EAGLE AIRCRAFT Model 150B airplanes (Docket No. 2001-CE-03-AD; Amendment 39-12629; AD 2002-02-01) - requires modification of the attachment of the port and starboard throttle arms, and the starboard bushing of the throttle torque tube. This AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Australia. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent failure of the throttle control assembly caused by rivets of the wrong size. Such failure could lead to reduced control of the airplane.
Docket No.: FAA-2001-10442 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 119.71 Description of Relief Sought: To allow Era to employ a captain as a chief pilot while he is pursuing medical requalification for the position.
BOMBARDIER delivered a new Q200 turboprop to the Mexican Navy. The aircraft, which can seat up to 37 passengers or be configured for cargo, will be based in Mexico City. The Mexican Navy has an option for a second Q200 aircraft.
Docket No.: FAA-2001-9501 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 91.209(a)(1) and (b) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit the USAF to conduct night-vision flight training operations at and above 18,000 feet mean sea level in various aircraft without lighted position lights. Grant, Jan. 3, 2002, Exemption No. 7687
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed last-minute restrictions on VFR operations near Washington, D.C. during President Bush's State of the Union address last week, alarming some in the general aviation industry because of the late notice.
BILL PROCHAZKA was named executive vice president and general manager of Michigan operations at Duncan Aviation. He will manage the company's facilities in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, Mich. Prochaska has worked at Duncan Aviation since 1987 and most recently was the vice president of aircraft and customer service.
DAN O'NEAL was named vice president of operations for Executive Jet Management. He will be responsible for flight operations and supervise scheduling, training and flight crews. O'Neal has more than 30 years of military and business aviation experience.
HONEYWELL is continuing to push the Six Sigma philosophy in its business units and is getting a significant payback in decreased turn times for its engine maintenance programs. Four to five years ago, company executives said technicians took up to 60 days to overhaul an auxiliary power unit and up to 70 days to overhaul a primary propulsion engine. Turn times for APUs are down to 15 to 20 days now, while turn times for main engines are in the mid-20s, officials said, the result of improving the process to increase efficiency while driving down costs.
ISRAEL AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES Model 1124 and 1124A, and Model 1125 Westwind Astra series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-200-AD; Amendment 39-12621; AD 2002-01-26) - requires a one-time inspection of the attachment bolts installed on the engine inlet cowl and aft nacelle attachment flanges to verify correct part numbers of the bolts, and replacement of any discrepant/incorrect bolt with a correct attachment bolt.
A Mojave, Calif.-based company won approval from the Federal Aviation Administration for a hush kit that would bring Gulfstream II and III aircraft into compliance with Stage 3 noise standards. The supplemental type certificate, awarded to hush kit specialist Really Quiet, is the first for a Gulfstream II/IIB and III hush kit and follows years of development.
XCOR AEROSPACE completed its eighth flight test of the EZ-Rocket aircraft demonstrating shutdown and restart of the rocket engines during the flight. The aircraft was taken to 5,000 feet where the pilot, Mike Melvill, shut down and restarted one engine after 19 seconds. The other engine also was shut down and restarted after 10 seconds. The six minute, 57 second flight was conducted at the Mojave Civilian Test Flight Center in Mojave, Calif.
LOCKHEED MARTIN Air Traffic Management signed a $10.7 million contract to provide seven air traffic control automation systems to China. Under an agreement with INCOM, a subsidiary of China National Instrument Import and Export Corp., Lockheed Martin will tailor its advanced SkyLine, state-of-the-art ATC system for Chinese airspace. The contract represents the fourth SkyLine sale in China. The new systems will help control traffic in the Chinese Flight Information Regions and will interface with other Chinese ATC systems.
EUROCOPTER demonstrated a fiber optic primary flight control system on the EC 135 helicopter in Munich, Germany Jan. 28. The "fly by light" system is a "quantum leap over conventional mechanical control rods, and is an improvement over electrical control - 'fly by wire' - because it provides immunity to electromagnetic interference, is low weight, and has capabilities over a much broader transmission spectrum required by newer flight control and mission systems," Eurocopter said.
