AERO JET SERVICES, a Scottsdale, Ariz. charter operator, opened a new hangar and offices at Henderson Executive Airport (HDN) in Las Vegas, Nev. The company has a Hawker 800XP and a Learjet 31A based at HDN, and a Challenger 601, Lear 55 and Beechjet 400 based at McCarran International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT COMPANY Model 208 and 208B airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0331; Directorate Identifier 2008-CE-009-AD; Amendment 39-15569; AD 2008-13-06] – Following the instructions of Cessna Service Bulletin CAB08-2 (dated Feb. 4, 2008), inspect the left and right wing wire bundles and repair or replace damaged wire. Also, inspect the wire bundles for correct attachment to the anchor points, and correct any deficient attachments.
PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA PW305A and PW305B engines [Docket No. FAA-2008-0664; Directorate Identifier 2008-NE-04-AD; Amendment 39-15579; AD 2008-13-16] – Requires identification and removal from service of certain low-pressure compressor fan blades, per the instructions of P&WC Alert Service Bulletin 24595 (issued Nov. 27, 2007). This AD, which resulted from an MCAI issued by Transport Canada, was prompted by two incidents in which fan blade dislodgements occurred because of blade fracture.
Ross Aviation LLC acquired another fixed-base operation, the former Lacey’s Serv-a-Jet, Inc. facility in Laredo, Texas. Ross said the newly redesignated Laredo Aero Center is the largest FBO at the airport. The FBO was founded by Doug Lacey and two associates in 1975. The business occupies nearly 100,000 square feet of newly renovated hangar, office and terminal space. Lacey will remain as general manager of the facility. Laredo is a primary port of entry into the U.S. from Mexico and other nations to the south.
Bombardier has decided to offer five variants of its CSeries, including a hot and high version of its larger 130-seater, and has significantly overhauled specifications for the entire aircraft family. The changes, contained in a design update confirmed in May but only now emerging, coincide with increased speculation that the Chinese, which require aircraft capable of landing on short runways at high altitudes, will launch the CSeries. Bombardier has said it will make a launch decision this fiscal year, which ends Jan. 31.
Lufthansa Technik (LHT) will use radio frequency identification (RFID) systems from Motorola to track aircraft components. The company-wide implementation follows trials at LHT’s Hamburg maintenance center. For the initial phase, LHT will apply RFID tags to documents accompanying aircraft components, but plans are already being developed to directly tag the spare parts.
Last week’s midair collision between two emergency medical service (EMS) helicopters en route to the same helicopter landing area at a Flagstaff, Ariz. hospital has focused public and regulatory attention on the dismal safety statistics of the U.S. EMS industry. The accident happened June 29 in clear daylight conditions and involved two Bell 407 helicopters – N407GA operated by Air Methods, and N407MJ, operated by Classic Helicopters. The collision occurred about 3:48 p.m. local time within one-quarter mile of the Flagstaff Medical Center.
TRIUMPH GROUP announced the unexpected death June 28 of William O. Albertini, a member of the company’s board of directors. Albertini had been a Triumph director since 1999 and chaired the board’s audit committee. Before joining Triumph’s board, Albertini was executive vice president and chief financial officer of Bell Atlantic Corp. from 1991-1997, and then held the same title with Bell Atlantic’s Global Wireless unit for two years before retiring in 1999.
TURBOMECA S.A. Arriel 1E2, 1S, and 1S1 engines [Docket No. FAA-2008-0681; Directorate Identifier 2008-NE-13-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to conduct a one-time inspection to ensure that the correct plug is installed on the fuel control unit three-way union and verify that the plug’s torque is set at between 1.3 and 1.5 daN, per the instructions of Turbomeca Mandatory Service Bulletin 292 73 0817 (dated March 13, 2008).
GARY HALE joined Century CRM, LLC as an instructor. Hale began flying in the U.S. Air Force as a pilot in a KC-135 aerial refueling squadron and progressed to aircraft commander, instructor pilot and flight examiner. He left the Air Force to pursue a career in commercial aviation, and currently is a Boeing 737-800 captain. Based in Peachtree City, Ga., Century CRM provides human factors and crew resource management training for charter and corporate flight crews as well as individual pilots.
A commitment from European officials to make significant changes to certification and validation fees helped open the door for U.S. and European officials to sign a comprehensive Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA). The agreement, signed last week by FAA acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell and European Commission Vice President in charge of Transport Antonio Tajani, sets the stage for the FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency to cooperate on a number of key safety issues including aircraft certification, environmental approvals and maintenance.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into a Delta Connection ERJ-170 runway overrun on a snowy day in Cleveland led the agency to renew its calls for runway landing distance assessments and stronger rest rules and issue a series of new recommendations seeking improved pilot decision-making during landing.
