ATR won a five-year global maintenance agreement from Italian carrier Alitalia Express for its fleet of 10 ATR 72s. Under the agreement, ATR will provide repair and overhaul services on a power-by-the-hour basis.
Gulfstream Aerospace's maintenance center at London Luton Airport was approved by Honeywell as an authorized service center for the TFE-series engine line, from the TFE731-2 through the TFE731-60. Gulfstream acquired the Luton facility nine months ago, its only company-owned maintenance operation outside the U.S.
AIR CRUISERS emergency evacuation slide/raft system (Docket No. 99-NE-31-AD; Amendment 39-13445; AD 2004-03-01) - supersedes an existing AD that requires a one-time unpacking and subsequent repacking of the slide/raft systems, identified by basic part number (P/N) with dash numbers and serial numbers (S/Ns) listed in the AD, and mandates repacking of all other slide/raft systems of the same design at the next required normal maintenance schedule of the slide/raft system.
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD last week was investigating the crash of a Beech B90 aircraft that killed three employees of EagleMed, an air ambulance service that operates in Hays, Dodge City, Garden City and Wichita, Kan. The aircraft had departed Wichita about 0810 Feb. 17 on an IFR flight to Dodge City. The aircraft crashed at 0858 in the backyard of a home in a rural area northwest of Dodge City. The aircraft was destroyed, but the circumstances of the crash were unknown late last week.
Trego/Dugan Aviation, Inc., the fixed-base operator in North Platte, Neb., acquired most of the assets of Avionics Systems, Inc., d/b/a Grand Island Aviation. Trego/Dugan Aviation, originally known as Trego Aviation, was started at the North Platte Regional Airport in 1970 by Gary Trego. For years the facility was managed by Trego and his wife, Terry. The name was changed in 1994 when Gary's daughter, Traci, and son-in-law, Vince Dugan, joined the operation.
National Air Transportation Association is hosting a one-day Tax Seminar for Air Charter Operators that will discuss some of the most common tax issues facing the Part 135 industry. The seminar will be held May 17 at the Las Vegas Hilton just prior to NATA's annual convention in Las Vegas. The seminar will cover application of federal excise taxes, state tax issues, international user fees, common tax errors, IRS forms, fuel tax credits, aircraft management agreements, personal use tax implications, and compliance with rules for carriage of elected officials.
Cessna rolled out the first Citation CJ3 built on the production line at its facility in Wichita, Kan. Unveiled at that National Business Aviation Association annual meeting and convention in 2002, the CJ3 is on schedule for type certification by mid-year. The certification flight-test program has accrued nearly 600 hours in 345 flights. Cessna recently completed induced icing testing and is now flying the aircraft in natural icing conditions. The CJ3 static test article has completed more than 200 certified test conditions, including the ultimate load test.
REFURB SPECIALISTS TEAM TO FORM MONTREAL CENTER - A group of aircraft modification and refurbishment specialists have teamed to build a new corporate aircraft servicing and interior refurbishing business at Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport in Dorval, Quebec. The new business, called Montreal Jet Center (MJET), is a joint venture involving DEM Capital, which provides aircraft maintenance and refurbishment, and Elisen Technologies, an aeronautics engineering company authorized as a design approval organization by Transport Canada.
EMBRAER ACHEIVES CERTIFICATION FOR 170 REGIONAL JET - Brazilian plane-maker Embraer secured Brazilian, European and U.S. approval for its 70- to 78-passenger Embraer 170 regional jet, the first of Embraer's new family of jets to fill the 70- to 110-seat market. The Brazilian Centro Tecnico Aerospacial and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration granted type certification last week for the Embraer 170.
CESSNA TO BUILD MUSTANG IN INDEPENDENCE, KAN. - Cessna Aircraft will assemble its newest entry-level jet, the Citation Mustang, at its facility in Independence, Kan., where the company's single-piston aircraft lines are produced. Cessna President and CEO Jack Pelton said the decision came down to Cessna's plants in Wichita and Independence, but said Independence had more excess capacity and would be a better fit with the company's planned approach to building the Mustang.
National Business Aviation Association has scheduled a series of training sessions throughout the country based upon its proof-of-concept security TSA Access Certificate (TSAAC) project developed in partnership with the Transportation Security Administration. The Train-the-Trainer seminars provide participants with materials necessary to train the company employees to meet standards required for a TSAAC.
Jet Source added a Citation I and a Learjet 40 to its charter fleet. Both aircraft are based at McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, Calif. Jet Source operates a full service fixed-base operation with 120,000 square feet of hangar space at the airport located just north of San Diego. It provides maintenance, avionics, ramp service, fuel sales along with aircraft charter, management and sales.
PART 139 FORCES SMALL AIRPORT UPGRADES - FAA's final revised Part 139 rule will require all airports to make at least some modification to their airport certification manuals, but the biggest effect will be on small airports handling scheduled commercial service of aircraft with between nine and 30 seats. For the first time they will have to be certified by FAA, after meeting a number of safety and operational requirements including Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) regulations. The rule was published in the Feb. 10 Federal Register.
LOCKHEED AWARDS EADS CASA DEEPWATER CONTRACT - Lockheed Martin, a lead integrator on the U.S. Coast Guard's 20-year $10 billion Deepwater upgrade program, awarded a contract valued at $87.4 million to EADS CASA of Spain for two CN-235-300 Medium Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft. The contract covers the development, manufacture and testing of the aircraft and includes a $4.15 million option for spaces and integrated lifetime support. The contract also includes the option for up to six more aircraft.
LIBERTY WINS TYPE CERTIFICATION FOR XL2 - Liberty Aerospace received Federal Aviation Administration approval for its two-place, single-engine Liberty XL2 aircraft, the first single-piston to win certification with a full authority digital engine control (FADEC) system, the company said last week. "The TC I'm holding right now is the culmination of four years of very hard work," said Liberty Aerospace President and CEO Anthony Tiarks. "The XL2 sets new standards for this category of aircraft."
FLIGHTSAFETY BUILDING NEW CENTER AT FARNBOROUGH - FlightSafety International is expanding its reach into the international market with a major new learning facility under construction at Farnborough Airport near London. Slated to open for training early next year, the center will have capacity for 14 full flight simulators, interactive classrooms, training devices, pilot briefing rooms and customer service facilities.
