House General Aviation Caucus Co-Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) is planning to host a general aviation roundtable with industry leaders this week to delve into a range of issues. The meeting, tentatively scheduled for Oct. 3, comes as the caucus has surpassed the 50% mark with 223 members. The Senate GA Caucus, meanwhile, has reached 40 members and has remained equally as active, holding a meeting this month on certification concerns.
Jet Aviation’s base in Zurich has moved into a new fixed-base operation built alongside the existing General Aviation Center in Zurich. The facility incorporates the new branding and corporate look that was unveiled earlier this year at Jet Aviation’s Geneva FBO. The company also moved its operations center rampside, placing it closer to the customs and immigration area, and farther from the customer area.
The Experimental Aircraft Association’s board of directors plans to discuss the future leadership of the organization at its fall meeting in November, a little more than a year after Rod Hightower stepped down as president. EAA Chairman Jack Pelton, the former Cessna CEO who has had experience dealing with Washington, has steered the organization in the absence of a president.
The French government’s defense procurement agency, the DGA, has taken delivery of the first of four newly converted Dassault Falcon 50s for the maritime patrol mission. The aircraft, which eventually will be used by the French navy for maritime surveillance, was handed over to the DGA on Sept. 6 by Dassault Aviation, which is making the conversions. The four Falcon 50Bs previously had been part of the French air force’s ETEC VIP squadron.
The House General Aviation Caucus has reached a new record level of membership, now accounting for more than 50% of the House Representatives. The caucus has grown to 223 members. GA Caucus Co-Chair John Barrow (D-Ga.) calls the membership “an important milestone for the industry. Our mission is to inform folks about general aviation, and having a majority of the House...will help achieve that goal.” Fellow Co-Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) adds that passing the 50% mark is “a great victory for general aviation.”
Brazilian aircraft-maker Embraer, which recently flew its first Legacy 650 to be built in China, is predicting a market for more than 800 business jets in China over the next decade. Embraer has released its China Executive Aviation Market Outlook 2014-2023, forecasting a demand for 805 executive jets. Of those aircraft, 51% will be large-cabin aircraft, representing 78% of the value, the company says.
Sweden’s Maritime Administration (SMA) has taken delivery of the first of seven new AgustaWestland AW139s ordered for search and rescue. The aircraft were ordered in October 2012. They will replace several Sikorsky S-76s, operating in the same role from bases at Ronneby, Visby, Gothenburg, Norrtäljegatan and Umeå. The state-owned operator inherited the S-76s after the Swedish government nationalized private operator Norrlandsflyg, which flew the aircraft on SAR and air ambulance duties on behalf of the agency.
JONATHAN BUFF was named general manager of the Hawthorne Global Aviation Services facility at New Orleans Lakefront Airport (KNEW). Buff will oversee the management of the fixed-base operation, which includes a terminal and more than 50,000 sq. ft. of hangar space. He has 14 years of FBO experience, most recently as an FBO development strategic advisor for The 500 Group Ltd.
Chicago Jet Group (CJG) was awarded supplemental type approval for retrofit of FANS systems aboard the Dassault Falcon 50. The supplemental type certificate, the first for the FANS1/A+/Controller Pilot Datalink (CPDLC) system over Iridium in a Falcon 50, was accomplished in coordination with Universal Avionics. CJG has a number of other airframes in process for FANS retrofit certification.
MORRIS SMITH has joined West Star Aviation as Gulfstream/Bombardier technical sales manager at the company’s East Alton, Ill. (ALN) location. Smith has nearly 35 years of technical and management experience, including overseeing a Honeywell 731 engine major periodic inspection shop and C-20 depot maintenance.
Aviation Modification Leaders (AML), the Dallas-based aircraft communications and entertainment systems specialist, is offering a program to upgrade the first generation of CNX routers. The routers, installed on about 2,000 large-cabin jets, are no longer manufactured and support services for them are decreasing, AML says. CNX is based on Swift 64 bandwidth at early DSL speeds. AML’s program entails removing the CNX and installing an interface plate in the existing slot with the same connectors. The plate can house AML’s new OOM-200 broadband router.
PIAGGIO Model P-180 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2013-0472; Directorate Identifier 98-CE-097-AD; Amendment 39-17538; AD 99-07-10 R1] – rescinds an existing AD that required inspections for inner protective film detachment of the nacelles and corrective actions. That AD stemmed from mandatory continuing airworthiness information from the European Aviation Safety Agency that cited reports of partial detachment of the inner protective film of the composite nacelles.
MAULE M-4, M-5, M-6, M-7, MT-7, MX-7, MXT-7, and M-8 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2013-0725; Directorate Identifier 98-CE-01-AD] – proposes to revise AD 98-15-18 that applies to certain Maule aircraft equipped with rear wing lift struts, part number (P/N) 2079E, and/or front wing lift struts, P/N 2080E. AD 98-15-18 currently requires repetitively inspecting certain wing lift struts for internal corrosion and replacing of any wing lift strut where corrosion is found.
