distribution units and the electrical power generating and start system. Rockwell Collins, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is the winning bidder for the displ

Despite 2003 War And Economy

The industry-backed BE A PILOT program to bring new people into aviation generated 34,056 pilot prospects in 2003, up 1.3% by year-end despite lagging 25% during the Iraq War last spring. Results were up 4.3% over 2001. "Since 1997, over 200,000 have registered for the BE A PILOT Introductory Flight Certificate. Surveys show at least 40,000 took their introductory flying lesson and about two-thirds of those came back for more," said BE A PILOT president/CEO Drew Steketee. Over 22,600 consumers responded to BE A PILOT's 2003 TV advertising on Discovery, Discovery Wings, Tech TV, CNBC and ESPN cable channels. Spending on the traditional  20-week campaign was 5% less than 2002, cutting response by 8% but limiting an expected

Violated NLRB by Promoting Non-Union Bonus, SPEEA Charges

The union representing Boeing employees announced another beef with the manufacturer on Monday. The Boeing Company violated a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) settlement agreement by promoting a program that awards cash bonuses to non-union employees but not to employees represented by a labor union, according to an unfair labor practice charge filed Friday by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), IFPTE Local 2001. The charge is based on a September settlement with Boeing and SPEEA regarding the way the company promotes the Employee Incentive Plan (EIP). Created in January 2001 after technical and professional employees in Wichita organized into a new SPEEA bargaini

Threatens Court Battle

Oh, no. Here we go again. Another small-town mayor is getting himself into a boxing match with airport officials. Warwick (RI) Mayor Scott Avedisian said he would go to court if necessary to fight attempts to build longer runways at the T.F. Green Airport. Avedisian let the state know that he would seek legal action if becomes necessary. In March, Gov. Don Carcieri appointed James Rosati as chairman of the Airport Corp. Rosati suspended work on the airport's master plan and reinstated runway expansion scenarios that had been rejected. Avedisian said building a 9,500-foot runway would fully disrupt surrounding roadways. A spokeswoman for the Airport Corp. rejected Avedisian's perception that Rosati is determined to launch a n

F135 for the JSF Runs to Full Afterburner

Pratt & Whitney (P&W) is going for the gusto,  as its first F135 production configuration test engine (FX631) has successfully completed its first test run to full power with full afterburner. The F135 will power the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. This milestone represents the first time FX631 has been run to full augmented power. FX631 has performed exceptionally well through its first quarter of testing in 2003 and is continuing its success in 2004 with this milestone. To date FX631 has completed several key testing objectives and accumulated over 150 hours of total run time. The F135 program has also recently delivered its second engine to test on time. FX633 is currently on site at P&W's West Palm Beach

NBAA notes that a temporary flight restriction (TFR) for the Westchester County airport (HPN) area last Thursday, January 29 was in effect from 4:00 p.m. until 8:45 p.m. NBAA polled operators based at HPN to measure the impact of the TFR and found that many were appreciative of the advance notice provided by NBAA, which enabled them to re-schedule or re-position aircraft and crews outside of the TFR. "The unintended consequence of the TFR, for all of those re-positioning aircraft, was the creation of two additional critical phases of flight (per-aircraft) in some of the most congested airspace in the world," said NBAA's Bob Blouin.

Agency Also Gets Bump In Budget 

U.S Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge told a group of reporters that no additional airline flight cancellations are expected within the near future…unless new intelligence provides the need to do so. British Airways, Air France and Continental Airlines announced cancellations of 10 international flights over the weekend due to intelligence concerns. Homeland Security officials said that the intelligence was very specific about the dates, the flight numbers and the airlines that were potential targets. Officials said the information did not specify the methods of a potential attack, so intelligence officials looked into the possibility that airplanes could be used as suicide bombs, to disperse chemic

TSA Investigating Allegations Of "Fear And Intimidation"

Complaints by security workers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have prompted an investigation by the TSA, The Seattle Times reported Sunday. A letter and petition, signed by 206 of the airport's 1,100 TSA employees, claimed that managers have created a culture of "fear and intimidation" that has led to high turnover and hindered efforts to maintain security. The employees called for an investigation into top management, The Times reported Sunday. They sent the letter and petition in December to the TSA, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, several federal inspectors general, Washington's congressional delegation and Gov. Gary Locke. Field inspectors have been dispatched and began meeting

Delivery Of Aircraft To Start In June

Embraer is reaching into the Chinese market aggressively, as evidenced by a recent aircraft order. On Monday, Harbin Embraer announced the sale of six ERJ 145 jets to China Southern Airlines. The contract marks the first order placed by a Chinese airline with Harbin Embraer Aircraft Industry Co. Ltd. (HEAI), the joint venture between Brazil's Embraer and China's Harbin Aircraft Industry Co. Ltd. (HAI) and Hafei Aviation Industry Co. Ltd. (HAFEI), both controlled by China Aviation Industry Corporation II (AVIC II). Under the agreement with China Southern, deliveries are expected to start in June of 2004 and stretch until January 2005. China Southern has been the largest airline in China for the past 23 years. Currently, it c

Beware Demolition Ops NOTAM: 4/0782 Issued: 02/02/2004 14:19 Effective: 02/04/2004 12:00 - 02/04/2004 22:00 State: IN Facility: ZID - INDIANAPOLIS (ARTCC),IN. Type: HAZARDS Description: CHARLESTON, IN.

For Sale: TEENIE 2 A SPORTY, GREAT FLYING AIRPLANE. HAND PROP STARTING VW 50hsp. 1600 Engine RUNS GREAT. 15 hours SMOH. NEW TIRES BRAKES GEAR STRUTS AND PROPELLER. STEERABLE NOSE WHEEL. Near Pensacole,FL http://members.aol.com/ulfly5/teenie2.html  Exterior Quality: 8, Interior Quality: 8 Used, will sell for $8,700.00 (or best offer)

Aero-News: Quote of the Day

"But there are times and circumstances under which, given everything that is being discussed among the parties, we reserve, always reserve the right, in spite of all of the precautionary measures that are taken, the ultimate protection of public safety is to cancel the flight. And no matter how many additional things we do and how much more money we spend on aviation security, I believe that should always been an option. And in this instance, it was an option that we chose to exercise." Source: U.S Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge discussing the issue of future airline flight cancellations due to security threats.

New Boss Takes Reins In April

The Board of Saab Nyge Aero has appointed Arne Lindholm the new President of the company from April 1, 2004. He succeeds Bengt Hornsten, who is retiring after successfully restructuring the company over the past three years. Arne Lindholm is 55 and has a solid background in aviation within the Swedish Air Force and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration. Arne comes from Saab Aerosystems where he was head of the test flight operation department. Bengt Hornsten will soon be 60, and he has enjoyed a successful career both in the Air Force and in civil aviation. In his three years at Saab Nyge Aero, Bengt has skillfully and successfully restructured the operation and turned losses back into profit.