Dassault Aviation plans to upgrade the Falcon 900EX EASy through the addition of winglets that will extend the tri-jet’s range to 4,800 nautical miles, the company announced last week during EBACE. Certification of the new Falcon 900LX, which will replace the Falcon 900EX, is expected in the first half of 2010, with deliveries slated to start in mid 2010.
KELLY LINNELL was appointed customer service manager for Shadin Avionics. Linnell will manage Shadin’s Customer Service Department, overseeing support programs for Shadin’s government, OEM and aftermarket customers. Linnell has spent more than 14 years with Shadin in technical support, engineering, and manufacturing roles. He has a bachelor of science in electrical engineering degree from St. Cloud State University, Minn.
Jet Aviation plans to build up its base in the Western U.S. with the addition of fixed-base operation and maintenance facilities in Ogden, Utah. The Swiss-based aviation services provider signed a letter of intent with Kemp Development, Inc. of Ogden to open a Midcoast Aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility and a Jet Aviation FBO at Ogden-Hinckley Airport.
DORNIER 328 operators are slated to meet in Mallorca, Spain from June 3-5 at a conference convened by 328 Support Services GmbH, the Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany-based company that holds the type certificates for Dornier 328 jet and turboprop aircraft. Presentations are to be made on customer support improvements being offered by 328 Support Services and key vendors, such as Pratt & Whitney Canada, Meggitt, Honeywell, Thales, Messier-Dowty and Hartzell. In addition, 328 Support Services will highlight its ongoing work in cabin refurbishment and VIP conversions.
BARCO, the Belgium-based avionics provider, has received FAA TSO-C113 and European Aviation Safety Agency ETSO-C113 approvals for its 15-inch primary flight display. Barco’s 10-inch and 15-inch flight displays are marketed by Honeywell as KDU-1080 and KDU-1500, respectively, and are part of the Honeywell Primus Apex integrated flight deck used on several business aircraft, including the Grob spn and Pilatus PC-12.
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT received European Aviation Safety Agency certification for the Hawker 750. The newest aircraft in the Hawker family also won similar approvals from India, Mexico and Saudi Arabia. Hawker Beechcraft was granted FAA type certification for the 750 in February. The “light-midsize” aircraft has the same cabin as the Hawker 800 but adds a heated external baggage compartment that provides 32 cubic feet of additional baggage capacity. The eight-passenger aircraft has a 2,116-nautical-mile range with NBAA IFR reserves.
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VIKING selected the Honeywell Primus Apex avionics suite as standard equipment on the Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft. The Apex platform will integrate aircraft systems, sensors and navigation information, Viking said, adding that the systems will decrease pilot workload and improve situational awareness. The system includes two primary flight displays and two multifunction displays. Viking launched the new DHC-60 Series 400 Twin Otter in 2007 and has taken more than 40 orders. The Canadian company expects to begin deliveries next year.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100 & 440) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0521; Directorate Identifier 2008-NM-040-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to check the air-driven generators (ADGs) and modify their internal wiring, if needed, per the instructions of Bombardier Service Bulletin 601R-24-113, Revision A (dated Aug. 11, 2005).
APPH HOUSTON has developed a 12-year/5,000-landing gear maintenance program for Hawker business jets that allows operators to select from three options to comply with the manufacturer’s time-between-overhaul requirements. The program includes a package of APPH-manufactured hydraulic components along with new bushings and hardware. The flat rate program is designed to provide comprehensive TBO maintenance while managing cost risks, APPH said.
L.J. AVIATION named Bob Agostino vice president of operations. Agostino, a native of western Pennsylvania, spent 14 years with Bombardier, most recently serving as director of flight operations for Bombardier Business Aircraft where he spearheaded the development of the company’s annual Safety Standdown (BA, March 24/136). Based in Latrobe, Pa., L.J. Aviation provides aircraft charter, management and acquisition services for clients in nine bases nationwide. The company employs more than 100 and manages a fleet of 27 aircraft.
EADS SOCATA Model TBM 700 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0527; Directorate Identifier 2008-CE-027-AD; Amendment 39-15520; AD 2008-10-13] – Requires deactivation of the air-conditioning system, inspection of the pulley drive assembly for leaks and replacement of the pulley drive assembly if leaks are found. This AD, which resulted from an MCAI issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency, was prompted by a reported rupture of the aircraft’s alternator and vapor cycle cooling system pulley drive assembly.
EMBRAER EMB-135BJ airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0194; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-263-AD] – This proposed AD would require revision of the “Airworthiness Limitations” section of the “Instructions for Continued Airworthiness” to incorporate new limitations for fuel tank systems. This proposal resulted from an MCAI originated by the Brazilian aviation authority. The FAA estimates that this proposed AD would affect 49 aircraft on the U.S. Registry and cost U.S. operators a total of $3,920, or $80 per airplane.