StandardAero is transitioning its leadership with a new overall CEO and a new senior vice president to steer the Business Aviation group. The appointments, announced last week, come a little more than a week after StandardAero parent Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) announced that talks over a potential merger of portions of its business with BBA Aviation have ended.
T URBOMECA Arriel 1A1, 1A2, 1B, 1C, 1C1, 1C2, 1D, 1D1, 1E2, 1K1, 1S, and 1S1 turboshaft engines [Docket No. FAA-2013-0557; Directorate Identifier 2013-NE-22-AD] proposes to require a one-time inspection of the free turbine (FT) module (M04) for the affected Turbomeca S.A. Arriel 1 engines and, if a discrepancy is found, repair of the affected module. This proposed AD was prompted by a “chip illumination event”’ in flight on a Turbomeca S.A. Arriel 1 engine.
Swift Fuels is taking a step to expand its effort to produce a high-octane unleaded aviation gasoline, 100SF, that could potentially serve as a replacement for leaded gasoline. The company officially opened a new aviation fuel blending facility that could store up to 50,000 gal. of the unleaded, high-octane fuel components and broke ground on a new pilot plant operation in Lafayette., Ind. that will be capable of producing more than 10,000 gal. of 100SF per month at full capacity.
PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA PW118A, PW118B, PW119B, PW119C, PW123, PW123B, PW123C, PW123D, PW123E, PW123AF, PW124B, PW125B, PW126A, PW127, PW127E, PW127F, PW127G, and PW127M turboprop engines [Docket No. FAA-2013-0197; Directorate Identifier 2013-NE-09-AD; Amendment 39-17524; AD 2013-15-08] requires inspection of the first-stage power turbine (PT) blades, and the removal from service of those blades that fail the inspection, or their replacement with blades eligible for installation. This AD was prompted by reports of fractures of the first-stage PT blade.
AGUSTA Model AB412 and AB 412EB and Bell Model 412, 412CF and 412EP helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2013-0145; Directorate Identifier 2012-SW-059-AD; Amendment 39-17554; AD 2013-16-16] – requires, for affected helicopters with certain Dart high gear aft crosstubes installed, adding a life limit of 10,000 landings to the crosstube and removing from service any crosstubes with more than 10,000 accumulated landings. This AD is prompted by five separate reports of crosstube failures.
Sept. 25-27—ALTA Aviation Law Americas, Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach, Miami, Fla, www.alta.aero/aviationlaw/2013/home.php Sept. 25-27—Aircraft Electronics Association Regional Meeting, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., www.aea.net/events.asp Oct. 8-10—Latin American & Caribbean Engineering & MRO Summit, Bogota, Columbia, www.alta.aero/2010/ Oct. 10-12—2013 Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Summit, Fort Worth, Texas, www.aopa.org
Jet Aviation Moscow has added a range of interior refurbishment capabilities through an agreement with Kazan-based Tulpar Interior Group. Under the agreement, Tulpar will provide scheduled interior refurbishment services out of Jet Aviation’s maintenance facility at Moscow Vnukovo Airport. The agreement comes as Jet Aviation experiences an increase in demand for interior restoration and upgrade capabilities in the region.
The Flight Safety Foundation is mulling strategies that could help pilots make the decision to perform a go-around rather than continue an unstabilized approach. “We feel that the lack of a go-around decision is the leading risk factor in landing accidents,” says Kevin Hiatt, Flight Safety Foundation president and CEO. He notes that 63 airline accidents occurred in the approach and landing phase of flight from 2001 to 2011, representing 68% of all accidents.
FAA Administrator Michael Huerta is warning that the ongoing “fiscal uncertainty” surrounding the U.S. government’s budget is “very damaging” to the FAA’s long-term planning capability, and in particular could hurt the agency’s effort to modernize air traffic control. Speaking at the NextGen Institute’s annual public meeting at U.S. Transportation Department headquarters in Washington Sept. 20, Huerta noted that the FAA has had to cut $635 million from its budget over the last five months owing to sequestration-mandated cuts.
BILL DARBE has joined Satcom Direct as director of dealer programs. Darbe will implement aftermarket dealer programs supporting Satcom Direct’s hardware offerings, including Wi-Fi certification programs for the Satcom Direct Router. He has more than 25 years of business aviation industry experience, include 15 years with Aircell, and also held various program management and engineering positions for Global Wulfsberg .
Cessna Aircraft dedicated a private facility and some of its top engineering talent and supply chain specialists to Textron AirLand’s new Scorpion intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft, but whether the program remains in Wichita long-term is unclear.
Beechcraft continues to expand its international sales reach with the naming of Arrow Aircraft Sales and Charters Private Limited as its sales distributor in India. Arrow, founded in 2009, will be responsible for sales of Beechcraft’s range of piston-engine aircraft and King Air turboprops across the country. The companies are planning to kick off their partnership with a King Air 250 regional demonstrator tour this month.
