Showing posts with label Airplanes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Airplanes. Show all posts

Friday, August 15, 2014

Cities, universities get first crack at state airplanes

SPRINGFIELD | Local governments and public universities across the state have about two weeks to decide whether they want to own an airplane.

As part of a budget-cutting move by Gov. Pat Quinn in June, the Democrat from Chicago directed his aides to sell nine of the state's 21 airplanes.

The process of putting them on the market is underway, officials said.

The total savings is expected to be about $7 million annually, but it remains unclear when that money might start flowing.

Under state law, equipment no longer needed by the state — from old police cars to out-of-date electronic devices — is offered to other units of government before it is sold to the public.

Those governments would have to pay whatever the airplanes are appraised at. Illinois Department of Central Management Services spokeswoman Alka Nayyar said the price of each of the planes is expected to be set soon.

But, it remains unclear whether any towns or cities are interested in the planes.

"It's yet early to say on the response from local governments ... as we just began offering it to them," Nayyar said in an email.

Up for grabs are seven planes operated by the Illinois Department of Transportation and two planes used by the Illinois State Police.

Some of the planes are good for ferrying passengers between Chicago and St. Louis. Others are smaller planes used for observational purposes.

Local governments will have until the end of the month to decide whether they want one.

If there aren't any takers or if some of the planes don't sell, Nayyar said it likely will be September before the public gets a chance to bid on the planes.


- Source:  http://www.nwitimes.com

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Fire destroys small plane, car kept in Aloha barn - Oregon

A car and single engine plane were among the items torched when the barn they were stored inside caught on fire Monday, according to Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue.

Firefighters responded about 2:20 p.m. to the  21700 block of Southwest Murphy Lane and found the barn engulfed, said Pete Scott, a Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue spokesman. No one was injured and the flames were soon extinguished.

The barn was heavily damaged and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.


Story and photo:  http://www.oregonlive.com

Aviators battle president's user fee tax proposal

 
Wichita, Kan. -- At a time when Wichita's general aviation industry struggles to regain its former altitude, aviators are concerned the Obama administration wants to saddle it with a $100 per flight user fee tax. 

Aviation support organizations including the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association are working to keep the user fee from becoming law.

AOPA President Mark Baker speaking at the Wichita Aero Club Tuesday says, "User fees, once again. I don't know if this will ever go away." Baker has seen it come up in previous budgets only to be defeated.

The proposal would levy a $100 fee for each take-off.

Baker asks, "Why do you want to go put more burden on a really distressed industry?"

Baker is concerned another tax will make it even more difficult to get more people interested in general aviation flying.

Aviators ask why fix what they say isn't broken.

Walter Berry, President of Berry Companies and owner of a Cessna Citation Mustang says, "We have a user fee. It's in the fuel prices. It's a system that works well."

The aviation fuel tax supports government aviation programs similar to the gasoline tax motorists pay to help fund highways.

Jeffrey Peier, an attorney with Klenda Austerman, arranges airplane financing for airplane buyers.

Peier says, "I think it would be a big drag on the industry if we had user fees come into play. Much of the cost is built into fuel pricing."

Berry says, "We're paying for the system now and I think that system is working well. And if it's not working then maybe we should be talking about what should be the proper tax per gallon."

Baker believes it will be defeated again saying, "The user fee will be fought back into its proper box, put the lid on it one more time."


Story and video:    http://www.kake.com

Friday, March 07, 2014

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez Signs Aviation Maintenance Tax Cut



New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez recently signed House Bill 14 at the War Eagles Air Museum in Santa Teresa. 

"House Bill 14 as amended is now law."

The bill allows aircraft manufacturers to deduct gross receipts tax, saving them about 7 percent of their costs.

"We want people to know how much we want you here…we are open for business."

New Mexico's economic development secretary, Jon Barela, was with business leaders.

"I was born and raised in this area…to see the border area develop…is very very exciting."

Director of aircraft company, Santa Fe Aero Services, Ronald Tarrson, sat here inside the museum aircraft hang. He looked up at the governor mention his business by name.

"I had tears in my eyes because we have worked very hard to make this happen."

He says 1996 was the first time he tried to get legislation passed for his company that has branches in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

"It's been a struggle ever since because airplanes…we just made it our mission to equalize the playing field."

Twenty years later, looks like Tarrson has his wish as his company plans expansion into Santa Teresa.

"The difference is the taxes…now without that tax we're on an even playing field with Colorado and Arizona."

Santa Fe Aero Services wasn't the only business making a commitment here. Five others were represented here on stage by their CEOs.

Jerry Pacheco of the Border Industrial Association stressed not just that 6 new businesses are moving here, but that the businesses aren't just in one field.

"We have logistics companies, metal companies…set up and achieve success."

In all, the 6 businesses plan to bring about 150 news jobs.


Here is a breakdown:

 
ERO Resources - 50 Jobs over 3 years
Transmaritime - 15 Jobs
Kalisch Iron & Metal - 20 Jobs
Stagecoach Cartage - 9 Jobs
Oak Tree Inn - 34 Jobs
Santa Fe Aero Services - 20 Jobs

New Mexico has been slow to recover from the recession, but economic secretary Barela believes this is one sign the state is finally taxiing toward the runway of bigger and better things.

"I believe that southern Dona Ana County…explosive job growth in the next few years."


Source:   http://krwg.org

Women landing growing share of aviation jobs; Quest Aircraft in Sandpoint an example

SANDPOINT – When Amber Phillips was 15, her grandfather took her flying in a Piper Navajo.

Now she’s 26 and helps build airplanes next to the Sandpoint airport. Phillips is in charge of the subassembly area at Quest Aircraft Co., maker of the 10-seat KODIAK turboprop, a versatile plane used for mission work, tourism, skydiving and corporate trips.

“It was kind of a cool thing to call Grandpa and be like, ‘Hey, guess what I’m doing now?’ ” she said.

Aviation careers long have been dominated by men, but that is changing with encouragement from companies like Quest. It employs 39 women who make up almost one-quarter of the plant’s workforce.

