Bombardier Model DHC-8-100, -200, and -300 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-69-AD; Amendment 39-12783; AD 2002-12-11) - requires revision of the applicable maintenance program manual, repetitive inspections for corrosion or cracking of the hook roller shafts of the flap carriage, and eventual replacement of the hook roller shafts with new or serviceable hook roller shafts. This replacement extends the interval for the repetitive inspections.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will hold its Safety and Security Certificate program Aug. 5-22 at its campus in Prescott, Ariz. Sponsored by the university's Center for Aerospace Safety/Security Education, the program explores flight department safety and security issues through case studies and on-site investigation at the Robertson Aviation Safety Laboratory. Participants will include American Eagle Airlines, Gemini Air Cargo, and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Phil Boyer, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, was honored by the Aero Club of New England with the Godfrey L. Cabot Award last month for Boyer's efforts to restore U.S. pilots' rights to fly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Federal Aviation Administration agreed to extend through June 14, 2003, the authority of Designated Airworthiness Representatives (DARs) to sign 8130-3 tags. The tags provide domestic airworthiness approvals for parts held by accredited distributors. The Aviation Suppliers Association appealed to FAA to extend the DAR authority, arguing that if the authority expires, "distributors will be left with billions of dollars worth of inventory they cannot sell" (BA, June 10/275).
Mooney Airplane Company, Inc., a subsidiary of Mooney Aerospace Group Ltd. (MAGL), received an FAA production certificate that permits the Kerrville, Texas manufacturer to build the Eagle2 (M20S), the Ovation2 (M20R) and Bravo2 (M20M) (BA, June 24/295). Jack Jansen, president and chief operating officer of Mooney Airplane, said the award of the certificate was "an important milestone." Since MAGL acquired the company on March 19 "we have been working to bring the production back online.
With FAA Administrator Jane Garvey's departure only a month away, the U.S. Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry called on President Bush last week to move quickly to appoint a new management team at FAA. The commission noted that FAA's senior leadership team is in transition during a "time of severe air transportation challenges." Not only is FAA Administrator Jane Garvey set to leave in August but acting Deputy Administrator Monte Belger plans to retire at the end of this month (BA, May 13/225).
FIRST SOVEREIGN PRODUCTION AIRCRAFT COMPLETES FIRST FLIGHT - The first Citation Sovereign production aircraft made its initial flight last week. The nearly two-hour flight of Serial Number 001 included stability and control checks and engine operation, including in-flight engine restarts, Cessna said.
CESSNA OFFERING VOLUNTARY SEPARATION PLAN TO SOME EMPLOYEES - Cessna Aircraft Company, facing decreased aircraft orders due to the slumping economy, launched a "voluntary separation" program designed to pare its work force by about 900 positions by the end of the year. A brief announcement noted Cessna's "16 years of revenue and employment growth, the longest in our 75-year history.
Nearly 10 months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, FAA canceled the temporary flight restriction barring flight below 8,000 feet within a two-nautical-mile radius of the World Trade Center site. While FAA eased the TFR over that New York site, it added several restrictions over landmarks including the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association also expressed concerns about possible government discussions about expanding the TFR over Washington, D.C. from 15 nautical miles to up to 40 nm.
Aircraft Technical Publishers has revised its Aviation Regulatory product line to reflect the new categorizations of security rules under the Transportation Security Administration. Aviation security regulations formerly fell under sections of Title 14 FAR, including Parts 91, 107, 108, 121, 129, 135, 139 and 191. These regulations are reclassified under TSA Parts 1500 through 1699, covering a host of security mandates.
FlightSafety International won European Joint Aviation Authorities approval for its Teterboro, N.J. and Dallas/Fort Worth learning centers to provide pilot training, administer license skills tests, and conduct proficiency checks on the Falcon 50/50EX, 900/900EX and 2000. JAA also approved Challenger 600/601 and 604 training at its Tucson, Montreal, Houston and Wilmington centers.
