News
On the Fly-July/August 07

BRYAN WEBSTER RECEIVES TC AVIATION SAFETY AWARD
Bryan
Webster of Victoria is the recipient of the 2007 Transport Canada
Aviation Safety Award for his longstanding commitment to aviation
safety.

“Mr. Webster’s outstanding initiative in the field of
egress training has helped thousands of pilots and their passengers
across Canada learn how to improve their chances of survival in an
emergency ditching,” said Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon. “He
experienced first-hand the dangers of an emergency ditching and,
through his own initiative, has dedicated his professional career to
providing a comprehensive and successful training program aimed at
saving lives.”

Webster has accumulated over 11,000 hours in more
than 35 different aircraft types. His career as a commercial pilot
includes bush, air ambulance, corporate and single-pilot IFR cargo
flying. He currently flies, part-time, a de Havilland Beaver
commercially along the BC coast. Along with his egress training
courses, he has written a book, Ditching Principles: A Survival Guide
to Ditching an Aircraft, and is a monthly columnist for the Canadian
Owners and Pilots Association’s Canadian Flight magazine.

AIRBUS TO BOOST MONTHLY PRODUCTION OF A320 AIRCRAFT
Airbus
will increase monthly production of its single-aisle A320 aircraft to
40 from 32 by the end of 2009. The company said its decision to ramp up
production is driven by strong demand for the aircraft and a record
backlog of more than 2,500 orders.

After a delay in the launch
of Airbus’s A380 superjumbo airplane has stretched into two years,
parent company European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. posted a loss
of 768 million euros (US$1.01 billion) in October- December. Airbus
still delivered more planes than major rival Boeing Co. in 2006, but is
expected to fall behind in 2008, given current order backlogs and its
late-to-market midsize A350 jet.

The company has announced a
major restructuring program, shedding 10,000 jobs across Europe –
especially in France and Germany, where the bulk of the company’s
operations are based.

P&WC NEW-GENERATION ENGINES LEAD GREEN EVOLUTION
Pratt
& Whitney Canada (P&WC) is embracing the green evolution in
aerospace with its newest generation of engine technologies and
environmental stewardship across all facets of its business.

P&WC’s
new-generation engines are surpassing International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) emissions standards. The PW307 engine, which
recently entered service on Dassault Aviation’s Falcon 7X, currently
betters ICAO standards for nitrous oxide emissions by 33% and meets
Zurich 5 emissions requirements for no landing fee surcharges. This
achievement is the result of a TALONTM 2 combustion technology that
reduces emissions without compromising performance, durability or
operating economics.

A new 10,000-poundthrust- class engine
developed by P&WC for the next generation of large, long-range
corporate jets will better current ICAO standards for nitrous oxide
emissions by 50 per cent and meet the most stringent emissions
standards for the next 10 to 15 years. The engine will also offer a
step-change in fuel burn compared with current leading engines and is
designed for low noise, well below Stage IV standards.

HAWKER BEECHCRAFT APPOINTS CHIEF PILOTS, SALES
Hawker
Beechcraft has appointed Dan Weatherford to chief pilot, Hawker sales
demonstration and Peter Kennedy to chief pilot, Beechcraft sales
demonstration.

Weatherford moves into the Hawker chief pilot
role after extensive involvement in Hawker 4000 flight test activities
and serving as training captain in the Hawker 800 series and 4000. He
joined the demonstration department in 1997 and has been flying
worldwide demos in the Hawker 400XP, 800 series, 1000 and 4000. He was
demo pilot of the year in 2004.

Kennedy is an experienced senior
demonstration captain on all Beechcraft models currently in production.
He was the 2005 Demonstration Pilot of the Year. He joined the Royal
Air Force in 1974 and flew the BAe Jet Provost T Mk 4, T Mk 5, Folland
Gnat and Hawker Hunter, Jetstream T Mk1, and Avro Vulcan fourengine jet
bomber.

BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE LAUNCHES 100-SEAT CRJ1000 REGIONAL JET
Bombardier
has announced the launch of its CRJ1000 regional jet. Previously
designated the CRJ900X jet, the CRJ1000 regional airliner is designed
specifically to meet the needs of growing regional airlines for jets of
up to 100 seats.

The CRJ1000 aircraft program is launched with
38 firm orders, 15 of which are CRJ900 conversions, and 23 conditional
orders and options. The following three customers have placed these
orders:

Brit Air of Morlaix, France, a wholly owned subsidiary
of Air France, has placed a firm order for eight CRJ1000 aircraft, and
has taken options on eight additional CRJ1000s. With the launch of the
CRJ1000, My Way Airlines of Italy is converting, as announced in
September 2006, 15 of its 19 CRJ900 regional jet orders to CRJ1000
regional jets. An undisclosed customer has placed a firm order for 15
of the aircraft, with a conditional order for an additional 15.

The
new CRJ1000 regional jet is scheduled to enter service in the fourth
quarter of 2009. First flight is scheduled for the summer of 2008.

PLANE TALK FROM A COMMERCIAL AIRLINE PILOT
The
events of September 11, 2001 obliterated the chance of visitations to
the flight deck where lucky passengers were able to meet the pilot and
ask questions. In From the Flight Deck: Plane Talk and Sky Science,
airline pilot and author Doug Morris takes the reader on a 14-hour
non-stop flight. Through each stage of flight Morris gives a pilot’s
perspective on the popular science, operations, and fun of flying.
Morris’s easy to understand explanations and anecdotes coupled with
facts, trivia and humour make From the Flight Deck an informative and
most enjoyable read. Published by ECW Press in May, the book is
available through Annexbookstore.- com.

EXELTECH SIGNS MAINTENANCE CONTRACT WITH WEST WIND AVIATION
ExelTech
Aerospace has signed a 13-month maintenance contract, including options
for renewal on an annual basis, with West Wind Aviation. West Wind
Aviation has been a customer of ExelTech Aerospace since 2002.

Under
the terms of this new agreement, ExelTech Aerospace will provide West
Wind with heavy maintenance support for its growing fleet of ATR 42
regional turboprop aircraft. Last month, the Saskatoon-based regional
airline acquired another ATR. This aircraft has already entered heavy
maintenance in the company’s ATR Maintenance Facility at Montreal’s
Trudeau International Airport.

The 44-passenger ATR 42 and
64-passenger ATR 72 are modern regional turboprop airliners
manufactured in Toulouse by a consortium of French and Italian
companies. According to the manufacturer, demand for these modern,
fuel-efficient airliners has soared in recent years, with the current
backlog for the ATR family standing at 142 aircraft.