An aircraft mechanic, Phillips has worked at Quest for six years and is close to getting her pilot’s license. She is involved with organizations such as Women in Aviation and Girls with Wings, and she’s spearheading an “aviation discovery” open house Saturday at Quest to show students and women of all ages they can find rewarding work in this field.

“In aviation in general it’s really hard to get women interested because they don’t think they’re qualified for it,” Phillips said. “Women are really good at paying attention to the fine details,” an advantageous skill for working on machines with thousands of parts.

Bunny Small is one of two electrical engineers at Quest. She grew up in Seattle and worked at Boeing for four years. When she and her husband looked to make a lifestyle change, they landed jobs with the Sandpoint company a year ago.

More opportunities are opening for women in aviation, Small said, but some hurdles do remain.

“Unfortunately some people still discourage girls early on, saying that’s such a hard field and they just can’t quite see a woman in it,” she said. “But then once we’re out there and we prove ourselves, it becomes easier. But, unfortunately, we do have to prove ourselves still.”

Small said she’s had no difficulty fitting in at Quest, where her work spans new design, production and customer service.

“We’re looked at for our skills and not for who we are and what gender we are,” she said. “We’re a family here; I really feel that.”

Heather Coop feels that way, too. The Sandpoint native joined Quest more than six years ago and works in wing assembly.

“It’s great to be working with the guys and get the chance to prove that girls can do it too,” Coop said.

“And I was never allowed to touch power tools before I worked here, so that’s great, too,” she added.

The men scattered throughout the sprawling assembly plant are very accepting of the growing ranks of women, Coop said.

“The last job I had was mostly women. And I fit in better here,” Coop said. “I think the guys have a healthy respect for a woman who can do what they do. They don’t see that as a bad thing. They enjoy watching the women succeed here.”

Women still hold a small share of aerospace jobs nationally and around the world. But with a growing emphasis on math, science and technology education for girls, the share of female graduates with science and engineering degrees is on the rise.

Gradually, more women are applying for these jobs. In Quest’s most recent two hires, seven women were among 41 applicants for an aircraft assembler position, and two women joined 32 men vying for an aerospace engineer job.

Women are starting to fill more positions with Coeur d’Alene-based Empire Aerospace, which performs heavy maintenance on regional-size turboprop planes, and Empire Airlines, a FedEx feeder carrier and the operator of Hawaiian Airlines’ Ohana by Hawaiian.

“I’m excited to see the number of women coming into more technical jobs in aviation, and it certainly is a trend,” said Empire President and CEO Timothy Komberec.

The company has five female pilots, plus four maintenance mechanics, four dispatchers and two other technical positions filled by women.

“I don’t think we see as great a differentiation between what men and women should traditionally do,” Komberec said. “Now, if you want to do that, you can go do that.”

Back at Quest, which turns out two $2 million planes a month, Coop recently gave her 9-year-old son a tour of the assembly plant.

“We stood underneath one of the wings and I said, ‘I built that.’ He was so excited. How many people get to bring their kids in and say, ‘Hey, look at that. I did that!’ ”


Aviation career open house

Quest Aircraft Co. will host an open house to introduce women to aviation careers. It’s part of Women of Aviation Worldwide Week.

When: Saturday, 2 to 4 p.m.
Where: 1200 Turbine Drive, Sandpoint.
On the Web: questaircraft.com
Discover aviation
Quest Aircraft Co. will host an open house Saturday to introduce women to aviation careers. It’s part of Women of Aviation Worldwide Week.
When: 2 to 4 p.m.
Where: 1200 Turbine Drive, Sandpoint
On the Web: questaircraft.com


Story and photo:    http://www.spokesman.com

Thursday, February 27, 2014

U.S. Durable Orders Fall in January ... Orders Rise Excluding Volatile Transportation Category

The Wall Street Journal
By Josh Mitchell And Ben Leubsdorf
Updated Feb. 27, 2014 8:44 a.m. ET



WASHINGTON—A drop in aircraft purchases tugged down overall durable-goods orders in January, but underlying figures suggested firms are slowly moving ahead with investment plans.

Orders for durable goods—products from kitchen appliances to bulldozers designed to last three years or more—fell a seasonally adjusted 1% from December, the Commerce Department said Thursday. That followed December's 5.3% tumble in overall orders.

But excluding the volatile transportation category, orders rose 1.1% last month, the strongest rise since May. Defense spending on capital goods was up sharply. Orders for computers and electronics climbed, but demand for machinery, primary metals and autos fell.

Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had forecast overall durable-goods orders to fall 2% in January.

Durable-goods orders can provide a clue about the direction of the economy, but the data can be choppy from month to month and are often revised. Broader trends suggest orders are rising modestly. From a year ago, overall durable-goods orders were up 2.4%.

The latest slide largely reflected a drop in civilian aircraft demand, with aircraft maker Boeing Co. seeing a big decline in orders last month from December. Aircraft orders tend to swing from month to month and can mask underlying demand in the economy.

Other data showed firms stepped up investment plans, which could lead factories to ramp up production in coming months. A closely watched measure of business spending—orders for nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft—climbed 1.7% in January, nearly reversing December's 1.8% fall. Orders in that category have climbed for two of the last three months—though from a year earlier, they were down 1.7% in January.

Businesses have maintained a cautious posture for much of the economic recovery since 2008 amid subdued consumer spending and weak demand overseas. Now, cold and snowy weather—along with a rise in borrowing costs—are presenting new hurdles to increased business investment.

An earlier report also hinted at factories hitting a lull after growing at a healthy pace late last year. The Institute for Supply Management's purchasing managers index fell sharply in January to a level indicating factory-sector activity barely expanded that month.

It is unclear how much the latest data reflect a fundamental weakness in the U.S. economy versus a temporary slowdown due to the cold weather. Other components of the economy, such as retail sales and the labor market, have also slowed recently after registering healthy growth in the second half of 2013.

Economists expect business spending, along with the broader economy, to pick up in the spring as the weather warms.


