HONEYWELL PICKED TO SUPPLY APEX AVIONICS FOR EXTRA EA-500 - Extra Aircraft awarded Honeywell a contract to supply its APEX integrated cockpit for the Extra EA-500 single-engine turboprop. Honeywell will supply an avionics suite that includes two 10.4-inch-diagonal active matrix liquid crystal displays, a flight management system, digital communication and navigation radios, a flight management system and dual-channel air data attitude heading reference system.
BAE SYSTEMS Jetstream Model 4101 airplanes (Docket No. 2002-NM-208-AD) - proposes to require operators to determine the flight cycles accumulated on each component of the main landing gear and the nose landing gear, and to replace each component that reaches its life limit with a serviceable component. This proposal also would require operators to revise the Airworthiness Limitations section of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness in the aircraft maintenance manual to reflect the new life limits.
Flightsafety International added Learjet 35/35A and King Air 350 simulators to its learning center in Atlanta, Ga. The Learjet simulator is Level C approved and incorporates a VITAL VIII daylight visual system. FlightSafety's Atlanta center also houses Learjet Model 31A, 45 and 60 simulators. Other FlightSafety centers that provide Learjet training are based in Tucson, Ariz.; Wichita, Kan. and West Palm Beach, Fla. The King Air 350 simulator joins a King Air 200 trainer at FlightSafety's Atlanta base.
EMBRAER Model EMB-135 and -145 series airplanes (Docket No. 2002-NM-178-AD; Amendment 39-13512; AD 2004-05-17) - supersedes an existing AD that requires repetitive inspections to detect discrepancies of both vertical-to-horizontal stabilizer bonding jumpers and the connecting support structure, and corrective action if necessary. This amendment requires modification of the bonding jumpers, including the installation of a protective cover to the elevator control cables, which terminates the requirements of the existing AD.
CESSNA BOOSTS CJ3 PERFORMANCE, EQUIPMENT - Cessna Aircraft has upgraded its CJ3 to include a standard FMS performance database and has improved the aircraft's payload specification by 70 pounds as the entry-level business jet nears certification. Cessna originally offered the FMS performance database as an option aboard the CJ3 but has decided to make the equipment standard.
FlightSafety International added features to its web-based customer service MyFlightSafety (www.myflightsafety.com) that will assist customers with record keeping and training management. MyFlightSafety users will be able to view and print training records with electronic signatures and manage multiple accounts with a single log-in. Launched in 2003 by FlightSafety International, the Web site has drawn more than 3,000 FlightSafety customers.
Conklin & De Decker released the latest version of its Aircraft Cost Evaluator software package that provides information on direct costs, fixed costs and annual budgeting. The package also includes information on fractional ownership as well as pilot reports, aircraft interior and exterior diagrams, photos and histories. The edition includes more than 380 jets, turboprops, helicopters and piston aircraft.
Aircraft Electronics Association's 46th Annual International Convention and Trade Show, held March 29 through April 1 in Las Vegas, Nev., attracted a record 1,650 attendees and 143 exhibitors that filled 222 booth spaces. Attendance jumped 16 percent from the 2003 event.
SBA ADVOCACY OFFICE CALLS ON FAA TO SHELVE AIR TOUR RULE - After meeting with a number of air tour representatives, the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy sent a 10-page letter urging FAA Administrator Marion Blakey to shelve the agency's proposal to establish new safety standards for air tour operators and charity sightseeing flights. The SBA office recently met with several aviation groups who brought up concerns that the rule could have a devastating impact on charity sightseeing and air tour businesses.
Massport once again is examining peak-hour pricing schemes for Logan International Airport in Boston, BA affiliate Airports reported. Massport spokeswoman Barbara Platt said that when FAA approved the construction of long-delayed Runway 14/32, one of its conditions was that Massport submit a peak-pricing study before construction could begin. Massport expects to submit a report by late spring, but no date is set.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-102, -103, -106, -201, -202, -301, -311, and -315 airplanes (Docket No. 2003-NM-258-AD; Amendment 39-13516; AD 2004-05-21) - requires lubrication of the flap actuators, repetitive measurements ("checks") of the backlash of the flap actuators, determination of the next backlash measurement interval, and replacement of discrepant actuators with new or overhauled actuators if necessary.
