ERA delivered its AirScene.com Noise and Operations Management System (NOMS) to the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport in Southern California. The system includes Era's MSS multilateration flight tracking system, WebScene community Web portal and a digital voice recorder for monitoring pilot communications.
Boeing and Northrop Grumman submitted their final KC-X tanker proposals to the U.S. Air Force Jan. 3, marking the next milestone in what has become a war of words over which company is offering the most suitable replacement for the KC-135.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL won FAA and United Kingdom approval for the training firm's second Sikorsky S-92 flight simulator, which is operating at FSI's London Farnborough Training Center. The FAA and JAR Level D certification followed an on-site evaluation at the Farnborough facility, which can accommodate up to 15 full-flight simulators and train nearly 4,000 pilots and maintenance professionals per month. FSI also operates an S-92 simulator at its West Palm Beach, Fla. facility.
Model F.28 Mark 0070 and 0100 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-29256; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-137-AD; Amendment 39-15293; AD 2007-25-11] - Requires modification of the nose landing gear door uplock bracket assembly in accordance with the instructions of Fokker Service Bulletin SBF100-32-143 (dated Feb. 15, 2006). This AD, which resulted from an MCAI issued by the aviation authority of The Netherlands, was prompted by two cases in which Fokker 100 nose landing gear doors failed to open in the normal mode.
SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT won a $7.4 billion U.S. government contract last month to supply 537 H-60 HAWK helicopters in a variety of configurations to the U.S. Army and Navy through 2012. The contract includes options for an additional 263 aircraft, spares and kits, with the total contract value potentially reaching $11.6 billion. Actual production quantities will be determined "over the life of the program based on funding allocations set by Congress and Pentagon acquisition priorities," Sikorsky said in a statement.
AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION is offering a new online security course. Developed in concert with the Transportation Security Administration, the course is designed for flight schools, fixed-base operations, aircraft owners, renter pilots and flying clubs. The course provides guidelines and simple security tips and expands the association's Airport Watch Program, which is modeled after neighborhood watch programs.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT'S top executive Jack J. Pelton agreed to continue serving as chairman of the Experimental Aircraft Association's Gathering of Eagles Committee for two more years, EAA said last week. The Gathering of Eagles event, held during EAA's annual AirVenture fly-in convention, attracts a broad cross-section of general aviation industry enthusiasts to raise funds to support the association's missions. Cessna also will continue to serve as the hosting sponsor of the EAA Gathering of Eagles event through 2009.
FAA is testing a new system at Las Vegas Airport designed to improve the detection of dangerous "microburst" winds in dry climates. The system is called light detection and ranging, or LIDAR. According to an FAA employee newsletter, the latest phase of LIDAR tests finished Nov. 30, during which more than half of all possible types of windshear were detected. In the dry microburst category, LIDAR detected 91 percent of incidents.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued an advisory circular this month providing guidance for certification of electrical wiring interconnection systems (EWIS) on Part 25 transport category airplanes. AC No. 25.1701-1 provides detailed information for manufacturers, maintenance facilities and modification firms on complying with Part 25 Subpart H and Appendix H requirements.
ATLANTIC AVIATION added its 70th fixed-base operation with the completion of the acquisition of Rifle Air, LLC based at Garfield County Regional Airport in Rifle, Colo. Atlantic Aviation CEO Louis Pepper said the acquisition complements the company's FBO in Aspen to better serve customers in the Rocky Mountains. Atlantic Aviation expects the Rifle FBO will be integrated into its network this month. The existing Rifle management and staff will remain intact.
Mooney Airplane Company reinforced its management team with the appointments of new sales, customer service and human resources executives. The company named Susan Harrison manager of international sales. Harrison reports to Rick Neely, director of sales. She rejoins Mooney after serving as manager of Texas operations for Premier Aircraft Sales in Addison, Texas. Premier represents Mooney in Texas and the Southeast U.S. She formerly held a number posts in marketing, delivery and sales with Mooney and also was a marketing coordinator for TBM North America.
JETAVIVA, a flight training provider with facilities in Van Nuys, Calif. and Albuquerque, N.M., has begun offering a Jet Familiarization Training (JFT) program for pilots of new Very Light Jets. JetAVIVA, which is using an Eclipse 500 VLJ, said the training is designed to improve jet pilot skills and allow pilots to gain experience in the Eclispe 500. The company is offering basic, intermediate and advanced course packages that include 10.5, 25 and 45 flight hours, respectively. The training also includes ground school, materials and cockpit procedures training.
AERION received more than $1.5 billion in letters of intent for the company's Supersonic Business Jet (SSBJ), the company said. Aerion announced shortly before the Dubai Air Show that it would accept LOIs secured by a refundable deposit of $250,000. The company named ExecutJet Aviation Group as a sales representative outside the Americas (BA, Nov. 12/217). The LOIs have come from customers in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the U.S. Aerion is pricing the aircraft at $80 million.
ECLIPSE AVIATION is "getting a very good response" from customers to the manufacturer's offer to freeze the final price of Eclipse 500 aircraft on order in return for an immediate up-front payment of $625,000 to help Eclipse through a cash flow bind. A spokeswoman declined to provide additional details last week, but said officials may have more to say later - the offer was scheduled to expire Dec. 14.
Ladish Company, Inc. plans to build a new investment casting foundry in Mexico, a project that will cost an estimated $16 million to $20 million. The decision to build a plant in Mexico was driven by "our unprecedented backlog of orders, approaching $600 million," according to Kerry L. Woody, president and CEO, along with capacity limitations at its existing facility in Oregon. Ladish is a producer of highly engineered metal components for the jet engine, aerospace and general industrial markets.
THE U.S. AIR FORCE will attempt to commemorate the anniversary of the Wright Brothers first flight today (Dec. 17) by flying a C-17 Globemaster from McChord Air Force Base Washington to McGuire AFB New Jersey using a 50-50 blend of synthetic fuel and JP-8. The Air Force anticipates certification of the C-17 using Pratt & Whitney F117-100 engines with the synthetic fuel blend in early 2008 and plans to eventually use the blended fuel in its entire fleet of aircraft and ground vehicles.
Because of the holiday schedule, The Weekly of BUSINESS AVIATION will not publish a Dec. 24 issue. The next issue will be dated Jan. 7. The deadline for receipt of advertising materials for the Jan. 7 issue is noon, Jan. 2. Please accept our best wishes for a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION issued a Safety Alert For Operators to owners and operators regarding new training requirements for pilots of CE-208 (Cessna Caravan I) and CE-208B (Grand Caravan) turboprops for flight into known icing conditions. The SAFO notes the adoption of AD 2007-10-15 earlier this year, which requires the addition of a supplement to the Pilot's Operating Handbook detailing "known icing equipment.
Promoted to vice president of maintenance for Voyager Jet Center (VJC), West Mifflin, Pa. A 30-year aviation veteran, he spent 18 years in various aviation maintenance posts with the U.S. Army and also worked at US Airways. Priselac joined VJC in 2005 as director of maintenance. VJC is an aircraft management and services company that operates the fixed-base operation at Allegheny County Airport (AGC) near Pittsburgh, Pa.