Sources:

http://www.census.gov

http://online.wsj.com

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Those Fords that fly

In 1926, Ford Motor Company decided to fly. This past Thursday, a 1929 Ford Tri-Motor plane flew into the Vero Beach Municipal Airport, its nostalgic silhouette harkening back to bygone days of air transport. 

The Ford Tri-Motor plane, which revolutionized passenger travel by air, was the world’s first mass- produced airliner. The Tin Goose, as it’s called, was the first plane with in-door passenger seating. And, at 90 miles-an-hour, it was lightning fast transportation. 

Like other Ford products, such as cars and tractors, Ford’s aircraft was well-designed, relatively inexpensive and reliable for the times. And like other Ford products, the combination of metal structures and simple operating systems gave them a reputation as rugged.”

“After this 1929 Tri-Motor, air travel went downhill. It was the end of comfortable flying when they did away with the big windows and big seats”, said Colin Soucy, a retired commercial pilot who volunteers one weekend a month for an aviation museum navigating the Tri-Motor to various airport locations on America’s east coast. 

He does it for personal enjoyment, but more importantly, to garner donations to keep the Tri-Motor flying for the Experimental Aviation Association Center in Oshkosh, Wis.

Despite no official funding, the Ford Tri-Motor tours the United States, teaching the history of the early days of aviation.

It was clearly evident Soucy enjoys the work. He beamed and cajoled his passengers, like a kid inviting his best friends on a roller coaster ride as they boarded the Tri-Motor to embark on a 30-minute flight over Vero Beach, the ocean and the inter-coastal.

With a huge ba-boom of white-ish blue smoke, the third engine engaged and the plane circled for take-off.

Back in the day, the Tri-Motor could cross to Tampa from Vero Beach in about two hours, an unheard of feat. A Model-T or Model-A Ford car would take two days to go the same distance, including a stopover. 

Built to take-off and land in cow pastures and grassy fields, the Ford plane needs just a few hundred feet to be airborne.

Likewise on landing, roughly 1,000 feet or less is required. Its corrugated wings are huge and, therefore, able to create tremendous lift. The three piston-type engines use about a gallon of fuel per minute of flying. 

Today, the Tri-Motor has been utilized for fire service out west, as a stunt plane in movies, to carry heavy freight to mining operations in jungles and mountains and for the past 65 years to fly spectators over the Grand Canyon. 

Gulfstream Aerospace has partly funded restorations. But, money is continually needed for upkeep and preservation.

Local resident April Torella often brings her children to Vero Beach’s airport to watch the planes take-off and land. Last Thursday, she spotted the Ford plane while driving by and stopped for a closer look. 

Fresh from a dental appointment after school, her two children, Sabrina and Alex, delighted at the plane’s antique quality. They scurried up to the cockpit like kids on a carnival ride. Soucy encouraged them to “go see, and sit in the seats.” 

Compared to today’s airplanes, the Tri-Motor kind of resembles a kiddie ride. Tickets for a flight are $75 (there are nine seats on each flight) and the much in-demand co-pilot seat is $125. 
 
Yes, there’s a separate steering wheel. 

Judy Young is the lady who is responsible for issuing plane tickets. Together with her husband, Joe, they too volunteer to help keep the Ford Tri-Motor flying. 

Joe Young is also a retired commercial pilot. Having flown for both Pan Am and American Airlines, Joe has 40-plus years of experience. 

Both Joe and Judy Young have been around flying nearly their entire 47-year marriage. Judy’s father was also a pilot.

“But, I really never do fly, I don’t like it,” said Judy Young. 

Originally, Soucy got his pilot’s training from his dad, a pilot, who taught young Colin to fly a Cessna 150 in 1969. But Soucy loves the Ford Tri-Motor because of its basic, friendly, family vehicle driving quality. 

Soucy and both the Youngs are staunch supporters of the Tri-Motor. They love aviation and its history. That’s why they volunteer even though they’re retired: to keep history there for futuregenerations. 

Soucy speaks about the Ford plane like it’s part of his family. “It’s like a truck in the air; not a pickup truck. More like a dump truck,” he chuckles. 
 
The Experimental Aviation Association Center in Oshkosh is the museum home of the Ford Tri-Motor. Donations are greatly appreciated. 

To learn more about the aircraft and the efforts to teach aviation history, please visit www.airventuremuseum.org/fordtrimotor

Donations can also be sent to EAA Aviation Center, 3000 Poberezny Rd., Oshkosh, WI, 54902.

Story and photo gallery:    http://www.tcpalm.com

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Greek Government Unveils Plan for Network of Water Airports Serving Seaplanes

The Greek government on Monday unveiled plans for a network of water airports designed to improve transport links to Greece's remote islands and regions. Shipping and Aegean Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, with Deputy Transport, Infrastructure and Networks Minister Mihalis Papadopoulos, presented the plan in a joint press conference, AMNA reported.
 

“The implementation of water airports and the arrival of hydroplanes creates a new market for tourism, transport and the islands policy,” Varvitsiotis said. He pointed to the seaplanes΄ potential to boost islands΄ growth and create new jobs, as well as the development of Greek ports and harbors, while facilitating access to the mainland destinations that were hard to reach for both locals and tourists.

Papadopoulos noted in statements to the ANA-MPA that the water airport network, implemented in collaboration with the ministries΄ involved, was a good solution for transport links to Greece΄s many coastal and island regions and a lever for growth for Greek islands, bringing multiple benefits.

The first attempt to establish a seaplane network in Greece started in 2005, 15 licenses for water airports throughout the country were issued under new laws and a pilot program had begun in the Ionian Sea. Seaplane companies pulled out by 2008, however, citing problems with the legislative framework and the lack of a seaplane link to Attica and Athens.

The legislative framework was updated in a bill passed by Parliament last April, under which a license to operate a water airport can be issued within 65 days of submitting a technical dossier to the transport and networks ministry and the shipping and Aegean ministry.

Applications have now been submitted on behalf of several ports and harbor funds, including those of Corfu, Patras, Lavrio, Iraklio, Volos, Skyros, Rethymno and Zakynthos. Once permits are given, the port and harbor authorities can then lease the right to operate the water airport to seaplane companies, via a process of tender.

