Aviation Services Directory

New program to help pilots keep medical certificates

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:26:42 PST

Few things are more important to a pilot than his or her medical certificate. That's why AOPA created the Medical Services Program, which launched Nov. 5 at AOPA Aviation Summit. The plan is part of a redoubled focus on health issues, which includes the first-ever Health Pavilion, also at Summit.

"AOPA members have access to some of the best online information available," said AOPA President Craig Fuller, "from AOPA's TurboMedical, which helps them prepare for their medical exam, to the online database of medications allowed and not allowed by the FAA. And any member who has come up against a medical certification issue with the FAA's Aerospace Medical Certification Division knows the true value of AOPA's medical certification staff.

"Now we've created a Medical Services Program that expands AOPA's medical offerings and allows members to choose the level of support they need."

All AOPA members, whether they choose to participate in the Medical Services Program or not, will continue to have access to AOPA's extensive online medical resources. The program itself has two levels.

Essential Program

Members enrolled in the Essential Program will receive support from and consultation with AOPA's Medical Certification Specialists to track their medical certification application through the FAA; access to WorldDoc, an online health management and information system; access to Microsoft HealthVault, a secure online medical record storage service; a bi-monthly, pilot-focused medical newsletter from AOPA's Medical Certification staff; and a free prescription drug discount program.

Comprehensive Program

Offering all of the benefits of the Essential Program, the Comprehensive program also allows medical records to be reviewed by the AOPA Medical Certification staff, and if necessary, AOPA intervention on behalf of the member with the FAA Aerospace Medical Certification Division.

Program details

The WorldDoc Web site, by WorldDoc-a leading provider of consumer care management systems-enables individuals to become active and informed participants in their healthcare, helping them to make better healthcare decisions, leading to both improved health and decreased healthcare costs. WorldDoc includes a pharmacy locator that can identify the pharmacies with the lowest medication prices, which, when coupled with the prescription drug discount, could lead to significant savings.

Microsoft HealthVault is the ultimate in health record portability. Medical Services Program participants have the option to enter their medical records into the HealthVault secure server, which makes them instantly accessible to medical professionals in the event of an emergency. It also means that if a participant moves, his or her new doctor will have access to all of the information.

Both WorldDoc and HealthVault are HIPAA compliant.

Because staying healthy is critical to a pilot's ability to maintain a medical certificate, Medical Services Program participants will receive a bi-monthly electronic newsletter that will include advice on healthy living, case studies, updates on changes and proposed changes to medical certification regulations, and other helpful tips.

The program also includes a free prescription drug discount. Offered through a partnership with MedImpact, one of the largest pharmacy benefits management companies in the United States, the AOPA Medical Services Program prescription drug discount card will save participants up to 60 percent on the normal cost of medications at 48,000 pharmacies nationwide. It may be of special value to those whose insurance plans do not include a prescription drug benefit, who may be underinsured, or who may be nearing the maximum limit of their Health Savings Account. The participant's entire family can take advantage of the discount, meaning elderly parents or children who have become too old to be covered as a dependent under the participant's insurance plan can also take advantage of the savings.

AOPA's Essential Medical Services Program costs just $37, while the Comprehensive Program is offered for $99. Other aeromedical certification services can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars more.

"Our new Medical Services Program allows AOPA to continue to offer members aeromedical certification assistance that is second to none," concluded Fuller. "And it allows members to choose just the services they need."

Global Finishing Solutions

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:27:55 PST

The world leaders in paint booth technology.

Global Finishing Solutions is the world's leading manufacturer of paint booths and finishing systems for industrial coating and finishing, automotive body shops, aerospace finishing, and truck and large equipment finishing. GFS leads the way in spray booth innovation, and is dedicated to providing the most energy-efficient and ecologically-friendly paint environments.
Advanced spray booth technology and decades of experience as the premiere paint booth manufacturer make us the foremost authority in spray booth finishing environments. Global Finishing Solutions enjoys strong relationships with paint manufacturers as well as exclusive body shop spray booth supplier status in all major car manufacturers' shop equipment programs. Global Finishing Solutions is a GSA approved supplier of aviation paint booths for the United States Government.

GFS offers a complete product line unequaled by any other manufacturer in the finishing industry. Some of GFS' products include:

Paint Booths, Spray Booths
Automotive Prep Stations
Paint Mixing Rooms
CTOF Paint Booths
Spraybooth Filters
Truck Spray Booths
Open Face & Bench Paint Booths Large Vehicle Finishing Booths
Powder Coating Spraybooths
Aviation Paint Spray Booths
Finishing Systems
Industrial Ovens
Pre-treatment Washers & Parts Washers
Dust Collection Booths

QAI Becomes Plane Installer Certified

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:45:14 PST

Quality Aircraft Interiors has been providing first class upholstery services to our customers, backed with over 25 years of experience. Becoming one of the best aircraft re-upholstery companies is a true testament to our attention to quality. Complying with strict safety standards, while innovating and providing the utmost in upholstery services has enabled QAI to earn numerous accreditations and acknowledgements.

QAI has an Approved Maintenance Organization Certification from Transport Canada, and is an accredited Plane Installer through Plane Plastics Ltd. We have been featured in trade shows nation-wide, and have hosted a Transport Canada approved course which was attended by numerous companies from Central and Northern Manitoba. QAI continues to strive to be one of the leading aircraft upholstery companies in Canada, and would be pleased to work with you on your next project.

