- AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’s first scheduled commercial passenger flights began on Sunday, May 23. However, Air Force One touched down on May 7 when President Clinton visited Austin on a campaign tour.
- On May 10, Midwest Express began service from Milwaukee to San Antonio, Texas, with four flights daily. The flights will stop in Kansas City, Kan., and continue on to San Antonio.
- DALLAS/FORT WORTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT was named Best High-Tech Friendly Airport by TheTrip.com in its first BOOT Awards competition, celebrating the Best Online Travel. The Trip.com, an internet travel service for business travelers, credits DFW conveniences like internet kiosks with easy computer hook-ups, ATMs and an international currency exchange machine.
- Y2K CLAIMS FIRST GA VICTIMS. Allied Signal is warning avionics shops of “certain anomalies” in some of its latest avionics as the result of the Y2K bug. A.S. says the equipment will continue to operate into the new millennium but may require a circuit or software change. Check Web site: www.alliedsignal.com/aerospace/product/Y2k/
- NTSB RELEASES FINDINGS OF JOHN DENVER ACCIDENT. Singer-songwriter John Denver had thousands of flight hours, ranging from sailplanes to Learjets, but lack of experience in his newly acquired Long-EZ was a contributing factor in the crash that killed him in October 1997, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Other factors included insufficient fuel in one tank and inadvertently placing the Long-EZ into a roll while his attention was diverted trying to switch tanks using a repositioned fuel selector.
- FLYING BLIND INTO HOT MOA. VFR pilots traveling through Military Operations Areas (MOAs) depend on “see and avoid” to stay clear of danger but AOPA say an unpublicized
proposal to operate military aircraft at night without lights will seriously impact pilots’ ability to stay out of harm’s way. AOPA is pushing for any future information on the matter to be published so pilots will be able to review the proposal and comment. - FIRST FEMALE FIGHTER FLIES F/A-18 IN COMBAT. Recently, Navy Lt. Kendra Williams, 26, flew a single-seat F/A-18 fighter-bomber against Iraq from the USS Enterprise, becoming the first woman to fly a fighter combat mission for the U.S. Navy.
- CELEBRATE FREEDOM. A series of aviation events designed to rekindle a spirit of patriotism, educate our children on the price of freedom and thank our veterans for what they have done for us will begin on Nov. 6, 1999. ACTIVITY: Fly-in of WWII aircraft, including a WWII army field hospital re-enactment, military ground vehicles from all wars, a USO dance in a WWII hangar and a musical celebrating our veterans. SITE: Columbia Downtown Airport (CUB), Columbia, South Carolina. FFI: Dr. Phillip Latham, 803/865-0877.
- DOT CHANGES “ON-TIME” STATS. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced a major change in the way its published airline performance statistics are computed. Starting with the July report, DOT will not consider a flight to have arrived on-time unless at least 50 percent of the passengers’ checked luggage was aboard on the flight.
Texas A&M Transportation Institute
3135 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-3135
(979) 317-2000