EUROCOPTER Model SA330F, G, J, and AS332C, L, and L1 helicopters (Docket No. 2002-SW-34-AD; Amendment 39-12786; AD 2002-12-14) - supersedes an existing AD that currently requires inserting statements into the Limitations section of the Rotorcraft Flight Manual prohibiting flight under certain atmospheric conditions. This amendment contains the same requirements but corrects, expands, and updates the applicability.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Wednesday approved by voice vote a bill that would create a two-year trial program allowing a limited number of airline pilots to carry guns in aircraft cockpits. The bill, a compromise of the version that the House aviation subcommittee passed in mid-June, would allow the Transportation Security Administration to train and deputize up to two percent of the total pilot work force, estimated at about 1,400 pilots, to carry guns in the cockpit.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee last week approved a bill to secure an agreement struck between Chicago Mayor Richard Daley (D) and Illinois Gov. George Ryan (R) to expand Chicago O'Hare International Airport and ensure the continued operation of Meigs Field. A companion bill in the Senate already has won Senate Commerce Committee approval and is awaiting consideration on the Senate floor.
Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) last week stepped up his efforts to ensure that charter operators meet more stringent security requirements. Kohl sent letters to his colleagues in the Senate as well as to Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta urging them to support requiring pre-boarding screening of passengers and their luggage for charter flights involving aircraft that weigh 12,500 pounds or more. "I am stunned that we have managed to overlook the threat posed by large charter aircraft," Kohl told Senate colleagues.
The full House, meanwhile, approved the Small Airport Safety, Security and Air Service Improvement Act, H.R.1979, which would permit the use of Airport Improvement Program funds to build air traffic control towers at small airports. The bill, introduced by Rep. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), would enable expansion of FAA's contract tower program.
Executive Jet Management, Inc. added nine aircraft to its charter fleet in the first quarter, bringing to 91 the number of aircraft it has available for charter. The new additions include Gulfstream IV-SPs in San Jose, Calif. and St. Paul, Minn., Citation Vs in Watsonville, Calif. and near Chicago, a Hawker 800XP in Reno, Nev. and a Hawker 700A in Seattle, Wash., a Falcon 900B in Wausau, Wis., a Gulfstream 200 in Cincinnati, Ohio and a Falcon 50 in Teterboro, N.J.
Nearly 10 months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, FAA canceled the temporary flight restriction barring flight below 8,000 feet within a two-nautical-mile radius of the World Trade Center site. While FAA eased the TFR over that New York site, it added several restrictions over landmarks including the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association also expressed concerns about possible government discussions about expanding the TFR over Washington, D.C. from 15 nautical miles to up to 40 nm.
Innotech-Execair Aviation Group opened an authorized Cessna Citation service center at Toronto's Lester B. Pearson International Airport. The 35,000-square-foot facility will provide complete technical services, including maintenance, inspections, parts, repairs, modifications, refurbishment and non-destructive testing. The new facility is one of 24 authorized Citation service centers worldwide, but the only one in Canada.
Cessna Aircraft Company, facing decreased aircraft orders due to the slumping economy, launched a "voluntary separation" program designed to pare its work force by about 900 positions by the end of the year. A brief announcement noted Cessna's "16 years of revenue and employment growth, the longest in our 75-year history.
The U.S. aerospace industry is heading toward a labor shortage in the next decade as mounting layoffs, coupled with a dwindling interest among students, continues to shrink the work force, the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry, warned last week. Chartered to assess the overall health of the U.S. aerospace industry, the commission Wednesday released its third interim report with a series of recommendations on boosting space infrastructure, the aerospace industrial base and the future work force.
The International Business Aviation Council has developed a new International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO), codifying best practices of the industry. IS-BAO is the culmination of two years of development that included input from flight department representatives worldwide.
The Department of Transportation announced June 25 it awarded a multibillion-dollar contract to a team led by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to modernize the Coast Guard's ships, aircraft and communications systems. The $11 billion contract, which could be extended up to three decades, includes $5.91 billion for operation, maintenance and sustainment for a total cost of $16.95 billion.
Summary: Pursuant to FAA's rulemaking provisions governing the application, processing, and disposition of petitions for exemption (14 CFR Part 11), this notice contains a summary of certain petitions seeking relief from specified requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR Chapter I), dispositions of certain petitions previously received, and corrections. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities.
