1989: Aircraft Technician published for first time. The Northrop B2, the most expensive aircraft in history, at a cost of $516 million, made its first flight. The Pentagon lifts a ban on the use of pin-ups to decorate U.S. Air Force aircraft fuselages. James Busey named FAA Administrator. Southern Cross Aviation started in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
1991: Pan American World Airlines (Pan-Am) stopped flying after 73 years.
1992: Thomas Richards named FAA Administrator
1993: David Hinson named FAA Administrator. The first B2 Stealth bomber delivered to the USAF.
1994: FlightSafety International introduced Master Technician training program. Space Shuttle Discovery launched.
1996: The Dutch aircraft company Fokker declared bankruptcy and ceased aircraft manufacturing after 77 years. A merger between aerospace giants Boeing and McDonnell Douglas occurred and the new company will be known as Boeing. ValuJet 592 crash in Everglades due to fire caused by chemical oxygen generators.
1997: Jane Garvey named FAA Administrator.
1999: A Learjet 35 crashed in South Dakota killing all five occupants, including the golfer Payne Stewart. It is believed that the aircraft’s occupants lost consciousness as the result of a pressurization failure. The 1,000th McDonnell Douglas AH-64 Apache helicopter is delivered.
2000: An Air France Concorde crashed onto a hotel shortly after take-off from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, killing 114 people, including the crew and passengers of the aircraft. It is the first crash involving Concorde. The crash is later attributed to FOD. Airbus gave final approval to build the Airbus A3XX, now renamed the A380.
2001: Airbus Integrated Company formed as part of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS). The Russian space station Mir ends its 15-year career in space.
2002: US Airways filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy along with Midway Airlines, andUnited Airlines. United is the largest airline bankruptcy in U.S. history. Marion Blakey named FAA Administrator. California passed the first state AMT Day Resolution.
2003: Aviation celebrated its first century. AS3 and GSE International Expo combined (with NATA and PAMA). SpaceShipOne was the first privately built, manned aircraft to fly faster than the speed of sound. The Concorde made its last scheduled commercial flight.
2004: Air France and Netherlands-based KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) merged, the two airlines now known as Air France-KLM
2005: AMTSociety launched. Steve Fossett completed the first nonstop, solo circumnavigation of the world in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, in 67 hours and 2 minutes. The world’s largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, was unveiled in France.
2006: FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) introduced. FlightSafety International offered Master Technician Management Endorsement with Global Jet Services. UAL Corp., United Airlines’ parent company, emerged from bankruptcy, the longest such filing in history (since 2002). First flight of a U.S. Air Force aircraft, a B-52 Stratofortress, powered solely by a blend of synthetic jet fuel, produced by Syntroleum.
2007: Robert Sturgill named Acting FAA Administrator. FAA changed IA renewal from one-year cycle to two years. Tom Hendershot named AMTSociety Executive Director.
2008: Cirrus Design introducedVision Jet at EAA. The industry lost Bill O’Brien. Silver State Helicopters ceased operations and entered bankruptcy. Aloha Airlines, Skybus Airlines, and ATA Airlines cease operations.
2009: Aircraft Maintenance Technology celebrates 20 years. Randy Babbitt named FAA Administrator. Republic buys Midwest Airlines and Frontier Airlines. FAA renames AMT Awards the William “Bill” O’Brien AMT Awards. Colgan Air Flight 3407, operated by DHC-8-402 Q400 N200WQ crashed at Clarence Center, NY, killing all 50 people on board and another person on the ground. US Airways Flight 1549, operated by Airbus A320-214 N106US made a successful ditching in the Hudson River, after both engines were disabled by a birdstrike.
All 155 passengers and crew were rescued alive. Air France Flight 447, operated by Airbus A330-200 F-GZCP broke up in mid-air and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil killing all 228 people on board. Southern Cross Aviation celebrating 20 years.
These are only a few highlights from the last 20 years, what do you remember? Let us know, email [email protected].
