The Transportation Security Administration continues to increase the number of gateway airports that are approved origination points for flights into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) with the addition of Burlington International Airport (BVT) in Burlington, Vt. DCA Access Standard Security Program (DASSP) screening began at the Heritage Aviation fixed-base operation in Burlington on Oct. 15. The addition of BVT pushes the number of gateway airports to more than 30.
Inflight connectivity provider Aircell has seen a marked increase in business aviation orders with the introduction of its Gogo Biz offerings, even during the industry’s slow recovery from the global recession. Before Aircell launched Gogo in mid-2008, an estimated 200 business and airline aircraft worldwide were equipped with a true high-speed Internet connection. “Today, after just over a year in the business aviation market, shipments and orders for Gogo Biz are already approaching 1,000 units,” says Tom Myers, the company’s director of marketing.
DAN MCKILLIPS was promoted to manager of paint and interiors at West Star Aviation’s facility in East Alton, Ill. McKillips previously was regional sales manager and technical sales manager at West Star Aviation. He has experience as an A&P mechanic, licensed private pilot, and in sales and marketing.
EUROCOPTER FRANCE AS332C, L, L1 and L2 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2010-0907; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-044-AD; Amendment 39-16436; AD 2010-20-02] – Replace certain hydraulic pumps with airworthy hydraulic pumps. This AD – which was prompted by improper functioning of a hydraulic pump because of the deterioration of the pump seals and loss of hydraulic fluid caused by incorrect positioning of the piston liner – is designed to prevent loss of hydraulic power and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.
CHERYL GALLOWAY has joined BBA Aviation Engine Repair and Overhaul as regional engine manager, representing Pratt & Whitney Canada product services in the mid-Atlantic states. Galloway will sell repair and overhaul services for PT6A, JT15D, PW500 and PW306C engines in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. She previously has served with companies including West Star Aviation/Premier Air Center, Pentastar Aviation, SimuFlite and Falcon Jet.
Garmin has teamed with Rotorcraft Services Group (RSG) to obtain an FAA supplemental type certificate to install Garmin G500H glass cockpits in Eurocopter AS350B2, AS350B3 and EC130B4 helicopter models. Under the STC, any authorized Garmin aviation dealer would be able to install a G500H in the covered helicopter models.
The Canadian Business Aviation Association (CBAA) and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) will hold the first CBAA/NBAA Cross-Border Issues Conference in Montreal at the Hilton Montreal Bonaventure Nov. 18-19. The conference targets the Canadian and American business aviation community, including flight department personnel, aircraft owners and operators, aviation professionals, attorneys, schedulers, dispatchers and others who have an interest or are involved in cross-border operations.
MORRISTOWN, NJ -- Luxury office space available at Morristown, NJ Airport. 500-15,000 sf. Office units include use of conference room, kitchen and security. Hangar space also available. Contact Charles Dorison at 973-765-0100 x 4475. Click here to view the pdf
FAA is warning air carriers that fire suppressants typically found in cargo compartments are proving ineffective in suppressing lithium-metal battery (non-rechargeable) fires and are not foolproof in fires involving lithium-ion (rechargeable) fires. The agency has issued a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) recommending that carriers require customers to identify shipments of lithium batteries and to implement special handling and training procedures when they are shipped.
Eurocopter Vostok received an order from UTair Aviation for 20 AS350 B3 single-engine and AS355 NP twin-engine helicopters. Deliveries are slated to begin in 2011 and run through spring of 2013. The order, the largest from Russia for Eurocopter’s lightweight helicopters, builds upon the existing relationship between UTair and the helicopter manufacturer. UTair began operating Eurocopters in 2006 and has a fleet that includes AS350B3, AS355N and BO105 helicopters.
Aviation Fabricators (AvFab) has received European Aviation Safety Agency approval for the installation of a Beechjet 400 two-place divan. AvFab had received FAA supplemental type certification of the installation in May.
International Jet Interiors of Ronkonkoma, N.Y., has installed a Flight Display Systems Select CMS cabin management system with a “Flying Theater” configuration in a Gulfstream III aircraft. The installation created a theater room in the main cabin, with a high-definition 42-in. widescreen LCD monitor, multiple Blu-ray disc players and satellite TV. The aircraft owner, a Hollywood movie producer, plans to use the entertainment system to screen films and review productions during flight.
The McGraw-Hill Companies has tapped 28-year company veteran Gregory Hamilton to take the helm of AVIATION WEEK as president. Hamilton succeeds Tom Henricks, a former astronaut who has led AVIATION WEEK since April 2006. Henricks is departing to pursue other career opportunities, the company says. As president of AVIATION WEEK, Hamilton will be in charge of a variety of Internet sites and services, conferences and publications, including Aviation Week & Space Technology, Business & Commercial Aviation and The Weekly of Business Aviation.
