NTSB WANTS TOUGHER INSPECTIONS, STANDARDS FOLLOWING HIGH G-LOAD EVENTS - The National Transportation Safety Board told FAA it should require transport aircraft manufacturers to review and revise maintenance manual inspection criteria for aircraft that encounter severe turbulence and extreme in-flight maneuvers.
GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP EXPERIMENTS WITH SUPERSONIC FLIGHT - Northrop Grumman and its partners successfully demonstrated technology that reduced the impact of sonic booms, a development that could lead to supersonic flight over land, the company said.
General Aviation Manufacturers Association was selected to participate on the FAA team that is coordinating with the new European Aviation Safety Agency. EASA is slated to become operational Sept. 28, becoming the single organization overseeing aviation safety throughout Europe. GAMA this month participated in a daylong briefing held in Brussels by EASA to discuss the transitional issues, and will continue to monitor the new agency as it begins to develop regulations and guidelines.
Adam Aircraft is introducing a deposit program for its A700 AdamJet. For a limited time, a $100,000 deposit will secure an A700 at a price of $1.995 million. The six-seat aircraft, which has a 340-knot cruise speed, 41,000-foot ceiling and 1,400-nautical-mile range, flew for the first time on July 27. The A700 has since logged 36 hours of flight time during 20 flights. Certification and first delivery of the A700 are expected by the end of 2004.
Raytheon Aircraft Services appointed long-time Duncan Aviation veteran Harold (Skip) Madsen vice president/general manager of Raytheon Aircraft Services, responsible for the company's 12 fixed-base operations. A 23-year aviation industry veteran, Madsen previously was president and chief operating officer of Wichita-based Executive Aircraft Corp. He also held several positions over 20 years with Duncan Aviation in Lincoln, Neb., and Battle Creek, Mich. The company also named Chuck Curry general manager of its San Antonio base.
FAA SAYS LONG-TERM COSTS CRUCIAL TO STARS DECISION - FAA officials are skeptical that they can save money by changing terminal ATC modernization plans to combine Lockheed Martin and Raytheon technology, but promised to analyze this approach carefully in the wake of this month's endorsement of the plan by the DOT Inspector General Kenneth Mead.
The issue of privatization has stalled the longer-term reauthorization legislation. While Rockefeller's bill has captured the support of key Democrats in both the House and Senate, key Republicans and general aviation groups are still hoping that the full reauthorization bill will be passed before FAA's current authorization expires at the end of the month.
Mooney Aerospace Group representatives completed an inspection of a Spanish facility that will manufacture the new Mooney Speedster sport aircraft (BA, Aug. 4/48). Mooney President J. Nelson Happy and Robert Collier, director of production, visited Construcciones Aeronauticas de Galicias in Ribadeo, Spain, accompanied by members of an international aerospace consortium that included David Broadbent of BAE Systems and Christian Nielsen of Foxton Investments.
The Pease Development Authority (PDA) approved Port City Air to provide ground handling services to aircraft at the Pease International Airport passenger terminal, located at Portsmouth, N.H. The services will include baggage handling, aircraft cleaning, receipt and dispatch of aircraft, fueling, security screening and ground security coordination. Port City Aircraft Repair has provided aircraft maintenance at the airport since 1996. In June, the company opened a fixed-base operation at the airport.
September 20-23 - 72nd National Association of State Aviation Officials Annual Convention and Trade Show, Charlotte, N.C., (301) 588-0587 October 7-9 - National Business Aviation Association 56th Annual Meeting and Convention, Orlando, Fla., (202) 783-9000 October 23-24 - Embry Riddle Aeronautical University's International Conference on Team Resource Management, Daytona Beach, Fla., 386-226-6956, www.db.erau.edu/campus/departments/airscience/beneigh/index.htm
GULFSTREAM Model G-V series airplanes (Docket No. 2003-NM-190-AD; Amendment 39-13302; AD 2003-18-11) - adopts a new AD that requires a one-time inspection of the balance weight installation of the left and right ailerons for correctly installed attachment components and corrective action, if necessary. This action is necessary to prevent separation of the balance weights of the aileron, which could result in jamming of the pilot's aileron control system, subsequent loss of aileron control, and consequent reduced controllability of the airplane. The AD is effective Sept.