QAI has recently become an "Accredited Plane Installer" from Vantage Plane Plastics. Vantage Plane Plastics is the world's largest supplier of FAA approved interior plastics for general aviation aircraft. With over 3000 FAA/PMA approved parts, Plane Plastics manufactures and stocks interior parts for most general aviation aircraft. This rare certification is yet another indication of the outstanding quality of work demonstrated by the team at QAI, as only a few other companies hold this accreditation in Canada.

Quality Aircraft Interiors Content Goes Here

Aircraft Seating
All aircraft seats are stripped down, inspected, and restored to original or better comfort and style. This includes everything from utilitarian to executive seating using FAR rated decking, foam (polyurethane or comfor), inexpensive tweed, vinyl or top quality leather to the original design or customized. We also offer the option of sheepskin covers for crew and slip covers for all passenger seating to prolong wear and facilitate the switching from commuter carrier to executive.

Aircraft Carpeting
Carpeting is always fitted to perfection and can be fastened with Velcro or dome snaps. This photo is an example of Aeromat, which is a PVC vinyl carpet that is both attractive and durable and as such, perfect for cockpit area and in med-evac applications. We have bound it with a vinyl binding and dome-snapped it in place with black domes. This application will last a long time and be easy to maintain.

We have a large sample line of FAR rated nylon, wool, and combination carpets in a variety of loop and cut pile, and can fit carpet into any aircraft for all applications.

Call Us Today for a Free Quote: 204-252-2599 Fax: 204-252-3103
Email Noel Smith at: qai@qualityaircraftinteriors.com

The Passing of Clyde Bourgeois

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:12:35 PST

"Life is simple. Eat, sleep, fly."
Clyde Bourgeois, who had a lifelong love affair with flying planes and building them, passed away peacefully in his Santa Ynez home on Sept. 14, 2009. His wife, Shy, his two daughters, Lois and Anna, and their husbands, Peter and Roger, were by his side.

Clyde was born in Omaha, Neb., on Dec.27, 1920. He was destined to have a full and colorful life with a penchant for turning hobbies into professions. In classic "do as I say not as I do" fashion, he would later in life tell his daughters, "Never make your hobbies your business."
Early on he showed the direction his life would take. He was 7 when his built-from-scratch soap-box racer won second place in the local derby. It was his first award in a lifetime filled with awards. At 16, he raced a train in his mother's brand-new Buick and was winning until he attempted the crossing - Clyde survived the collision; the Buick did not. His mother Ida's only comment was, "Why didn't you drive faster?"
It was model airplane building and airplanes in general, however, that became his real passion. During high school, Clyde took flying lessons, and in 1937 he soloed for the first time in a Waco 10. Although he had qualified for it years earlier, he received his pilot's license in 1947.
After high school, Clyde entered the University of Omaha where he studied math, mechanical drawing and architecture. He tried Golden Gloves boxing in his spare time.
For work, he took a job at local hot spot, Peony Park, where he worked during the day as a lifeguard and at night as the dancehall bouncer because of his boxing experience. Somehow he also managed to become an expert amateur photographer.

While still a student Clyde took outside classes in aviation mechanics and instrumentation.
After the outbreak of World War II, he was hired by the Glen L. Martin Aircraft Company as an instrument technician and flight engineer. In those capacities, he flew Martin's B-26 Marauder bomber.

His experience at Martin led Clyde, in 1942, to apply for enlistment in the Army's Aviation Cadet Program. He was accepted, and after basic military training in Florida he was enrolled in the AAF technical school at Yale University. Upon graduation, he received his commission as an officer - Second Lieutenant Clyde Bourgeois.
His first assignment was at the Boeing Aircraft Factory School in Seattle, Wash., where he again flew as test flight engineer, this time in Boeing's new YB-29 Super Fortress.
When the B-29 entered service, he was transferred with his B-29 squadron to Dalhart, Texas. In addition to his flight engineer duties there, he served as an aircraft accident investigator and was also called upon to work on and fly in B -17 Flying Fortress bombers that were being rehabbed in Dalhart for renewed service.
He was discharged in 1946 but remained in the Army Air reserve until 1955. In 1949, he received his Aircraft and Aircraft Engine mechanic certification from the Civil Aeronautics Administration.

On Feb. 20, 1943, while still in the military, Clyde married Margaret Elaine Moon. Their family grew with the addition of two daughters Anna and Lois.
As a civilian back in Omaha, Clyde opened two model airplane hobby shops. He even assembled and boxed kit planes of his own design. The market for his products was never strong, which led Clyde to sell his shops and take an engineering job with Northwest Bell Telephone.
At the beginning of this period - the late '40s/early '50s - Clyde pursued yet another hobby: architect/home builder.
Inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Clyde designed a house and then proceeded to build it with only his wife, Margaret, and mother, Ida, to help him. It was completed and sold in 1948.

Other houses followed, so many that after several years, he quit his position at Bell to form a house building design and construction business. He would eventually build 35 houses around Omaha and also in Iowa and Kansas.
Present-day owners of those houses say their homes are the best in their respective neighborhoods; all have withstood the test of time.
On top of everything else - family, multiple business interests and hobbies - in 1954, Clyde finally earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Omaha.
The house building hobby had now become a profession, so Clyde took up a new hobby - restoring and racing foreign cars. In the late 50's this passion for cars drove Clyde to open one of the city's only foreign car repair garages - the Check Point Garage. There, he not only repaired and restored exotic foreign cars, but he also built three modified sports cars for his own racing use. To broaden his garage's services he also became the local Citroen and Simica automobile dealer. Another hobby had been transformed into a profession.