TWG Aviation Ltd., which operates as Business Jet Center and Business Jet Access, has completed its purchase of various assets of Vitesse Aviation at Dallas Love Field (DAL). Announced in June (BA, June 21/3), the acquisition includes Vitesse’s lease-hold, comprising 7.5 acres with two existing hangars. Vitesse had operated a fixed-base operation, aircraft maintenance and charter business at DAL for the past four years. TWG will fold those operations into its own operations at the airport.
Oct. 19–21—National Business Aviation Association 63rd Annual Meeting & Convention, Atlanta, (202) 783-9000, www.nbaa.org Oct. 22—The Wings Club’s 68th Annual Dinner-Dance Honoring Allan McArtor, Chairman Airbus Americas, with its Distinguished Achievement Award, The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, (212) 867-1770, [email protected] Oct. 22—European Aviation Club seminar on passenger rights, Hotel Bristol Stephanie, Brussels, e-mail: [email protected]
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) fears a proposed European package of pilot certification requirements would harm the U.S. flight training and manufacturing sectors, as well as raise trade barriers, by not accepting third-country pilot credentials. The European Commission is scheduled to hold a hearing on the flight crew licensing rules on Oct. 13-14 and subsequently vote on the packages.
Emphasizing that technology is not the whole answer to helicopter safety, FAA Flight Standards Director John Allen last week introduced the agency’s latest proposed rules for helicopter operators, with particular focus on air ambulance operations, where the accident rate has been persistent and unremitting. Allen specifically emphasized the establishment of operations control centers with authority to dispatch a mission, as well as preflight risk analysis for every mission.
TONY SWIFT was named field service representative for Gulfstream Aerospace. Swift will work with Gulfstream customers in northern New Jersey, with primary responsibility for Teterboro, Morristown and Newark airports. Since 2004, Swift has been a member of the Gulfstream contractor logistics support team at Chievres AB in Belgium, where he managed the day-to-day maintenance of a C37-A (Gulfstream GV) aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. He joined Gulfstream in 1999, initially as a technician with the Savannah, Ga., service center drop-in crew.
Flexjet has developed a new “Napa Valley Edition” of its Flexjet 25 Jet Card. Available through Dec. 31, the Napa Valley edition will include a private dinner, cooking lesson with celebrity Chef Morimoto and all-inclusive passes to Auction Napa Valley, a fund-raiser that has raised nearly $100 million for health care, affordable housing and youth development charities. Pricing for the “Napa Valley Edition” Jet Card starts at $124,900.
The severe downturn of the fractional jet market in Europe has created an opportunity for a company to buy and resell secondhand shares, says Chris Moody, CEO of London-based Fractional Jet Europe.
European Maintenance Service AB has opened the first Cessna-authorized Citation Service Center in Scandinavia. Located at Gothenburg Säve Airport in Sweden, the 3,000-sq.-meter Nordic Citation Service Center will serve customers throughout Scandinavia. The center will provide maintenance for 500, 525, 550, 560, 560XL and 680 series Citation business jets and can house up to eight aircraft at a time.
Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) last week inaugurated its new global flight test operations center as part of Phase 1 of the engine manufacturer’s Mirabel Aerospace Center at Montreal-Mirabel International Airport. The center will support flight testing for the complete range of Pratt & Whitney engines, including turboprops and turbofans up to 90,000 lb.-thrust. The center houses two Boeing 747SP aircraft that have been transformed into flying test beds to simulate a complete range of flight conditions and collect record amounts of engine data.
AGUSTA A109E helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2010-0449; Directorate Identifier 2009-SW-38-AD; Amendment 39-16456; AD 2010-20-21] – Replace the 35-amp BATT BUS circuit breaker with a 50-amp circuit breaker, per the instructions of Agusta Mandatory Technical Bulletin No. 109EP-98 (dated June 22, 2009). Also, replace certain wires with oversized ones to prevent an electrical failure, loss of electrical power and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.
Bombardier Aerospace’s 14th Safety Standdown, held in Wichita last week, was fully booked, with 494 people in attendance. The seminar launched a new format, featuring two days of optional workshops and two days of general sessions on aviation meteorology, human performance, advanced aerodynamics and aviation leaders/managers. Scheduled speakers included National Business Aviation Association President and CEO Ed Bolen, FAA Director of Flight Standards John Allen and National Transportation Safety Board Member Earl Weener.
Contraction in Wichita’s aviation manufacturing sector began to slow in the first half of 2010, according to a new report from Wichita State University. “From January through July 2010, 700 aerospace products and parts jobs were lost in Wichita,” says the report, titled Wichita’s Economic Outlook 2010 Review and 2011 Forecast Center. “Additional job losses are likely to occur in the fourth quarter.
