CESSNA AIRCRAFT COMPANY Model 525 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0306; Directorate Identifier 2008-CE-014-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to inspect for missing firewall sealant between the aft firewall assembly and seal assembly. If sealant is found to be missing, operators would need to apply sealant between the firewall and seal assemblies. This proposed AD resulted from a report that firewall sealant may not have been applied during manufacture of certain airplanes.
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON Model 214B and B-1 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2008-0288; Directorate Identifier 2006-SW-25-AD] – This proposed AD would require creating a component history card or equivalent for each pylon support spindle assembly. It also would mandate inspections of spindles for corrosion, nicks, scratches, dents or cracks. Any unairworthy spindles would need to be replaced before further flight. This proposal is prompted by three in-flight failures of spindles that resulted in forced landings.
BOB AGOSTINO, director of flight operations for Bombardier Business Aircraft, resigned that post this month to pursue other opportunities. Agostino, who had been with Bombardier since 1994, oversaw marketing flight operations for the Learjet family of aircraft manufactured in Wichita and for the Challenger and Global flight demonstration teams based in Hartford, Conn.
DASSAULT Falcon 20-C5, 20-D5, and 20-E5 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0296; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-307-AD] – This proposed AD would mandate replacement of certain wing anti-ice flexible hoses with new ones of an improved design, following the instructions of Dassault Aviation Service Bulletin F20-775 (dated July 9, 2007). This proposal, which resulted from an MCAI originated by the European Aviation Safety Agency, was prompted by the discovery of a collapsed wing anti-ice flexible hose on an in-service airplane.
THE U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT in Denver, Colo. has set an April 3 deadline to accept bids for the April 4 auction of Adam Aircraft. The auction is for parties interested in buying the entire company. If that fails, the court would hold a second auction at the end of April to sell off the assets of Adam on a piecemeal basis. But the trustee for Adam Aircraft Chapter 7 proceedings, Jeffrey Weinman, said he’s received “quite a bit” of interest from parties interested in acquiring the company as a whole. The minimum bid for the April 4 auction is $10 million.
BUT THE STOCK MARKET TURMOIL is disrupting plans for some potential business jet users. POGO Jet, Inc. said last Monday it “postponed the initial public offering of common shares of the company due to current market conditions.” POGO is the startup company headed by former American Airlines executive Robert Crandall. POGO plans to offer “branded charter service” using a fleet of Eclipse 500 Very Light Jets. The company had been planning to take delivery of its first aircraft late this year and initiate service in early 2009.
JET FUEL DEMAND for general aviation operations in the U.S. is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 9.4 percent through 2010, according to projections in FAA’s annual forecast document. Consumption of GA jet fuel stayed under 1 billion gallons per year from 2000 through 2003 before jumping to 1.23 billion gallons in 2004 and continuing to grow since then. The agency estimated 2007 consumption at 1.65 billion gallons and predicted that total will climb to 2.1 billion gallons by 2010 and to more than 4 billion gallons annually by 2020. See chart on Page 135.
A cash infusion earlier this year positioned United Kingdom aviation services company Gama Aviation Ltd. for the acquisition of the PrivatAir Group’s U.S. business. Gama announced late last month that it had significantly expanded its presence in the U.S. and nearly doubled its fleet with the purchase of the Stratford, Conn. U.S. arm of PrivatAir Group.
ALLISON OHLINGER was promoted to customer service manager for Flightline Group, Inc. Ohlinger formerly served as an aircraft sales coordinator for Flightline’s SouthEast Piper and HondaJet sales activities. A licensed pilot, she holds a bachelor’s degree in international affairs and history from Florida State University.
BAE SYSTEMS (OPERATIONS) LIMITED Jetstream 4101 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0275; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-335-AD] – This proposed AD would require replacing the “Propeller Limitations” placard in the cockpit with a new one and revising the Airplane Flight Manual to include new propeller operating procedures.
JIM ZARVOS was promoted to senior vice president for Midcoast Aviation. Zarvos, who has been leading Midcoast’s satellite operations, added MRO and refurbishment activities at the newly acquired Savannah Air Center in Savannah, Ga. to his responsibilities. A 35-year aviation industry veteran, Zarvos will continue to lead the satellite operations in Bedford, Mass., Chicago, Ill., Palm Beach, Fla., and Teterboro, N.J.
Aviall, Inc., one of the largest providers of new aviation parts and related aftermarket services, plans to open a business office in India during the second half of 2008. The wholly owned Boeing subsidiary’s India operation will serve the rapidly growing Indian aviation industry and be headquartered near New Delhi in the Noida Special Economic Zone in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Aviall has appointed Sachin Taparia as the managing director of Aviall India. Previously, he was responsible for supply chain services at Aviall headquarters in Dallas.
