NEW PIPER PRESIDENT EYES MORE USER-FRIENDLY AIRCRAFT MODELS - The recently appointed president of New Piper Aircraft wants to build on the company's brand to develop new aircraft models that will be easier to fly and more appealing to customers.
RONALD SMITH was named to oversee general aviation airports for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department. Smith formerly managed airside operations at Miami International Airport. As manager of general aviation airports, he will be responsible for Homestead General Airport, Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport, Opa-locka Airport, Opa-locka West Airport and Training and Transition Airport in Collier County. Like Bruce Drum, Smith began his career with the Miami Airport in 1976 as a clerk.
BRITISH AEROSPACE Model HS 748 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-22453; Directorate Identifier 2002-NM-139-AD; Amendment 39-14278; AD 2005-19-13] - requires modifying the undercarriage of the nose landing gear (NLG). This AD results from a report that pintle pins could be installed in an incorrect manner during maintenance without maintenance personnel being aware (or having feedback) that the pin was installed incorrectly. FAA is issuing this AD to prevent jamming or collapse of the NLG, which could result in damage to the airplane structure or injury to passengers or crew.
DAVIS, SENTIENT OPTIMISTIC ABOUT GROWTH PROSPECTS FOR AAFS - Tom Davis, the new president and chief executive of Atlantic Aviation Flight Services, and Steven Harkin, the CEO of Sentient Jet, which owns AAFS, are confident that both enterprises are well-positioned to benefit from growth in the air taxi market (BA, Oct.10/163).
Federal Aviation Administration will hold its 2nd annual International Aviation Safety Forum Oct. 20-21 at Westfield's Marriott Conference Center in Chantilly, Va. Co-hosted by the Department of Transportation and the Air Transport Association, the event will provide a forum for industry executives, senior government leaders and global aviation leaders to discuss safety risk management information and expand partnerships.
CESSNA NAMES THREE TO CITATION SALES POSTS - Cessna Aircraft named three men vice presidents in the company's Citation business jet sales organization. Mike Luethye is vice president, national sales West; Gordon Vieth is vice president, national sales East; and Trevor Esling is vice president, international sales. All three will report to Mark Paolucci, vice president of Citation sales.
BRIAN OLSEN was appointed president of Empire Aero Center, a Rome, N.Y.-based maintenance center that is a subsidiary of Israel Aircraft Industries International. Olsen has more than 20 years of management experience, previously serving as regional vice president for LMI Aerospace, general manager of Milgard Manufacturing, president of Sierra Manufacturing and general manager of Tramco, Inc.
Bell Helicopter named Patriot Aviation a Bell representative in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Patriot Aviation is headquartered at Cranfield Airport near London and operates a second base in Gloucester.
Quest Aircraft selected the Garmin 1000 integrated avionics suite as standard equipment for its KODIAK aircraft. The Garmin G1000 integrates all primary flight, navigation, communication, terrain, traffic, weather, engine instrumentation and crew-alerting system data and presents the composite information in sunlight-readable color on three high-definition displays. The KODIAK is a 10-place, single-engine turboprop utility aircraft designed for use in rugged operating environments.
CASA Model C-212-CC series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-22504; Directorate Identifier 2003-NM-281-AD] - proposes to restrict the operation of the airplane to carrying either passengers or cargo (but not both) in the same compartment, unless the airplane is modified to include an approved protective liner between the passengers and the cargo. This proposed AD is prompted by FAA's determination that affected airplanes, when carrying both cargo and passengers in the same compartment, cannot achieve the required level of performance.
The Washington Aviation community is preparing to welcome business aviation back into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Oct. 18 after a four-year hiatus. The first private general aviation flight since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks is expected to arrive at about 7 a.m. Tuesday.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey plans to unveil a new fee schedule at Teterboro Airport (TEB) that will include "substantial" rate increases Nov. 1 as the bi-state agency continues to grapple with ways to reduce operations at the busy general aviation airport. Port Authority Chairman Anthony Coscia, who met with federal, state and local politicians Wednesday to discuss possibilities for curbing TEB operations, told reporters afterward that the Port Authority is considering a series of initiatives to improve safety and reduce operations.
CARLYLE GROUP TO BUY BRITISH MANUFACTURER - Reinhold Industries, Inc. agreed to sell NP Aerospace Ltd., a United Kingdom subsidiary, to the Carlyle Group for 30 million British pounds (US$53.4 million). Reinhold plans to use up to $25 million of the net proceeds to repay all or most of its outstanding debt. Reinhold, of Santa Fe Springs, Calif., manufactures heat-resistant composite components for rocket propulsion.
EMBRAER Model ERJ 170 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-22561; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-136-AD] - proposes to require doing a general visual inspection of the passenger seat track attachments to determine if the attachment rod is installed and to check the torque value of the attachment bolts, and doing any corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD results from the finding of missing rods, which attach the passenger seat tracks to the airplane structure to absorb loads.
MARK RODGERS joined CSSI as chief scientist for human system integration. Rodgers previously spent 15 years with the FAA, most recently as director of system engineering in the Air Traffic Operations Planning Organization.
Ballistic Recovery Systems signed an agreement with Flight Design CT under which the BRS 1350 Light Sport Aircraft whole-plane parachute recovery system will be standard equipment on all Flight Design CT light sport aircraft delivered in the U.S. The CT designation stands for composite-technology: The Flight Design airframe is manufactured from carbon fiber and Kevlar to provide a strong, light and aerodynamically clean design.
Gulfstream Aerospace is claiming a new city-pair record for a Sept. 29 flight of a Gulfstream G550 between Shanghai, China and Dallas, Texas. The G550 flew the 6,671-nautical-mile route from Pudong Airport to Dallas Love Field in 13 hours and two minutes. Gulfstream Capt. John McGrath was pilot-in-command, while Gulfstream Senior International Capts. Paulo Jancitsky and Skip Wilkerson assisted. Also on board were four passengers and Flight Attendant Kim Buckelew. Some 60 G550s are in service.
Flight Options, the Cleveland, Ohio-based fractional aircraft provider, is offering three new options for customers who take advantage between now and Dec. 16. Buyers of a 3/32nd share in a new Hawker 400XP are usually entitled to 75 flight hours per year under a five-year agreement, but the company is now offering 100 flight hours per year for the duration of the contract with no additional capital requirement from the customer. Buyers of a share in a new Hawker 800XP will be able to fly at the lower hourly rate of a Hawker 400XP for the first two years.
NBAA RAISING HURRICANE RELIEF FUNDS IN SEVERAL WAYS - The National Business Aviation Association, forced to move its annual convention from New Orleans to Orlando after the Gulf Coast was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, has established several ways convention attendees can contribute to relief efforts.
October 30-November 2 - Air Traffic Control Association 50th Annual Conference and Exposition, Gaylord Texan Resort and Conference Center, Dallas/Ft. Worth, www.atca.org, e-mail [email protected] November 2-3 - Regional Airline Association Fall Meeting, Washington, D.C., (202) 367-1170 November 3-5 - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, AOPA Expo 2005, Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, Fla., www.aopa.org/expo November 9-11 - National Business Aviation Association Annual Meeting and Convention, Orlando, Fla., (202) 783-9000
ROBBIE LEFTWICH joined CSSI Inc., the Washington-based air traffic management research firm, as a senior separation and safety manager. Leftwich formerly was director of safety risk management for FAA's Air Traffic Operations Safety Service.
