Mooney Aerospace Company named San Antonio, Texas-based Flight Training, Inc. as a factory authorized training facility for Mooney aircraft owners. Flight Training will provide a four-day training course as part of the purchase of a Bravo (M20M), Ovation2 (M20R) or Eagle2 (M20S), Mooney said. The training will take place at either Flight Training's San Antonio facility or at Mooney's Kerrville, Texas factory and include both classroom and hands-on flight training.
The National Air Transportation Association's Safety 1st program, in conjunction with aviation insurer USAIG, produced a wall poster providing tips on beefing up airport security. The steps included in the poster are printed below: 1. Greet anyone not known to you when seen near aircraft or on the ramp area. 2. Verify all vehicles on the ramp and ensure they belong. 3. Gather passengers and baggage at one location before boarding and after arriving.
An industry advisory group tasked with developing recommendations for regulating long-range operations and extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS), last week met for the last time and hopes to present its final recommendations to FAA by early next month. FAA in 2000 asked the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) to draft a proposal that would codify a series of informal policies governing ETOPS and other long-range operations under Parts 25, 33, 121 and 135 (BA, Aug. 28, 2000/95).
The Marquis Private Jet Card was picked to be a special featured gift in this year's Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. The card, offered by Marquis Jet Partners, is a one-year, pre-paid lease of a fractional interest in a specific aircraft, in 25-hour increments of flight time. The cost ranges from $109,000 to $299,000, depending on the type of aircraft. Marquis' fleet includes the Citation V Ultra, Citation Excel, Hawker 800 XP, Hawker 1000, Citation X, Falcon 2000 and Gulfstream IV-SP.
As an extension of ongoing cooperative research with the FAA, NASA is putting together a major initiative in aviation security and safety that should have a high profile in the agency's fiscal 2004 budget request, according to NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. A major thrust of this initiative will be the modernization of the country's overburdened air traffic management system. This effort "is really going to be the answer for so many of the commercial industry's woes right now," O'Keefe said during a press breakfast in Falls Church, Va., Oct. 10.
Fractional aircraft pilot hiring has picked up this year but still is lagging behind hiring levels two years ago, according to AIR, Inc. Fractional aircraft providers hired 901 pilots through the end of September of this year, up from the 843 pilots hired through October of last year but down from the 1,210 pilots hired in the first three quarters of 2000. Fractional providers hired a total of 1,038 pilots in 2001 and 1,363 pilots in 2000, AIR, Inc. said.
NASA PLANNING FY '04 PUSH FOR AVIATION SAFETY AND SECURITY - As an extension of ongoing cooperative research with the FAA, NASA is putting together a major initiative in aviation security and safety that should have a high profile in the agency's fiscal 2004 budget request, according to NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe.
Jet Aviation Saudi Arabia expanded its line maintenance support and aircraft-on-ground services to provide round-the-clock coverage in the region. The company's team of eight engineers has received factory training on Gulfstream, Citation, Falcon, Hawker, Global Express and Challenger business jets. Jet Aviation opened its first facility in Saudi Arabia in 1979 in Jeddah. It added a second facility in Riyadh in 1981.
The Federal Aviation Administration opened an investigation into a Santa Monica, Calif. "Aircraft Conformance Plan" designed to keep large business jets off Santa Monica Airport (SMO) and advised local authorities to suspend action on the plan until the issue is resolved. In a 10-page letter to the City of Santa Monica, FAA said it was investigating the legality of the Santa Monica Airport Commission's decision to recommend that the Santa Monica City Council adopt and implement the proposed Aircraft Performance Plan.
Model AS332C, L, L1, and L2; AS350B, BA, B1, B2, B3, and D; AS355E, F, F1, F2, and N; AS-365N2; AS 365 N3; SA330F, G, and J; SA-360C; SA-365C, C1, and C2; SA.316B and C; and SA.319B helicopters (Docket No. 2000-SW-55-AD; Amendment 39-12898; AD 2002-20-03) - requires a one-time measurement of the electrical resistance between the ferry fuel tank electrostatic ground connector and the tank filler neck before the next refueling of an installed tank or before the first fueling after installing a tank.
Accidents and fatalities involving U.S. business jets and turboprops continued their downward trend during the third quarter of 2002, according to data compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla. During the first nine months of 2002, the U.S. business jet and turboprop fleet experienced 47 accidents, including 12 fatal accidents that resulted in 31 passenger and crew fatalities. During the same period in 2001, there were 49 accidents, including 19 fatal accidents that resulted in the deaths of 66 passengers and crew members.
Jet Aviation Zurich recently installed its first moving terrain system on a Citation Excel aircraft. Using a GPS receiver and antenna, the moving map tracks and indicates aircraft position on the ground and in flight on a LCD-display.
