U.S. air traffic controllers are operating under new procedures for reporting operational errors that omits a controller’s identity in error reports sent to FAA headquarters. The FAA says the new procedure allows it to move away from its blame-and-punishment culture and focus on identifying and remedying safety issues. The controller would face disciplinary action and retraining only when necessary.
The FAA is reassessing its plans for a proposed rulemaking addressing the operation of very light jets in FAR Part 135 operations that was based in part on the recommendations of the Part 125/135 Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC). The proposal would have covered crew, equipment, training and dispatch requirements for the use of VLJs in on-demand or air taxi service.
The “five-engine” Boeing 707 has a spare engine in Boeing’s optional Pod-Pak under the left wing. Qantas, whose airplane is shown, is one of nine airlines that will use Pod-Paks to do away with large stocks of spare engines at any but major airports.
Gore Design Completions, Ltd., San Antonio, announced that Ron Soret was named the company’s chief operating officer. Soret was vice president of operations.
Banyan Air Service, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., welcomed Chris Wray as the new Falcon crew leader, expanding Banyan’s maintenance offerings for the Falcon 50, 900 and 2000 to include A/A+, OCIP airframe inspections and unscheduled line maintenance.
Because Gulfstream services 70 percent of the active aircraft it has delivered, the company believes it can detect trends in operations earlier and more accurately than other forecasters. “We can see upticks in flight hours ahead of others,” Robert N. Baugniet, Gulfstream senior manager for corporate communications, said in August.
Naverus, Inc. has introduced a custom RNP Availability Forecast Service (NRAFS) solution for aircraft operators who wish to take advantage of Required Navigation Performance (RNP). The new service provides worldwide RNP availability forecasting specifically tailored to the equipment on board the operator’s aircraft. NRAFS integrates and correlates the dynamic configuration of the GPS satellite constellation at any given time with terrain features, known satellite outages, specifications of equipment on the aircraft and RNP requirements.
StandardAero received STC Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) at its Springfield, Ill., location from the FAA’s Chicago Aircraft Certification Office — the first such designation by that office. ODA designation enables StandardAero to approve design data, tests and analysis as well as make findings of regulatory compliance allowing it to sign an STC for aircraft alterations on behalf of the FAA.
New Piper Aircraft CEO Kevin Gould mapped out a long-term, two-pronged growth strategy for the company during an interview with BCA Senior Editor Fred George at Oshkosh. He plans to develop the PiperJet to provide piston-engine and single-engine turboprop owners with a move-up airplane while continuing to upgrade Piper’s existing product line. He also wants to expand Piper’s global presence.
Ocean Sky Jet Centre has opened a new FBO at London’s Luton Airport, open 24-hours for arrivals and departures. The company says it is in advanced negotiations to have its own on-site customs and immigration officer — a first for Luton. In recent years Luton has been underutilized by transatlantic flyers due to limited capacity and, to a certain extent, congested road links to central London.
Don Bernier (Flight Department Manager/Chief PilotWinner Aviation Corp.Vienna, OH)
Thanks so much for the July issue loaded with pro-flight department articles. Your magazine is always priority one in my mailbox and I always pass it on; many more readers could benefit from the resources of Business & Commercial Aviation.
On Sept. 1, 2006, a 30,000-hour airline transport pilot flew his Mitsubishi MU-2B-35 into a thunderstorm while descending for a visual approach to Panama City Bay County International Airport (PFN) in Florida. The pilot lost control and the airplane structure failed as it spiraled out of the clouds into a swamp and the pilot was killed.
Officials at O&N Aircraft Modifications in Factoryville, Pa., reported recently that they still expect to win FAA certification of their turbine conversion of the Cessna 340 by the end of this year. The Silver Eagle 340, which will be powered by two Rolls-Royce 250-B17F/2 engines, first flew in June 2008. Conformity testing of the $1.35 million aircraft, which is slated to also feature a Garmin 600 cockpit, is continuing.
Jet Aviation recently expanded is service offering to include base and line maintenance for Hawker 750/800/800XP/900XP, Gulfstream G350/G450 and Embraer 135/145 aircraft under the company’s EASA Part 145.0317 approval. In addition, the company’s newly established Boeing BBJ team is now fully operational. The center can also provide base maintenance to all drop-ins and AOGs. The Dubai facility was opened in May 2005. Jet Aviation Brazil will also provide line maintenance services to Gulfstream operators at its Sorocaba facility.
