Can you identify this month’s aircraft? The winner will receive an honorable mention in next month’s issue. Contest Rules: Limit your entry to 100 words. Send your entry by emailing airprtpres@aol.com (preferred) or fax to 718-995-3432. Include your name, title and employer.

The July airplane is a Dewoitine D.520 of the early 1940s French Air Force. It was developed by French airplane designer/builder Emile Dewoitine as a company-funded prototype in response to a French Air Force specification for a single seat fighter capable of 520 km./hr speed (hence, the designation D.520). In it’s first fl ights it did not quite achieve the desired speed, but later development with more powerful 935 hp Hispano- Suiza engine accomplished the design goal. A typical late 30s design with liquidcooled in-line engine, low wing, tail wheel, sliding canopy, wing-mounted guns and thru-the-propeller hub cannon, so similar to others of the same era, and with equally good performance. The French Air Force did eventually become convinced that it was the better of several other designs, and even though hundreds were built during the war, there were only about 36 available for defense of France at the outbreak of hostilities in 1940. Although some success was achieved in use against Me109s, there just were not enough of them to be an effective resistance. Lt. Dan Carbonaro of the Port Authority Police adds this interesting note: “The D.520 Serial # 408, Registration # F-ZWVB aircraft in the Airport Press photo was completely destroyed in a dramatic accident on July 23 1986 at Vannes airfield killing the French air force pilot C.Bove.
Other correct entries were received from; Tom Hanley, Continental in Newark, John Podolak, Global Freight Services and Holly Puckhaber of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The Port Authority announced the award of a contract for the rehabilitation of the taxiway edge lighting at Stewart International Airport to Mount Vernon-based Verde Electric Corp. All the new lamps will be energy-conserving light emitting diodes (LED). LED lighting distributes light more efficiently and requires less energy. The $10.6 million contract will be awarded to Verde Electric Corp. which will replace the current underground wiring and run new cable through protective concrete ducts. All taxiway edge lights and fl ashing runway guard bar lights, both in pavement and elevated, will be replaced in accordance with FAA standards. The contract will be partially funded by a $4.7 million FAA grant, which was recently awarded to the Port Authority. The replacement of the current incandescent edge lights with high efficiency LED fixtures offers environmental and financial benefits. LEDs use one-third the power and have a five to 10 times longer life than the incandescent lights. The ducts in the new system will help to significantly increase reliability. The existing taxiway edge lighting is more than 40 years old. At that time, the lighting cables were buried directly into the ground without protection, which resulted in equipment damage and service interruptions.

There was mostly positive news according to the survey results shown at the last Stewart Airport Commission meeting. Greg Philips who manages the Port Authority Customer Research Department said survey results pointed to a high level of satisfaction, but passengers wanted more fl ights. It is a positive within a negative. We love you and want more said 42% of the respondents. The survey was based on a poll of 117 departing passengers and 74 arriving passengers between May 15 and June 16 (excluding the Memorial Day weekend and Father’s Day, when travel patterns are not typical) Those surveyed comprised 22 percent first-time Stewart users and 53 percent women. Average travel time was nearly and hour and a half and the average age of the traveler was 46. Surprisingly, Rockland County did not get on the list of counties that comprised a high percent of usage. The largest percentage, 30.1 percent, came from Dutchess County, followed by 28.9 percent from Orange County, 12 percent from Ulster County and 8.4 percent from Sullivan County. Small percentages came from outlying counties, including a few from New York City boroughs. The real measurement of success is from the passengers being surveyed, who would recommend Stewart; and 70 percent said they “definitely” would recommend using Stewart to others, and another 20 percent said they “probably” would do so.