There are cruel aspects to this life... and possibly the cruelest of all is that a number of children who come into this world with the greatest of promise will never have the chance to realize all the joys that this world has to offer. In such circumstances, the best a person can do is ease the all-too-short journey of these children, with simple joys... such as that bestowed upon a terminally ill child by a number of USAF personel from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.

Global 5000 Earns Transport Canada Type Approval

The new Bombardier Global 5000, said to be the world's fastest intercontinental super-large business jet, has received full type approval from Transport Canada, clearing the way for first deliveries of "green" production aircraft to begin in the second quarter of 2004. The first Bombardier Global 5000, currently being equipped with a custom interior, will enter service in the fourth quarter of 2004. 

Proposal Calls For Lifting Taxes On Air Service And Maintenance

A Kansas bill aimed at generating more aircraft service and repair work within the state is headed for the Senate after gaining House passage. The measure's chief sponsor, Republican Rep. Mario Goico of Wichita, estimates it would create 500 new jobs in Wichita. The bill would remove the state and local sales tax -- a combined 6.3 percent in Wichita -- on service, repair and remodeling of airplanes. The change would cost the state about $1.3 million.

Scheduled Operations Highlighted

On Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board released preliminary aviation accident statistics for 2003 showing an increase in several civil aviation categories, including scheduled airliners, air taxis and general aviation. The total number of U.S. civil aviation accidents rose from 1,820 in 2002 to 1,864 in 2003. There were a total of 695 fatalities in all aviation accidents in 2003.  The majority of these fatalities occurred in general aviation and air taxi operations.  There were 351 fatal general aviation accidents, up from 345 the year before. Total general aviation accidents increased from 1,713 in 2002 to 1,732 in 2003. The accident rate remained relatively unchanged from 6.69 in 2002 to 6.71 in 2003 per 100,000 fl

Company Paid CEO About $7 Mln In 2003

Who said it doesn't pay to wrok in aviation? Textron Inc. -- parent company of Cessna and Bell Helicopter -- paid Chairman and Chief Executive Lewis Campbell nearly $7 million last year, the company disclosed on Friday. Campbell's $3 million salary and bonus were 15 percent higher than 2002. He also received about $1.5 million in restricted stock in 2003 and a long-term incentive payout of $2.1 million, which represented 62 percent of the potential target. This may come as a surprise, especially as the company's fourth-quarter net income fell sharply amid restructuring and sluggish demand.  

A study prepared for NBAA by HLB Decision Economics Inc. finds that over the 30 months between September 11, 2001, and March 2004, the total economic cost associated with the differential treatment of general aviation at DCA and through TFRs nationally was $1.3 billion, or just over $43 million a month.

Flabob Offers A Visit Aviation's Past

EAA Vintage Aircraft Chapter 33 will host their fifth annual Open House at Flabob Airport (CA) on May 15th. The event, which is free and open to everyone, expects to attract nearly 200 antique and classic aircraft, a few dozen vintage cars and hot rods, along with 500 to 1,000 people.

Charlotte's Regional Airports Battle For Corporate Traffic

Municipal airports in the Charlotte (NC) region are locked in a fierce battle to draw in business aviation traffic. For the municipalities, the fight is well worth it. At stake are tens of thousands of dollars in property taxes levied upon corporate jets and potentially millions more in additional revenue generated by the companies that own them. As one would expect, city officials welcome the larger corporate flight departments with open arms.

HeliFlite Founder To Launch New Startup

The North Texas businessman who founded and successfully launched HeliFlite Shares L.L.C. in 1998 is now in the driver's seat of a new aircraft venture. Mark Ozenick has been named chief operating officer of Global Jet Shares Inc., a sister company of California-based Pacific Jet Inc., both closely held private companies. Global Jet Shares is offering two programs: fractional ownership of Gulfstream IIIs; and jet membership cards in those planes, as well as in the fleet of Pacific Jet. Ozenick -- who's considering Dallas Love Field, Fort Worth Alliance Airport or downtown Dallas as an office location for the start-up company -- is also still a shareholder in HeliFlite, which sells fractional ownership in helicopters.

ANN was the first to tip you off to the selection of the Avidyne Entegra for Piper's piston 6 seat heavy-haulers -- the Saratoga II HP, the Saratoga II TC, the Piper 6X and the Piper 6XT - making them the only six-place aircraft on the market with this state-of-the-art avionics system. Now, we're pleased to share the latest pix of the new Piper piston panels, featuring the Avidyne Entegra.  The FlightMax Entegra system, designed and manufactured by the Avidyne Corporation of Lincoln, MA, consists of two large, high-resolution sunlight readable displays; an EXP5000 Primary Flight Display (PFD) with an integrated solid-state air data and attitude/heading reference system and EX5000 multi-function display (MFD), more commonly found on corporate jet aircraft.

