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| AVflash! More Cuts at Restructuring Beechcraft | back to top |  |
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Hawker Beechcraft Announces Cuts, Layoffs
A letter sent by Hawker Beechcraft to its employees Wednesday informed them that the company would be cutting workers and closing specific facilities, resulting in job losses for more than 400 employees. Hawker Beechcraft Services facilities in Little Rock, Ark., Mesa, Ariz., and San Antonio, Texas, will "begin the process of closing," shedding some 240 jobs in the process. Hawker Beechcraft Corporation in Wichita, Kan., and Little Rock, Ark., will lose an additional 170 people to the cuts. Workers will begin receiving notices this Friday, Nov. 9. Some will be "required to work during all or some of the 60-day Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice (WARN) period based on business needs," according to the letter.
The company says the "extremely difficult" decision to reduce its workforce will help move it closer to a business model it believes will allow it to succeed, moving forward. That model envisions focusing "on turboprop, piston, special mission and trainer/attack aircraft, as well as our parts, maintenance, repairs and refurbishment businesses." The letter tells remaining employees that their "continued focus" on producing "the best airplanes in the world" is critical to the company's success and that workers' "continued hard work and dedication" is appreciated. Further updates are promised as the company attempts to emerge from Chapter 11 protection as a stand-alone company. Click through for the full text (PDF) of the letter. |
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| The Scope of the Superstorm | back to top | |
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Aerial Images Capture Sandy's Impact
Aviators have been helping out with the recovery from last week's storm in multiple ways, including relief flights, evacuations, and more. And a handful of pilots working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have been flying at 5,000 feet above the coastline where the storm hit hardest, creating a high-resolution mosaic of the damage. NOAA's Twin Otters and King Airs are equipped with specialized remote-sensing cameras that have captured thousands of photographs at a resolution of 17 centimeters per pixel. Photos now posted on NOAA's website with a "before and after" scrolling feature reveal the damage to some of the hardest-hit areas, including Atlantic City and Seaside Heights in New Jersey, Ocean City, Md., and parts of Delaware.
"Aerial imagery is a crucial tool used by federal, state, and local officials as well as the public when responding to natural disasters," says NOAA's website. "Many areas may be inaccessible due to the volume of debris. Snapshots of the damage help emergency managers conduct search and rescue operations, route personnel and machinery, coordinate recovery efforts and provide a cost-effective way to better understand the damage sustained to both property and the environment." More images will be posted online as flights continue this week over New York City, Long Island, and parts of Virginia. |
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| Aviation Safety | back to top | |
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NTSB Wants Explosives Noted In FAA Registrations
The FAA needs to do a better job of making sure first responders to general aviation accidents are informed about explosive devices in aircraft, the NTSB said last week. In a safety recommendation letter (PDF), the safety board cited several incidents when a GA aircraft crashed and emergency workers were unaware that ejection seats or ballistic parachutes in the airplane contained explosives. Placards on the aircraft are inadequate, the NTSB said, because they may be missing, or responders might not notice them, or they may be damaged, lost or burned in a crash. The board said a better solution would be for the FAA to require information about explosives to be included in each aircraft's registration data. First responders should then be informed that they can easily find this information online.
The NTSB cited several examples of crashes that exposed responders to potential hazards. In January, an Aero Vodochody L39C with two ejection seats crashed and burned in Alabama. The first responders didn't see any placards on the airplane to warn them about the explosives on board. An NTSB investigator warned the first responder, a law enforcement officer, over the phone, about the potential for explosive devices. The board cited several other incidents involving LSAs and Cirrus aircraft as well as aerobatic airplanes. Besides ballistic chutes and ejection seats, the board said inflatable restraints, such as airbag systems that are incorporated into seatbelts and shoulder harnesses, should also be noted in the registration data. These systems are powered by a cylinder of compressed gas, at pressures up to 6,000 psi, that is stored under the seats. |
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| Tuck 'Em in for Taxi | back to top | |
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Boeing May Offer Folding Wings
Boeing's next commercial twinjet, the 777X, might come with folding wings to ease maneuvering around jetways, according to a story this week in the Seattle Times. The longer wings, with a span of about 233 feet, would allow for a more fuel-efficient design, and would fold upward about 10 feet from the wingtip, an unnamed Boeing engineer told the Times. Boeing would not officially confirm the story, but the company has considered the use of folding wings in the past. The original model of the 777 offered a folding wing hinged about 21 feet from the wingtip as an option, but there were no takers.
