Although declining from providing revenue figures, Delta AirElite president and CEO Michael Green said the Cincinnati-based charter and management company “is having a record year,” with a 38-percent gain in revenue flight hours over last year. He attributed much of the increase to the company’s introduction of its Fleet Membership jet-card program in February 2003. The company has also increased its charter/management fleet to 19 jets.
AINalerts
January 12, 2007 - 7:18am
Herb Elliott, cofounder of Elliott Aviation, died in Naples, Fla., on December 10 at the age of 90. Elliott used $350 he earned playing in a local band to buy his first airplane in the early 1930s. His wife and company co-founder, Arlene, began Elliott Flying Service at Cram Field in Davenport, Iowa, in 1936. The company now has facilities and dealerships in the Quad Cities and Des Moines, Iowa; Minneapolis; and Omaha, Neb.
January 12, 2007 - 6:02am
Another penalty has been assessed against Darby Aviation, one of several operators involved in the crash of a Challenger 600 at Teterboro Airport, N.J., on February 2. Doing business as AlphaJet International, the Muscle Shoals, Ala.
January 12, 2007 - 6:01am
The House of Representatives passed a bill last week that imposes a $250,000 fine and up to a possible five-year prison term for people who point lasers at aircraft. Sponsored by Ric Keller (R-Fla.), the legislation is the outgrowth of several recent incidents. Laser beams can temporarily blind pilots and, in some reported cases, cause permanent eye damage. The bill now awaits passage by the Senate.
January 12, 2007 - 4:46am
Boeing Business Jets and avionics maker Rockwell Collins disclosed Tuesday that they are planning to introduce an enhanced vision system (EVS) option for the BBJ. The option will be available on new BBJs and as a retrofit. Certification is expected by early next year. BBJ operators that opt for the EVS will require an upgrade to their HGS 4000, as well as the infrared camera.
January 12, 2007 - 4:25am
Although the NTSB blamed the commercial pilot of a Mitsubishi MU-2 that crashed in Parker, Colo., in August 2005 for his failure to fly a stabilized instrument approach in IMC at night, factors cited by the NTSB included the “inadequate design and function” of the FAA’s minimum safe altitude warning (MSAW) system and faulty FAA procedures.
January 12, 2007 - 4:22am
The NTSB concluded that the “unprofessional behavior” and “poor airmanship” of the pilots caused the Oct. 14, 2004 crash of a Pinnacle Airlines Bombardier CRJ. The two pilots (the only people aboard) were killed. After the pilots took the regional jet to its maximum operating altitude of 41,000 feet, both engines quit.
January 12, 2007 - 4:19am
Federal agencies are asking for the public’s help to decide if there is a need to continue to operate or invest in the loran-C radio navigation system beyond Fiscal Year 2007 (which ends September 30). While the current loran-C system is based on technology developed in the 1960s, some of the stations have been updated to allow for an enhanced signal (eLoran).
January 12, 2007 - 4:16am
The FAA is preparing a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to require automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) equipage for aircraft to gain access to certain airspace by 2020, said FAA associate administrator for aviation safety Nicholas Sabatini. Sabatini made the comments during a speech at the FAA’s New Technologies Workshop on Tuesday in Washington.
January 12, 2007 - 4:14am
NetJets chairman and CEO Richard Santulli announced that long-time business aviation leader Jim Christiansen “will be assuming the position of president of NetJets Aviation,” in Columbus, Ohio. Santulli said, “With Jim's depth of experience, there is no one who knows our business better.” The position has been unfilled since Bill Boisture resigned in January 2006 after joining the fractional operator in October 2003.