House building was never a money maker and his foreign car repair business struggled in the land of GM and Ford, so in 1960 Clyde sold everything and moved his family to Santa Barbara where he bought an apartment complex.
Clyde's passion for planes followed him to California. With his 1949 A&E mechanic's license in hand, he landed work at Aztec Aviation in Goleta. About this time he also qualified for a commercial pilot's license to go with his private pilot's license.
Attracted by projects there, Clyde soon moved to Conroy Aircraft Corporation where he was supervisor of aircraft modifications for numerous projects including the Turbo DC-3, Turbo SA16 Albatross, Turbo C337 and the CL44 Freighter.

In his evenings he continued to build race cars, just as he had in Omaha, and raced his creations at various venues, even some at, of all places, the Santa Barbara Airport.
One of his many California endeavors was as co-owner of the Lazy-B Chuckwagon BBQ in Thousand Oaks. The restaurant was eventually bought by Dave Nan-Carrow who renamed it Carrows. The Chuckwagon was the first unit in the Carrows empire of eateries.
Eventually, Clyde retired from working for others and turned instead to constructing his own aircraft. His first project was an open-cockpit Starduster II, which he built from scratch from just a set of plans.
Next he restored a 1929 Davis V3; it's the oldest Davis still flying. At the same time, Clyde began buying and selling different certified aircraft, including a Cessna 150, a Funk F2B and an Ercoupe 415-E.

With the completion of the Davis V3 project, Clyde moved on to the restoration of the second Cessna ever built, a C-34 Airmaster.
In 1977, Clyde relocated to Santa Ynez to be closer to an airport and still be able to care for his wife, Margaret, who had become an invalid (Margaret would eventually pass away in 1995 from complications related to her condition).
In Santa Ynez, Clyde tackled a massive project - the restoration of a basket case Beechcraft D-17S Staggerwing. Later he would build a Sweargen SX 300 racing plane, a Rotorway Executive 90 helicopter and a modified Glassair Super II RG.
In addition, he helped with dozens of other projects at both the Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara airports with his expert advice and suggestions. He was president at various times of the EAA Santa Barbara local chapter 527 and Santa Ynez local chapter 491.
From 1978-1982, Clyde was on the governing board of Quest Air, which ran the Santa Ynez airport. He oversaw the Santa Ynez EAA chapter's restoration of an Aeronca Sedan 15-AC.

He once said, "You can get any job done by doing a little bit every day."
Along the way, he picked up numerous awards at fly-ins, most notably at the greatest of all fly-ins, the EAA's annual event at Oshkosh, Wisc. There he received awards for Antique Aircraft Custom Class Runner Up and for Outstanding Contemporary Age Closed Cockpit Bi-Plane.
In 1991, he was honored by the EAA with the Major Achievement Award for Outstanding Service to Sport Aviation. Clyde was a lifelong EAA member and for many years served as a judge at fly-ins

His most prestigious recognition, however, came from the Department Of Transportation in 1999 with the FAA's "Charles Taylor 'Master Mechanic' Award."
The year 1999 was more special, however, because of his marriage to fellow airplane enthusiast Shy Smith.
Clyde's longtime friend and fellow pilot, Bob Kirby, said of him: "He had a good run ... I never worked with a guy that was so easy to work with ... he was so damn smart."
Clyde thought outside the box and was always building something - remodeling, modifying, restoring - whether it was a house, a restaurant, cars, boats, planes, a helicopter and even an award-winning telephone booth.
Clyde did not want a funeral. Instead he asked for a celebration at the hanger where he, his wife Shy and all of their airplane buddies spent countless hours doing what they all loved best - working on planes or talking about it.

Please post your Comments or email this to a friend

Aircraft Recovery Specialists

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:22:18 PST

Got Parts?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:48:49 PST

When you need discounts on airparts...think Preferred Airparts. We offer discounts ranging from 25% to 85% off list price, with over 8 million new surplus aircraft parts available for nearly everything that flies! General aviation, corporate and commuter. Click here for more information.www.preferredairparts.com

Professional Aircraft Detailing How To

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:05:16 PST

Jet Stream University

School of Aircraft Cosmetics
Learn The Correct And Safe Detailing Procedures Jet Stream Aviation Products is proud to announce the opening of 'Jet Stream Aviation Cosmetic Detailing University' located at Dallas, TX Love Field Airport. The University was created to provide a three day certification program for aviation detailing professionals interested in acquiring knowledge in the safe and proper procedures for detailing all aspects of exterior and interiors of jet aircraft.

Jet Stream Aviation was established in 1981 in Dallas, Texas. Jet Stream Aviation Products developed a complete line of aircraft cleaning, detailing and polishing products which have become The Standard in aircraft cosmetics and detailing."We started Jet Stream as a mobile aircraft detailing company and during that time, we tried hundreds of different products to help make our work better, faster and safer for us and the aircraft surfaces" noted Cody.
Throughout the history of Jet Stream we used and tested virtually every product on the market. We have now developed what we believe to be the best and safest aircraft detailing products available today. Our entire product line has been field tested and used by Jet Stream Service on aircraft before they are ever offered to our customers. Jet Stream Products represent a complete detailing "System", from a specialized gel- coat degreaser to a PH balanced safety soap that helps ionize the water to minimize water spots; a safe and effective window and windscreen cleaner and the industry leader in De-Ice boot cleaning and sealing. Jet Stream also created a powerful foam degreaser and bug remover called Powerfoam used by flight departments world wide and pioneered the development of an Aircraft Paint Sealant, APS365. We say this to assure you that our entire product line has proven itself to us first, before they are ever put in your hands. Jet Stream and thousands of our customers have used these same products on aircraft from Cessna's to Bombardier Challengers, Hawkers, Gulfstreams and Presidential 747's.
For additional information contact:
Cody Fulcher - Director of Training, Jet Stream Aviation University
1-800-727-5387
cody@jetstreamproducts.com
www.jetstreamproducts.com

