CONGRESS EXTENDS FAA FUNDING FOR ONE MONTH - The House and Senate passed a continuing resolution (CR) last week that will keep FAA in business for another month as Congress decides on the fate of the besieged reauthorization bill.
BAE Systems Aerospace Controls was selected to develop and build a fly-by-wire flight control system for Sikorsky's S-92 medium-flight helicopter and H-92 Superhawk military derivative. The agreement also makes BAE Systems Sikorsky's preferred supplier for future fly-by-wire systems. The S-92/H-92 system will include a flight control computer, two pilot control sticks and sensors for processing pitch, roll and yaw. BAE said the system would decrease weight, increase the helicopter's flying range and/or boost its lift capacity.
A Bombardier Challenger 300 flight simulator won FAA Level C certification. The simulator is based at the Bombardier Aerospace training center at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Certification comes three months before Bombardier's Challenger 300 super-midsize business jet is slated to enter service. Bombardier expects Transport Canada Level C certification will follow shortly with European JAA Level C certification coming early next year. The simulator is on target to receive FAA Level D certification next year as well.
CHINA TO BUILD 100 AIRPORTS - China will build 100 airports over the next seven years at a cost of 113.6 billion yuan (US$14.2 billion), 35 more airports than initially planned. Most of the airports to be built will be high-altitude facilities in the western region, which is poorly linked to most parts of China. By 2010, the number of civilian airports will have increased from the current 143 to 243. Construction already has begun at 28 airports, while the remaining 72 will be built between 2005 and 2010.
TRIUMPH NAMES NEW PRESIDENT FOR CASTINGS BUSINESS - Triumph Group named a scheduled airlines veteran to head its castings business. Christopher Doan was named president of Triumph Precision Castings Co. The unit, based in Chandler, Ariz., produces complex investment castings of turbine blades, vanes and nozzles for gas turbine engines.
Mercury Air Group won a contract to operate a fixed-base operation at Long Beach, Calif. Airport. Mercury will provide full FBO and commercial fueling services. The new Mercury Air Center will include an FBO terminal with two adjacent hangars and a separate stand-alone hangar. Mercury will provide customer service, line service, hangar facilities and commercial into-plane fuel services.
Gulfstream Aerospace also marked a recent milestone, the completion of the 200th flight of its G100 business aircraft that is used to bring critical components and technicians to resolve AOG situations for Gulfstream customers. Gulfstream dedicated an Astra SPX business jet to tech support missions in May 2002, the keystone of its Gulfstream Airborne Product Support (GAPS) program (BA, May 13, 2002/226).
NEW SIKORSKY BLACK HAWK TAKES TO SKIES - Sikorsky Aircraft's UH-60M Black Hawk successfully completed its first flight in West Palm Beach, Fla. Test pilots Kevin Bredenbeck and Chris Geanacopoulos took the helicopter, Aircraft No. 1, on a 75-minute flight on Sept. 17 over the Sikorsky Flight Development Center. Sikorsky said the aircraft met "all objectives of the aggressive flight test development schedule, achieving forward flight out to 120 knots and successfully executing 45-degree turns."
HAWKER 700 TRAINING ACCIDENT CLAIMS THREE - All three persons aboard a Hawker 700A were killed Sept. 20 when the airplane crashed near Beaumont, Texas during what was described as a training flight. The 1978 model aircraft departed Houston, Texas for Beaumont Saturday evening, but radio and radar contact with the plane were lost shortly before 7 p.m. local time. The registered operator of the aircraft, N45BP, was Benson Properties of Houston, according to information from Aviation Data Service of Wichita.
GINA BEY was promoted to manager of special projects at Sabreliner Corp. She will serve as the team leader for the company's ISO/AS implementation and also be responsible for government and commercial proposal development and engine-related support for the Sabreliner fleet. Bey, who has worked for Sabreliner since 1986, will relocate to Perryville, Mo. for her new position.
PILOTS SURVIVE FIERY COLLISION AT RUNWAY INTERSECTION - The pilots of two single-engine aircraft survived last week when their aircraft - one taking off and the other attempting to land - were involved in a fiery collision at a runway intersection at the North Las Vegas, Nev. Airport (VGT).
ARINC commissioned a stand-alone test station at Eurocontrol's Experimental Center in Bretigny, France. The test center simulates air/ground data link messaging and communications between a ground network and aircraft in flight. The test station enables avionics suppliers to pre-test hardware protocols for the new ATN/VDL Mode 2 (VHF Data Link Mode 2) network ARINC is deploying across northern Europe.
