Another Milestone In The Company's Long History

Cessna has delivered its 5000th single engine piston aircraft, a Skylane, since the restart of production in Independence, Kansas. This milestone took place only seven years after the delivery of the first Independence-built airplane. The 5,000th airplane was purchased by Mr. Karl Fillip of Alliance Equipment Leasing, LLC. Hill Aircraft and Leasing Corporation, a Cessna Sales Team Authorized Representative (CSTAR) in Atlanta, was instrumental in the sale of the aircraft.

Mineta Says New Office Is For Overwatch Of Air Traffic Organization

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta today announced the establishment of an office to provide independent safety oversight of the Air Traffic Organization (ATO). The office's primary responsibility will be to ensure the safety of changes to air traffic standards and procedures. The creation of the new Air Traffic Safety Oversight Service, based within the regulation and certification organization of the FAA, follows a recommendation of the 1997 National Civil Aviation Review Commission (NCARC) chaired by Secretary Mineta.

We're expecting a release shortly, but we've received info that indicates that FAA Administrator Marion Blakey has named Cendant Corp's Ramesh Punwani to be the FAA's new CFO. Punwani holds a Master's in business administration in finance from New York University and a Master's in management science from Cornell University. He received a Bachelor's in industrial engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (India). More recently, Ramesh was VP of tour and cruise relations and director of business development for American Express before joining Travelocity.com. From September '93 to '96, he was Sr. VP and CFO for Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

FAA Releases $3.1 Million For Runway Project

Pilots flying into the Albuquerque within the not-too-distant future will see evidence of progress at the area's general aviation airport. The FAA has released $3.1 million to fund runway upgrades at Albuquerque's Double Eagle II Airport. The money will be used to rebuild runway 17-35 at the general aviation facility that supports 240 aircraft and 120,000 takeoffs and landings each year. Within five years Double Eagle is expected to be home to Eclipse Aviation's new $90 million manufacturing facility as well as a host of Eclipse's suppliers.

CASA Supports New Training Initiatives

Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is to begin working with leaders in flying training to develop fresh initiatives to deliver the best possible flying instruction to all students, from beginners to experienced pilots refreshing or upgrading their skills. The aim will be to find more effective ways for CASA to help trainers provide the highest possible standards of instruction. The new commitment to flying training follows an initial study by CASA of general aviation fatal accidents over a ten-year period. 

Boeing Announces Additional 7E7 Work for Hamilton Sundstrand

Boeing and Hamilton Sundstrand are expanding their partnership on the all-new 7E7 Dreamliner passenger airplane with the selection of the United Technologies unit to provide the airplane's primary power distribution system. That system includes six large power panels containing equipment that controls, protects and distributes electrical power on the 7E7.

Group Attended NASCAR Race

The search for a missing plane came to a sad end on Wednesday. Searchers found the wreckage of a Piper Saratoga that crashed while carrying three Illinois couples home from a NASCAR race in South Carolina. FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said there were no survivors. Ground crews had been searching a heavily wooded mountainside in southeastern Kentucky near where the plane was last spotted on radar Sunday night. Cory said investigators from the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board were enroute to the scene.

Debris Also Found

The search for a helicopter lost in the Gulf of Mexico has ended on a sad note. Rescuers found four bodies in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday believed to have been among 10 people on a helicopter that disappeared overnight en route to an oil exploration ship off the Texas coast. An offshore supply vessel assisting in the search discovered two bodies about 60 miles south of Galveston. A separate debris field and two additional bodies were then located nearby. The search continued for the other six people on the flight that left Galveston Tuesday. The helicopter carried a pilot, a co-pilot and eight workers.

Navy, Marine Leaders Urge No Delay In JSF Program

Time is money, especially when working on a high-priced government contract. Just ask the Navy and Marine Corps, who are warning Congress that every year of delay adds $1 billion to the cost of the Joint Strike Fighter program. Military leaders pleaded with lawmakers not to impose further delays on the aircraft's development. Navy Secretary Gordon England, Adm. Vern Clark, the chief of naval operations, and Gen. Michael Hagee, the Marine Corps commandant, made their case during a hearing of the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee.

Klyde Is Having TOO Much Fun With NASA

We got a great note from ANN Reader, Roy, who sent us the following humorous missive because, "It seems like everything is so serious these days, (so) I thought you might like to hear about the following exchange that occurred a few days ago." The pertinent details have been changed to protect the guilty, from those bereft of a funny bone...