Source: http://greece.greekreporter.com

Sunday, February 09, 2014

Small aviation businesses say pilot shortage could drive industry into the ground

Joshua Lindsey/AP
In the past three decades, production of single-engine planes, such as this Cessna 172, has nosedived from 14,000 per year to fewer than 700.  


By J.D. Harrison, Sunday, February 9, 11:31 AM 

In the past several decades, the number of private and recreational pilots across the country has plummeted, as has the number of small aircraft being manufactured — trends that some say have been accelerated by increasingly strict federal regulations.

If the decline continues, it will spell trouble for entrepreneurs such as Austin Heffernan, who runs an aircraft maintenance and repair company in Hagerstown, Md. He was one of several small-business owners asked to testify last week during a congressional hearing on the state of the general aviation industry.

“We see many more pilots leaving general aviation than we see new pilots getting started,” Heffernan told the House Small Business Committee, later adding that those pilots “are the main market for many of the on-airport small businesses that make up the general aviation industry.”

In addition to maintenance firms such as Heffernan’s, which employs 14 people, the industry includes thousands of flight training schools, parts manufacturers and air cargo companies, the vast majority of which are small firms, according to data collected by the Small Business Administration. Those businesses depend on pilots to buy their products and services — and that has become a serious problem.

Since 1980, the number of pilots in the country has nosedived from about 827,000 in 1980 to 617,000, according to the Frederick, Md.-based Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. During about the same period, data from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association in Washington show that production of single-engine planes plunged from 14,000 per year to fewer than 700.

Some have attributed the declines to rising fuel prices, waning interest and heightened flying restrictions following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Others say the recent economic downturn has left fewer people with discretionary income, further accelerating the decline in the past few years.

But at the hearing last week, Heffernan and other employers pinned the blame largely on federal regulators, who they say have built a complex maze of red tape and bureaucratic hurdles that deter pilots from obtaining and renewing their licenses, which hurts small businesses like theirs and the broader aviation industry.

“One of the biggest problems facing us is the pilot population, and putting more requirements in front of people that stop them from flying is a real problem,” John Uczekaj, chief executive of Aspen Avionics, a small aviation electronics firm in Albuquerque, said during the hearing. Among the most onerous hurdles for pilots, he said, is the Federal Aviation Administration’s medical certification requirements.

Under the current rules, private and recreational pilots under age 40 must pass a comprehensive medical exam every five years. Once they hit 40, the renewals are good for only two years.

The requirement is “a definite detractor to business,” Heffernan told the committee. He and several lawmakers noted that the closest individuals come to a medical exam when obtaining a driver’s license is usually a vision test. Meanwhile, most boat operators do not need any medical certifications.

Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.), a pilot himself, called the rules an arbitrary intrusion into the lives of private pilots. Collins recently sponsored legislation that would allow many non-commercial pilots to use their driver’s licenses in lieu of medical exams, as long as they fly small planes, carry fewer than six passengers and stay below certain speed and altitude limits. A similar proposal was submitted directly to the FAA two years ago by aviation groups, but the agency has not issued a response.

While FAA officials did not reply to requests for comment, the agency’s administrator, Michael P. Huerta, last month apologized in a letter to AOPA for failing to take action yet on the proposal. He did not, however, set a date to address the matter, and he emphasized the importance of ensuring “that such an unprecedented change will not result in any adverse impact that could lead to degradation in safety.”

Kenneth Button, a professor and director of the Center for Transportation, Policy, Operations and Logistics at George Mason University, issued a similar safety warning during his testimony last week. He argued that an accident in the air generally leaves pilots in a more precarious position than those on the road.

“One involves two-dimensional safety, one involves three-dimensional safety,” Button said. “Have a heart attack in an airplane, and you’re coming down. Have a heart attack in a Winnebago, and you drive to the side of the road.”

Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.) pushed back, arguing that he “could make the same generality the other way around — you have a heart attack in a Winnebago, you’re going to cross the line and kill somebody.” Graves later urged the FAA to do “a much better job of working with stakeholders so it can better meet the needs of those it regulates and boost the industry, rather than drag it down.”


Story:   http://www.washingtonpost.com


 

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

On private planes happiness isn't an amenity

Written by  Sally Quinn

I keep thinking that if only I had a private plane, I would be really happy. Seriously. I can’t think of any greater luxury. You decide when you want to go. Your chauffeur pulls up to the plane on the tarmac, the stewards and pilots welcome you and carry your bags in. You settle into deep wide leather seats. You are served anything you want when you want it. If the weather is really bad, you can tell the pilot not to take off or to land. If you’re traveling to a foreign country, customs officials get on the plane to check your passport.

Story and comments/reaction:    http://www.delawareonline.com



Toronto's waterfront is for people, not planes

Paul Bedford, David Crombie, Jack Diamond, Anne Golden and Ken Greenberg 

Contributed to The Globe and Mail

Published Wednesday, Jan. 29 2014, 7:48 AM EST

Last updated Wednesday, Jan. 29 2014, 7:52 AM EST


Toronto City Council is about to decide the future of Toronto’s waterfront. What is being proposed is nothing less than the transformation of a small, inner city airport to a major international one. This decision is not about Porter Airlines, whose service and convenience are widely appreciated by many. It is not about a little airport. It is not about a limited expansion.

Porter is seeking approval to grow the annual passenger volume from the current 2.3-million travellers to 4.8-million. That is about the same passenger volume as the Ottawa International Airport – Canada’s sixth-largest. If council chooses to permit the expansion of the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to allow jet service, a series of negative consequences will be unleashed that will change the waterfront forever. Here’s why:

First, jet service to the airport requires an extension of the runway by up to 200 metres in each direction into the harbour and into Lake Ontario. The existing marine buoys at either end of the runway may need to be extended to accommodate safety requirements. We will be left with a smaller, more congested harbour. To minimize the jet blast on small boats, a high and obtrusive jet blast deflector wall would be constructed across the entire width of the runway at both ends. On the west side, the new Ontario Place water’s edge park would be a mere 300 metres from the end of the runway.