Aviation Artist Stan Stokes Returns �Bugs Bunny� to Vintage C-47 at the Palm Springs Air Museum

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:54:14 PST

Restoring vintage planes to their original look is no easy task. Just ask the team of restoration volunteers at the Palm Springs Air Museum. Renowned aviation artist Stan Stokes started outlining Bugs Bunny's image on the nose of a WWII plane on Halloween Saturday. This is just the middle of a long process. First step: find photos of what the original Nose Art looked like. Second step: get permission from the licensor to use the image. (In this case, Warner Brothers) Third step: outline the image on each side of the Nose of the plane. Fourth step: add color to the image.

Stokes, who volunteers his time, will be at the Palm Springs Air Museum off and on for the next couple of weeks painting Bugs Bunny on each side of the large cargo plane. Easily one of the largest planes inside the Palm Springs Air Museum, Stokes has to use the big scissors fork lift to reach the tall sides. When finished, visitors will see Bugs Bunny standing on a cloud proudly asking, "What's Up, Doc?" Visitors with eagle eyes can see the outline on the north side of the plane's nose now. Bugs Bunny's famous line is above his head, and just below his arm is an open parachute floating in the sky. Research revealed this image on a C-47 used to drop paratroopers over Europe during WWII.

NOTE: Stokes is available for interviews and photos at the Palm Springs Air Museum, with at least 24 hours notice. To arrange an interview and photo shoot, please call Ann Greer at (323) 363-8243.

The Palm Springs Air Museum is an educational non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve, educate and honor our veterans. Over 28 flyable planes and interactive exhibits are housed in 75,000 square feet of climate-controlled hangar.

Airport lands fans; Arlington field wins business, recognition as airborne crowds arrive for footba

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:38:21 PST

ARLINGTON - Dallas Cowboys fans are filling the Arlington skies just as predictably as their cars are crowding the streets around the team's new stadium.

Arlington Municipal Airport is pushing capacity as dozens of planes filled with fans arrive before every football game and concert. The city's airport usually has a dozen landings in an average four-hour period. A week ago, 80 planes arrived for the game against the Atlanta Falcons.

"In some circumstances, it's almost double what I expected," said Robert Porter, Arlington's airport manager. "That's a good problem to have."

City officials said the boost in activity at the airport is one of the tangible - but little known - signs of the stadium's economic impact.

Porter said about one-quarter of people arriving by private plane for stadium events stay overnight. He said they usually rent a car at the airport and frequently stay in an Arlington hotel. They often shop and eat at the nearby Arlington Highlands center.

And if they are happy with the service, they'll possibly return instead of flying into a comparable airport, said Nathan Mikula, general manager of Harrison Aviation in Arlington.

Mikula said Arlington's airport has suffered from a lack of reputation. Many pilots, he said, knew little about the airport, and those who knew it existed didn't know what was there.

"A lot of those people thought we were just a small little airport," Mikula said.

Actually, Arlington ranks among North Texas' three busiest general aviation airports each year. That excludes the commercial airports: Dallas/Fort Worth International and Love Field.

In 2005, a study commissioned by the Texas Department of Transportation estimated the Arlington airport's economic impact was about $93.3 million, including 786 jobs. Porter said he thinks that number could be closer to $100 million now.

Construction of a tower and a new instrumentation landing system recently has made the airport more appealing to corporate fliers. However, the ailing economy has hurt flight schools and recreational pilots, which has pushed flight operations down about 30 percent compared with last year, Porter said.

Still, Mikula said he's already seeing repeat customers who learned about the airport by flying there for a football game or concert.

Sean Fortenbaugh said he probably will be one of them. The Lawton, Okla., business executive flew to Arlington to attend the Cowboys' August preseason game against the Tennessee Titans.

He said he'd never been to Arlington's airport and knew little about it but was impressed. Even with the large number of planes arriving, he said, rental cars and limousines were lined up and waiting.

"They met me at the plane, got my bags, put them in the car, and I was probably gone in two minutes," Fortenbaugh said.

Boost to business

The stakes are higher, though, than just repeat customers.

Porter said he knew of at least one tenant who moved to the airport after learning about it through stadium publicity. He said another business at the airport is considering expanding operations because of the increased traffic.

City Council member Robert Rivera said that Cowboys Stadium is a destination for business executives and owners and that Arlington's airport can be an important gateway. He said he'd like for city officials to figure out ways to identify corporate decision makers who fly into the airport, and then make a pitch for Arlington.

"It could potentially be a business incubator," he said.

To make the airport even more appealing, work will start soon on an expansion that includes a new $4.9 million terminal and $1 million parking apron for planes.

Although those were planned before the stadium was announced, Porter said the upgrades take on greater importance now that the stadium has landed some of the nation's biggest sporting events.

The work is scheduled for completion just weeks before the 2011 Super Bowl. By then, the airport will be able to accommodate an additional six to 20 planes, depending on their sizes.

Until then, airport management is looking for creative ways to handle the traffic.

"Once we start getting over 80 aircraft, we really don't have the infrastructure to park aircraft without blocking something," Porter said

He said he could close some airplane taxi lanes and ask businesses about using their property to park planes. Some planes could also be allowed to block access to a hangar if it wasn't in use that day.