The 777X, a larger, updated version of the 777 with new fuel-efficient engines, has been in the works for a couple of years, and the official design launch is expected to be at least a year or so away. The company said in August the new airplane should start deliveries around the end of this decade. |
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| At the Movies | back to top | |
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ALPA Reacts To Hollywood's "Flight"
It's not often that Hollywood releases a major film with an airline pilot as its main character, and since the pilot at the center of Flight has a major substance-abuse problem, the Air Line Pilots Association has issued a statement to reassure viewers. "Fiction on a movie screen doesn't represent a profession in the real world," said ALPA. "The more than 50,000 ALPA pilots in the United States and Canada embody the highest possible standards of training and professionalism. … a thrilling tale should not be mistaken for the true story of extraordinary safety and professionalism among airline pilots." The film has won mostly positive reviews from critics and an 80-percent audience rating on the Rotten Tomatoes film-review site.
Denzel Washington, who plays the central role of the pilot, said he trained in a simulator to help make the cockpit scenes realistic. "I didn't literally get to fly a plane, but we worked in these MD-80 flight simulators, which is what [pilots] actually train on," Washington told MTV. "That was great. That was cool." AVweb's editorial director Paul Bertorelli checked out the film over the weekend; click here to read his reaction in the AVweb Insider blog and join the conversation.
AVweb Insider Blog: Denzel Takes Flight
If you were hoping for an exciting aviation movie going into the holiday season, this ain't it — although it's got a riveting crash sequence the kids will love. Otherwise, it's a dark character study into the downward spiral of alcoholism and addiction. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli reports that anyone who's had experience with addiction may have trouble watching this film. If you go, don't forget the Prozac.
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| What You Missed in AVwebBiz This Week | back to top | |
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Plane Hits Car, Caught On Video
Student pilot William Davis was on final approach to land at Northwest Regional Airport in Roanoke, Texas, on Saturday, when his Skyhawk collided with an SUV that was crossing the airport. Davis's wife, Kandy, was filming his descent and caught the collision on video. The collision knocked off part of the Skyhawk's landing gear, but Davis was able to land and wasn't hurt. The two people in the car, a couple on their way to the airport diner, were treated for minor injuries. The road crosses the airport perpendicular to the runway, just a few feet from the runway end, and is marked with "Stop" painted on the surface. The audio of airport manager Glen Hyde is caught on Kandy Davis's camera, asking the driver, "Why did you pull out in front of an airplane?"
The video shows the car moving steadily across the airplane's path, but it's not clear if it might have stopped before entering the frame of the camera. The driver of the car said on the audio that he didn't see the airplane. After the incident, Davis said he's decided to give up flying. "Things like that make you reconsider what's important and what could have happened," he told the local WFAA News in Dallas. "I have a young daughter and a wife." The airport manager told WFAA that he plans to meet with the FAA and look for ways to make the runway/road intersection safer.
As NBAA Goes, So Does The Industry?
Business aviation analysts generally rely on the general economy as a barometer of the health of the industry but the prolonged downturn in many segments of bizav have generated some creative thinking in that area. Now Corporate Jet Investor has plotted attendance at the annual National Business Aviation Association convention against some key indicators in the bizjet market and found some almost parallel lines on the resulting charts. In his analysis, Corporate Jet Investor's Alasdair Whyte noted that the 2012 convention, which wrapped in Orlando last week, had the third lowest attendance (25,250) in the last 10 years, although part of the reason could have been Superstorm Sandy and a presidential TFR on the eve of the convention. However, broadening the sample to include 10 years of attendance figures, the website found some interesting coincidences.
For instance, Whyte discovered, attendance figures rise and fall roughly at the same pace as Bombardier's annual report on bizjet orders. Because of the lag between orders and deliveries, the data skews at that point. But there is also a pretty strong correlation between the number of exhibitors (1,073) and deliveries. Anecdotally, many NBAA attendees said they thought attendance was down, and compared to the heyday of the middle of the last decade, it surely was. The biggest show so far was in 2006, when more than 33,000 people attended.