Second, traffic congestion will intensify. Adding more cars and taxis – the predominant travel option – to Lower Bathurst St., Queen’s Quay and Lakeshore Blvd. will only add more chaos to an area that is already on the edge of failure during peak periods.

Traffic consultants retained by the city have concluded that there is no way the current road network could handle the proposed expansion of passenger volume. It is not clear how the $100-million sought from the federal and provincial governments for ground infrastructure improvements would address this problem.

The expansion would cater to the vacation traveller, instead of the commuter business community. This will result in totally different and escalating demands for longer-term parking, luggage and ground support operations. Conflicts between vehicular traffic and the safety of elementary school children have already resulted in suggestions to consider relocating the existing Waterfront School and Harbourfront Community Centre.

Third, Torontonians currently enjoy a range of waterfront activities, including recreation and culture. This is a core issue. If the airport doubles in passenger volume with the planned runway expansions, it could mean, over time, a gradual increase of up to 30-36 aircraft movements per peak hour. This means a jet could land or take off every two minutes. Air Canada and WestJet have already indicated their desire to operate jet service out of an expanded Island Airport, and Continental Airlines has expressed interest. Such continued growth would choke the neighbourhood and its services. Offering jet service to such distant destinations as Vancouver, California, Florida and the Caribbean would tip the balance. The airport would dominate the waterfront rather than being part of a range of human-scale activities for citizens and tourists.

The effects of airport growth to this point on the Bathurst Quay community are already considerable, and would worsen under an expansion. In warmer months, residents have experienced a residue from aircraft fuel on their windows, balconies and furniture.

The Toronto Medical Officer of Health has documented the health impact of the airport and its expansion. This led to the unanimous rejection of the proposed airport expansion by the Board of Health.

In 1999, the people of Toronto celebrated when the federal, provincial and municipal governments came together to establish Waterfront Toronto. This corporation has invested more than $1.5-billion of public money in the visible revitalization of our entire waterfront, 47 kilometres spanning the amalgamated City of Toronto from Scarborough to Etobicoke. This civic renewal has improved the quality of life for a public who now have access to their waterfront. Toronto’s Official Plan also requires that airport operations comply with the 1983 Tripartite Agreement and that improvements to the airport’s facilities have no adverse impacts on the surrounding community.

The scale and scope of the airport expansion and introduction of jets are simply not compatible with this vision – and council policies. There is no such thing as a “little big airline” or a “little big airport.” Those are clever words masking private gain and public loss. We cannot allow it to replace a highly valued public vision for our waterfront. We only have one waterfront and it belongs to everyone.

Paul Bedford was the chief planner of Toronto from 1996-2004; David Crombie is a former mayor of Toronto; Jack Diamond is Toronto-based international architect; Anne Golden is the chair of the Transit Investment Advisory Panel; Ken Greenberg is the former head of urban design in the Toronto planning department.

Story and comments/reaction:   http://www.theglobeandmail.com

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Sabreliner CEO to leave troubled firm

Sabreliner Corp.'s chief executive, Holmes Lamoreaux, and another top executive will leave the company as a new owner takes over the struggling defense contractor.

The Clayton-based company said a “new entity” has acquired the debt of Sabreliner's primary lender and plans to take control company's assets and continue operations, according to a press release sent this morning.

As a result, Lamoreux and Susan Aselage, Sabreliner's president and vice chairman, will leave the company. Sabreliner also said the new owner is expected to meet with employees in the coming weeks.

"Today, Sabreliner Corp. begins its next chapter,” Lamoreaux said in a statement. “We were never able to replace the significant business lost during (government) sequestration. As a result, we haven’t been able to repay the company’s bank debt so the bank has sold it to another enterprise. Sabreliner soon will be operating under new management.”

The new owner is a firm called Sabreliner Service LLC, which was formed last week in Florida, according to Secretary of State filings there, and gives an address at Perryville Municipal Airport, where Sabreliner has a plant. It is managed by a Naples, Fla.-based investment group called Innovative Capital Holdings LLC which, according to its website, specializes in "the acquisition and restructuring of distressed or underperforming businesses." A message left Tuesday with Innovative Capital chief executive Bob Stockard was not returned.

Despite the financial problems, Sabreliner said it has won new contracts for its operations in Ste. Genevieve and Perryville, Mo., where more than a dozen military and corporate aircraft are getting maintenance.

Sabreliner has been a privately held corporation since 1983, when a group of investors led by Lamoreux purchased the Sabreliner Division of Rockwell International.

The company's initial goal was to support the existing fleet of Sabreliner aircraft with maintenance and modification services, while supporting other types of aircraft and their operators, including the U.S. and foreign militaries.

Services later expanded to include maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft, as well as manufacturing support for older aircraft and new aircraft production.

Employees and union officials said Monday that the company's new ownership is Sabreliner Services LLC. One employee said the company’s roughly 100 remaining workers would be made by the new owners to reapply for their jobs but details were unavailable.

Employees were first notified of the management changes late Friday, said Larry Tinker, president of the Teamsters Local 600 in Maryland Heights, which represents about 70 workers at Sabreliner’s plants in Perryville and Ste. Genevieve.

The company had “defaulted on its debt and was unable to remedy the default,” Tinker said. But there were yet few details on what that would mean for employees.

“I’m still trying to get to the bottom of it myself,” he said.

Teamsters ratified a new contract in August.

Sabreliner has had a rough few years amid Pentagon spending cuts and other struggles. Its workforce shrank by about 250 in eight months in late 2012 and early 2013, by about 250 in eight months in late 2012 and early 2013, between layoffs, retirements and attrition. It’s down to about 10 employees at its Clayton headquarters and about 100 at its two remaining plants, according to a former spokeswoman.

Late last year, Sabreliner, sold buildings in St. Mary and Ste. Genevieve, according to the Ste. Genevieve Herald. It has faced a barrage of debt-collection suits in local courts. On Friday, it agreed to a $192,000 settlement in a suit brought by a lenders in Perry County Court. The deal, according to documents in that case, allows Sabreliner to stay in its facility at the Perryville airport for another month. Tinker said he hoped to get more information this week.

