NTSB CITES SPATIAL DISORIENTATION IN CARNAHAN CRASH -- Pilot spatial disorientation complicated by a faulty attitude indicator was the likely reason a Cessna 335 crashed near Hillsboro, Mo. Oct. 16, 2000, killing former Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan (D), his son Randy and his campaign aide, Chris Sifford, the National Transportation Safety Board reaffirmed in its final accident report released last week. The accident gained national attention as the former governor, who was in a contentious and close Senate race with then Sen.
DASSAULT FALCON JET has installed a new Teledyne Controls/EMS Technologies HSD-128 Satcom on a Falcon 900EX demonstrator aircraft, providing high-speed Internet access while in flight. The installation included the HSD-128 single-box High Speed Data unit integrated with EMS Technologies' AMT-650 High-Gain Antenna System. The installation will allow up to four users on the Internet simultaneously. Dassault Falcon Jet said the system provides digital geostationary satellite communications with 25 times the speed and efficiency of previous airborne Satcom systems.
Rockwell Collins reorganized its military and commercial leadership, promoting Gregory Churchill to executive vice president and chief operating officer of Government Systems and naming Robert Chiusano executive vice president and chief operating officer of Commercial Systems.
Mauricio Botelho, president and CEO of Embraer, said that the company has decided to establish a plant to manufacture its ERJ-145 regional jet in China, subject to final approval by the host country. Botelho added negotiations with joint-venture partner Avionic 2 and Chinese associates are progressing smoothly. He estimated that China would need 400 regional jets over the next 10 years. Separately, Embraer revealed that, in spite of the world aviation crisis, it continues to lead the list of Brazil's major exporters.
THE HOUSE last week approved by voice vote legislation that calls for $247 million in funding for the National Transportation Safety Board between fiscal 2003 and fiscal 2005. The bill, which would authorize NTSB at the levels the agency requested, would give the NTSB training academy $4 million more per year and would allow the agency to turn over family assistance responsibilities to the Federal Bureau of Investigation if the crash is the result of a criminal act.
JET AVIATION added 12 aircraft to its U.S. charter fleet and two more to its fleet in Europe and the Far East. The aircraft added to the U.S. fleet include two Gulfstream IVs, a Challenger 604, two Falcon 900s, a Falcon 20, a 731 Hawker 400, two Hawker 700s, a Hawker 800, a Citation V and a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter. The aircraft are based throughout the U.S. Jet Aviation also added a Falcon 50 to its fleet based in Zurich, Switzerland and a Global Express in Hong Kong.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION will host a Chicago-Area Business Aviation Forum and Static Display June 27 at DuPage Airport. Isaac Richardson, the Transportation Security Administration federal security director for the City of Chicago, will speak at the forum, which also will include briefings on key issues such as insurance rates, communication with management and domestic reduced vertical separation minimums. The static display will include more than 15 exhibitors and 20 vendor stations and will be set up inside the terminal.
MERCURY AIR CENTERS TO SELL BEDFORD FBO, BUY ANOTHER FBO -- Mercury Air Centers is finalizing the sale of one its fixed-based operations and buying another FBO, yielding a pretax book gain of about $9 million for the Los Angeles-based company. Mercury signed a letter of intent with an international aviation service company to sell its FBO* in Bedford, Mass. for $15.5 million in cash and in return, buy one of its FBOs for $2 million in cash.
THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION reconfirmed Parsons as its selection for the 10-year Technical Support Services Contract (TSSC), valued at more than $1.2 billion. Raytheon Technical Services Company, the previous contractor, protested FAA's decision in January. FAA re-evaluated the proposals in response to the protest and decided again to award the contract to Parsons. The contract covers upgrading of equipment and systems for air traffic control towers, air route traffic control centers, runway landing systems and navigational systems.
HONEYWELL and Stratos Aeronautical launched Mobile Connect, a new satellite telephone service "that provides each business jet traveler an unchanging, personal phone and fax number." Callers can use the same number to reach a traveler on any corporate jet. "The Mobile Connect service may be particularly attractive to fractional aircraft owners who fly on a number of different aircraft," said David Gilbert, OneLink business manager at Honeywell Aviation Information Services.
Eclipse Aviation's plans to build a new entry-level business jet took a step forward with a key FAA approval and the first flight of the EJ22 turbofan engine that will power the Eclipse 500 jet.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION will host a Chicago-Area Business Aviation Forum and Static Display June 27 at DuPage Airport. Isaac Richardson, the Transportation Security Administration federal security director for the City of Chicago, will speak at the forum, which also will include briefings on key issues such as insurance rates, communication with management and domestic reduced vertical separation minimums. The static display will include more than 15 exhibitors and 20 vendor stations and will be set up inside the terminal.