Pool and PS3

Harrison Aviation, which sells fuel, provides maintenance and has concierge services at the airport, has doubled the size of its lobby and pilot lounge. Still, they're packed on game days. Harrison has added amenities, including a pool table and Wii and PlayStation 3 video game systems, to give pilots something do while the Cowboys play.

The big increases at Arlington's airport possibly mean decreases at Dallas County airports that handled more of the private plane traffic bound for Texas Stadium. Mikula said Love Field was the airport of choice for private planes heading to Irving.

Jose Torres, a spokesman for the Dallas aviation department, said data at Love Field were inconclusive. However, he said that Dallas Executive Airport, near Interstate 20, has seen increases in traffic during games, and its numbers are down at other times.

Officials with Grand Prairie's airport weren't available for comment Friday. Although some other airports might get a slight boost, the air traffic will tend toward Arlington, where the stadium is a straight shot north on Collins Street about six miles.

"It's giving the airport a lot more exposure than it's had," Mikula said. "A lot of people flying to the Dallas-Fort Worth area thought they had to fly to Dallas or Fort Worth."

Here are arrivals at Arlington Municipal Airport for big events at Cowboys Stadium:

Event Jets Other aircraft Total

George Strait concert 11 18 29

Paul McCartney concert 9 17 26

Cowboys vs. Tennessee 13 26 39

Cowboys vs. San Francisco 5 33 38

OU vs. BYU football 21 18 39

Cowboys vs. Giants 41 40 81

Cowboys vs. Panthers 33 37 70

Texas A&M vs. Arkansas football 16 31 47

U2 concert 13 9 22

Cowboys vs. Falcons 43 37 80

Nonevent average* 2 10 12

*Four-hour average of landings for the previous six months

HARSH NEW REALITY AS BOEING HEADS SOUTH FOR ITS NEXT 787 PRODUCTION LINE

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:32:16 PST

Boeing's decision to build a new airplane-assembly plant in Charleston, S.C., will change the shape of the company and dramatically alter how both the state of Washington and the Machinists union approach Boeing.
Washington state must accept a future where it competes for every new Boeing airplane program, with low-wage South Carolina as a certain rival.

The Machinists must accept that if Boeing doesn't like their demands, it can direct future work to its nonunion Charleston plants.

A defining moment could come about 2015, when Boeing will choose where to build the successor plane to either the Renton-built 737 or the Everett-built 777.

"There was a lot of sniping from Washington to the effect that `it may be cheaper in South Carolina, but we build it better,' " said John Krug, an executive at Development Advisors, a corporate site-selection firm based in North Carolina. "The company didn't buy that argument.

"Boeing has clearly illustrated what its preference is," Krug said. "They believe they can manufacture in South Carolina and they can do it cost effectively."

Another crucial point will come even sooner, in 2012 soon after Charleston is due to roll out its first Dreamliners when the International Association of Machinists (IAM) and the white-collar union at Boeing, the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), will negotiate their next contracts.

That's when the unions must face their new reality, said Scott Hamilton, an Issaquah-based aviation-industry analyst.

"Clearly, Boeing is going to be looking at the 2012 SPEEA and IAM contracts as a benchmark for deciding where the successor airplanes will be built," Hamilton said. "That will be crossing the Rubicon for labor and for Boeing."

The IAM leadership and many of its members are angry now at the abject failure of talks with management, in which they had hoped to save the second 787 assembly line for Everett by agreeing conditionally to lay down their most potent weapon, the ability to strike.

Yet Adam Pilarski, an industry expert with aviation-consulting firm Avitas, believes that weapon may now be almost unusable in 2012, given the need to compete with Charleston for new planes.

"If labor has a strike, then it's over," said Pilarski. "A strike would be terminal."

The second line slated for Charleston will be modest compared with Boeing's Everett operation.

But South Carolina's hope and Washington's fear is that Boeing Charleston will grow substantially

Doug Woodward, a University of South Carolina economist who expects to begin an economic-impact study for Boeing soon, said that when BMW opened an auto-manufacturing facility in South Carolina 15 years ago, it started relatively small. After major expansions and a complete change of product line, it now employs more than 5,000 workers.

"It's evolved and grown," Woodward said. "It could be the same with Boeing. What we see now is quite different from what they may make 20 years from now."

Officials of the Charleston County Regional Development Alliance plan trips to Seattle soon to recruit suppliers to set up facilities near the new Boeing plant, said Leighton Lord, managing partner of Nexsen Pruet, a law firm Boeing hired to help negotiate its South Carolina incentive package.

That package is valued at about $450 million made up of $170 million in upfront grants, plus tax breaks.

Risky strategy

Art Wheaton, who teaches labor and industrial relations to union officials and others at Cornell University, said Boeing's strategy is risky. He points to the product-quality problems Nissan had when it opened a factory in Canton, Miss., with an inexperienced work force.

"It hurt Nissan badly," Wheaton said.

Nevertheless, he said, Boeing's strategy is a familiar one from the steel and auto industries, and it's a threat to the IAM's power.

"The union has to prove that it's worth something of value," he said, by continually delivering better quality, productivity and reliability with lower employee turnover.

IAM District 751 President Tom Wroblewski angrily denounced Boeing's negotiating tactics after the talks failed, saying the discussions were only a "smoke screen" for the company's intention to move anyway.

Yet looking forward, he strove to be more positive.