AVweb Insider Blog: NBAA -- PR Follies
Paul Bertorelli chimes in with two reflections on this year's NBAA Convention on the AVweb Insider blog: At NBAA, Cessna showed off a new mockup of — something. But for the second time this year, they've shown something at a show and declined to let news organizations photograph it. Does this make any sense? We don't think so. Meanwhile, Hawker Beechcraft announced that its new direction will emphasize turboprops and pistons, but jets appear not to be on the agenda. Understandably, current HBC jet owners are finding that not their liking. This is gonna be one giant fence to mend.
Read more and join the conversation.
AVwebBiz: AVweb's Business Aviation Newsletter
Delivered every Wednesday morning, AVwebBiz focuses on the companies, the products and the industry leaders that make headlines in the business aviation industry, making it a must-read.
Add AVwebBiz to your AVweb subscriptions today by clicking here and choosing "Update E-mail Subscriptions." |
Have you signed up yet for AVweb's no-cost weekly business aviation newsletter, AVwebBiz?
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| Opinion & Commentary | back to top | |
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AVweb Insider Blog: Winging the Weather
Paul Bertorelli's been digging up old World War II training films again. On the AVweb Insider blog, he wonders at the simplicity of flying 70 years ago, when a 10-second weather briefing was just fine. Wouldn't it be great to get that back?
Read more and join the conversation.
Question of the Week: Flight Planning RevolutionFlight planning software, devices, and services are evolving at a furious rate. Are you keeping up?
Last Week's Question: Results
Want to see the current breakdown of responses? Take a moment to answer the question yourself, and then you can view real-time results.
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| The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is You! | back to top | |
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Brainteasers Quiz #177: Urgent Matters
Best-laid plans can evaporate in the twinkling of a failed fuel pump. Contemplating a dead prop on the nose is no time to kick yourself for going past TBO. Time to act and ace this quiz!
Take the quiz.
AVweb's Newstips Address ...
Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 255,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. You're a part of our team ... often, the best part. |
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| AVweb Video: Look, Listen, Laugh and Learn | back to top | |
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Video: Flying Eyes Pilot SunglassesOriginal, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos Sunglasses are a must-have for pilots, but when you shove the temples under a headset for several hours, the pain isn't far behind. A new product called Flying Eyes solves that problem. In this video by Larry Anglisano and Marc Gunther, AVweb takes a close look at this product.
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| Your Favorite FBOs | back to top | |
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FBO of the Week: Connell Flying Service (KDEH, Decorah, Iowa)
Nominate an FBO | Rules | Tips | Questions | Winning FBOs
AVweb's latest "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Connell Flying Service at Decorah Municipal Airport (KDEH) in Decorah, Iowa.
AVweb reader John Hanson discovered the FBO after an unscheduled stopover:
My wife and I had a change of itinerary caused by the Hurricane Sandy weather system and ended up in Decorah for the night. The FBO [owner], Mike Connell, offered us a free tie-down and courtesy car for the night. After a wonderful overnight at a great historic Decorah hotel, the Winnishiek, we returned the next morning to depart. It had been cold overnight, and mostly due to my poor starting technique, I ran the old battery down trying to get the 182 started. Mike heard the problem and came out with jumper cables without our even having to ask. He got us started and on our way quickly. He had a smile on his face the whole time and wouldn't take a penny for his efforts. Truly an FBO from the old school! Not only will I recommend DEH to everyone I know; my wife and I will certainly return for a weekender sometime!
Keep those nominations coming. For complete contest rules, click here.
AVweb is actively seeking out the best FBOs in the country and another one, submitted by you, will be spotlighted here next Monday! |
| Reader-Submitted Photos | back to top | |
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Picture of the Week: AVweb's Flying Photography Showcase
Our latest winning photo comes from James Kleen of Townsend, GA. Click here for the rest of this week's
submissions.
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| Names Behind the News | back to top | |
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Meet the AVwebFlash Team
AVwebFlash is a twice-weekly summary of the latest news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the world's premier independent aviation news resource.
The AVwebFlash team is:
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