AirCheck, Inc. announced its first major upgrade to its COCKPIT RECORDER, a cockpit voice recorder and paperless audio checklist device for use in private aircraft. “Answering the requests of our customers,” said Michael Arbuthnot, AirCheck’s Business Director, “we have significantly upgraded the recording playback quality of the voice recorder functions. Utilizing the latest in solid state digital technology, we have increased the quality beyond our original playback specifications.”

Votes To Be Tallied Today

Votes were cast yesterday by SPEEA union members at Boeing's Wichita facility, as the debate over a proposed three-year labor contract drew to an end. The final tally will determine if Boeing Wichita's second-largest union will accept or reject the company's offer. Saying the proposal is inferior to what Boeing has given other groups of workers, leaders of the union -- the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace -- were recommending that workers reject the proposal. If it was indeed rejected, the two sides would have to return to the bargaining table for additional discussion. However, the gamble is high, as there are no guarantees the subsequent talks would produce a better offer for the workers.

Airline Relying On Government Backing To Exit Chapter 11

United Airlines has made it clear, it needs federal money to stay afloat. A United executive on Friday said the company is focused on winning government approval for a big loan as the way to get out of bankruptcy. Management would not disclose what their back-up plans were. On two recent occasions, United Airlines executives were asked if they have an alternate plan to exit Chapter 11 protection if they do not get the U.S. government backing for $1.6 billion -- part of a $2.0 billion loan. Twice, different executives replied they are totally focused on the government loan.  

U.S. Airlines Add Seats Amid Fare Wars

What price will airlines pay to attract passengers? In some cases, the money counter can reach quite high. As the travel industry sputters its way out of a three year downturn, U.S. airlines are adding enough seats to approach pre-Sept. 11 levels. However, some analysts see turbulent skies ahead as carriers slash fares to win market share, leading revenue to trail demand. Industry analysts expect low-cost carriers to expand capacity by more than 10 percent this year, and regional carriers by 24 percent. Even the larger carriers are doing the same, even as many continue to lose millions of dollars a day.

ARINC Direct has been named a distributor and factory service representative for the Swiss-made line of Thommen aircraft instruments. ARINC will sell and service the full Thommen line, including the AD-32, a new RVSM (Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum) solution for business aircraft. Consisting of a Thommen Digital Air Data Computer and Air Data Display Unit, the RVSM equipment just received a TSO approval from the FAA and is currently in production. ARINC will exhibit at Booth 514 of the 2004 AEA Trade Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mars Rover Slips While Leaving Crater   

Even with all of its mechanical might, NASA's Opportunity rover does have its limitations. On Monday, NASA reported that Opportunity failed to climb up and out of the sandy crater it has explored since landing on Mars nearly two months ago. The dry, sandy soil and moderate slope caused the rover to spin its wheels, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said. The six-wheeled, go-cart sized robot slipped back as it tried to drive out of the crater on Sunday. Controllers planned to try a second way out of the crater — this time driving the rover diagonally across the slope.

Group Of 17 Selected

Mesaba Airlines (Northwest Airlink) has hired 17 graduates of Pan Am International Flight Academy's Career Pilot training program, bringing the number of graduates recently hired by Mesaba to 20. Since the beginning of 2004, the airlines have hired 30 Academy graduates.

Controlled Burn In The Midwest

NOTAM:  4/2313  Issued:  03/22/2004 01:42  Effective:  03/22/2004 14:00 - 03/24/2004 21:00  State:  IN  Facility:  ZID - INDIANAPOLIS (ARTCC),IN.  Type:  HAZARDS  Description:  BEDFORD, IN.  

TFR Issued for "Hazardous Small Arms Fire" NOTAM: 4/2323 Issued: 03/22/2004 15:58 Effective: Immediately - Until Further Notice State: AR Facility: ZME - MEMPHIS (ARTCC),TN. Type: HAZARDS Description: CLINTON, AR.

PXE7300 Takes IFE Out Of This World

PS Engineering, Inc. has gained STC/PMA on the PXE7300-SR (Sirius Radio) version of their In-Flight Entertainment system. This certification covers the installation of a PSM7390 Sirius Radio receiver, as well as a fuselage-mounted satellite Radio antenna, on a variety of popular general aviation aircraft using an Approved Model List. After receiving FAA-Approval under the Supplemental Type Certification process (STC SA2795AT) on February 22, PS Engineering began shipping systems to clear a backorder of sales.  

"At a time when one thought we couldn't be more proud of the men and women who wear our uniform, they up and do this... increasing our respect for them evermore. And for those who see this nation (and all of us who love it) as something awful, something to tear down, something to destroy and condemn... I dare them to consider sights like these and still find it within themselves to condemn who and what we truly are." Source: ANN's Jim Campbell, commenting on a touching and poignant program in the Air Force, called "Pilot For A Day.' This program treats terminally ill children to a special day in which they are the center of attention, and given a treasured memory that will last them the rest of their all-too-short l