— At 1905 PDT, a Beech 200 (N257A) collided with a tree while taxiing after landing at Henderson Executive Airport (HND), Las Vegas. Southern Nevada Jet Charter was operating the airplane as an on-demand air taxi flight. The airline transport pilot and copilot, and two passengers were not injured; however, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar. The flight departed Napa County Airport (APC), Napa, Calif., about 1700. It was VFR and no flight plan was filed.
The comments by Michael Boyd in February’s Viewpoint are totally out of line! The CEOs of the car companies should have sold those airplanes rather than use them to beg for money. Come on, that is just wrong. They should have let them go bankrupt.
I have a small, Hong Kong-based company that sells pre-owned aircraft, and crews and manages them in Southeast Asia. Now, I’m trying to start an FAR Part 135 operation in Florida, but I am having a difficult time financially, like many other pilots. We need some verbal help from the president. We are not asking for financial help . . . even though many of us could use it since his words have been spoken. I believe the president should retract or revise what he is saying. My father said one should take care of business at home before you criticize your neighbor. The U.S.
Phoenix-based StandardAero released 119 employees at four locations in April. The layoffs were caused by a slowdown in shop volume, spokesman Mike Turner said. Affected are facilities in Augusta, Ga., Houston, Los Angeles and Springfield, Ill. “This reduction represents less than 3 percent of our overall work force and will take effect immediately,” Turner said. “We will continue to review our organizational needs and if we see an increase in work volume, we may call back employees.” StandardAero currently has 4,000 workers, he added.
GBAS systems, such as SmartPath, use GPS to transmit digital guidance signals to aircraft on approach. While ILS systems must be positioned at the end of each runway, a single SmartPath system can provide up to 26 approaches. GBAS allows for simultaneous approaches on closely spaced runways, and in conjunction with required navigation performance (RNP), can handle several approaches to one runway optimized for particular aircraft types. Test versions of SmartPath are already installed at Memphis and Atlantic City, with several more Beta versions deployed internationally.
In the mid-1960s, Bell Helicopter started design work on the Model 206 JetRanger, a commercial, light-turbine helicopter that revolutionized rotorcraft operations during the next three-plus decades. From the time the 206 entered service in 1967 until production ceased in 2003, Bell delivered over 4,600 of these remarkable machines. More Bell 206A/B JetRangers have been sold than any other light turbine helicopter in history.
On May 4, 2007, a tornado of unimaginable force, measuring 1.7 miles wide, struck the small city of Greensburg, Kan., population 1,574, at 9:45 in the evening. It killed 11 people and shaved the top off any structure from about five feet on up, destroying 95 percent of the city.
“Kid on a Shuttle” (March, page 48) was a terrific article! On behalf of the thousands of cancer patients we’ve helped, and the thousands more we will help in the future, thank you.
— An airline transport rated pilot was making a personal cross-country flight in a Beech 65-A90-1 (N418SP). He said when he arrived at the destination airport in Soldotna, Alaska, there was three to four inches of new snow, and that the overcast and low light condition made everything look gray. He said the VASI lights were inoperative, and the appropriate NOTAM) was issued. The pilot said he turned on the runway lights, identified what he thought was the runway surface, and lined up the runway edge lights on his left.
— About 1100 Alaska Standard Time, a CASA 212 twin-engine airplane (N440RA) sustained heavy damage when it collided with terrain about one-half mile west of Kotzebue Airport, Kotzebue, Alaska. The VFR cargo flight was being operated by Arctic Transportation Services, Anchorage, Alaska, when the accident occurred. The pilot and copilot were not injured. It was IFR at the airport; however a special VFR clearance had been obtained by the flight crew. During a telephone conversation with the NTSB investigator-in-charge on Feb.
House Homeland Security Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) sent a letter to the TSA in March, urging the agency to delay action on its proposed Large Aircraft Security Program until a new administrator is in place to review the proposal and “engage with Congress and industry stakeholders.” The chairman also questioned the costs associated with proposed third-party audits to measure LASP compliance, the development of a prohibited items list and other aspects of the proposal.
Cessna Aircraft has introduced its “No Worries” program for prospective purchasers of pre-owned Citations in an effort to assure them that their investment in a used light jet will be solid.
