Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, named Craig Olson vice president and general manager, Business and Regional Systems. He succeeds Jeff Standersky, who was recently named senior vice president, Information Management Services. Olson has been with Rockwell Collins for more than 27 years.
According to the DC-6 emergency checklist, the proper procedure for an engine fire is to ensure the engine is feathered first before pulling the fire-extinguishing handle. The checklist notes the effectiveness of the fire extinguisher system is greater after engine rotation has stopped. A letter submitted to the NTSB by the operator, says, in part: 1. “Engine rotation may be the source of the engine fire. Feathering and stopping engine rotation may remove that source.” 2.
Questions for Dr. Peggy Chabrian Sure she was going to be an elementary school teacher, Chabrian recalculated her life after taking aflight in a 1946 Ercoupe. 1. How is it that the WAI and conference came to be?
Gulfstream Aerospace 's service center at London Luton Airport in the U.K. recently received European Aviation Safety Agency approval to perform maintenance on the Gulfstream G280.The facility earned similar EASA approval for Gulfstream 's G650 last year. The G280 entered service in November 2012, followed by the G650 in December 2012.
Highly advanced cockpit automation, particularly full-function FMS, can reduce pilot workload and increase the flight crew's time available to manage all cockpit resources. Just program the FMS, twist the knobs and push the buttons on the flight guidance panel and you're ready to go. After takeoff, clean up the aircraft, engage the autopilot, sit back, manage the automation and enjoy the trip. Just watch the airplane follow the magenta line on the PFD until you're on final landing approach.
While much of the business aviation industry news in recent years has involved cutbacks, closures and consolidations, Gulfstream Aerospace has delivered a completely different kind of dispatch. In 2006, two years before the global financial crisis, the Georgia-based manufacturer outlined a seven-year expansion effort that would result in 1,100 new jobs and represent a $300 million investment. But halfway through that original seven-year commitment, Gulfstream had already invested $400 million and created 1,500 new jobs in Savannah.
AgustaWestland is continuing to add improvement modifications to its AW609 as the aircraft moves toward its confirmed certification scheduled for 2017. The hybrid fixed/rotary wing aircraft currently has “almost 60 potential orders from global customers,” according to Roberto Caprarella, Communications Manager for the company. These are from both civil and government customers in a range of configurations, primarily VIP/executive transport and offshore oil and gas operators.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association reports FAA Administrator Michael Huerta has given it assurances that he will make the petition for an exemption from third-class medical requirements a priority. AOPA and the Experimental Aircraft Association jointly petitioned the agency seeking the ability to use the driver's license medical standard. In a letter to AOPA, Huerta wrote it was important to “ensure that such an unprecedented change will not result in any adverse impact that could lead to degradation in safety.”
Sporty's says that your flight bag just got lighter — their FAR/AIM book is now available as an app for your iPhone or iPad. The new app has additional advanced features making it easier to find information. You can highlight and bookmark passages for quick retrieval or you can study content based on your current flight training. The app includes free updates and is available in the App Store.
Safe Flight, White Plains, N.Y., announced the appointment of Matthew Greene as executive vice president. Since joining the company in 2003, he has taken on increasing roles of responsibility, most recently as vice president of Program Management where he led the improvement of new product time to market.
Signature Flight Support won San Jose City Council approval for its planned $82 million fixed-base operation complex at Norm Mineta San Jose International Airport. The approval included a 50-year lease and operating agreement to build and operate the FBO on 29 acres on the west side of the airport. The city council in April formally approved Signature's bid to develop the project. Signature teamed with Blue City Holdings, a San Jose company representing the personal aircraft of the principals at Google, on the project.
The Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) was founded in 1984 to act as an advocate for its members, provide regulatory compliance assistance and act as an industry advocate before government bodies and the media. It also provides training, advisory materials, news services, and regulatory expertise to help members remain compliant in a heavily regulated industry. The organization also offers technical and legal expertise to analyze and respond to government actions.
Textron, parent of Cessna Aircraft and Bell Helicopter, plans to add Beechcraft to its corporate stable in $1.4 billion acquisition. The initial plan appears to maintain Beechcraft as a separate unit and keep its leadership intact. The acquisition is expected to conclude by mid-2014. Beechcraft's equity holders have already approved the agreement.