AS THE CHARTER INDUSTRY grapples with new security rule mandates, Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) is continuing his quest to add more security requirements. Kohl drafted a measure to require pre-boarding screening for charter operators. He originally intended to offer the measure as an amendment to the comprehensive emergency funding bill that passed the Senate last week, but held off on action. Kohl, however, indicated that he is eyeing the fiscal 2003 transportation appropriations bill as a possible vehicle for further charter security mandates. See article on Page 270.
AIR TRACTOR Models AT-502, AT-502A, AT-502B, and AT-503A airplanes (Docket No. 2002-CE-10-AD; Amendment 39-12764; AD 2002-11-03) - lowers the safe life for the wing lower spar cap established in AD 2001-10-04 R1 and further reduces the safe life for airplanes that incorporate or have incorporated Marburger Enterprises, Inc. winglets.
The Transportation Security Administration is hoping to release a draft "standard security program" (SSP) by June 24 that will provide charter operators guidance on compliance with the so-called Twelve-Five rule and has promised that it would not enforce the requirements until operators have had at least 30 days to review them. At the direction of Congress, TSA released the Twelve-Five rule in February, calling for charters operating aircraft that weigh at least 12,500 pounds to implement a security program by June 24.
SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT teamed with Raytheon to develop an Unmanned Combat Armed Rotorcraft (UCAR) concept under a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract. The contract covers the conceptual design, including effectiveness and cost projections, and a plan for the UCAR program. Sikorsky will draw upon its low observable combat rotorcraft design and integration experience from the Comanche and Raytheon will provide advanced sensors, advanced weapon development, unmanned aerial vehicle command and control, and C4ISR integration.
Pilot spatial disorientation complicated by a faulty attitude indicator was the likely reason a Cessna 335 crashed near Hillsboro, Mo. Oct. 16, 2000, killing former Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan (D), his son Randy and his campaign aide, Chris Sifford, the National Transportation Safety Board reaffirmed in its final accident report released last week. The accident gained national attention as the former governor, who was in a contentious and close Senate race with then Sen. John Ashcroft (R), died on the campaign trail within a month of the election.
Returning to a concept pursued by the Clinton administration, President Bush Thursday signed an executive order calling for the establishment of a performance-based air traffic organization (ATO) that will be run by a chief operating officer. The executive order was first signed by President Clinton on Dec. 7.
The Honeywell TPE331 turboprop engine fleet has amassed more than 100 million hours of operation since entering service in 1965. Nearly 13,000 TPE331s have been delivered to manufacturers of 40 different regional, utility, business, general aviation and agricultural aircraft.
Atlantic Coast Airlines placed a $571.5 million order for 25 Bombardier CRJ200 regional jets, the manufacturer announced. The aircraft, which the airline will fly under the United Express banner, are scheduled for delivery during 2003 and 2004. The order is the tenth that ACA has placed with Bombardier since its first in January 1997.
LUFTHANSA TECHNIK handed over a VIP Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet to a private customer in the Middle East. The aircraft, the seventh VIP Boeing 747 that Lufthansa Technik has completed, arrived at Lufthansa's facilities in Hamburg, Germany in January 2001 for outfitting with a customized interior. Lufthansa will begin work on its next VIP 747 in July for another Middle East customer. The German aviation services company will install an interior that includes sleeping quarters, a conference room and work areas. Plans call for the work to be completed by the end of 2003.
Atlantic Coast Airlines placed a $571.5 million order for 25 Bombardier CRJ200 regional jets, the manufacturer announced. The aircraft, which the airline will fly under the United Express banner, are scheduled for delivery during 2003 and 2004. The order is the tenth that ACA has placed with Bombardier since its first in January 1997.
Revenue and profits dropped slightly in 2001 for Jet Aviation, but the Swiss-based aviation services company said its results were the second highest in company history despite the sluggish economy. The company had revenues of CHF 795 million in 2001, compared with CHF 841 million in 2000, and profits slid six percent to CHF 55 million in 2001.
(Docket No. 2000-NE-57-AD) - proposed to require inspecting certain Titeflex hoses for a date of manufacture, and if necessary, replacing the hose with a serviceable part. This proposal is prompted by reports of hoses that failed to meet the fire test requirements during laboratory testing. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent failure of a hose when exposed to fire. FAA estimates this proposed AD would affect 2,500 hoses installed on airplanes on the U.S. Registry at a cost of $3.25 million. Send comments by Aug.
