Hank Krakowski, chief operating officer of the FAA's Air Traffic Organization (ATO), resigned April 14, in the wake of the incidents involving controllers either asleep or unresponsive during late night shifts. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt appointed the FAA's chief counsel, David Grizzle, as ATO's acting COO while a permanent replacement is found. “We are conducting a top-to-bottom review of the way we operate our air traffic control system,” says Babbitt.
Having raised four children, you'd think I'd be much more vigilant about saying “Yes” too easily simply because its contingent obligation seems so removed in time. After all, “You promised!” is one of the most potent tools in a child's weapons locker.
Bell/AgustaWestland BA609A Tiltrotor With robust sales of the AW139 helping the AgustaWestland division of Finmeccanica claim 29% of the $4.16 billion global helicopter market as measured by 2010 deliveries — that's second only to Eurocopter — the status of the AB609A tiltrotor joint venture with Bell Helicopter Textron has seemed only to grow murkier.
Cleveland-based Constant Aviation has completed its first STC'd installation of a Wi-Fi system, along with Aircell's Gogo Biz Inflight Internet, in a Gulfstream IV. The company also is completing its STC for installation of Aircell's Gogo Biz Inflight and Wi-Fi in the Cessna Citation X, Hawker 800A/XP, Beechjet and Embraer Phenom 300.
StandardAero Business Aviation says it is the first maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider certified to perform the installation of Honeywell's Primus Elite flight deck system in Falcon 900C and 900EX aircraft. The recently issued STC enables StandardAero to replace five aging CRT cockpit displays with five modern, integrated, state-of-the-art Honeywell Primus Elite (DU-875) LCD units. The retrofit can be performed at any one of StandardAero's four facilities: Springfield, Ill.; Augusta, Ga.; Houston or Los Angeles.
HondaJet certification flight testing confirmed that the light business jet exceeds the maximum speed promised to customers, says Honda Aircraft. The first FAA-conforming prototype has achieved 425 KTAS at 30,000 ft. and a maximum Mach number of 0.72 above that altitude. The performance commitment for the production HondaJet is 420 kt., the Greensboro, N.C.-based company says.
I read with some distress “Backdoor Rulemaking” (Washington Watch, April 2011, page 61). The purely economic arguments made in the column did nothing to diminish the need for hard time duty limits for all crews. Multiple studies have shown the extreme danger of fatigue in air operations; some have even scientifically equated a 17-hr. day to being legally drunk (0.05% BAC).
Aero Dynamix Inc., Euless, Texas, named Tonka Hufford operations manager, project development. He most recently was president of RSG Aviation. Aero Law Group, Bellevue, Wash., has added Paul Lambert to its team of lawyers responsible for clients in sales, leasing, financing and the exchange of business and commercial aircraft.
FAA's plan to restrict use of the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program is “dangerous, invasive and unwarranted” and could have far-reaching implications, says the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). AOPA was one of the more than 600 commenters on FAA's March 4 notice of a tentative decision to limit BARR participation to only those operators with a verifiable threat to their operations.
FAA, DOT and NATCA have launched a united attack on the dozing controller situation and scheduling practices that can lead to controller fatigue while standing firm on individual professionalism. “We expect controllers to come to work rested and ready to work and take personal responsibility for safety in the control towers. We have zero tolerance for sleeping on the job,” said Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. He mandated that two controllers staff control towers on overnight shifts.
The management at Cirrus Aircraft is awaiting word from the U.S. government regarding clearance to proceed with the Minnesota planemaker's acquisition by China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co., Ltd., (AVIC). The $200-plus million takeover, announced Feb. 28, has met with opposition that Cirrus executives maintain is misplaced and potentially damaging. Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-Minn.), whose district includes the main Cirrus plant and headquarters in Duluth, told the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.