"We still have 25,000 members here building airplanes. Their future depends on us maintaining their jobs here," Wroblewski said. "We need to maintain a relationship with the company. That's what we'll do."

Rich Michalski, the IAM's general vice president and chief negotiator in the failed talks, said the union won't trust the company again, but will move on.

"We're resilient people," Michalski said. "We're going to build the best airplanes. We're going to deliver the quality."

Come 2012, Charleston may have rolled out a few Dreamliners, but Everett should be in full production. Because a strike then would be crippling, the IAM will be potentially powerful again but also possibly restrained by the desire to win the next airplane.

How does Michalski see the contract negotiations going? "We'll talk to them in three years," he said.

In the meantime, politicians and economic-development officials in Washington must regroup and work out a strategy to compete against South Carolina and other potential rivals.

Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon said the choice of Charleston this past week should not have come as a surprise.

He listed a series of pointers to Boeing's shift out of Washington, beginning with the merger with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, the headquarters move to Chicago in 2001, and the competition for the first 787 line in 2003.

"It's not the Boeing Company we all knew, homegrown in Washington state," Reardon said.

"I view them as a very aggressive, very competitive, publicly traded corporation who are focused on meeting their stockholders' needs above all else."

Nonetheless, Reardon said, Boeing jobs "are the backbone of the middle class in my county."

To protect those jobs in the years ahead, the state's elected officials should move to reduce business costs, work to improve labor-management relations and promote work-force training, he said.

"It comes down to investments," Reardon said. "What investments are we as a state ready to make?"

Regarding incentives, he said Washington should structure them as it did in 2003 to win the initial 787 assembly line tax breaks on new investments, as well as funds for education and training.

John Monroe, a former Boeing executive consulting for the Snohomish County Economic Development Council, said Washington needs to be aggressive.

He recommends the state extend its wide-ranging tax breaks for commercial-airplane manufacturing to cover production of unmanned aerial vehicles, space systems and military and defense products all of which would benefit Boeing.

"Washington is no longer the incumbent; we are the challenger," Monroe said.

Steve Mullin, president of the Washington Roundtable, an organization of local business CEOs, agrees.

"We would be well advised to consider ourselves the underdog and plan accordingly," Mullin said.

Analyst Pilarski said one key factor in determining where Boeing builds its next airplane will be how the company's Charleston experiment performs between now and 2015.

"If things are splendid in Charleston, with no unions, no absenteeism, low turnover and super productivity, then there's no chance for Washington," he said. "But don't write the obituary yet."

Not nearly gone

Most of Boeing's commercial-airplane operations will still be here for years to come, whatever the company decides about assembling its next airplane.

And because Boeing's design engineers are in Washington, this is the place where the program will be headquartered.

Boeing had about 15,000 engineering and technical staff in the Puget Sound region at the end of 2007, according to the latest available state data.

That cadre of intellectual capital couldn't be relocated or re-created elsewhere on short notice.

So while portions of the design work on the next airplane may be outsourced, it must largely be designed here.

And even if Boeing had a complete pullout strategy for its manufacturing, it would be very slow.

The 777 and 737 programs will run well into the 2020s and beyond.

If Boeing wins the contract for the Air Force tanker, the plane will be built in Everett, bringing tens of billions of dollars of work.

Alex Pietsch, director of Renton's Department of Community and Economic Development, has had to plan for the prospect of Boeing leaving for years.

Early in this decade, Boeing dramatically shrank its footprint at the 737 assembly plant on the south end of Lake Washington.

Renton rezoned the land in 2003 and drew up plans for condominiums, hotels and retail stores.

"If and when Boeing were to vacate the property, the city is ready to create a new future," Pietsch said.

Yet Boeing's presence in Renton keeps getting extended: The date for delivering a jet replacing the 737 has been pushed out until after 2020, the company will build a 737-based anti-submarine plane in Renton even beyond that, and Pietsch said Boeing is negotiating to extend its lease at the Renton airport for more than two decades.

Even as Washington warily watches Boeing's growth in Charleston, the vast majority of the company's commercial-airplane infrastructure remains in Washington, says Ed McCallum, senior partner in the South Carolina site-selection firm McCallum Sweeney, which advised Boeing on its 2003 search for the first 787 assembly line.

"You've got a chance to keep the rest of it," McCallum said. The Charleston selection, he said, is "a wake-up call."

Dominic Gates: 206-464-2963 or dgates@seattletimes.com

Seattle Times researcher Gene Balk contributed to this report

Winnipeg Airports Authority (WAA) Recognized as One of Manitoba's Top 25 Employers 2010

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:28:30 PST

"WAA has evolved a culture of commitment to leadership. Leaders and innovators are found throughout the Winnipeg Airports Authority team through a deliberate approach to empower employees to make decisions at all levels of the organization," said Barry Rempel, President & CEO of Winnipeg Airports Authority Inc. "I speak for the team in saying we are proud to be recognized as one of Manitoba's Top Employers for 2010."

Manitoba's Top Employers is an annual competition and recognizes the Manitoba employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work.

Employers are evaluated in the following categories: (1) Physical Workplace; (2) Work Atmosphere & Social; (3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits; (4) Vacation & Time Off; (5) Employee Communications; (6) Performance Management; (7) Training & Skills Development; and (8) Community Involvement. Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which offers the most progressive and forward-thinking programs.

Winnipeg Airports Authority is a non-share capital corporation responsible for the management and operation of Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport and affiliate businesses. All surplus revenue over expenses is reinvested by WAA back into the community, primarily through airport development projects. WAA is self sufficient with taxpayers not directly involved in financing airport site redevelopment which is being paid through Airport Improvement Fees (AIF).

