Bombardier Aerospace received an order for five new Bombardier Global 5000 business jets from TAG Aeronautics, the company announced last week at the Dubai Air Show. "This agreement further strengthens our growing association with TAG, which has led to the delivery of over 70 Bombardier aircraft to Middle East customers in the past 15 years," said Shawn Vick, senior vice president, international sales, Bombardier Aerospace, Business Aircraft. TAG is the exclusive representative and distributor for Bombardier widebody aircraft in 22 Middle Eastern countries.
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION today (Nov. 12) plans to roll out a new aviation security plan that would include an identification system, industry-wide employee fingerprinting and proposals for new air navigation and communication networks "that could eventually support remote aircraft control technology." The system "will provide a way, for the first time, to identify, pre-clear, and positively verify passengers on American aircraft," NATA said.
RAYTHEON was awarded a $9.5 million task order from NASA's Ames Research Center to create a modeling and simulation capability for the National Airspace System. Under the task order, awarded through NASA's Air Traffic Management System Development and Integration contract, a Raytheon-led team will develop products to evaluate and assess components of NASA's virtual airspace modeling and advanced air transportation technologies projects. The team includes Seagull Technology of Los Gatos, Calif., SAIC of Arlington, Va., Intelligent Automation Inc.
ENSTROM Helicopter Corporation Model F-28, F-28A, F-28C, F-28F, 280, 280C, 280F and 280FX helicopters (Docket No. 2001-SW-28-AD; Amendment 39-12479; AD 2001-22-01) - supersedes an existing AD for Model F-28, F-28A, and 280 helicopters. That AD currently requires inspecting the main rotor shaft for a crack or other evidence of damage until appropriately modifying or replacing the shaft with an airworthy shaft at specified time intervals.
The Federal Aviation Administration launched a formal investigation into the "legality of the Naples Airport Authority's ban on Stage 2 aircraft" at Naples Municipal Airport, jeopardizing the airport's eligibility for federal funding. "We have serious concerns that the ban is contrary to federal law and related sponsor federal grant assurance obligations," FAA said in its Notice of Investigation, Docket No. 16-01-15, filed Oct. 31. NAA has 30 days from the date of the notice to reply with information for the investigation.
Docket No.: FAA-2001-10597 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 135.143(c)(2) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Oskaloosa to operate certain aircraft under Part 135 without a TSO-C112 (Mode S) transponder installed in the aircraft. Grant, 09/19/2001, Exemption No. 7624
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2B19 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-155-AD) - proposes to require repetitive inspections for cracking of the left and right lower wing planks, and repair, if necessary. This action is necessary to find and fix such cracking, which could reduce structural integrity of the wing. FAA estimates that this proposed AD would affect 214 airplanes on the U.S. Registry at a cost of $12,840, or $60 per airplane, per inspection cycle. Send comments in triplicate by Nov. 29 to FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, ANM-114, Attention: Rules Docket No.
QUALIMETRICS won FAA certification for the Model 6500 thunderstorm sensor used in its automated weather observing system (AWOS). The sensor, which will detect electrical discharges associated with thunderstorms within a 200-nautical-mile radius, also reports thunderstorm direction and distance. Qualimetrics is continuing development on AWOS capabilities and plans to add a freezing-rain sensor and runway surface sensor.
PRATT&WHITNEY CANADA completed the first run of its PW625F engine demonstrator, achieving its full takeoff power of 2,500 pounds of thrust after five hours during the test run. P&WC also ran the high-pressure compressor gas generator. The milestones, reached on schedule, "clear the way for the first flight of the new engine on P&WC's Boeing 720 in first quarter of 2002," said John Wright, vice president-marketing, business aviation and military engines for P&WC.
ALTHOUGH FAA ADMINISTRATOR Jane Garvey last week vowed to work to ease airspace restrictions, the agency continued to issue new notices to airmen that temporarily wall off airspace. The latest temporary flight restriction barred flight over the New York City area during the United Nations General Assembly meeting Nov. 10 and 11. FAA also issued notices to airmen that restricted visual flight rules operations near Cape Canaveral in Florida.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL's airline training center at Paris Le Bourget Airport received FAA certification for its new Embraer ERJ-145/135 full flight simulator. FlightSafety now has 13 ERJ simulators in service with orders for five more.
THOMAS LANGER was appointed vice president for security at BAE Systems. He will be responsible for an overall security program to protect classified information and implement new physical and personnel security measures. Langer joined BAE in 1980 and was most recently director of security for the Information and Electronic Systems Integration sector and the Information and Electronic Warfare business unit in Nashua, N.H.