Cessna Aircraft is offering its CESCOM computerized maintenance service online for Citation operators. Cessna has provided the maintenance information system for more than 30 years and estimates that nearly 90 percent of Cessna Citation customers subscribe. CESCOM Online allows customers to access their maintenance records in real time. Cessna will provide access to the online system to CESCOM customers at no additional charge. For more information, visit Cessna's support site at www.support.cessna.com.
Greeley-Weld County, Colo. Airport Authority completed its airport expansion project that began in 1997 with the opening of Taxiway C5 late last month. The taxiway serves the north end of the airport's new 10,000-foot runway, which is equipped for precision instrument landings. The airport authority said the runway can handle "any aircraft in the world's business aviation fleet."
FlightSafety International's Teterboro Learning Center received FAA approval for its flight attendant training programs. The center will provide Part 91 and Part 135 cabin emergency training to flight attendants, pilots, maintenance technicians and frequent flyers. FlightSafety will offer a five-day flight attendant initial course and recurrent courses this year.
U.S. INDUSTRY TAKES ITS CASE TO U.K FOR PRIVATE FRACTIONAL OPERATIONS - U.S. government officials do not expect the United Kingdom to change its view that fractional aircraft operations are commercial, but they hope that a small group of business aviation industry leaders can persuade the British not to take enforcement action against U.S. fractional operations that meet the requirements of Part 91 Subpart K, a senior government official said. The industry group, which is meeting with the U.K. regulators Tuesday, Sept. 23 (BA, Sept.
CAE won contracts valued at $25 million (Canadian) to provide simulator training to operators at its centers in Amsterdam and Maastricht, The Netherlands, Brussels, Belgium, and Madrid, Spain. Germania Express and Netherlands-based Martinair were among operators signing agreements for training in Amsterdam. CAE also signed contracts with Transafrik and Ariana Afghan Airlines for training pilots in Brussels. Five more customers awarded CAE contracts for training in Madrid and Maastricht.
DOW is withdrawing its four-cent-per-pound temporary voluntary allowance (TVA) on all grades of propylene glycols, which are found in aircraft deicers along with many other industrial, pharmaceutical and other products. Dow instituted the TVA, which provided short-term price relief, in April after it increased prices on its propylene glycols. The discontinuation of the TVA takes effect Oct. 1. Dow said the measure was necessary because supply is expected to continue to tighten as demand increases with the winter months ahead.
National Business Aviation Association is planning a series of seminars as part of an overall education effort on the new Part 91 Subpart K regulating fractional ownership. NBAA initially is planning four one-day workshops throughout the country beginning in December. The workshops will be separate from the daylong session planned Oct. 10 after the association's annual meeting and convention in Orlando, Fla. That session is designed as a fractional ownership primer for those interested in getting into the market niche.
ITALIAN GOVERNMENT TAKES 20 PERCENT STAKE IN PIAGGIO - The Italian government provided a 20 million euro ($22.4 million) cash infusion into Piaggio Aero Industries and in return got a 20 percent stake in the Italian plane-maker. Sviluppo Italia, the Italian government's industrial investment organization, cited the company's "strong record of international growth" in its decision to make the investment, Piaggio executives said.
Banyan Air Service, based at Fort Lauderdale's Executive Airport, teamed with DeCrane Cabin Interiors to provide interior refurbishment in the South Florida region. Based in Tucson, Ariz., DeCrane is leasing hangar space at Banyan's property and using the maintenance facility's FAA authorized service center status to provide interior services. Banyan will quote and invoice projects as well as manage, inspect and approve all modifications and refurbishments. Banyan also will handle inspections, certifications, supplemental type certificates and returns to service.
AOPA Air Safety Foundation's free online Skyspotter course signed on its 10,000th student. The course teaches pilots how to file pilot weather reports, or pireps. "Preflight briefers do an excellent job of telling pilots about forecast weather conditions along their route of flight," said ASF Executive Director Bruce Landsberg. "But the only way to know what's really going on is to get a first-hand report from someone who's already up there. With more pireps, weather decision-making becomes much easier."
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) introduced a stopgap plan for FAA reauthorization last week as the expiration date for the current authorization bill draws nearer without approval of a new package (BA, Sept. 15/111). The Temporary Federal Aviation Administration Act of 2003 would reauthorize FAA and key programs such as the Airport Improvement Program through March 31, 2004 while Congress hashes out differences in the conference report of the multi-year reauthorization bill.