Winnipeg Airports Authority serves our region by providing value to our customers and community. A source of pride for our community, we strive to be a leader in its growth and development.

Secure your aircraft with Bahamian art

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:25:54 PST

When you fly into Tampa, Fla., for AOPA Aviation Summit this week, secure your aircraft with art from the islands.

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation will give away 30 special hand-painted chocks designed by students from the Out Islands of the Bahamas to pilots attending Summit. In addition, the host FBOs at Tampa Executive and Peter O. Knight airports will distribute hundreds of Bahamas-themed chocks to pilots who fly in for the event.

The tourism ministry's civil aviation department teamed up with its tourist offices in Exuma, Abaco, Eleuthera, and Grand Bahama to produce the chocks, which highlight the diversity of the islands. Various Out Island high schools participated in a creative design contest through the Junior Achievers Program, and four winners were awarded a trip to Tampa to attend Summit. The program was intended to expose Bahamians to aviation business opportunities.

The Islands of the Bahamas booth in the exhibit hall at the Tampa Convention Center (booth #1735) will showcase the art during Summit, and a grand raffle drawing will send some pilots home with a reminder of sunny days and warm island breezes.

An additional 500 chocks, featuring "Islands of the Bahamas" on one side and one of the aviation department's preferred gateway FBOs on the other, will go to pilots arriving at Tampa Executive and Peter O. Knight beginning Wednesday, Nov. 4. Host FBOs Leading Edge Aviation Services at Tampa Executive and Atlas Aviation at Peter O. Knight will distribute the chocks. Some of the chocks also will be at the wheels of aircraft on display at Airportfest at Peter O. Knight.

Education, compatible land use called for at North Las Vegas

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:24:08 PST

A North Las Vegas stakeholder group of aviation officials, pilots, and community residents formed by Nevada Senate Joint Resolution 3 submitted 13 recommendations to the state legislature Nov. 1 in an effort to increase safety at North Las Vegas Airport. The recommendations call for increased safety education outreach and training for pilots and for laws preventing further residential and commercial encroachment around the airport.

"The ability of this stakeholder group of airport neighbors and users to work together is a very positive sign for continuously improving relations at North Las Vegas," said Greg Pecoraro, AOPA vice president of airports and state advocacy. "Their very thoughtful work, based on a careful analysis of accident data, lays a strong foundation for enhanced airport safety."

North Las Vegas Airport came under scrutiny in August 2008 when two fatal accidents, one involving a Velocity experimental aircraft and the other a Piper Navajo, occurred at the airport within a week of each other. AOPA and the Air Safety Foundation reached out to pilots, the community, and the state legislature in the wake of the accidents to encourage safety and calm the public outcry.

AOPA worked with SJR3 sponsors State Sen. Steven A. Horsford and Assemblywoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick to turn the resolution from a call for a ban on experimental and "high risk" flights at the airport to one encouraging aviation stakeholders to work together to ensure safety at the airport.

While the recommendations do not call for experimental aircraft to be banned at the airport, they do request that the local FAA flight standards district office strictly enforce an existing order to prohibit Phase 1 flights of experimental aircraft. Aircraft in this phase have "25 or 40 hours of flight time depending on the aircraft's engine and propeller combination."

Regarding pilot education and training, the group encouraged continued AOPA and FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) outreach. Flight instructors, designated pilot examiners, and FAA operations inspectors were urged to emphasize proper fuel management and aircraft performance, specifically the effects of crosswinds and high density altitude. The aircraft performance recommendations stem from an analysis of the 43 accidents that occurred within 10 miles of the airport between January 1999 and September 2009. The most frequent causes of accidents during that time were loss of directional control and fuel mismanagement, according to the report.

"The Air Safety Foundation reached out to nearly 200,000 individual pilots with safety education materials last year in order to raise safety awareness and enhance pilots' knowledge base," said AOPA Air Safety Foundation President Bruce Landsberg. "Pilots cannot afford to become complacent, and we're striving to reach as many as we can with safety messages ranging from weather to aircraft performance and systems to runway safety to fuel management."

The group recognized that pilot training and recurrent safety education is only one part of creating a safe environment at North Las Vegas and encouraged airport sponsor Clark County Department of Aviation to buy land adjacent to the airport to prevent non-compatible land use. It urged the cities of North Las Vegas and Las Vegas to prohibit "the construction of new buildings, communications towers, or other obstructions above a safe height in the immediate vicinity of North Las Vegas Airport." Additionally, stakeholders suggested that the Nevada state legislature create legislation that would prohibit residential housing and other non-compatible land uses around the airport.

Those actions, the report says, would provide a larger area for aircraft to land in case of an emergency, prevent the possibility of aircraft colliding with tall towers, and protect the airport in future community planning.

AOPA Regional Representative Stacy Howard and AOPA Air Safety Foundation Director of Operations Kathleen Vasconcelos participated in the stakeholder group to help represent general aviation pilots' needs and educate those involved of the importance of protecting the airport.

"This is a true testament of what can be accomplished at the local level when all parties-aviation and nonaviation-are brought together to resolve a problem involving the airport," Pecoraro said. "The wisdom of the state legislature to create this group and the group's willingness to search for the best possible resolution have set the stage for continued safety and positive community relations in North Las Vegas."

NextGen Panel Warns Of Obstacles

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:22:18 PST

Washington and industry officials have committed to taking necessary steps to implement the next generation air traffic management system (NextGen), but those officials warn that a number of issues, such as providing operators incentives to equip their aircraft, must be addressed before progress can be made.

