Operators of gliders should be required to install and activate battery-powered transponders during flight to help prevent midair collisions with other aircraft, the National Transportation Safety Board said last week, citing the circumstances of an Aug. 28, 2006 collision between a glider and a NetJets Hawker 800XP as the business jet was approaching Reno, Nev.
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U.S. AVIATION INSURANCE UNDERWRITERS paid significantly higher business jet hull losses for accidents in the U.S. and Canada last year, according to information compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla. While accident rates have remained stable or improved, Breiling said the introduction of significantly more expensive aircraft into the fleet is driving up loss totals.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Pratt & Whitney have launched the MRJ regional jet and its GTF geared turbofan engine, marking a renewed Japanese attempt to break into commercial aircraft and the arrival of a potentially revolutionary engine. First delivery is planned in 2013, as previously stated by All Nippon when it ordered the 90-seat MRJ90 version of the aircraft, although the airline thinks it might get its first unit in early 2014. A shorter version with about 70 seats, the MRJ70, is also offered.
AGUSTA S.P.A. A109E and A119 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2008-0327; Directorate Identifier 2007-SW-21-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to inspect for interference between the hydraulic lines and the tail-rotor control rod assembly, per the instructions contained in Agusta Technical Bulletin No. 109EP-73 (dated Dec. 4, 2006) or 119-22 (dated July 11, 2007). If interference is found, operators would need to replace the hydraulic lines with new ones.
The Federal Aviation Administration last week announced a series of measures to improve its inspection and personnel policies after a congressional investigation and a proposed enforcement action against Southwest Airlines (SWA) highlighted deep schisms within FAA’s inspector corps and called into question the agency’s reliance upon voluntary safety reporting programs with industry.
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to release an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) this spring to solicit comments on a petition from environmentalists seeking regulations curbing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from aircraft engines, a key EPA official told a congressional panel last week.
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION scheduled its Spring 2008 Day on the Hill in conjunction with a series of meetings by several of the association’s operating committees May 6-8. The events will open with an Airline Services Council Dinner followed by a day of legislative activities that will include a congressional luncheon, visits and a reception. Committee meetings will follow on May 8. For more information about the 12th annual Day on the Hill event, contact Kristen Moore at [email protected].
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ERIC HOFER joined Virgin Charter as senior vice president, sales and customer service. Hofer will be responsible for sales, strategy, and client services activities. He joins Virgin Charter from Travelocity Business, where he was vice president of North America Sales. He also held senior management positions at Lancer Management Inc., Tower Travel Management, Navigant International and Midway Airlines Corporation.
OFFICIALS OF EMBRAER AIRCRAFT are planning to announce details of the company’s two new models – the Midsize Jet (MSJ) and the Midlight Jet (MLJ) – and introduce major vendors for the programs this week in Washington, D.C. The manufacturer’s board of directors approved a go-ahead for the two new models last month (BA, March 31/142).
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China’s Avic 1 ARJ21 regional jet has joined the crowd of delayed commercial aircraft projects, with its first flight deferred from this month, as originally scheduled, to September. Supplier delays are to blame, the company says, without naming the responsible companies.
FlightSafety International named two men to jobs with significant responsibilities for building simulators and working with one of the training firm’s largest customers.
EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY’S Worldwide Campus is partnering with Aviorent S.r.l. Flight Academy and Aviation English Services to launch a new Aviation English language training program. The program will bring English language skills of international flight students, air crews, and air traffic controllers to an International Civil Aviation Organization Level 4 competency. ICAO established a standard for English language competency since English is the designated international standard for aviation.
EUGENE GRAY joined Shadin Avionics as director of business development and marketing. Gray will manage the Business Development and Customer Service departments, and will craft business development and marketing strategies for Shadin’s government, OEM and after-market programs. He has more than 27 years of business experience, most recently as director of business development for Silicon Graphics – Aerospace and Government sector.
Construction of Panama City, Florida’s new greenfield airport is underway and back on schedule for a May 2010 opening date, after the airport authority fended off moves by environmental groups earlier this year to stop the construction.
CHARLES C. MILLER joined M7 Aerospace as vice president – government business development, with responsibility for expanding the company’s government logistics support business activity. M7 currently has U.S. government contracts to support the C-20 (Gulfstream III) and C-23 (Shorts Sherpa) fleets. Miller spent more than 20 years in aviation-related duties with the U.S. Army. Most recently he was vice president and program director for DynCorp International’s contract with the Department of State for the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement program.
VECTOR AEROSPACE INTERNATIONAL completed the acquisition of the rotary wing and components business from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense (MOD) Defense Aviation and Repair Agency for 17 million pounds ($34 million). The acquisition includes Fleetlands Rotary, which provides maintenance, repair and overhaul support for the MOD Chinook (CH-47), Lynx and Sea King helicopters. Vector will rename the business Vector Aerospace Helicopter Services Fleetlands.
AVFUEL added Houma Jet Center of Houma-Terrebonne Airport (HUM) in Louisiana to its network of branded dealers. Based on the Gulf of Mexico 35 minutes from New Orleans, Houma Jet Center qualifies for U.S. Customs overflight exemptions and handles paperwork for its customers. The fixed-base operation also provides a range of passenger amenities, as well as services for catering, rental and hotel options. The FBO currently is operating in a temporary terminal facility but will soon break ground on a new 8,000-square-foot executive air terminal.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT COMPANY 172, 182 and 206 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-28433; Directorate Identifier 2007-CE-052-AD; Amendment 39-15403; AD 2008-05-09] – Requires removal of the crew seats, modification of the seat base/back attachment brackets and reinstallation of the seats. This AD resulted from reports of the seat base/back attachment bracket failing where it is welded to the seat base.
More than 13 years after the Federal Aviation Administration began requiring specialized training and experience requirements for pilots of Robinson R-22 and R-44 helicopter operators due to an inordinate number of serious accidents, the agency last week extended that requirement for another 15 months.
Business jet manufacturer Dassault Falcon last week named Jacques Chauvet senior vice president, worldwide customer service, a new position. The company said Chauvet’s appointment “brings more closely together the two support organizations (Eastern and Western Hemisphere Customer Service) under one worldwide leader.” Chauvet was previously senior vice president, customer service Eastern Hemisphere. He has been with Dassault for 27 years, beginning in the fighter jet prototype workshop in Saint-Cloud, France.
EMBRAER ERJ 170 and ERJ 190 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0361; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-279-AD] – This proposed AD, which resulted from an MCAI originated by the aviation authority for Brazil, would mandate that operators replace the clamps that attach the hydraulic tubes inside the wing fuel tanks, following the instructions of Embraer Service Bulletin 170-29-0006 or 190-29-0003 (both dated Oct. 4, 2006). Damaged clamps inside the wing fuel tanks could cause sparks, which could lead to ignition of flammable vapors inside the fuel tanks.
Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (HBC) named Charles D. Mayer to the new position of vice president, marketing, with wide-ranging responsibilities for marketing the company’s products and services worldwide.