“We’re still trying to figure out what’s going on.”


Source:   http://www.stltoday.com

Monday, January 13, 2014

Ancient DC-3s deliver hope in Colombia, and seat belts are optional

 

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For Colombians who live in isolated jungle villages, flying often involves climbing aboard an American aircraft that made its mark way back in World War II: the twin-engine Douglas DC-3

There aren’t many of these vintage models still in use, but Colombia has its share.

Capt. John Acero and his co-pilot run through the pre-takeoff checklist in the cockpit of one of these DC-3s. This particular one was built in 1944 — and it shows. The compass is held in place with bungee cords; there's no autopilot; and if we go down, the survival kit includes a flare gun and a machete. 

 Fortunately, our flight, departing from the southern Colombian town of San Jose del Guaviare, is smooth. Soon, we touch down in the jungle hamlet of Miraflores, a former cocaine boomtown that was once controlled by Marxist guerrillas.

As we exit the DC-3, its virtues become clear. The dirt airstrip at Miraflores is too short and bumpy for commercial aircraft, but the DC-3 has sturdy landing gear and balloon tires. And its slow speed allows it to put down on runways as short as 600 yards.

Capt. Acero has been flying DC-3s for 27 years, with only a few mishaps. Once the tail of his plane was hit by rebel gunfire, but he managed to bring her in safely.

"These are all-terrain airplanes, the tractors of the skies," Acero tells me. "It doesn't matter if the runway is full of mud or water. This plane is very trustworthy and maneuverable."

In the 1930s and ’40s, the Douglas Aircraft Company built about 16,000 DC-3s. Back then, their speed and range helped reduce the time of coast-to-coast air travel. They transported troops during World War II and supplies during the 1949 Berlin Airlift. Since then, most of the planes have been mothballed. But about a dozen DC-3s provide a lifeline for Miraflores and other remote Colombian villages.

Out here, there are few roads, and in the dry season, rivers are often un-navigable. So, the DC-3 is the only practical way in and out. They haul people, groceries, livestock, even small vehicles. On this flight, our DC-3 is delivering 1,000 gallons of helicopter fuel to the Colombian Army in Miraflores.

As troops transfer the gas to a storage tank, passengers for the return flight rest in the shade under the wings. One of them is Francisco Nieto, a Catholic bishop, who says this vintage aircraft makes people in forgotten outposts like Miraflores feel more connected to modern Colombia.

"These airplanes don't just deliver food and supplies. More than anything, they deliver hope," he says.

While the plane can carry 20 passengers, today, there are only 10. There are no frills here, such as seat-back trays or toilets. Seatbelts are optional. And with no barrier between the pilots and passengers, some wander up to the cockpit for a look.

After we land, mechanics spot brake fluid leaking from the DC-3's left wheel, so they replace a faulty seal. These specialists are a big reason these 70-year-old birds are still flying.

But there are only a few mechanics left in Colombia familiar with the aircraft, and spare parts are getting harder to find. Once the last DC-3 is grounded here, Capt. Acero predicts hard times for places like Miraflores.

"The day they stop flying, it will mean hunger and poverty for these people because no other plane will fly in here," Acero says. "Nothing can replace the DC-3."



Story, Photos, Video:  http://www.pri.org


 Credit: John Otis
Pilot John Acero looks out the window of a DC-3.




 Credit: John Otis
The co pilot looks out the DC-3 window at a jungle river. You can see the compass held in place by bungee cord




 Credit: John Otis
Our DC-3's survival kit, with machete and flare gun.




 Credit: John Otis
Pilot John Acero with hands on the wheel of a DC-3 built in 1944.




Credit: John Otis 
Pilots stand in the shade of the wing of a DC-3 in the hamlet of Miraflores in the Colombian jungle. 



 Credit: John Otis
Flying "no frills": a passenger looks out the window of a DC-3.

Thursday, January 09, 2014

Rolls-Royce, Wärtsilä End Merger Talks: U.K. Industrial Group Would Have Taken Over Finnish Engine Maker

The Wall Street Journal

By  Matthew Curtin

Jan. 9, 2014 2:54 a.m. ET


LONDON— Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC and Wärtsilä Oyj  said Thursday they are no longer in merger talks which would have seen one of the U.K.'s flagship industrial groups take over its smaller Finnish engine-making rival in a multibillion-dollar deal.

Rolls-Royce, which makes aircraft engines for Airbus Group and Boeing Co.,  said "preliminary discussions with the board of Wärtsilä regarding a possible offer for the company…are no longer continuing."

Helsinki-listed Wärtsilä confirmed in a separate statement that talks have ended after it had received a preliminary approach from the British company.

The companies said their statements follow press speculation about a possible deal.

The Finnish company, which has a market capitalization of around €6.7 billion ($9.1 billion), derives most of its €4.7 billion in annual revenue from making power-generation equipment for liquid-fuel and gas power plants as well as making engines for ships. It also has a services business.

Rolls-Royce, best-known for making engines for commercial aircraft, is also a big producer of power equipment and increasingly focused on the marine industry.

Rolls-Royce in partnership with Daimler AG of Germany is the process of the completion of the takeover of Germany engine maker Tognum AG. Wärtsilä recently acquired Hamworthy, a specialist U.K. maker of marine equipment.


Source:   http://online.wsj.com

Monday, December 23, 2013

Minnesota: Campaign employee traveled on state plane with governor last year

Late last year, as he was campaigning for Minnesotans to send him a DFL Legislature, Gov. Mark Dayton traveled on a state plane with a campaign staffer to Bemidji and International Falls.

While the governor repaid the state $2,118 for the October 24, 2012 trip, it had not been clear until Monday that Julie Hottinger, a Dayton campaign staffer, was along for the flights. But according to documents newly uncovered by the Minnesota Jobs Coalition, a Republican organization, Hottinger's name appeared on an invoice for the trip late last year. 