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer reported net income of $489.3 million for 2007, an increase of 25.4 percent over the results for 2006. The company had total sales of $5.2 billion last year, a jump of $1.44 billion, or nearly 38 percent, over the 2006 sales total of $3.8 billion.
Appointed senior program administrator, final phase/service center, Supplemental Type Certificate, for Gulfstream Aerospace. Wiltse will be responsible for leading the aircraft manufacturer's initiative for Organizational Delegation Authorization (ODA) approval of Gulfstream for final phase completions and product support for STC certifications. He reports to Bill Whitton, vice president/ODA lead administrator.
The Federal Aviation Administration exempted Part 135 and 91 operators from most of the retrofit requirements in new rules requiring upgraded cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) and digital flight data recorders (DFDRs). The regulations, published in the March 7 Federal Register, call for increased duration of CVR recordings, increased data recording rate for DFDRs, physical separation of the DFDR and CVR, improved reliability of the power supplies to the CVR and DFDR, and the capability to record installed datalink communication equipment.
Gulfstream Aerospace unveiled an all-new airplane Thursday, the G650, offering customers the largest non-airliner business jet in the market with a range of 7,000 nautical miles at .85 Mach and an array of sophisticated avionics including both enhanced vision and synthetic vision systems to enhance safety and operational utility in reduced visibility environments.
March 18-20 - Professional Aviation Maintenance Association, 37th Annual Maintenance Symposium and Aviation Industry Expo, Dallas, Texas, (866) 865-7262 March 27 - National Business Aviation Association Regional Forum, San Antonio, Texas International Airport (SAT). For more information, contact NBAA at (202) 783-9000 April 8-14 - Sun 'n Fun Fly-In, Inc., Lakeland, Fla., (863) 644-2431 April 23-26 - Aircraft Electronics Association, 51st Annual Convention & Trade Show, Washington, D.C. Contact Debbie McFarland at (816) 373-6565
THE AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION Friday maintained that a recent DOT Inspector General report on airspace usage confirms what the association has long said - "that business jets are being subsidized by the commercial airlines and their customers.
Consultancy Forecast International projects that manufacturers of military fixed-wing trainers will deliver 1,550 new aircraft from 2008 to 2017, reaching around $17.1 billion total. More than half (784) of these new trainers will be turboprop powered, with jet trainers accounting for nearly all of the rest (748). The market for piston-powered military trainers is "dying out" and will account for only 18 aircraft during the same period, FI says. Overall, annual production will reach a high of 212 units in 2009 before gradually falling.
The Flight Safety Foundation is stepping up international safety initiatives through new partnerships in Europe and Australia. FSF teamed with Eurocontrol to develop strategies to reduce aviation safety risk. The two organizations are focusing on three key issues that they want to cooperatively address - mitigating risk from growth in traffic and air traffic controller and pilot shortages, creating a "Just Culture" in aviation, and promoting the SKYbary online repository for safety-related information.
Named general manager of the General Dynamics Aviation Services (GDAS) facility in Las Vegas, Nev., where he will oversee all aspects of the maintenance, repair and overhaul services the company performs on Challenger, Falcon, Gulfstream and Hawker business jets. Waymire joined Gulfstream Aerospace in 1997 as a production flight mechanic in Savannah, Ga. and transferred to the Gulfstream service center in Dallas, Texas as a senior technician in 2000. He left Gulfstream in 2005 to work as an assistant site manager, maintaining Gulfstream business jets for the U.S.
ERA was selected to provide a nationwide Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast surveillance network for Thailand. The contract, from the air navigation service provider Aeronautical Radio of Thailand, will include MSS ground stations providing next-generation surveillance coverage throughout Thailand and the surrounding territory. Era officials called the Thailand project a particularly important contract since use of the airspace is rapidly growing. Era also has recently won contracts to provide MSS for Singapore, Hamburg, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur and Munich.
Angela Gittens, the former aviation director for Miami-Dade County, was named to replace Robert Aaronson as director general of Airport Council International.
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT secured a number of international certifications - including European Aviation Safety Agency approval - for its Hawker 900XP. Hawker Beechcraft began delivering 900XPs to European customers in December 2007. The aircraft, a follow-on to the Hawker 800 series, also received certification in Australia, Aruba, the Czech Republic, Macau, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. The Federal Aviation Administration awarded type certification in August 2007.