Embraer's Legacy 450 flew for the first time Dec. 28, kicking off what the Brazilian manufacturer expects to be about a year-long flight test and certification campaign. The Legacy 450 program was launched alongside the 500 aircraft — originally dubbed the Midlight Jet (MLJ) and Midsize Jet (MSJ) — in 2008 to fill the gaps in the product line between the Phenom 300 light jet and the Legacy 600 super midsize aircraft.
Airbus Group, Toulouse, announced that Sean O'Keefe, chairman and CEO of the company's North American business unit will resign as of March 1. Alan McArtor, currently chairman of Airbus Americas will be his successor. O'Keefe is stepping down in order to address ongoing medical issue due to injuries he sustained in a 2010 aircraft accident in Alaska. He will continue with the company on special assignment to oversee and facilitate the compliant transition of the company's ongoing security agreement with the Department of Defense to the new U.S. Group.
Fly Comlux, the VIP operator of Comlux Aviation Group, announced that its Boeing 767BBJ widebody aircraft is now available for charter, having come back into the market after a major mandatory maintenance check and significant upgrades to the cabin. Upgrades include reupholstered seats, a new humidification system, SwiftBroadband and GSM throughout the cabin. Comlux, The Aviation Group Hergiswill, Switzerland
William (Bill) Stine, the longtime director of international operations for the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), retired in January after nearly 35 years with the organization. Stine served as the staff liaison to the NBAA International Operators Committee and Schedulers and Dispatchers Committee. He was a founding officer of the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and had served as its corporate secretary. A U.S.
Arinc, teaming with the National Business Aviation Association and a number of flight planning providers, have been adding advanced passenger information capabilities to meet new Mexico requirements that recently took effect for both private and commercial operations. The Mexican government passed a measure calling for the reporting requirements in 2010 in an attempt to tighten security and better account for taxes paid by arriving and departing passengers, NBAA says.
DeathsRobert “Bob” Ruskay died on Dec. 8 after a battle with cancer. He spent over forty years in corporate aviation most of if flying out of Westchester County Airport (HPN) in New York for the Crane Co. and later as flight department manager for Reader's Digest. He semi-retired to Tucson, Ariz., where he was a Challenger instructor at FlightSafety and a contract pilot for the past 13 years.
Bombardier closed out 2013 with additional orders for 30 Challengers and 28 Globals, pushing the manufacturer's total to at least 310 announced business jet orders in 2013. The orders include a deal for 28 Globals and 10 Challenger 605s, valued at $2.2 billion, while a second order involves 10 Challenger 350s valued at $259 million, and a third for five Challenger 300s and five Challenger 605s jets with a combined value of $280 million. The customers for the orders were undisclosed.
I just finished “A Classic Accident Chain” (Cause & Circumstance, December 2013) and have a completely different perspective. I think its should be retitled, “Don't leave well enough alone!!”
John Adler Adler, Murphy and McQuillen (Chicago, Ill. )
“Serving Up Liability” (Point of Law, January 2014) was a good article. I'm also aware of airline liability under the old saloon keeper liability (dram shop liability in Illinois). Airlines were sued for accidents involving over served passengers after they got off the plane. I'm aware of a suit some years ago wherein an intoxicated passenger wandered out into the “Bloody Bayshore” in San Francisco and was killed; his estate sued the airline. Keep up the good work!
A decade after Congress mandated that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) adopt new repair station security rules, the agency is finally issuing them and effectively lifting a five year ban on certification of new foreign repair stations. In that time, the number of repair stations awaiting FAA certification had grown to more than 90. The final rule applies to some 4,700 Part 145 FAA-certified repair stations. But in a major concession to both industry wishes and general practicality, not all of its elements apply to every facility.
Greenpoint Technologies has been tapped by an undisclosed customer for a second time to outfit a Boeing 787 Dreamliner with a VIP interior. The Kirkland, Wash., outfit says it spent five years learning about the airplane and visiting the nearby Boeing plant in preparing to work on the new model. Now 25 years old, Greenpoint works on Boeing aircraft exclusively. The company provides all-encompassing completion service including in-house engineering and design to manufacturing and installation of VIP interiors.
Wheels Up, the membership-based private aviation company founded last summer, remains “slightly ahead of plans” with 150 members signing on in its first few months of operation and finishing the year with nine aircraft in service, says founder and CEO Kenny Dichter. The company launched with a firm order for 35 Beechcraft King Air 350s and options for up to 70 more, the largest commercial order ever for the twin turboprop aircraft.“We're just getting started,” says Dichter, who believes the company is on pace to top 250 members shortly.