The RTCA Task Force on NextGen Mid-Term Implementation (NextGen TF) was launched on Feb. 10. FAA Air Traffic Organization Chief Operating Officer Hank Krakowski underscored the importance of the Task Force in providing recommendations that will support implementing operational capabilities by 2018. Task Force Chairman Randy Babbitt stressed that this is a critically important time for aviation and that the RTCA NextGen TF has the opportunity to set the course of aviation for decades.
— At approximately 1115 MST, a Cirrus SR22 (N486CD) registered to and operated by Vector Resources LLC, Denver, was substantially damaged during an attempted go-around at Bob Adams Field (SBS), Steamboat Springs, Colo. It was VFR at the time of the accident and a flight plan had been filed. The pilot and two passengers were not injured, but one passenger did receive minor injuries. The cross-country flight originated from Centennial Airport (APA), Englewood, Colo., at about 1015, and was en route to SBS. The pilot said he landed on Runway 32.
Sikorsky announced that Polish operator Aircom SP Z.O.O. is the launch customer for the first commercial S-434 helicopter, a four-blade, more-powerful upgrade version of the S-333 single-turbine rotorcraft. Aircom plans to take delivery of its S-434 in 2011.
Daher, which recently acquired a 70-percent share in business aircraft maker Socata, has finalized an €80 million ($101 million) capital increase that will permit it to undertake a five-year €585 million capital expenditure plan. The plan includes a new plant in Nantes, France, dedicated to advanced composite aerostructures. The capital injection came through the purchase of 20 percent of Daher stock by two recently created French government investment funds.
Era Systems Corp. has been on a winning streak with awards to team to install ADS-B-based surface surveillance systems at Estonia’s Tallinn Airport and three airports in Turkey: Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, Antalya Airport and Esenboga International Airport in Ankara. The efforts will center on Era’s surface surveillance technology featuring its MSS surveillance system and Squid vehicle tracking units.” In addition, Era has been selected by Airports Fiji Ltd.
The NBAA has a great resource for hangar safety compliance that includes OSHA checklists and guidance for developing an effective safety program — www.nbaa.org/ops/safety/hangar. In addition to safety resources, the NBAA offers guidance for developing your procedures manual and implementing effective management programs.
Two safety experts interviewed by Business & Commercial Aviation for this report provided some operational examples that can be addressed by safety management systems. Ray Rohr, director, regulatory affairs, International Business Aviation Council — “The example I like to use is fatigue. You can put down hard hours to fly, which might work for the airlines but not charter; however, with an SMS, you can have performance-based rules that provide a safety objective and a process for the operator to meet it.
Gulfstream Aerospace has delivered more than 65 G150 airplanes since its entry into service in late 2005, establishing the new model as a strong contender in the midsize business jet class. Operators say that it delivers a nearly unbeatable blend of price and operating economics, runway and cruise performance, cabin comfort and reliability.
Many in our industry jeered at Brazil’s imprisonment of American ExcelAire pilots after the Sept. 29, 2006, midair collision over the Amazon that killed 154. Many of the same people cheered when the U.S. Department of Justice recently announced arrests and criminal charges in connection with the Feb. 2, 2005, crash of a Challenger at Teterboro. So, why do the same people have different reactions to these two events? Is it OK for our government to arrest people after an accident, but not OK for other governments to do the same thing?
A footnote on page 129 of the fiscal 2010 U.S. budget overview calls for “repealing some aviation excise taxes and replacing these taxes with direct user charges,” beginning in 2011. The budget did not provide specifics, but the charges would appear to raise about $7 billion, the same amount sought by the Bush administration user-fee proposal. This has drawn strong reactions from industry associations and congressional legislators.
In March, the FAA reassured Eclipse EA500 operators, at least for the time being, that it is not grounding the aircraft in the wake of Eclipse Aviation’s Chapter 7 (liquidation) bankruptcy. All Eclipse operations including certification, production, service centers, training centers and dealers are shut down. Initially it was thought that ETIRC Aviation, Eclipse Aviation’s largest shareholder, would bring the OEM out of bankruptcy and restart operations, but it is evidently unable to come up with necessary financing — sparking creditors to demand liquidation.
Canada is currently the only country in the world that requires noncommercial operators of turbine-powered aircraft to be certificated and periodically audited for safety compliance. Further distinguishing the Private Operator Certificate program is the fact that the Canadian DOT (or “Transport Canada”) has deeded its administration entirely over to the Canadian Business Aviation Association (CBAA) as a means of saving the government money and resources.
