The Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association (AOPA) has called on municipal officials in East Hampton, N.Y. to seek the services of an independent mediator to address a long-running debate over noise complaints and federal funding of East Hampton Airport, which is owned and operated by the town. According to town records, helicopter traffic at the airport was up 40% this past summer and overall fixed-wing traffic was up 20%. East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell said a total of 18,454 noise complaints had been lodged since last January.
Empire Aviation Group, a Dubai-based aviation services company, has added an Embraer Legacy 650 executive jet to its managed fleet based in Oman. The aircraft is being managed on behalf of the owner and longtime client and will operate only from Oman, where Empire already manages three other business jets. Empire completed the full technical inspection, delivery and induction process of the Brazilian-made super mid-size business jet. The Legacy 650 offers three cabin zones with wireless inflight connectivity and Apple TV to enhance the passenger experience.
Reliable Jet Maintenance has added a third shift at its Boca Raton, Florida, facilities to create a 24/7 service for its customers. A Part 145 repair station, Reliable Jet fields a dedicated team to provide on-site or mobile support anywhere in the world. The mobile response vehicles are equipped with computers as well as scanning and printing capability. Along with this service expansion, the company has added three aircraft to its operations specifications, bringing the total to 33 aircraft models. Additions include the Falcon 900, Citation Sovereign and Citation XLS.
Fuel distributors and Fixed Base Operators (FBOs) in California last week settled a 2011 lawsuit brought against them by the Center of Environmental Health (CEH). The organization filed suit seeking the prohibition of leaded aviation gasoline sales and the imposition of millions in fines and penalties. CEH filed under California Preposition 65, which requires businesses to warn individuals of hazardous chemical exposure. Under the agreed-upon terms, affected FBOs will pay a small settlement and provide lead-exposure warnings to individuals residing within 1 km.
Color scheme and design decoration for the new Pilatus PC-12NG demo aircraft have been created by Swiss artist Hans Erni. The 105-year-old artist – whose murals have been commissioned by such organizations as the Swedish Red Cross, UNESCO and ICAO – painted the demo aircraft in a royal blue overlaid with white horses, doves and a Pegasus, symbolizing the type’s workhorse reputation. This particular aircraft, series number 1515, was dated and signed by Erni and commemorates Pilatus’s 75th anniversary.
DASSAULT AVIATION Model FALCON 2000 and FALCON 2000EX airplanes. [Docket No. FAA-2014-0566; Directorate Identifier 2014-NM-041-AD; Amendment 39-18050; AD 2014-25-08] — adopts a new AD for FALCON 2000 and FALCON 2000EX airplanes requiring inspection of the forward servicing compartment (FSC) for tie-down points and removal of these tie-down points. FAA’s release of this new AD was prompted by a design review, which revealed the FSC is configured with tie-down points neither in compliance nor demonstrated to be in compliance with cargo compliant ADs.
Robert A. “Bob” Hoover, the man Gen. Jimmy Doolittle called the “greatest stick-and-rudder man who ever lived,” was awarded the 2014 Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy on Dec. 12 by the National Aeronautic Association, at a dinner sponsored by the Aero Club of Washington. oover’s remarkable career has covered more than 50 years, starting with his enlistment in the Tennessee National Guard to become a fighter pilot. During World War II he flew 58 successful combat missions before being shot down over Germany, where he was taken prisoner.
SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION Model 269D and 269 Configuration A helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2014-1020; Directorate Identifier 2013-SW-078-AD] — proposes adoption of a new AD for Model 269D and 269 Configuration A helicopters that would require reducing the life limit of the ring gear assembly as well as replacing the affected part. This proposed AD was prompted by discovery of a crack in the ring gear carrier assembly during unscheduled maintenance undertaken to determine the source of observed black discoloration of the main transmission oil.
AIRBUS GROUP will overhaul its top management structure effective Jan. 1, following the resignation of COO Gunter Butschek, who will leave at the end of 2014 to pursue other opportunities. Executive Vice President of Programs Tom Williams will succeed Butschek as COO and also become an Airbus Group Executive Committee member. Didier Evrard will in turn succeed Williams and be appointed to the executive commitee. Evrard will remain A350 XWB program head until a successor is found.
JET AVIATION has created a global client relations position after analyzing feedback from “various Customer Advisory Board Meetings in the U.S. and EMEA and Asia,” according to Jet Aviation Group President Rob Smith. Gary Dempsey, a 10-year employee of the company, has been appointed senior vice president for customer care worldwide. In his new role, Dempsey will build the Jet Aviation network and measure the company’s customer service initiatives and progress.
WILLIAM AYER was appointed to the National Business Aviation Association board of directors. He brings more than three decades of aviation industry experience. Ayer retired in 2013 after 10 years as chairman of Alaska Airlines. He first joined the carrier in 1995 as a vice president of marketing and planning, and climbed the ranks to become the carrier’s CEO in 2002. Ayer began his career in aviation as a salesperson for Piper Aircraft Co., and later founded Washington state-based regional airline Air Olympia.
JEFF ALASCIO has been named director of North American sales for AMETEK Aerospace and Defense’s Sensors and Fluid Management Systems division. He will be in charge of sales strategy and the management and growth of OEM accounts in North America. Alascio worked most recently at ABB as the global project manager for motion-control products. AMETEK, Inc. is a top global electronic and electromagnetic systems company with annual sales of more than $4 billion.
AIOFE O’SULLIVAN was appointed to the board of directors of Aeron Corp. As a member of the board, she will help in both guiding strategy and overseeing the company as it furthers its AS2 supersonic business jet program. O’Sullivan is also a partner at Kennedys, an international law firm, and in this role she works with a 60-attorney team to advise clients in the areas of business and commercial aviation, military aircraft, and civil aerospace.
LONDON—Belgian oil and gas operator Noordzee Helikopters Vlaanderen (NHV) has completed its acquisition of Scandinavian helicopter firm Blueway. The resulting merger, completed on Dec. 19, turns the newly named NHV Group into one of Europe’s largest helicopter operators. The merger was announced on Aug. 28 and saw NHV purchase stakes in Blueway from Reiten & Co Capital Partners and Helicopter Transportation Group.
The three major airports in the Washington, D.C., area are using parallel, satellite-based “highways in the sky,” marking a significant expansion of the FAA’s NextGen concept.
The International Civil Aviation Organization’s Task Force on Risks to Civil Aviation Arising from Conflict Zones (TF-RCZ) concluded its third meeting on Dec. 2 after creating an agenda for assessment for the organization’s 191 member states to consider at the United Nations’ High-Level Safety Conference scheduled for Feb. 2-5, 2015.
Longtime aviation journalist Molly McMillin will join Aviation Week on Jan. 5 as the managing editor for The Weekly of Business Aviation and Aviation Week Intelligence Network business aviation coverage.
Textron Inc., the parent of Wichita-based Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker, continues to fine-tune its new business segment, Textron Aviation, under which the three companies now fall.
