A centerpiece of the celebrations and events surrounding 2003's Centennial of Flight activities was the public opening on December 15 of the National Air and Space Museum's 760,000-square foot Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C.

Built to complement NASM's well-known location on the National Mall and to house a significant portion of NASM's permanent collection of flight-related objects and other memorabilia, the Udvar-Hazy Center currently showcases more than 80 aircraft, including the space shuttle Enterprise, Lockheed's SR-71A Blackbird spy plane, the original Boeing 707 flight prototype Dash 80, and a recently retired Air France Concorde. In addition, there are dozens of unique aircraft, such as one-of-a-kind World War II fighters and the Enola Gay, the Boeing B-29 Superfortress that delivered the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan in August 1945.

The public opening of the Udvar-Hazy Center, named in honor of its major donor, was preceded by a press day, a salute to military aviation veterans day, and other special events. Among the thousands of active-duty service people and veterans in the audience were members of participating flight crews, including Enola Gay pilot Paul Tibbets.

The Udvar-Hazy Center ultimately will showcase 200 airplanes and 135 spacecraft. A separate wing was built to house the Space Shuttle Enterprise and historic space-age objects. Early visitors to the hangar noticed that portions of the leading edges on the shuttle's wings are missing. They have been removed to assist NASA engineers in that agency's ongoing investigation into last February's loss of Columbia. In a facility that museum officials have described as offering "enhanced open storage," the size, dimensions, and proximity of Enterprise and other aircraft are quite striking.

Plans call for moving NASM's Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility to a new section of the Dulles facility, where visitors will be able to observe restoration activities.

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center also features an observation tower from which visitors can view commercial air traffic at Dulles. The center is open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., except December 25. Admission is free; parking on-site is $12.

DalFort Aerospace Lease Sold

Singapore Technologies Aerospace has sold its lease on the closed DalFort Aerospace facility at Love Field in Dallas, Texas to Virginia Aerospace for $6.485 million. ST Aero closed its DalFort heavy aircraft maintenance facility last October, six years after purchasing the outfit in 1997.

The DalFort facility includes a six-bay hangar enclosing 140,000 square feet, plus 360,000 square feet of shops, warehouses, and administrative offices. The economic downturn that began in mid-2001 resulted in the grounding of many of the types of aircraft that DalFort serviced, such as narrowbody DC-9s, 727s, and 737s. The "closure decision arose out of our ongoing business review," said Singapore Technologies Engineering (parent company of ST Aero) spokeswoman Audrey Tan. "Tooling up for new capabilities [was] a possibility, but it would not be practical given the market conditions. This inability to accommodate large aircraft limited the customer base and fleet that DalFort could serve."

FAA Releases FSAW on T-34 Spar Cracks

The FAA wants its Flight Standards District Offices to perform special inspections on operators of T-34s, following the fatal crash of a Texas Air Aces T-34 in Texas on November 19, in which the right wing broke off.

In a Flight Standards information bulletin for airworthiness (03-11 dated 12-31-03), the FAA notes that the accident airplane, N44KK, "experienced a separation of the right wing. Preliminary investigation of the accident determined that AD 2001-13-18, T-34 Wing Spar Inspection, was not accomplished."

The FSAW goes on to say that there are 423 T-34's registered and that the airworthiness directive has not been done on 203 of those T-34s. "This lack of compliance with an AD represents a significant safety problem."

Flight Standards inspectors are asked to inspect T-34s used in high-g operations such as air combat simulation and upset training-the type of flying done at Texas Air Aces-within 30 days of the effective date of the FSAW. Low-g flying club and personal operators' T-34s must be inspected within 120 days. The inspection is to verify compliance with 100-hour/annual inspection and airworthiness directive requirements.

Canada Introduces Four New Job Standards for Aviation Ground Workers

With the help of manufacturers, trade unions, and trainers, the Canadian Aviation Maintenance Council (CAMC) has developed four new occupational standards for aerospace workers in Canada. The standards-which are voluntary-allow workers to become nationally certified as aircraft refuelers, aviation ground services attendant, aerospace materials specialists, and aviation special processes technicians. The new industry and government-supported standards were revealed at a press conference held in Ottawa, Canada on December 9, 2003.

"While each stakeholding group in the process will attest to the benefits of creating these standards," said CAMC chief executive officer Steve Dick, "the ultimate winner is the Canadian public who can be assured of the highest levels of professionalism in the manufacturing, maintenance, and servicing of modern aircraft."

The four new occupational categories bring the CAMC's total of national certifications and job classifications to 19. These standards make it easier for aerospace employers to judge the competence of current and potential ground-based employees, while giving workers recognition for their experience and additional status at hiring time.

As an industry association run by aerospace stakeholders, the CAMC is in a unique position to broker standards acceptable to all players. Judging by the upbeat words during the December 9, 2003 news conference in Ottawa, the new job standards satisfy everyone who helped create them.

"These new occupational standards... define the skills and knowledge that our employees need to effectively perform their jobs," said George Travassos, manager of ramp quality assurance for Purolator Courier. The company operates 25 dedicated aircraft and 673 pieces of aircraft support equipment. "This provides a classic win-win situation for employees and employers alike."

"I know these workers and I know they welcome both the recognition and the responsibility which comes with these standards," said Steve Vodi, airline coordinator for the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers. "They and I know that they [the new standards] will increase their career prospects, and ultimately their job satisfaction."

This point raised a question from Aviation Maintenance: won't nationally-certified technicians merit more money than uncertified technicians, thus driving employer costs up? Not at all, replied Benoît Marcoux, vice president of operations for Eurocopter Canada. Certificated technicians tend to be far more productive, Marcoux explained, plus they are more likely to stick with the company once they've achieved certification.

This is why "I would rather have less employees who are more productive, than more employees who are less productive," Marcoux told Aviation Maintenance. "The difference in cost is phenomenal." Citing the impact of the Canadian Aviation Maintenance Council's initial certification programs, he added, "In the last three years our turnover has come down drastically, and the cost savings is quite large."