WITNESSES SAY LEARJET'S APPROACH WAS WAY TOO FAST IN DEL RIO CRASH - The pilot of a Model 25B Learjet cargo flight was killed and the co-pilot seriously injured Sept. 19 when the aircraft ran off the end of a runway in Del Rio, Texas and crashed.
B/E Aerospace expanded the model mix of aircraft for which it can supply pneumatic de-icer products. B/E now offers Ice Shield pneumatic de-icers for the following aircraft types: Beech 1900D; Cessna Citation 501, 525, and 551; Cessna 210, T210, P210 Centurion, T-303 Crusader and 441 Conquest; Jetstream 32; Pilatus PC-12; Piper PA-600, 601, 602 Aerostar; PA-46-310, 350 Malibu/Mirage and PA-42 Cheyenne.
Bombardier Aerospace celebrated part of its heritage Thursday, marking the 75th anniversary of de Havilland Canada, which Bombardier acquired in 1992. Last week's celebration at the company's Toronto facility drew some 3,000 employees, retirees and guests. A dozen aircraft were on display for the anniversary event, including a 1928 DH Gipsy Moth, Tiger Moth, Chipmunk trainer, Beaver bushplane, Turbo Beaver, Turbo Caribou, Twin Otter and a Dash 7 airliner.
FAA TEAMS WITH GA ON ADVANCED TRAINING - Following through on one of its core goals in the agency's new five-year plan, the Federal Aviation Administration is moving forward on an effort to coordinate with industry and academia to develop training standards for advanced small general aviation aircraft. The FAA/Industry Training Standards Program (FITS) is designed to spur new flight training products tailored to the next-generation of general aviation aircraft, as well as emerging avionics, airspace and air traffic technology.
National Aviation Services will merge with DJ Air Services to operate DJ's cargo ground handling facilities at JFK International Airport in New York. DJ/National Aviation Services will maintain three locations at JFK and offer full-service ground handling to all carriers. Sean M. Gonzales, president and CEO of National Aviation Services, will become the chief operating officer of the newly combined company and oversee daily operations.
D'LONG RESURRECTS FAIRCHILD NAME, GEARS UP FOR NEW 728 - The new owner of defunct Fairchild Dornier's 728 regional jet program, D'Long Aerospace, has renamed itself Fairchild Dornier AeroIndustries GmbH. The company is based in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich at the old Fairchild Dornier headquarters and aims to restart the frozen 728 program in close cooperation with Chinese aerospace companies.
Jet Aviation in Kassel, Germany earned German LBA Design Organization approval for changes and modifications on avionics and instrument and electrical system installations. The approval covers piston and turbine aircraft. Jet Aviation's West Palm Beach facility, meanwhile, won a supplemental type certificate group approval to upgrade a Falcon 10 to meet reduced vertical separation minimum standards as well as install a traffic alert and collision avoidance system and a Sandel 3400 Class B terrain awareness warning system.
Business Aviation Advocates were pleased with progress made at a meeting last week with United Kingdom officials who want to decide how to treat fractionally owned aircraft operating into the U.K. U.S. government officials arranged the meeting in the U.K. to give industry an opportunity to make its case for the importance of fractional and other business aircraft operations to the U.K. economy and beyond. Business aviation officials believe U.K.
Stevens Aviation Dayton won FAA approval to install Honeywell's MK VI Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) and CAS-67 traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS II) on King Air 200 and B200 aircraft. EGPWS relies on global positioning system and terrain information to provide operators a picture of terrain and obstacles surrounding the aircraft. The TCAS II displays air traffic information and conflict advisories.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100 & 440) airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-50-AD; Amendment 39-13236; AD 2003-14-17) - requires the installation of protective tape on the fire and overheat control unit located in the flight compartment. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent fluid contamination inside the fire and overheat control unit, which could result in a false fire alarm and consequent emergency landing. FAA estimates that this AD would affect 160 airplanes on the U.S. Registry at a cost of $9,600, or $60 per airplane.
The Aviation Security Advisory Council Wednesday is expected to present a series of recommendations on enhancing security in two areas -- air cargo and general aviation airports. At the request of the Transportation Security Administration, the ASAC last spring formed two working groups to study air cargo and GA airport security (BA, May 5/201).
Lufthansa Technik has teamed with aviation recruitment and training specialist Blakebrook International to create Lufthansa Resource Technical Training (LRTT), which will provide a host of aviation technical training services to firms in Great Britain. LRTT will offer custom-made technical training with a core emphasizing compliance with the requirements of JAR 66, which governs aircraft maintenance through Joint Aviation Authorities member countries.