AGUSTA S.P.A. Model A109C, A109E and A109K2 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2008-0524; Directorate Identifier 2007-SW-77-AD; Amendment 39-15519; AD 2007-26-52] – This AD requires inspections for swelling, deformation, bonding separation or cracks on each main-rotor blade with a certain tip cap installed. If any of these conditions are found, the main-rotor blade must be replaced before further flight.
MARTIN MALY joined BBA Aviation’s Engine Repair and Overhaul (ERO) international sales team as a regional sales manager. Maly will represent ERO’s service on 21 engine product lines in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and nearby countries. “Martin was born in Czechoslovakia and has compiled an impressive sales history in the region working for such notable companies as Exxon Mobil and Goodyear Dunlop,” said Willy Harmon, vice president of international sales for ERO.
EUROCOPTER FRANCE Model EC120B helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2008-0489; Directorate Identifier 2007-SW-59-AD; Amendment 39-15507; AD 2008-10-01] – Before further flight, remove certain spherical thrust bearings and replace them with airworthy bearings. This AD, which resulted from an MCAI originated by the aviation authority of France, was prompted by the discovery of a batch of spherical thrust bearings that are unfit for flight. Failure of a spherical thrust bearing during flight could cause catastrophic separation of the main-rotor system from the helicopter.
A recent Transportation Inspector General review of a spate of near midair collisions in New York airspace did not find any identifiable pattern of hazardous operations, but did note several reports of potential mishaps that appear wrongly labeled. The IG initiated the review at the request of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), who was concerned about five recorded near midair collisions (NMACs) involving commercial aircraft in the New York metropolitan area airspace during May 2007.
BUSINESS JET ACCESS (BJA) added a Challenger 300 to its Part 135 air carrier certificate. The aircraft has a 3,100-nautical-mile range and can seat up to eight passengers. Based in Dallas, BJA provides aircraft charter, management, maintenance and pilot services. The company manages 12 aircraft ranging from a 30-passenger BAC 1-11 and Gulfstreams, to Citations and Hawkers, and operates seven on its Part 135 certificate.
Bombardier Aerospace announced last week that its new, all-composite Learjet 85 will be powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307B engines. The airframe manufacturer also announced that it had selected Innovative Power Solutions’ advanced DC brushless starter/generator system for the new midsize jet.
The pilot and two emergency medical personnel aboard an Air Methods Eurocopter EC-135 medevac helicopter were killed May 10 when the aircraft crashed into terrain four miles east of the La Crosse, Wis. Municipal Airport.
EMBRAER EMB-135ER, -135KE, -135KL, -135LR, EMB-145, -145ER, -145MR, -145LR, -145XR, -145MP and -145EP airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0182; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-262-AD] – This proposed AD would require revision of the “Airworthiness Limitations” section of the “Instructions for Continued Airworthiness” to incorporate new limitations for fuel tank systems. This proposal resulted from an MCAI originated by the Brazilian aviation authority. The FAA estimates that this proposed AD would affect 704 aircraft on the U.S. Registry and cost U.S.
DUNCAN AVIATION completed the first Honeywell Advanced File Graphics Server (AFGS) upgrade in a Falcon 900B. AFGS integrates advanced graphics capabilities, such as electronic charts and uplinked weather, with mass data storage to provide for flight display application. Duncan recently equipped the Falcon 900B with the Honeywell Primus Epic CDS/R four-display major panel retrofit. The addition of AFGS is part of Duncan Aviation’s Glass Box Project, which it has been working on in collaboration with Honeywell.
UOP LLC, a Honeywell unit based in Des Plaines, Ill., is working with Honeywell Aerospace, Airbus, JetBlue Airways and International Aero Engines to study the feasibility of developing a sustainable biofuel that can be burned in the engines of commercial aircraft. Announced Thursday, the ambitious project “will focus on developing and testing renewable energy technology to convert biofeedstocks to commercial aviation fuels” with emphasis on “second-generation” feedstocks such as algae, which do not compete with food or water resources, UOP said.
AIRCELL began taking orders for broadband service that it will provide to the business aviation market. Aircell is offering Aircell Mobile Broadband Network covering North American operations and Inmarsat SwiftBroadband for global coverage. Aircell also is offering a range of equipment packages that can be tailored to aircraft type, desired features and the geographic coverage required. The broadband service is slated to begin in the third quarter of 2008 for the business aviation market.
MEDEX Global Group, a Baltimore, Md.-based company that bills itself as “the oldest and largest independently owned provider of global travel security and medical assistance in North America,” completed the acquisition of ASI Group (formerly Air Security International) Thursday.