Dayton has already received significant scrutiny for his late 2012 use of the state plane for the campaign purposes. He took several flights as the election approached, which included campaign appearances. He repaid the state for the political portion of the trips but they have continued to raise questions about the appropriate use of state resources by a government official.

During the October trip, Dayton had an official meeting with Bemidji area officials, made a Bemidji area campaign appearance, flew to International Falls for a campaign stop and then returned to St. Paul. Spokesman Matt Swenson said the campaign paid for half of the cost of flying Dayton to Bemidji, all of Hottinger's costs, all of Dayton's costs to International Falls and back to St. Paul.

Asked if it is appropriate for campaign staff to join the governor on the official state plane, Swenson said: "It is appropriate and our policy that any campaign-related travel or travel expenses incurred by campaign staffers is paid in full by the campaign, which is what happened here. It is appropriate for campaign staffers to travel with the governor to campaign events if that travel is paid for by the campaign."

Ben Golnik, a former Republican Party staffer who heads the Minnesota Jobs Coalition, said that Dayton's use of the state plane is troubling.

"This new information about Gov. Dayton's misuse of state resources is very concerning," Golnik said. He also noted that some information was redacted from the Coalition's request for public documents. The redacted information included the signature line on an Air Travel Request form for the Oct. 24 trip.

The Coalition's finding will not be the last word on Dayton's use of the state plane. Later this month or early next month, the non-partisan Office of the Legislative Auditor will issue a report on the governor's office. That report is expected to include an assessment of the governor's political use of state resources.

Swenson said the governor's office awaits guidance from the legislative auditor and would not take its cues from the Minnesota Jobs Coalition, which he called a "highly partisan right wing attack" organization.

The 2012 flights have already been examined by one agency watchdog. In September, in response to a complaint from the Minnesota Jobs Coalition, the state's Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board found that Dayton violated the law by not disclosing his campaign debt for his campaign's use of the state plane on several occasions.

In part because the media, including the Star Tribune, had reported on Dayton's plan to repay the state for use of the plane, the board decided that the lack of disclosure on campaign forms was inadvertent. Because the omissions were not made knowingly, the board decided the violation did not merit a fine.

Story and Comments/Reaction:   http://www.startribune.com

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Lebanon Municipal (KLEB), New Hampshire: Airport slashes fares to land more money

WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

LEBANON, N.H. -  Passengers hit the tarmac in Lebanon, N.H., from various destinations across the country. Jim Norris is returning home to Lyndonville.

"Went to Homer, Alaska, for a wedding," Norris said. "It was a great trip."

Connie Roberts, who is attending a wedding in Vermont, is coming from Ohio.

"I was going to take the bus from Boston and my sister got online and was checking out things and decided that flying would be the best way to go," Roberts said.

That's because Cape Air, the sole carrier in Lebanon, has reduced rates as part of a special promotion-- $49 to Boston, $99 to New York. The deal is to help increase annual departures from Lebanon over the 10,000-passenger mark by the end of the year. It's a crucial number for small airports.

"If we get 10,000, then our entitlement money that we get from FAA for safety and improvement increases from $150,000 a year to about a million," explained Rick Dyment, the manager of Lebanon Municipal Airport.

This is the second year in a row that prices have been slashed to boost ridership. Not exactly ideal for the airport, but in the meantime, officials say it is the passengers who are benefiting.

"A lot better than driving to Boston or even Manchester," Norris said.

"We would have been on the bus for three hours versus an hour," Roberts said.

Less time on the road and less hassle at the gate.

"If you are standing in a security line, there is never more than eight people in front of you because it is a nine-passenger plane," Dyment said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the airport was 565 passengers away from that goal, but only three people boarded the early afternoon flight. Ten years ago, the airport was seeing three to four times as many travelers.

"Burlington and Manchester did significant airport improvements, added a lot more airlines, added a lot more destinations. So it is all competition," Dyment said.

Competition that's taken its toll. But officials say good rates are helping get the word out about the convenience Lebanon offers, so in the future, passenger numbers take off.

The money comes from the federal Airport Improvement Program which is paid for through fares and not tax dollars.


Story and Video:   http://www.wcax.com

Friday, December 06, 2013

Kestrel Aircraft remains behind on Brunswick Landing rent

The Forecaster Staff
Dylan Martin
Friday, December 6, 2013



BRUNSWICK — Kestrel Aircraft Co., a major tenant of the former naval air station, remains several months behind in lease payments to the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority.

The aviation startup has been waiting for financing to continue toward its goal of manufacturing a new turboprop single-engine plane.

Steve Levesque, MRRA's executive director, confirmed on Tuesday that Kestrel hasn't paid rent for "several months," but could not provide more specifics, citing a need to protect the company's financial information.

He said there is a month-to-month arrangement in place to defer Kestrel's payments.

"We have agreed to defer their rent, but it involves discussion and constant evaluation," he said. "... We're confident that they will be able to secure the funding to pay off the rent and grow the company. If I didn't have that confidence we would have said, 'no, you ought to give up your lease.'"

John Peters, chairman of the MRRA board of trustees, echoed Levesque's remarks.

"Like any business, we're trying to work with this tenant and be patient, let them get new capital in place, hope for the best," Peters said, adding that his board is aware of the situation. "... They're a big tenant for us, so we're hoping soon they'll get their capital in place and get current."

Kestrel's rent is about $13,000 a month for nearly 84,000 square feet of administrative and workshop space at Brunswick Landing's Hangar 6.

The aviation company's 20-year lease from MRRA, the quasi-municipal organization charged with redeveloping the base, began in April 2011.

Kestrel's financial woes were first reported by the Bangor Daily News in September, when Chief Executive Officer Alan Klapmeier confirmed the company was having "cash flow issues."

At the time, Klapmeier said although Kestrel was current with payroll, some employees had been furloughed or place on reduced work or pay. He also said that completion of a prototype plane was a year behind schedule.

In addition, Klapmeier said he was expecting  a significant source of funding to come through to finance "essentially the majority of the project."