Rockwell Collins won a contract from the U.S. Coast Guard to provide additional avionics maintenance and technical support on the HU-25 Falcon Jet fleet. Under a six-year agreement, Collins Aviation Services (CAS) will provide spares management, maintenance, repair and technical services on a fixed price-per-flight-hour basis for the USCG's fleet of 17 HU-25s. CAS provides similar support for the USCG's fleet of 93 HH-65 helicopters. The Falcons are used for search and rescue missions in addition to law enforcement and drug interdiction patrols.
CJ Systems Aviation Group was awarded a contract to operate the LifeFlight program based at the St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Ill. The program, started in 1984, serves 12 central Illinois counties. CJ Systems provides air medical service through programs in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, using nine aircraft. LifeFlight will operate two Bell 230 helicopters, six pilots and three mechanics to complete 1,200 to 1,500 patient transports per year.
CMC Electronics completed the sale of its Military Communications Division to Greenford, England-based Ultra Electronics Holdings plc. CMC said the sale was part of its strategy to divest certain non-core assets and focus on its aviation electronics, infrared systems and space electronics businesses. CMC said it would use the proceeds of the sale for further acquisitions and general corporate purposes.
A hearing before Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on the contentious issue of federal regulations governing commercial air tour overflights at the Grand Canyon turned into what one witness described as a "lovefest" after government officials, an air tour executive and representatives of the environmental community voiced support for a proposal to use an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process to help the various parties resolve their long-standing impasse over aircraft noise. The hearing was called by Sen.
The House aviation subcommittee moved to loosen the knot on flight training for foreign pilots by approving the Aviation Industry Stabilization and Reform Act of 2002 (H.R. 5506) last week. A provision in the bill, designed mainly to help airlines rebound, would exempt foreign pilots seeking recurrent training in the United States from undergoing extensive background checks.
Hamilton Sundstrand was selected to provide the emergency power Ram Air Turbine (RAT) system for Dassault Aviation's new Falcon 7X corporate jet. Hamilton Sundstrand estimated that the contract could generate more than $40 million over the life of the 7X program. The contract calls for Hamilton Sundstrand to provide the complete RAT system, including the air-driven generator, a generator control unit, a transformer rectifier unit, a deployment actuator, an uplock assembly, a restow pump and a release assembly.
House Appropriations Committee last week approved the $60 billion fiscal 2003 transportation appropriations bill that includes $13.6 billion for FAA and $5.1 billion for the Transportation Security Administration (BA, Sept. 30/152). The bill may be rolled into a fiscal 2003 omnibus spending bill as the government still operates under a continuing resolution that provides interim spending authority.
FAA's plan to review Part 135 and other business jet regulations is part of a broader effort to make FAA become a more forward-looking agency that writes rules adaptable to changes in industry, said Nicholas Sabatini, FAA associate administrator for regulation and certification. FAA needs to get a better understanding about where the industry believes the market will be in the future, Sabatini said. As an example, he wondered what Vern Raburn was thinking 10 years ago that caused him to see the market niche for the Eclipse.
Models AT-402, AT-402A, AT-402B, AT-602, AT-802, and AT-802A airplanes (Docket No. 2002-CE-03-AD; Amendment 39-12890; AD 2002-19-10) - requires repetitive inspection of the upper longeron and upper diagonal tube on the left-hand side of the aft fuselage structure for cracks and contacting the manufacturer for a repair scheme if cracks are found. This AD is the result of reports of excessive movement in the empennage due to the loss of fuselage torsional rigidity. The actions specified by this proposed AD are intended to prevent failure of the fuselage caused by cracks.
The Department of Transportation last week awarded a 10-year, $20 million contract to the FAA Center of Excellence for General Aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to continue research and development programs that would improve general aviation pilot training. Embry-Riddle was selected in April 2001 as the lead university for the center. The Embry-Riddle team established the center over the last year with a $2.5 million grant. "The research and training here are more important now in the aftermath of the Sept.
Despite years of acrimony and litigation about restrictions on air tour aircraft at the Grand Canyon to reduce noise, it continues to appear that not many park visitors are disturbed by the sound of aircraft. Under questioning from Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) during a hearing before the Senate aviation subcommittee last week, government and industry officials said National Park Service officials received only 20 to 25 aircraft noise complaints a year from the GCNP's five million visitors.
EDO Corporation won a contract from Sikorsky for a composite torque box as part of the Integrated Retractable Aircraft Munitions System for the Comanche helicopter. The retractable torque box provides a mounting platform for the Hellfire Missile and other weapons systems on the helicopter. The initial contract is valued at $2 million and could increase to $6 million, if all production options are exercised.
FAA TURNS DOWN AOPA MEDICAL PETITION - The Federal Aviation Administration turned down an Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association petition to permit pilots to use a driver's license as a medical certificate, saying the agency lacks the necessary resources to undertake such a change in the regulations.