A Navy F/A-18 Hornet aircraft on a routine training mission crashed at about 12:30 p.m. EST March 24 off the coast of South Carolina. The pilot was rescued uninjured and taken to a hospital at Hunter Army Air Field near Savannah, Ga., for observation. The aicraft was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 82 based at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C. Known as the "Marauders," the squadron returned Feb. 25 from a six-month deployment as part of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 aboard the Norfolk, Va.-based aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

C-5 Maintenance Crews Learn To Be Creative 

C-5 Galaxy mechanics here recently found that making new aircraft floorboards rather than repairing used ones saves nearly $5.5 million per year and reduces work-flow days from 42 to nine. When a C-5 floorboard team started rethinking their work process, 923 floorboards were on backorder, and C-5s were being held up in the depot because of it. The crew discovered a way to create their own parts, thus saving time and money.  

Airline Exec: Southwest 'Coming To kill Us'

The head honcho at US Airways is keeping his eye on southwest airlines, as the low-fare carrier begins service in Philadelphia. US Airways chief executive David Siegel warned Wednesday that survival is at risk now that the airline is bracing for competition at its Philadelphia hub from Southwest. Siegel said US Airways has twice gone head-to-head with low-fare king Southwest and lost -- once on the West Coast and once at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

Mars Panel Sees Affordable Space Travel   

Forget about Hawaii or the slopes of Aspen, future vacations could truly be an out-of-this-world experience. This is what some scientists believe may be the future fad in holiday travel. They claim everyday space travel could become affordable for tourists and sightseers within a few years. This group of entrepreneurs and scientists made their case Wednesday at a hearing on travel to the moon and then to Mars. The meeting at the Georgia Institute of Technology is part of a series of public hearings before a presidential commission about the feasibility of the moon-Mars concept. The commission will forward its findings to the president in June.

It's Airshow Time

NOTAM:  4/2449  Issued:  03/25/2004 16:12  Effective:  03/25/2004 17:30 - 03/28/2004 22:30  State:  FL  Facility:  ZJX - JACKSONVILLE (ARTCC),FL.  Type:  AIR SHOWS/SPORTS  Description:  TYNDALL AFB, FL.  

The Big Kahuna Is In Town

NOTAM:  4/2458  Issued:  03/25/2004 18:48  Effective:  03/26/2004 15:00 - 03/26/2004 16:30  State:  OH  Facility:  ZID - INDIANAPOLIS (ARTCC),IN.  Type:  VIP  Description:  DAYTON, OHIO, MARCH 26, 2004. 

The Prez Is In Town

NOTAM:  4/2424  Issued:  03/24/2004 19:21  Effective:  03/26/2004 22:10 - 03/27/2004 00:40  State:  IN  Facility:  ZID - INDIANAPOLIS (ARTCC),IN.  Type:  VIP  Description:  JEFFERSONVILLE, INDIANA, MARCH 26, 2004 LOCAL. 

Aero-News: Quote of the Day

"What we need is a vibrant, real marketplace. We need thousands and millions of flights." Source: Peter Diamondis, chairman of the X Prize Foundation, testifying before a presidential commission about the feasibility of the civilian space travel and Moon-Mars exploration. Diamondis joined a group of entrepreneurs and scientists who made their case Wednesday the meeting held before a presidential commission. The hearing, held at the Georgia Institute of Technology, is part of a series of public hearings before a presidential commission about the feasibility of the Moon-Mars concept. The commission will forward its findings to the president in June.

Here Comes The Prez

NOTAM:  4/2441  Issued:  03/25/2004 14:55  Effective:  03/26/2004 19:50 - 03/26/2004 23:05  State:  AZ  Facility:  ZAB - ALBUQUERQUE (ARTCC),NM.  Type:  VIP  Description:  PHOENIX, ARIZONA, MARCH 26, 2004 LOCAL. 

Its Air Show Time

NOTAM:  4/2442  Issued:  03/25/2004 15:02  Effective:  03/26/2004 17:00 - 03/28/2004 23:00  State:  FL  Facility:  ZMA - MIAMI (ARTCC), FL.  Type:  AIR SHOWS/SPORTS  Description:  PUNTA GORDA, FL.