A government-industry RTCA task force recently released a report that emphasizes the universal commitment for NextGen and outlines concrete steps that can be taken near term to lay its foundation. House aviation subcommittee Chairman Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) lauded the report as "a significant breakthrough for the NextGen effort," and said, "Now it is up to the FAA to determine how to modify its existing plans and programs." He noted FAA's past struggles to clearly articulate the benefits of NextGen.

"The cost, schedule and benefits for NextGen are uncertain," agreed Transportation Inspector General Calvin Scovel. "These benefits will remain elusive unless FAA addresses a number of operational and management issues now and in the future. FAA needs to take action now to transition from planning to implementation."

The RTCA task force report said operator-equipage incentives are necessary to advance NextGen. Scovel, however, is concerned that the report does not specify how much money is necessary or when. Some of the concepts discussed include low-interest loans, direct subsidies or income tax credits. A "NextGen Equipage Bank" also has been discussed.

"Whether incentives should be used is a policy decision for Congress," he said. "However, there needs to be a clear understanding exactly how the incentives would be used, especially since FAA has not finalized the requirements for key capabilities, such as the satellite-based systems for surveillance and new cockpit displays."

Scovel believes cost-sharing arrangements have merit because of the shared risk between government and industry, but said, "If incentives are used, they must be properly designed to achieve their objectives at a minimal cost to taxpayers."

Scovel also expressed concern about FAA's proposed "best-equipped, best-served" concept as a way to encourage operators to equip for NextGen. The concept first surfaced in FAA's January 2009 NextGen Implementation Plan, calling for preferential treatment for airspace users equipped with new systems.

"Historically, FAA's policy for providing air traffic control services has been 'first come, first served,'" Scovel noted. "A best-equipped, best-served policy would, therefore, represent a significant change to how traffic is managed. The details of such a policy would need to be developed to ensure equity among users."

General aviation leaders have shifted their focus to delivery, rather than planning, said Jens Hennig, vice president of operations for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. This focus is necessary to instill user confidence in equipage, he added. "As the RTCA Task Force report emphasizes, equipage will only take place when users are confident about the potential for benefits," he said.

Hennig also encouraged consideration of financial incentives to foster early equipage. "These incentives become important when benefits reside not only with the individual operator but also with the overall system, other operators and the U.S. government," he said. National Business Aviation Association President and CEO Ed Bolen echoed those sentiments. "For us to receive real benefits, we will need a critical mass of airplanes to be equipped."

Image credit: Aviation Week & Space Technology

Averett University hosts flight competition

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:19:11 PST

Students from seven colleges and universities competed in the National Intercollegiate Flying Association's SAFECON 2009, hosted by Averett University at their flight center at Danville Regional Airport.

A total of 89 students competed in the event, in teams from flight programs from three Virginia schools - Averett University, Hampton University and Liberty University - and four North Carolina schools - Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, Elizabeth City State University, Guilford Technical Community College and Lenoir Community College.

Travis Williams, Averett's Chief Flight Instructor, said 27 judges also arrived in Danville for the event.

Williams said students compete in multiple ground and air events over the course of four days.

The ground events include being judged on preflight inspections, and the judges enjoy this part of the event, Williams said. The rules call for a light, single engine airplane to be "bugged" with at least 30 "discrepancies" - things a competent private pilot would be expected to catch and fix during the preflight inspection.

"The judges take things apart in the plane, and the students are judged on finding and fixing what they did," Williams said.

"It's fun for the judges - they get to mess with it and say, 'let's see if they find this!'"

The aircraft recognition test is another ground event, in which students identify, by make and model, virtually anything that flies, from military aircraft to helicopters.

"They study quite hard for this event," Williams said.

Drawing up flight plans, judging fuel use, simulator flights and real flight time - including a "bomb" drop to test how accurately the pilots will hit a target area - are all part of the competition.

The students are judged in the air as well, with points lost for a long list of possible pilot errors, including erratic takeoffs, improper flap settings and excessive banking. Students can be disqualified if they perform any overly dangerous moves, like being too close to the edge of the runway during takeoff to landing nose-wheel first.

The most important aspect of the competition is safety, Williams said, and all of the events boil down to how well the pilots-in-training have learned various Federal Aviation Administration safety protocols.

"It's all about safety," Williams said. "SAFECON stands for Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference. These students are training to be professional pilots, and they have to know all the safety rules. They have to give a presentation of their school's policies and procedures, and the judges see if they follow all of them."

Trophies and ribbons are awarded in several categories, but Williams said the most coveted is the safety award.

"The Safety Award is the one everyone wants," Williams said. "It's the most desired trophy at this event. Everyone wants to win it."

The 27 judges overseeing the competition are mostly professional or retired pilots, and all volunteer to judge the NIFA air meets.

"We really appreciate what they do," Williams said. "Without them, it would be hard for this to take place."

The top two teams from this regional competition - Virginia and North Carolina are part of NIFA's Region X - will go on to the national competition in May.

Students not only have to study hard for the competition, but have to raise the money to compete, since the cost of the competition is not included in their school tuition. Williams said it was a little easier on Averett students this year, since they hosted the competition, but the students still needed to raise money for expenses, such as the $100-an-hour it can cost to fly a plane.

"They do a lot in the community," Williams said. "For instance, the kids just did valet parking for Rippe's breast cancer event, and were able to raise a couple of hundred dollars that night."

The out-of-town teams also have to factor in costs for meals, motel rooms and flying their airplanes to the competition.