King Aerospace, Addison, Texas, has reorganized its commercial aircraft operations and appointed Jim Thompson as general manager and Buddy Tobin as senior project manager.
The U.S. Air Force has signed a letter contract to lease three Bombardier BD-700 Global Express business jets from Northrop Grumman for use as platforms for the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN). This includes one demonstrator aircraft already deployed operationally since December 2008. Northrop was awarded an 18-month, $276 million contract in June to install the communications payload on two additional jets as a short-term solution while it equips two RQ-4B Block 20 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft to be fielded in fiscal 2011.Graham Warwick
CRS Jet Spares has procured a large inventory consisting of factory new airframe and structural material for all Gulfstream II and III aircraft. The inventory was purchased directly from Gulfstream Aerospace and is fully traceable to the OEM with all necessary documentation. The inventory includes structural and airframe parts such as doublers, cowlings, leading and trailing edges, panel assemblies, skins, frames, stringers, wire bundles, among other parts. Price: Varies CRS Jet Spares 6701 N.W. 12th Ave.
The U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) believes a Eurocopter Super Puma AS332L2 might have been pulled from service before it crashed into the North Sea April 1 if the relevance of a metal chip found in the gearbox module days before the accident had been diagnosed differently. On July 16, the AAIB made that finding as a result of its continuing investigation of the failure of the epicyclic reduction gearbox module on the Super Puma involved in the accident.
Avitat Abu Dhabi, operated by Royal Jet and located at Abu Dhabi International Airport, is positioned just minutes from the Yas Island Circuit, which is holding the Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1. According to the, visitors will be able to choose limousine or helicopter transfer to Yas Island. For those flying into Dubai (DXB), Royal Jet/Avitat Abu Dhabi is an alternative for guests to easily transfer by helicopter. Avitat Abu Dhabi www.royaljetgroup.com
Deborah A.P. (Debby) Hersman, a five-year veteran of the NTSB, was sworn in July 28 as the agency’s 12th chairman. Hersman was nominated for the two-year term by President Barack Obama on June 18 and confirmed by the Senate on July 24. She was simultaneously nominated and confirmed for a second five-year term as a board member. She immediately faced her baptism of fire as the public face of the Safety Board after the midair collision of a sightseeing helicopter and a Piper Lance over the Hudson River.
Patrick Veillette completely missed my “tongue-in-cheek” comment about the Citation’s safety (Letters, August, page 11). My point was that you quoted one set of statistics that completely contradicted the assumption made in the next paragraph. In your reply to my letter, you say that the statement “five of 59 fatal LOC accidents involved single-pilot operations” is a flawed inference. It was in fact your statement.
American Eurocopter cut the ribbon for a new, state-of-the-art Customer Service and Fleet Operations Center (CSFC) during the company’s 40th anniversary celebration at its Grand Prairie, Texas, headquarters in July. The CFSC will be linked to facilities in Europe and Asia, providing customers with the global-scale logistics and technical support capabilities of Eurocopter. The company also has ongoing investments in local repair and overhaul capabilities, a growing local supply chain, and an extensive investment in training and simulation services.
The NTSB has listed “Reduce Accidents and Incidents Caused by Human Fatigue” on its “Most Wanted” list for nearly 20 years now and wants the FAA to “set working hour limits for flight crews, aviation mechanics and air traffic controllers based on fatigue research, circadian rhythms, and sleep and rest requirements and to develop a fatigue awareness and countermeasures program for air traffic controllers.” Recent accidents have once again brought attention to the matter of human fatigue as a factor, along with a call for action.
The NTSB continues its campaign against pilot fatigue with an extensively detailed and footnoted Recommendation Letter to the FAA calling for, among other things: modifying the Application for Airman Medical Certificate to elicit specific information about any previous diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea and about the presence of specific risk factors for that disorder (A-09-61); and implementing a program to identify pilots at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea and require that those pilots provide evidence through the medical certification process of having been appr
