The new 30,000-square-foot facility will provide 25,000 square feet of manufacturing space and 5,000 square feet of office space. OMF hopes to have it operational this August. Three additional 25,000-square-foot construction phases are planned. When completed, the facility will employ 300 people and produce all of the OMF aircraft sold in North America. Trois-Rivi�res was selected from among more than 20 proposals; company officials said it offers room for expansion and is located at an airport with a 6,000-foot runway.
"This expansion demonstrates our commitment to general aviation, and the North American market in particular," said OMF Managing Partner Derek Stinnes. "OMF Aircraft is looking toward a bright future. In fact, now that these expansion plans have been finalized, we're poised to announce an addition to our line of aircraft."
That addition is a complement to its two-seat Symphony 160 (see "Making Music," January AOPA Flight Training), a four-place aircraft called the Symphony 4. Powered by a 250-horsepower Lycoming IO-540 engine, the 4 is projected to have a useful load of 1,190 pounds, allowing it to carry four full-size adults and their baggage with full tanks. Anticipated range is 485 nm on 50 gallons of fuel, and cruise speed at 75-percent power is estimated at 145 knots. A spokesman for OMF expects the 4 to be flying by the end of 2003, with certification to come in late 2004 or early 2005.
NAA names 2002's most memorable aviation records
What were the most memorable aviation records of 2002? The National Aeronautic Association has compiled a list of its top six.
Leading off is the 300-person formation skydive over Arizona on December 12. The team of divers, known as Arizona Airspeed, jumped out of 14 airplanes at an altitude of more than 20,000 feet. They linked up and held the spiral pattern together for seven seconds. It was the team's third attempt that day.
The fastest speed over a recognized course was set by a crew of three in a company demonstrator Gulfstream V. Sean Sheldon, Ahmed Ragheb, and John Mullican flew from Tokyo to Los Angeles on November 7, traveling as fast as 550 knots. They shattered the previous record, set in 1984.
Bruce Bohannon beat his own record by climbing to 41,611 feet over California in the Exxon Flyin' Tiger. He also set six other records on the same flight. Steve Fossett's solo around-the-world flight in a helium balloon came in fourth on the list. The NAA also honored Wesley "Lee" Behel Jr. for breaking a 3-km straight-course speed record of 354 mph in a turboprop Lancair IV-P.
And, finally, in the world of rubber-motor-powered airplanes, James Richmond's model made an astonishing flight of 47 minutes inside the atrium of Indiana's West Baden Springs Hotel. Richmond wound the two-strand rubber motor to 1,960 turns, and the airplane flew to a height of 90 feet.
Pan Am provides Saab 340 training
Pan Am International Flight Academy (PAIFA) is providing Saab 340 pilot and maintenance training to Quebecair Express under a two-year agreement announced in April. Pilots began ground school in January at Quebecair's base in Quebec City and simulator training at PAIFA's Minneapolis center. The first maintenance courses were held in February at the carrier's base. Other Saab 340 operators that receive training from PAIFA include Calm Air and TransWest, the company said. In other international regional carrier news, PAIFA announced it has signed a three-year contract with British Airways CitiExpress to provide Avro regional jet training in Minneapolis. British Airways CitiExpress is the first non-U.S. Avro operator to train at the center, PAIFA said.
Sporty's awards aviation exploring scholarships
Two high school students have won $1,000 scholarships from the 2003 Sporty's Pilot Shop Aviation Exploring Scholarship program. Fuchsia Davis, 17, of Philadelphia, is a private pilot with more than 250 flight hours who is working on her instrument rating. William J. Simmons, 18, of San Antonio, Texas, is a private pilot with a multiengine rating who has more than 125 hours. Davis and Simmons, who both hope to become airline pilots, can use the money to advance any aspect of their aviation careers. Aviation Exploring is a youth development program open to young people between the ages of 14 and 20. For more information, see the Web site.
Be A Pilot launches 2003 TV ad campaign
Be A Pilot - the aviation industry's program to encourage people to learn to fly - launched its latest television advertising campaign the week of April 28. Nearly $1 million in national television advertising will buy some 2,000 commercials that will air through September on at least seven national cable channels. Eight new Be A Pilot commercials will air on Discovery Channel, ESPN2, ESPN News, ESPN Classic, and the Discovery Wings digital cable channel. Be A Pilot ads will also air on CNBC, the new Tech TV network, and Discovery Science. The new commercials will feature aircraft in action, adventure settings, and more exciting flight maneuvers, as opposed to the lifestyle message that was communicated in 2002's spots, Be A Pilot said.
PA flight school buys AST simulator
An avionics and emergency situations simulator will be installed at Flight Level Aviation, of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, according to Aviation Simulation Technology Inc. The AST 300 Advanced Avionics and Emergency Situations Trainer instructs pilots in the use of four GPS receivers - the panel-mount Garmin GNS 530, Bendix/King KLN 94, and UPS Aviation Technologies GX50, and the portable Garmin 295. It also is to be equipped with more than 100 specific, event-triggered aircraft malfunctions - many of which were designed by Flight Level Aviation - to train pilots how to handle emergency scenarios or system malfunctions in a Cessna P210. For more information, see the AST Web site.
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