Textron, Inc. named former GE Aviation President Scott C. Donnelly as executive vice president and chief operating officer last week, and GE announced the promotion of 28-year company veteran David Joyce to replace Donnelly as head of its aviation unit.
Van Nuys, CA VNY CRS #DWHR329D NOW OPEN St. Louis, MO SUS CRS #DELR158D Philadelphia, PA MQS CRS #U7JR551L Dallas, TX DAL COMING SOON Growing in Scope. Keeping our Focus. MAINTENANCE, COMPONENTS, AVIONICS AND INTERIORS AOG 314.602.5366
ROBERT (BOB) JOHNSON, the former Honeywell Aerospace executive, retired from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise Holding (DAE). Johnson, who joined Honeywell in 1994, retired as president and CEO of that company in early 2005. Johnson, 60, became group chief executive officer of DAE in July 2006. Earlier this year, DAE consolidated the MRO businesses of the former Landmark Aviation; the well-known modification and completion center, Associated Air Center; and Standard Aero under the new StandardAero banner.
STEPHEN THOMPSON was promoted to assistant manager of FlightSafety International’s learning center in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. A 35-year aviation veteran, Thompson joined FlightSafety in 2000 as an instructor. Since then he has served as a training center examiner, program manager, director of standards and most recently director of training. He also has flown for Business Express Airlines and was a project engineer, marketing specialist and operations analyst for General Dynamics Corp. He spent six years with the U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Command.
THE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION formally resubmitted a proposal last week on large private aircraft security to the Office of Management and Budget for review. The notice of proposed rulemaking was first sent to OMB for review late last year, but OMB raised a number of questions, forcing TSA to withdraw the proposal and continue working on it (BA, Jan. 21/23). The proposal, which focuses on private aircraft that weigh more than 12,500 pounds, will include requirements for both operators of the aircraft and airports that serve them.
AVIATION FABRICATORS (AvFab) secured FAA supplemental type certification for installation of its one-, two- and three-place side-facing divans on Cessna 441 aircraft. AvFab, the cabin and interior component specialist based in Clinton, Mo., said the STC provides customers with flexibility to customize their aircraft by using unused space and increasing capacity. The STC includes the removal of existing seats and furnishings along with installation of the divans.
THE AIRPORT AT LHASA, TIBET is accepting night flights for the first time in its 43-year history, thanks to Required Navigation Performance (RNP) approaches and recently installed runway lights. The RNP approaches were created by Naverus and tested by Air China and China’s Aviation Administration. Daytime RNP approaches have been used at Lhasa since 2005.
WAYMAN AVIATION SERVICE, a flight training specialist based at Opa-Locka Executive Airport in Miami-Dade, Fla., installed a Frasca MENTOR advanced aviation training device for general aviation pilot and student training. The MENTOR is based on the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit for use in initial, glass-transition or recurrent training. Wayman noted that the Mentor can be used to satisfy up to half of the 40-hour requirement for an instrument rating, 50 hours toward a commercial pilot certificate and two and one-half hours toward a private pilot certificate.
THE MICHELIN GROUP is raising the prices of its aircraft tires by 9 percent beginning this month, the company announced last week. The price increase was part of a broader price hike that Michelin implemented across several of its product lines, including tires for passenger vehicles, commercial trucks, motorcycles, scooters and bicycles. Michelin said the move was driven by “continuing increases in raw material, energy and transportation costs.” The price increases ranged from 8 percent to 15 percent, depending on the product line.
The U.S. Transportation Department Inspector General is asking FAA to reconsider its position on two of the IG’s recommendations stemming from its continuing audit of FAA’s safety oversight of airlines, regulatory partnership programs and the Air Transportation Oversight System.
The Federal Aviation Administration recently approved an updated noise compatibility program (NCP) for Ohio’s Port Columbus International Airport (CMH), home of fractional aircraft provider NetJets. The revised program, which was submitted by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, is a combination of more than two dozen existing, amended and new actions to mitigate noise, many of which the FAA had approved back in 2001. Notable elements of the revised NCP include:
The Federal Aviation Administration is reviewing proposed noise compatibility programs for Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport (LAS) and Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO) in Greensboro, N.C. and is accepting public comments on those plans through the first week of August.
The Federal Aviation Administration is coming under yet another Department of Transportation Inspector General investigation, this time for its handling of the certification of the Eclipse 500 nearly two years ago (BA, Oct. 9, 2007/160). The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which has requested at least three reviews of FAA airline oversight in the past year, asked for the IG to examine the Eclipse 500 certification process.