FlightSafety International was selected as Pratt & Whitney Canada's training provider for helicopter engines, and the first students have already graduated. “Classes are running full,” says Mike Lee, FlightSafety director of maintenance training business development. Training covers six different engine series for a total of 28 models, powering 26 different helicopters from 12 manufacturers. Primary training locations are Montreal, Dallas-Fort Worth, West Palm Beach, Fla., and Paris. FlightSafety has procured training assets from P&WC.
FAA released an “Information for Operators” (InFO) document, encouraging business and corporate aircraft operators to implement a safety management system (SMS). The April 11 InFO also outlines International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) SMS requirements for operators of large aircraft (those weighing more than 12,500 lb.). The release of the InFO was driven in part by ICAO requirements for noncommercial operators of large aircraft to implement an SMS program by Nov. 18, 2010.
An April poll from the Aerospace Industries Association shows strong support among Americans for the FAA and its satellite-based NextGen air traffic control system. The poll indicates that as many as 68% of Americans support new technologies to improve air safety and 65% favor maintaining or increasing FAA funding levels, while 19% favor cutting the FAA budget.
Whether inadvertent or intended, illegal charter hurts everyone in an industry that is always trying to raise the safety bar. So claims Dennis Keith, president and founder of Jet Solutions, a Dallas-based charter operator with nearly 200 aircraft on its operating certificate.
Garmin International and Kuerzi Avionics AG teamed to obtain European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification for the installation of the Garmin G500H glass cockpit in the Eurocopter AS350. With this STC, any authorized Garmin aviation dealer can install a G500H in an AS350 in accordance with EASA guidelines. The G500H is an all-glass avionics system designed specifically for the VFR Part 27 helicopter market.
On March 29, the FCC published a final rule that indefinitely stays its original proposed rule mandating replacement of 121.5 MHz ELTs with 406 MHz ELTs that the FAA, NBAA and others opposed. In a separate Federal Register notice, the FCC will request further comment on the future of 121.5 MHz ELTs.
Universal Jet Aviation recently added two Gulfstream IVs and a Boeing BBJ to its fleet. The Gulfstreams will be based out of Miami and Carlsbad, Calif., and the BBJ will be available for charter out of South Florida. Universal Jet's charter fleet now has 15 aircraft, including four Gulfstream IVs, seven Gulfstream IIIs and a Legacy 600.
ARGUS reports that March flight activity shows significant increase over the previous month. TRAQPak data indicate March business aircraft activity was up 17.2% over February. Looking at operational categories, the FAR Part 91 market segment saw the biggest month-over-month increase at 18.6%. The fractional segment came in second, up 17.0%, and the Part 135 market was positive as well at 15.0%. Comparing March 2011 to March 2010, activity increased 4.7%. The Part 91 and fractional markets both saw activity increase at 9.5% and 5.7%, respectively.
The Max-Viz EVS-1500 dual field of view (optical zoom) infrared Enhanced Vision System (EVS) has been approved for installation on Gulfstream III, IV and V series aircraft via an amended STC.
The FAA Civil Aerospace Medicine Institute (CAMI) has released a report of the first systematic investigation of how modern Web-based weather products are actually used by general aviation pilots. A data-gathering emulation of 18 pages of the National Weather Service website was written by CAMI's W.R. Knecht to present two similar, challenging weather scenarios to 50 GA pilots in a simulated cross-country VFR flight. Each pilot made two flights, separated by several months.
The business aircraft industry again flew through stormy skies in 2010. Compared to 2009, 12.3% fewer new turbofan aircraft were delivered, new turboprop shipments declined another 17.7% and there was a 7.7% drop in new piston aircraft deliveries, according to GAMA.
Eurocopter is nearing a development decision on a high-speed “compound” helicopter that could replace the EC225. The X3 demonstrator is based on an EC155 airframe, with dual RTM322 turboshafts driving both the main rotor and propellers mounted at the tips of short wings. It first flew in September 2010. The aircraft has reached 180 kt. in flight tests and is aiming to exceed 220 kt. this year. Any X3-based commercial model from Eurocopter would probably be developed in parallel with a conventional design and take about six years to bring to market.
