EUROCOPTER FRANCE Model AS332L2 and EC225LP helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2013-0487; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-056-AD]—proposes to require inspecting the torque value of the bolts that secure the front and rear main gearbox (MGB) suspension bar attaching fittings, and re-torqueing the bolts to the proper value if the torque value is out of tolerance. This proposed AD would also require, if the torque value is out of tolerance by more than 20%, inspecting the bolts, frames, and related equipment for a crack and repairing or replacing them if cracked.
ANDY JOHNSON has taken the role of manager of FlightSafety International’s facility in Savannah, Ga. Johnson has served with FlightSafety since 2007, most recently as manager of the facility in Orlando, Fla. He also has served as assistant manager of the Cessna learning center in Wichita, Kan., and had a 27-yr. career in the U.S. Navy.
Lycoming Engines plans to sustain, support and improve gasoline-fueled aircraft piston engines for the immediate future, says Michael Kraft, senior vice president and GM of the company. It is cost-prohibitive for Lycoming to develop clean-sheet aircraft piston engines, so the company is testing its existing line-up to determine which models will run on the unleaded aviation and automotive fuels such as UL91 Avgas and 91 and 93 octane automotive gasoline.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-400 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-1155; Directorate Identifier 2012-NM-115-AD; Amendment 39-17445; AD 2013-09-04]—requires inspections of the nacelle fire detection wires and the MLG yoke for damage; replacing nacelle fire detection wires, if necessary; repairing the MLG yoke, if necessary; and installing brackets and associated hardware to secure the fire detection wires.This AD was prompted by reports of chafing found on the main landing gear (MLG) yoke.
CHIP WHITE was named manager of FlightSafety International’s facility in Orlando, Fla. White joined FlightSafety in 2000 as an instructor in the St. Louis facility and also has served as manager at FlightSafety’s facilities in Long Beach, Calif., Columbus, Ohio, and Savannah, Ga.
The Experimental Aircraft Association’s search for a new president appears to have halted. Jack Pelton, who last fall agreed to take the position of chairman after former President Rod Hightower stepped down, says the association currently is not searching for a successor to Hightower, and suggested that he may not be replaced. He noted that the board is looking at the possibility of a different leadership structure, led by board chairmen. Pelton, who has steered the association since Hightower’s departure, is serving a three-year term.
GE Aviation has named China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. (Caiga) as an authorized service center for the H80 turboprop engine family in China. The Caiga Customer Service Center will perform line maintenance inspections and routine engine maintenance for H75, H80, and H85 engines and engine components. The authorization builds on an existing relationship between GE and Caiga, which select the H85 to power its new five-seat, light single-engine turboprop under development.
Icon Aircraft earned a 250-lb. weight exemption from the FAA for its Icon A5 LSA amphibian, enabling the firm to grow the aircraft from 1,430 lb. to as much as 1,680 lb., Kirk Hawkins, company founder and CEO, said during EAA AirVenture 2013 in Oshkosh. “Credit FAA for getting this done. We needed enough of a weight increase to not compromise weight for safety. There are arbitrary and tight weight standards for LSA [light-sport aircraft]. But, you can’t get for free. There’s no free lunch in aircraft design,” says Hawkins.
Beechcraft is weighing bids for the sale or sales of its Hawker 4000 and Premier aircraft programs, along with tooling and associated facilities, as the reshaped company looks to downsize its footprint and focus on its core lines of businesses.
Cessna has begun offering a new “Sovereign Shield” program for model year 2013 Citation Sovereign aircraft that covers scheduled maintenance and parts costs for the first five years or 1,500 hr. The program is offered as Cessna is in the transition from the original Sovereign to the updated model due to enter service later this year.
Gulfstream, with the help of affiliated company Jet Aviation, combined for its strongest quarter in the past six quarters thanks to an even spool up of both green and completed deliveries. But executives expect that performance to cool slightly in the third quarter as supplier costs increase and the mix of deliveries shifts.
Industry officials are hopeful that a rule to permit commercial operations involving single-engine turbine aircraft in instrument meteorological conditions will be cleared by late 2015 or early 2016 in Europe. A government/industry committee charged to look into the issue held its third meeting this month and is hoping to have recommendations for a European Aviation Safety Agency notice of proposed amendment by early next year, says Jens Hennig, vice president of operations for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
FAA on July 26 released the final recommendations of the Part 23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking Committee, with the highest levels of both the Department of Transportation and FAA signing off on them as holding the potential of improving safety and reducing certification costs.
Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is working with Aerocet to bring floats for the Quest Kodiak to market. Aerocet donated floats, which were fitted on a MAF Kodiak that rolled off the assembly line in June. Testing is expected to take place in Renton, Wash. over the next few months. Once testing is complete, the aircraft will be outfitted with wheels to travel to Papua, Indonesia, where it will be used for missions in remote mountain villages.
JASON JOHNSON has joined Bell Helicopter as director, sales and customer support. Johnson was previously vice president, customer support and contract administration for Heli-One CHC, where he was responsible for the financial and operational success of the Canadian division of Heli-One. He has also held positions with Safran and Honeywell Aerospace.
Insitu is planning to launch the first U.S. commercial unmanned aircraft system operation following receipt of FAA type certification for its ScanEagle UAS on July 19. No details are available yet, but the operation is expected to be in the Arctic. Restricted-category type certifications for the 44-lb., gasoline-powered ScanEagle and the 13.4-lb., battery-powered AeroVironment Puma AE are the first to be issued by FAA under Part 21.25 of the federal aviation regulations.
The FAA is canvassing the aerospace industry for low-cost solutions to prevent runway incursions at small- to medium-density commercial airports. A new market survey says the agency wants to evaluate “existing technologies which may be applied, or enhanced through additional research” to prevent runway incursions, which are defined as “any unauthorized intrusion onto a runway, regardless of whether or not an aircraft presents a potential conflict.”
PAUL STRACK was promoted to the newly created position of vice president of acquisitions. Strack, who has served with Piedmont for more than 20 years, most recently was aircraft sales director.
B-N GROUP Models B III-3, BN-2A-2, BN-2A-20, BN-2A-21, BN-2A-26, BN-2A-27, BN-2A-3, BN-2A-6, BN-2A-8, BN-2A-9, BN-2B-20, BN-2B-21, BN-2B-26, BN-2B-27, BN-2T, and BN-2T-4R airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2013-0314; Directorate Identifier 2013-CE-004-AD; Amendment 39-17490; AD 2013-13-02] – requires a one-time inspection of the fuel filler cap and fuel filler receptacle to determine whether they are at the same modification state and, depending on findings, accomplishment of applicable corrective action(s).
LESLIE CHEN was named vice president, marketing for CIT Aerospace. Based in Singapore, Chen will be responsible for originating new transactions and marketing the existing aircraft portfolio in Northern Asia. He formerly was vice president, Asia, for Aviation Capital Group, where he was responsible for business development, aircraft leases and asset management. He also has served as a regional sales manager for Thales Aerospace Asia.
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON Model 407 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2013-0019; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-051-AD; Amendment 39-17485; AD 2013-12-07] – requires, for Model 407 helicopters with certain tailboom assemblies installed, inspecting the tailboom assembly for a crack, loose rivet, or other damage, at specified intervals. This AD was prompted by a stress analysis of the tailboom skin that revealed that high-stress-concentration areas are susceptible to skin cracking.
Gulfstream opened a 9,300-sq.-ft. sales and design center in Dallas to work with customers selecting paint schemes, cabin layout and interior detail. Gulfstream occupies more than 420,000 sq. ft. in Dallas, including a completions center for its G280 and G150 mid-cabin aircraft and a service center that provides maintenance for the full line of Gulfstream aircraft.
EUROCOPTER FRANCE Model EC 155B and EC155B1 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2013-0501; Directorate Identifier 2011-SW-036-AD] – proposes to require repetitively inspecting the lower and upper front and rear fittings that attach the upper fin to the fenestron for a crack. If there is a crack, this AD would require removing all four fittings from service. This proposed AD would also require, within a specified time, removing all fittings from service, and the fittings would not be eligible to be installed on any helicopter.
EUROCOPTER FRANCE Model AS332C, AS332L, AS332L1, AS332L2, and EC225LP helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2013-0524; Directorate Identifier 2012-SW-084-AD] – proposes to require visually inspecting each jettisonable emergency exit window panel for sealant, and removing any sealant that exists in the window’s extruded sections. This proposed AD is prompted by jettison tests during routine maintenance inspections that showed the windows failed to jettison.
