National Air Transportation Association urged its members to write to the FAA to oppose its proposal to upgrade fire suppression and detection standards for Class D cargo areas (August, page 18). NATA says the safety issues the FAA is using to justify its proposal do not apply to the relatively small Class D compartments in FAR Part 135 aircraft.
Fie on me! 'Twas I who endorsed, and possibly suggested, that the tenure of the FAA administrator be extended to five years. When I espoused this proposal, it clearly contemplated that the nominee be possessed of both the knowledge and experience befitting this vital position. Likewise the position of head honcho of the Department of Transportation, to whom the FAA administrator is subservient.
Brazilian manufacturer Embraer says it will go ahead with the EMB-135, a 37-seat version of the 50-seat EMB-145 regional jet. Certification is scheduled for the second quarter of 1999. The EMB-135 will use the same systems and engines as the 145, but it will be 11.6 feet shorter.
The company has appointed two managers in the Collins General Aviation Division: B.G. Thigpen, to manager of field sales and B.R. Vester, manager of OEM sales.
Let's face it, the people who operate business aircraft often speak a different language than the people who keep track of the money involved. If you run up to your company's CFO and breathlessly describe the urgency of new RVSM requirements, the move toward free-flight, or the great vertical navigation function in your new fully integrated flight management system, chances are he just won't get it.
A combination of existing management and Close Investment Management Ltd. of London recently purchased Oxford, England-based CSE Group from its Swedish owners. The new company chairman is Paul Lever, and Mick Daw has been appointed CEO. The CSE Group includes the Oxford Air Training School and Oxford Airport, and it sells Cessna and Schweizer aircraft.
Stead Aviation, a 30-year-old FBO in Manchester, N.H., was recently acquired by Wiggins Airways, an FBO and cargo carrier based in Norwood, Mass. Founder Ed Stead retains a seat on the Wiggins board, and Paul Taylor remains general manager at the Stead facility.
``Redundancy'' and the history of aircraft powerplant reliability were the keys that unlocked the regulatory door to the long-awaited rule permitting single-engine aircraft to carry passengers for hire under IFR (September, page28). Although the new rule carries an official effective date of May 4, 1998, aircraft and operators that meet the prescribed provisions may begin to operate sooner. Here are the four provisions (under SFAR 81 in FAR Part 135) that operators must meet:
Prospective employers of air carrier pilots now must send requests for pilot candidate driver records to the applicants' home state motor vehicle offices, rather than to the National Driver Register in Washington, D.C. But air taxi operators worry that the state offices will not be prepared to assume the new responsibility in a timely manner.
This is to recognize with thanks Features Editor Linda Martin for writing the bulk of the Intelligence column in the September issue while Intelligence writer Gordon A. Gilbert was on vacation.
Christian Gras, former head of Eurocopter Mexico, is the company's new president. Gras replaces David Smith who resigned in late 1996 during a Pentagon investigation into wrongdoing by the company and some of its executives.
FAA agreed to a 2200 hour curfew for takeoffs by aircraft generating 74 decibels or more at Van Nuys Airport. The nighttime curfew, which had begun at 2300 hours, will continue to end at 0700. The FAA also approved adoption of a non-addition rule prohibiting FAR Part 36, Stage 2 aircraft operations other than those already based and operating at the airport.
On October 1, a Connecticut state law went into effect eliminating the sales tax on the purchase, service and parts of aircraft with MTOWs of more than 6,000 pounds. This is one of several initiatives the state has taken to ease the financial burden on business aircraft operators over the last several years. In 1993, Connecticut replaced its personal property tax on aircraft with an annual registration fee (August 1993, page 30).
In spring 1998, Raytheon Aircraft Services is scheduled to open an FBO at Atlantic City International Airport. The $5.75-million facility will include hangar space for storage and maintenance, an executive terminal and a charter department. The operation also will provide authorized service for Raytheon turbine and piston aircraft. (316) 676-7111.
A fourth Global Express ultra-long-range business jet recently joined the test fleet. It will be used for 150 hours of function and reliability flights. Certification of the Global Express is scheduled for May 1998, followed shortly thereafter by the start of customer deliveries.
In January 1998, India airport authorities are scheduled to designate a separate terminal for business aircraft operators using the airport at Mumbai. The mix of airline and private aircraft passengers allegedly causes delays and coordination problems. Dedicated business aircraft terminals at other India airports are unlikely any time soon, said authorities.
Aircraft Integrated Systems division of BFGoodrich Aerospace received an STC for a HUMS (Health and Usage Monitoring System) for the Agusta A109K2 twin-turbine helicopter.
Congressional hearings might begin this fall on proposed legislation introduced in July to reform the FAA's emergency authority to revoke pilot certificates. Under the new law, the FAA could only order a pilot grounded if the NTSB upheld the order. The pilot could continue to fly while the FAA pursued its revocation case through an expedited appeal process. Currently, the FAA can issue an emergency order grounding a pilot pending the outcome of an NTSB appeal (September, page 148).
A decision this summer by the boards of directors for the National Air Transportation Association and the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association to combine their respective trade shows is paying off already. To date, more than 425 exhibit booths have been reserved by 210 companies for the Aviation Services and Suppliers SuperShow, scheduled for April 1-3, 1998 in Kansas City, Mo. This is two-thirds of the available space, ``leaving sales well ahead of projections,'' said NATA officials.
