An Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) is a reporting program that allows employees of participating air carriers and repair station certificate holders to identify and report safety issues to management and to the FAA for resolution, without fear that the FAA will use reports accepted under the program to take legal enforcement action against them, or that companies will use such information to take disciplinary action.
Avjet has added a Gulfstream IV to its fleet of charter aircraft. The plane will be based at Avjet's U.S. charter headquarters in Burbank, Calif. The GIV has seating for 13 passengers, with four berthable beds, a full-service forward galley and a non-smoking enclosed lavatory and is equipped with AirCell GoGo Biz Wi-Fi. The aircraft has a range of 4,100 nm. Visit [email protected]
Dassault Aviation's Mystere 20 s.n.1 took to the skies for the very first time on May 4, 1963, and the French planemaker is holding celebrations and displays throughout the year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of that signal event. The centerpiece of the moveable feast is s.n. 1 itself. The aircraft has undergone a three-year restoration by a team of former airline and Dassault employees.
FAA Flight Standards Director John Allen wants to change the agency's approach to enforcement regarding minor issues, but is getting slowed by the agency's attorneys. Speaking at the recent Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association Spring Meeting, he said his office had hoped to move away from a punitive system to one that enables inspectors to help operators correct small problems before immediately jumping into an enforcement action.
During a small gathering of aviation business leaders in Teterboro, N.J., in March, National Air Transportation Association (NATA) President Tom Hendricks asked the attendees to state their top concerns. FlightSafety International Chairman, CEO and President Bruce Whitman was among the first to answer: FAA's recent training interpretation. It is giving FlightSafety all sorts of problems, he told the group. Heads nodded in agreement. The FAR Part 135 operators at the gathering knew firsthand the problems that the interpretation was causing.
Alex Bruzzano (Chief of Safety Nebraska Air National Guard Offutt AFB, Neb. )
Thank you so much for the kind words in “The List, Please” (Viewpoint, May 2013, page 11). One small point, however. I have never been (unfortunately) a Gulfstream pilot — King Airs, Barons and TBMs have been my forte in that department. Again, thanks so much for your help. If we do get a chance to improve our checklist design I'll be sure to let you know. Chief of Safety Nebraska Air National Guard Offutt AFB, Neb.
FlightSafety International's first AgustaWestland AW139 full-flight simulator has entered service at the company's Learning Center in Lafayette, La. The first Initial Pilot course using this new Level D qualified simulator is now underway. The simulator is equipped with a Honeywell Primus Epic avionics suite configured for single- and dual-pilot operations. It features a four-axis autopilot, GPS with Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) capabilities, a Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), and an Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS).
Hawthorne Global Aviation Services is adding its third location in a little more than a year with the recent acquisition of development rights at Chicago Executive Airport. Hawthorne, which teamed with Moelis Capital Partners in 2010 to build a nationwide fixed-base operation (FBO) chain, closed on a deal May 6 to acquire the rights from Sovereign Development Group and hopesto begin construction later this month on a nearly 40,000-sq.-ft. terminal and hangar facility.
The Southwest Airlines flight had been uneventful, but shortly after the Boeing 737 touched down at Los Angeles International Airport on Sept. 8, 2009, the right main landing gear's inboard wheel and brake assembly separated from the aircraft. The pilots managed to taxi the jetliner off the runway and onto a taxiway where all 142 occupants deplaned. Airfield crews recovered the sizeable broken components that upon examination revealed fatigue cracking emanating from the brake mounting bolt-hole.
Beechcraft hopes to sell most of its jet programs by midyear. Chairman and CEO Bill Boisture said earlier this year that the programs have attracted a fair amount of interest and recently told Wichita reporters that he expects a bidding process to begin shortly. Options exist for the programs, ranging from a support organization buying the lines to maintain the existing fleet, to a manufacturing operation purchasing them to bring them back into production.
Think the unthinkable. Consider the grimmest of scenarios. Contemplate a crash. What's your contingency plan for handling an accident or a ditching with survivors on board? Could you execute it, if necessary? Have you ever thought about it?
Garmin has an updated version of the Garmin Pilot app for the iPad and iPhone that incorporates Garmin's dynamic navigation maps. With the new dynamic maps, pilots can now choose between track-up or north-up moving map orientation. They will also have the option of track-up orientation on static sectionals on en route charts. Enhancements to Garmin Pilot's cloud computing technology enable seamless connectivity and information sharing between all Garmin Pilot-enabled devices.
