— At about 1530 EST, a Beech C23 (N2109W) lost engine power and collided with a tree near Linden Airport (LDJ), Linden, N.Y. The airplane was owned and operated by a private individual and was being operated under VFR as a personal flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the pilot and passenger were seriously injured. The pilot stated that he covered the wings of the airplane to prevent a buildup of snow and ice that was forecasted. He said that he arrived at the airport on the afternoon Dec.
Eckert Seamans Cherin and Mellott, LLC, Washington, D.C., announced that Shelley A. Hession has joined the firm as an associate in the Business Division, practicing in the Aviation Group.
2009 Feb. 18-19: NBAA Leadership Conference, Doubletree Hotel, New Orleans. www.nbaa.org Feb. 26-28: Women in Aviation International (WAI) 20th Annual Conference, Hyatt Regency, Atlanta, Ga. www.wai.org Mar. 3-4: 2009 Air Charter Safety Foundation Symposium, NTSB Training Center, 45065 Riverside Pkwy., Ashburn, Va. www.acsf.aero/symposium March 6-7: PAMA 2009 Aviation Maintenance & Management Symposium, American Airlines Training and Conference Center, Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. www.pama.org
Embraer’s new UPS-operated parts distribution center, in Louisville, Ky., was certified by the Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil — ANAC) just before year-end. ANAC certification is recognized by the FAA. For customers, certification means the logistics site can receive and generate airworthiness tags (Form 8130-3) for Embraer spares, saving customers time and expense.
A science, engineering and technology workforce shortage is posing a serious challenge for the aerospace industry, according to a new survey by the Aerospace Industries Association. The study, “Launching the 21st Century American Workshop,” noted that the shortage of skilled workers is threatening the dominance of the U.S. aerospace industry.
Imagine being able to operate in and out of Teterboro, Morristown and White Plains, among other general aviation airports located near congested urban areas, without having to wait for an opening in the near-constant stream of airliner arrivals and departures at nearby commercial jetports. Then, envision being able to fly into Aspen, among other airports in mountainous terrain, using gently curving and descending IFR precision approaches that provide ILS-like weather minimums and that stabilize the aircraft directly on runway centerline and glide path.
Embraer announced Jan. 7 that its Lineage 1000, derived from the EMB 190 airliner, simultaneously received its FAA Type Certificate along with an STC for its sophisticated modular interior designed, fabricated and installed by De Crane Aerospace subsidiary PATS Interior Completions of Georgetown, Del. The executive jet received its ANAC (Brazilian) and EASA (European) certifications just prior to the end of 2008.
Due to two great strokes of fortune, the Hill Aerospace Museum in Idaho has ended up with an absolutely gorgeous, newly repainted Air Force One C-140B/JetStar, fully restored, including a vintage 1970 interior. (For the full story, see Business & Commercial Aviation, July 2008, page 124.)
Textron cut its fourth quarter 2008 earnings estimate by more than half amid a slumping economy, but says its Bell Helicopter unit should partially offset weaknesses in its Cessna Aircraft and industrial businesses.
Staffing issues are always difficult, but in tough times you need to get professional help when it comes to hiring and firing. The NBAA Management Guide has plenty of helpful information, which you can download at www.nbaa.org; see Section 1.4 — Department Staffing Guidelines. The association also offers a course on staffing as part of its Professional Development Program. If you need experts to help you, here are a few companies that can provide assistance. Aviation Personnel International www.apiaviation.com/index.php
FlightSafety International, La Guardia Airport, N.Y., named Eric P. Hinson executive vice president. Prior to joining FSI, Hinson was president and CEO of Piaggio America. He has held positions at Honeywell Aerospace and Gulfstream Aerospace.
Thirty-four weeks. Lockheed Jetstar 329 at an estimated $6 million to $7 million responding to an Air Force request for a utility jet. The airplane was eventually rolled out on Aug. 1, 1957.
General Electric Aviation’s much-heralded eCore advanced gas generator may see its introductory application not in an airliner engine but in a business jet powerplant — the long-awaited “10K,” or 10,000-pound-thrust class turbofan the company has promised for several years amid an aura of super secrecy.
The business aviation community received a real scare on Jan. 9, when Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), chairman of the powerful House Financial Services Committee, moved to prohibit — even retroactively — all companies receiving financial aid under the federal Troubled Asset Relief Plan (TARP) from owning or leasing private aircraft.
Beech and Aerojet-General have received approval to equip Super 18s with two Junior Jatos, the first commercial application of standby rocket power in a business aircraft under 10,000 pounds. The rockets add a total of 200 hp at climb speed in 15-second bursts. First delivery is to Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. President Dwight Eisenhower wants Congress to increase the aviation fuel tax from two cents per gallon to 4.5 cents.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Washington, D.C., has named Juliana P. Blackwell as the new director of it’s Office of National Geodetic Survey where she will oversee NOAA’s responsibilities for the nation’s spatial reference system. She is the first woman to head the nation’s oldest federal science agency, which was established by President Thomas Jefferson in 1807 as the Survey of the Coast.
— About 0435 EST a Beech 36, N7472N, registered to TFB Aviation LLC and operated by an individual, crashed in an open field within a golfing community in Louisville, Ky., during an IFR flight from Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW to Bowman Field Airport (LOU), Louisville. It was IFR at the time of the accident and an IFR flight plan was filed for the personal flight. The airplane incurred substantial damage and the pilot was killed. Information obtained from family members and local authorities revealed that the pilot was on a return IFR flight from MDW.
— At approximately 1205 MST, a Piper PA-46-310P (N46SB) was destroyed when it collided with terrain following a loss of control during an instrument landing approach to the Yamp Valley Airport (HDN), Hayden, Colo. IMC prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91, and an instrument flight plan had been filed. The private pilot and commercial pilot on board the airplane were fatally injured. The cross-country flight originated at Hutchison, Kansas (HUT) at 1013 CST, and was en route to HDN.
— At approximately 1940 CST a Cessna 210 (XB-AWZ) crashed approximately 600 meters short of landing while on approach to Saltillo Airport, Mexico (MMNIO) after striking wires. Two occupants onboard sustained fatal injuries and three sustained critical injuries and burns due to a post-crash fire. The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the government of Mexico.
Bombardier Aerospace, Montreal, appointed Wassim Saheb as sales director for Bombardier Business Aircraft, responsible for all Learjet, Challenger and Global aircraft sales in the Middle East.
— At 1505 CST, a Hawker Beechcraft Model 390 Premier I (N20NL) sustained substantial damage after landing and departing the runway surface at the Sharpe Farms Airport in Lewistown, Mo. The two pilots and two passengers were not injured. The airplane was registered to CNS Corp. and operated by the pilot. An IFR flight plan was filed for the FAR Part 91 cross-country flight. The flight originated from Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport, Kansas City, Mo., with Lewistown as its intended destination.
— A Hughes 369A helicopter (N104BN) impacted ocean water and sank following a loss of control on takeoff from a fishing vessel in the Pacific Ocean’s Solomon Sea, about 350 miles west of Honiara, Solomon Islands. The pilot, a Philippine national, was not found and is presumed dead, and the passenger, a Chinese national, sustained serious injuries. The helicopter, which was registered to Oceanside Helicopters Inc. of Port Vila, Vanuatu, was not recovered and is presumed destroyed. It was VFR and no flight plan was filed.