RICHARD F. ROUSE was appointed director of quality assurance at Thunder Aviation in St. Louis, Mo. He was most recently manager of procurement quality assurance at Sabreliner Corp. Earlier in his career he was a pilot for Ozark Airlines.
RAYTHEON Beech Models 65-90, 65-A90, 65-A90-1, 65-A90-4, B90, C90, C90A, E90, and H-90 airplanes (Docket No. 99-CE-80-AD; Amendment 39-12602; AD 2002-01-10) - requires repetitive inspection of the main landing gear upper torque knees and lower torque knees for evidence of fatigue cracks; and replacement of any torque knee with evidence of fatigue cracks. This AD is the result of reports of many incidents of main landing gear torque knees cracking or breaking on the above-referenced airplanes.
A Britten-Norman Islander aircraft operated by a Virgin Islands air taxi company was damaged last month when the pilot was forced to ditch in the ocean. The aircraft, N616GL, was operated under Part 135 of the FARs by Fly BVI, Inc. It was on a sightseeing flight about 1440 EST Jan. 18 when the pilot said he lost power on both engines simultaneously. He contacted the Beef Island control tower, declared an emergency and reported his position. He then ditched the aircraft in about six feet of water near the shoreline.
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION'S proposal to develop identification cards with biometric data for employees at an airport as well as for "trusted travelers" is gaining support from Congress (BA, Nov. 19/238). Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas) urged colleagues Tuesday to sign a letter to Under Secretary for Transportation Security John Magaw to implement such a program.
Fairchild Dornier reached an agreement with Lufthansa Technik Logistik GmbH to establish new spare parts distribution centers in Munich, Germany and near Dulles International Airport (IAD) outside Washington, D.C. to support Fairchild Dornier and Dornier aircraft. The agreement is part of its commitment to enhance customer service, Fairchild Dornier said.
U.S. business and corporate aircraft operators were involved in significantly more accidents, and more fatal accidents that resulted in a higher number of fatalities, in 2001 than in 2000, according to data compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla. There were 64 accidents last year, including 23 fatal accidents, that resulted in 76 passenger and crew fatalities. That compares with 52 accidents in 2000 that included 16 fatal mishaps and 56 fatalities.
MICHAEL PISCATELLA was named group president, aerostructures and aviation technical services, at Goodrich. He started his career at Textron Lycoming and has more than 26 years of aviation industry experience. Piscatella was most recently group president of electronic systems at Goodrich and succeeds Graydon Wetzler in his new position.
MICHIKO LISA LINDSEY was appointed in-house associate counsel at Advanced Aerodynamics&Structures. She was formerly an associate at AASI's legal counsel, Luce, Forward, Hamilton&Scripps in San Diego, Calif.
PENTASTAR AVIATION, Waterford, Mich., announced several promotions as a result of the company's recent acquisition by Edsel B. Ford. Kellie R. Rittenhouse was promoted from charter specialist to director-aviation services with responsibility for all aviation service functions including flight coordination, flight following and scheduling, along with charter aircraft sales and customer service for Automotive Air Center.
SOUTHWEST JET AVIATION added a Hawker 400 to its charter fleet. The aircraft will be based at Tucson International Airport in Arizona. "This Hawker gets Southwest Jet Aviation back into the mid-size product range for charter service," said Jeff Schlueter, SJA president. Charter rate for the Hawker, which has a range of up to 2,100 nautical miles, will be $2,250 per flight hour.
THE SENATE confirmed John Magaw as under secretary of transportation for security for a five-year term. President Bush signed a recess appointment for Magaw in January. Magaw is the former director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the U.S. Secret Service.
LORD CORPORATION finished an initial ground test of a new propeller technology that will "minimize vibration during typical flight cycles," the mechanical products manufacturer said. Active balancing was tested on the NP2000 Hamilton Sundstrand propeller, which will replace the 54H60 series of propellers on the E-2, C-2, C-130 and P-3 series aircraft. The company claims that active balancing "instantaneously corrects an imbalance in rotating equipment while in operation."