There's a showdown underway in the Silicon Valley involving big names, big jets, and big FBO chains. Business aircraft alighting at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) use Atlantic Aviation, a part of Australia's Macquarie Group. Atlantic says it has invested $60 million in upgrading the facility in the past five years. Nevertheless, on April 16 the city council voted 10-1 to accept a proposal by rival Signature Flight Support, owned by BBA of Britain, to develop a second FBO at the city-owned airport.
House lawmakers are pushing for a dramatic overhaul of certification regulations for small aircraft. Reps. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Todd Rokita (R-Ind.) and Rick Nolan (D-Minn.) have introduced the Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013 that essentially calls for rewriting FAR Part 23 with the intention of halving certification costs while more than doubling safety. The rewrite has strong support from the highest levels of FAA and a number of international aviation authorities.
Millennium International has expanded its service offerings to include Honeywell Primus avionics suite support. The move bolsters Millennium's support for Embraer ERJ 135/145 aircraft. Based near Kansas City, Millennium provides maintenance, repair and overhaul services for commercial, military and rotor-wing aircraft.
EASA has a far different requirement for supplemental oxygen aboard high flying jets. EU-OPS 1.770 (b)(iii) and (iv) only require that O2 masks “be within immediate reach of flight crew members” and that “quick donning” masks be installed for flight crewmembers in pressurized aircraft flying above 25,000 ft. Similarly, the ICAO Annex 6 3.4.4.2.2 rule for supplemental oxygen use essentially is the same as the EASA regulation. Canada, in contrast, requires one pilot to use an oxygen mask above FL 410, according to CAR 605.32.
CSI Aviation launched a more innovative and customer friendly website in support of its growing marketing efforts. The website enables customers to clearly view the company's value-added aviation management services from arranging charter, managing aviation programs, to using mission-specific aircraft for mapping and data collection and surveillance. The company also has a new logo. CSI Aviation Albuquerque, N.M. www.csiaviation.com
Windblade Corp. has introduced the Inogen Aviator G3. An extension of the existing Inogen Aviator product line, the G3 weighs only 4.8 lb., which is almost 3 lb. lighter than the Inogen One G2-1050. The unit concentrates oxygen from ambient air and can be used by a single user up to 15,000 ft. Features include: a battery that runs up to 2.5 hr.; four flow settings; 12-32 VDC power converter; AC power supply 100-240 volts, 50-60 Hz; meets FAA guidelines for supplemental oxygen; three-year warranty.
Steve Orr (Supervisory Special Agent/Pilot (Ret.) Drug Enforcement Administration Houston, Texas )
Thank you so much for your detailed, informative and comprehensive analysis of the Gulfstream G650 (April 2013, page 24). I do not know how long it took me to read it, but I was impressed with the facts that, as a professional pilot, I demand in an article. I read about six periodicals a month about flying and after reading a terrible article on the Bombardier 6000 in another magazine I decided to write to you. Excellent work and this is why I subscribe to BCA.
Federal Aviation Regulation 91.211 requires a single pilot when above FL 350 and one of two pilots in the cockpit when above FL 410 to wear and use an oxygen mask as a precaution against incapacitation in the event of a rapid or explosive decompression event. It's a rule that's routinely ignored by scores of business aircraft pilots, based upon recent confidential interviews conducted by BCA.
Qatar Executive, a division of Qatar Airways, has received approvals from the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority to conduct base maintenance services for Bombardier Challenger 604, 605 and Global series aircraft. The business jet subsidiary can now perform heavy maintenance checks at its 6,400-sq.- meter hangar at Doha International Airport. Their licensed engineers and technicians can also be dispatched throughout the region to resolve AOG issues. The Maintenance Service Center operates 24/7. Qatar Executive Doha International Airport
The private aviation industry hasn't improved much in Western Europe over the past year, says aviation advisor Brian Foley. Amid austerity measures and weak economic news, there has been a cautious hesitance to take on the discretionary costs associated with private air travel. “The situation will drag on a bit longer,” notes Foley. “But one shouldn't lose perspective that Europe still remains the second largest business aviation market.” According to aircraft data base provider AMSTAT, the Western European business jet fleet has shrunk 2% since this time last year.
London Gatwick Airport has reopened a helicopter landing site after a 12-year absence. Based at the end of taxiway Uniform on the west side of the airport, the helicopter aiming point (HAP) reopens after two years of feasibility discussions and joint planning between Gatwick officials and Signature Flight Support.
EmptyLegMarket, an online marketplace for empty-leg flights, launched a mobile version of its website. The mobile website has the same listings that are on the full version of the company's website, however the mobile version has been optimized for viewing on various mobile devices.