ROCKWELL COLLINS completed flight tests for a Microwave Landing System (MLS) receiver integrated in a Multi-Mode Receiver (MMR). The MMR provides the aircraft's primary position, velocity and time reference. More than 100 MLS approaches were completed at 12 airports in the U.S. and Europe with military and commercial MLS ground stations. MMR's integrated MLS module demonstrated Category IIIb capabilities. Technical Standard Order approval for the MMR is expected in the first quarter of 2002. Initial production models will be delivered to the U.S.
Congress last week began to iron out differences in Senate and House versions of sweeping aviation security legislation, but debate is continuing at least through this week. House and Senate leaders have publicly stated a desire to reach a quick compromise. But the House and Senate versions have become a partisan battleground between Democrats, who want to federalize the airport screener work force, and Republicans, who want to give the President the option to federalize (BA, Nov. 5/211).
DAMON CRAM was named regional sales manager, Southwest Region, at SimuFlite. Cram will oversee sales in New Mexico and Texas, excluding the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. He was previously a sales representative for SimuFlite's central and northern regions.
Mike Smith, president of Honeywell's Aerospace Electronic Systems, is retiring after 28 years of service with the company. Dean Flatt, president and CEO of Honeywell's Specialty Materials business group, will succeed Smith, Honeywell announced last week.
EUROCOPTER France Model AS332C, L, L1, and L2 helicopters (Docket No. 2001-SW-07-AD) - proposes to require inspection of the cockpit pedal unit adjustment lever for a crack at specified time intervals by either a borescope or by a dye-penetrant inspection and replacing any cracked lever with an airworthy lever before further flight. This proposal is prompted by reports of cracks detected in the lever.
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.
NUANCE introduced Nuance Verifier 3.0, which the Menlo Park, Calif. company claims establishes "voice authentication as the most accurate, cost-effective and versatile security measure in the market." The company said that compared with other biometric technologies including finger or handprinting and iris, retina or facial scanning, the product "has been proven as a superior security solution," with a 99.9 percent accuracy rate in tests by financial and research institutions.
BOMBARDIER formed a joint venture with its distributor ExecuJet Aviation Group and Alpha 55, a diversified holding company based in Dubai. The facility will provide a range of services for Bombardier aircraft and act as the representative for Learjet aircraft. A 28,000-square-foot facility will be built at Dubai International Airport that will employ more than 50 workers. The facility is slated to open in 2002.
The U.S. Air Force has received two patents that promise to help detect wiring problems in aircraft before they can cause catastrophic failures. "Aircraft wiring systems are known to be a large contributor to aircraft problems," said Frank H. Born of the Information Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Rome, N.Y. "Cable chafing and connector corrosion are both age-related, and, as such, will continue to cause more problems as the air fleet ages." AFRL, which received the patents from the U.S.
PILATUS AIRCRAFT Models PC-7, PC-12, and PC-12/45 airplanes (Docket No. 2001-CE-33-AD) - proposes to require inspection of the joints between the engine-driven pump housing, relief valve housing, and the relief-valve cover for signs of fuel leakage or extruding gasket material; replacement of any engine-driven pump with signs of fuel leakage or extruding gasket material; and inspection to ensure that the relief valve attachment screws are adequately torqued, and re-torquing as necessary.
CESSNA sold three Citation CJ1 business jets to the Chilean Air Force. The aircraft will be based in Puerto Montt, Chile. The follow-on to the original CitationJet, the CJ1 first entered service in 2000, and Cessna has since delivered more than 90 of the aircraft. The aircraft incorporates the new Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite, has a 200-pound-gross-weight increase over the CitationJet and can operate from runways as short as 3,280 feet.
A comprehensive restructuring and charge against its in-flight entertainment product line led communications and electronics specialist Rockwell Collins to post a fourth quarter loss despite record sales and earnings. The company reported sales of $816 million for its fourth quarter ended Sept. 30, a 16 percent - or $114 million - increase over the fourth quarter a year ago. For its fiscal 2001, Rockwell Collins had $2.8 billion in revenues, compared with $2.5 billion in fiscal 2000.
HOUSE AVIATION leaders are crafting another bill to provide economic relief to general aviation businesses hammered by ongoing airspace restrictions over the past couple of months.The draft bill, spearheaded by House aviation subcommittee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.), is much more expansive than an earlier bill introduced by Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) that calls for Small Business Administration grants and loans (BA, Oct. 8/166). The Mica bill will resemble the airline bailout package - the Air Transportation Safety and Stabilization Act - adopted quickly after the Sept.