On Wednesday, Kestrel spokeswomen Kate Dougherty confirmed that the company has arranged with MRRA to defer rent payments, but declined to comment on other financial details.

She said she also couldn't comment on the progress for financing.

"Alan Klapmeier is relentless in his capital investment campaign," Dougherty said. "He absolutely continues to pursue capital financing."

Alluding to how some successful companies once struggled as startups, Dougherty said, "we're Apple in the garage and not (General Electric.)" She also said "tremendous work" is already being done, including the beginning of the company's Federal Aviation Administration certification process.

Kestrel, which employs about 40 people at Brunswick Landing, originally set its sights on the former naval air station for its headquarters, with an announcement in July 2010. At the time, Klapmeier said he hoped to create 300 jobs.

But more than a year later, after the company was courted by Maine and two other states, Kestrel's CEO announced the company would move its manufacturing operations to Superior, Wis., where the company received a better financial package. A smaller workforce remained in Brunswick to create composite components of the plane, while a majority of workers – about 60 – are in Superior.

Levesque said it's not unusual for a developer like MRRA to give a business experiencing financial difficulty some time to sort things out, especially if they're willing to keep communications open.

"We'd hate to have all these people laid off just so (Kestrel) could pay their rent," he said, noting that such a scenario would be regretted if the company ended up with financing only weeks later.

He said two other tenants at Brunswick Landing have had similar difficulties, but he would not disclose which ones.

But Levesque did identify two businesses whose leases were canceled because of funding problems.

"Integrated Marine Systems and Resilient Communications aren't here anymore because they couldn't afford it," he said, adding that decisions to end their leases were mutual. "The key is to maintain constant communication with our tenants."


Source:   http://www.theforecaster.net

Monday, December 02, 2013

Planes to land on Swan River

Commercial seaplanes have been given the green light to fly twice daily, seven days a week on the Swan River.

The soon-to-be disbanded Swan River Trust has approved a 12-month trial for Catalina Airlines to land its Cessna 208 Caravan planes between the South Perth jet-ski freestyle area and Milyu Marine Park.

The seaplanes will courier up to 11 passengers at a time from Rottnest Island, Mandurah and Margaret River.

The Swan River Trust says the company must still apply for approvals from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Department of Transport.

"The applicant has been advised that a license/permit approval from the Swan River Trust does not negate the need to obtain any approvals that may be required from other statutory authorities including, but not limited to, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Department of Transport prior to the commencement of the operation," Ms Stritzke said.

The trial will allow the airline to land the seaplanes between 8am and 5.30pm.

Meanwhile, Milyu Marine Park is a refuge for migratory wading birds and a 300 metre no-fly zone has been set up to protect the species.

"In an effort to protect birdlife, the Cessna 208 Caravan seaplane and the company's support vessel are not permitted to enter the Milyu Marine Park and an exclusion/no fly zone has been established 300 metres from the shore to minimize shadowing and disturbance of birds in the area," Swan River Trusts planning acting manager Jennifer Stritzke said.

"The proximity of the seaplane landing area to Milyu Marine Park and Nature Reserve was one of the major considerations for the trust, as this area has been set aside as a refuge for migratory wading birds protected under international agreements," Ms Stritzke said.

"Restricting the seaplane from flying close to the Como foreshore will also greatly reduce any noise impacts on nearby residences," Ms Stritzke said.

Former SAS instructor and Catalina Airlines chief Mack McCormack initially applied to carry out the flights more than a year ago.   Other airlines have had their applications denied over concerns for other river users and wildlife.

Ms Stritzke said a number of conditions had to be placed on the approval to ensure that appropriate practices are put in place to protect the river during the operation.

"If any of these conditions are breached or if the operation causes significant harm or disturbance to wildlife, the approval may be cancelled or suspended," she said.

Ms Stritzke said an overall assessment including environmental and community aspects of the operation will be undertaken by the trust 12 months after the commencement of the trial and will be used to inform future decisions on the long-term use of the river for the landing of commercial seaplanes.

"The trust may consider extending the seaplane trial by six months, to an overall period of 18 months to allow for the operation to run over two peak periods.

“This option will only be considered if it is evident that the continuation of the trial will not unnecessarily impact on the community or waterway."

The trust will be inviting public comment on the seaplane operation throughout the trial period.

Read more: http://www.watoday.com.au

Friday, November 29, 2013

Seaplanes could soon be operating on the Swan River

Seaplanes could soon be operating out of Perth for the first time in decades.

The State Government has approved a 12-month trial allowing seaplanes to land on the Swan River near South Perth, and take up to 10 passengers to W-A tourist hotspots like Rottnest Island and Margaret River.

The operators, Catalina Airlines, still need final approval from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority but expect to start operating early next year.

Business owner Mack McCormack says the approval process has been drawn out and difficult, and he is pleased the project has now been given the green light.

"We're a little bit over-awed, it's taken us about 12 months to finally get the approval so we're delighted," he said.


Source:   http://www.abc.net.au

Forgotten aircraft reborn at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport (KSTS), Santa Rosa, California

This may be closest that the Sonoma County aviation buffs come to unearthing buried treasure.

A letter from out of the blue advised Christina Olds of the Pacific Coast Air Museum that a woman in Marin County wished to donate her airplane.

The other day, Olds and several members of the private airplane museum at the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport received a set of keys from the donor, 85-year-old Marcia Dunn.

One key unlocked a hangar at the airport that no one in PCAM had ever seen open. They rolled the door away to spy Marcia's plane.

Shrouded in more than 40 years of dust was a nearly like-new silver and blue, four-seat, 1954 Cessna 170B. Marcia told Olds, PCAM's Director of Museum Operations, that she'd bought it in 1955 and flown it all over the country before she wheeled it into the hangar in 1971 and locked the door.

For 42 years, there it sat.

Olds has been wanting to add more civilian aircraft to the PCAM collection, long heavy with warbirds. She's eager to get this sweet little bird cleaned up and its few blemishes repaired, then put it out on display.

Story, Photos and Comments/Reaction:  http://www.pressdemocrat.com