Raytheon Aircraft Charter & Management recently added four aircraft to its charter fleet - a Challenger 604 based in Cincinnati, Ohio; a Gulfstream IV in Houston, Texas; a Beechjet 400A in Houston, Texas and a Beechcraft King Air B200 in Van Nuys, Calif. Raytheon Aircraft Charter & Management added seven aircraft to its charter certificate in 2003. Founded in 1999, the Raytheon unit operates a fleet of aircraft that includes Challengers, Gulfstreams, Hawkers, Learjets, Citations, Diamond Jets and King Airs throughout the nation.
Massport once again is examining peak-hour pricing schemes for Logan International Airport in Boston, BA affiliate Airports reported. Massport spokeswoman Barbara Platt said that when FAA approved the construction of long-delayed Runway 14/32, one of its conditions was that Massport submit a peak-pricing study before construction could begin. Massport expects to submit a report by late spring, but no date is set.
CESSNA BOOSTS CJ3 PERFORMANCE, EQUIPMENT - Cessna Aircraft has upgraded its CJ3 to include a standard FMS performance database and has improved the aircraft's payload specification by 70 pounds as the entry-level business jet nears certification. Cessna originally offered the FMS performance database as an option aboard the CJ3 but has decided to make the equipment standard.
SIKORSKY CHAIRMAN BORGMAN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT - Sikorsky Aircraft Chairman Dean Borgman announced plans to retire July 1 following five decades of service in the helicopter industry. Borgman was named chairman of Sikorsky in 2003 and before that was president for five years. Before joining Sikorsky he was senior vice president overseeing Boeing's helicopter facility in Mesa, Ariz. He joined the Boeing unit as part of the merger with McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Company, where he had served as president. Borgman also served in the U.S. Army Aviation Command.
COREY HOOVER was appointed manager-engineering in avionics for Raytheon Aircraft Services. Hoover will oversee all engineering project management for RAS's 11 fixed-base operations in U.S. and Mexico and coordinate factory support. He has held a number of engineering-related positions at Gulfstream Aerospace and Honeywell. He holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Wyoming.
Mercury Air Group's sale of its chain of Mercury Air Centers fixed-base operations, which originally had been targeted to close by yearend, is now expected to be completed within a few weeks. Mercury said last fall that it planned to sell the FBOs to Allied Capital Corp. of Washington, D.C. (BA, Nov. 10/212).
KATRINA BRADSHAW was named director of membership marketing for the Experimental Aircraft Association. Bradshaw has 10 years of experience in aviation association marketing with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and spent three years with Young & Rubicam in New York. She also had her own creative consulting business.
April 13-19 - Sun 'n' Fun Fly-In, Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL), Lakeland, Fla., (863) 644-2431 April 15-17 - Latin American Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (LABACE2004), Sao Paulo, Brazil, (202) 783-9000 April 20-22 - Society of Automotive Engineers, SAE 2004 General Aviation Technology Conference and Exhibition, Century II Convention Center, Wichita, Kan., (724) 772-7131 or [email protected] April 27-29 - Flight Safety Foundation/National Business Aviation Association Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar, Tucson, Ariz., (202) 783-9000 May 1
TIMCO SELLS MIRAMAR, FLA. FACILITY - TIMCO Aviation Services sold its former headquarters and warehouse facility in Miramar, Fla., the company announced late last month. The overwhelming majority of the $26 million in proceeds "were used to pay in full the tax retention operating lease (TROL) obligation associated with the construction of the facility." The remaining proceeds of approximately $500,000 will be used for working capital. TIMCO relocated its headquarters to Greensboro, N.C. in 2001, and the company had been subleasing the Miramar facility since then.
