Red River Turbines, LLC, Denison, Texas, named Stephen Woolstenhulme president of Lake Texoma Jet Center and Red River Turbines, both located at North Texas Regional Airport.
The FAA announced a series of measures to improve its inspection and personnel policies after a congressional investigation and a proposed enforcement action against Southwest Airlines (SWA) highlighted deep schisms within FAA's inspector corps and called into question the agency's reliance upon voluntary safety reporting programs with industry.
Business & Commercial Aviation asked Pratt & Whitney's vice president for technology and environment, Alan Epstein, Ph.D., to speculate, as much as it is possible to do so at this juncture, what impact regulation of carbon sources contributing to global warming could ultimately have on business aviation? His answer:
Manufacturer and Model This block includes the manufacturer's name and the aircraft's model name and technical designation. For more information on manufacturers, see "Airframe Suppliers Directory," on page 166. B&CA Equipped Price This is the current price of the aircraft with the equipment stipulated in the "B&CA Helicopter Minimum Equipment List," and is shown for comparison purposes only. In most cases, the price is provided by the manufacturer; exceptions are so noted.
Helicopter Association International members modified its by-laws at its annual meeting in Houston Texas, to broaden its pilot and maintenance technician membership in line with HAI's outreach efforts to individual pilots and technicians in the field. The new by-law will allow any pilot or maintenance technician to join HAI, provided they are not an officer, director, or majority owner of an organization that would normally qualify for Regular or Associate Member classification. Other changes to the by-laws can be found at www.rotor.com.
Want to step up to turbine reliability, 250-plus-knot cruise speeds and virtually unbeatably low operating costs? Consider the Piper Meridian, a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-powered derivative of the PA-46 Malibu/Mirage pressurized, piston-powered single with a modified wing, 2.5-foot wider stabilizer, beefier gear and increased fuel capacity, plus updated systems. It climbs directly to FL 280 and cruises for 1,000 nm with full tanks.
Regional Airline Association (RAA), Washington, D.C., announced that Liam Connolly has joined the association as manager-Industry and Regulatory Affairs.
David Collogan's Washington on "Limiting the Value of Aircraft" (February 2008, page 86) was right on the money. This move by the Department of Homeland Security would make George Orwell blush. Considering the fraud involved in its predicate event, it is criminal. Once again general aviation is made the scapegoat of absurd government policy proposals. Having the names of passengers sent to DHS before arrival will make us no more secure than frisking wheelchair-bound grandmothers does today in the airline terminal.
Rockwell Collins' new Venue cabin management system will make its debut aboard the CJ4. Venue features an Internet protocol, high-speed digital network bus architecture supporting 1080 pixel resolution with High Definition Media Interface and Blu-ray Disc compatibility, plus compliance with high-definition copy protection protocols. It also supports legacy analog audio/video interfaces so it will work with today's music CDs and DVDs along with iPods, iPhones, MP3 players and laptop computers.
Congress is looking into an accident involving Donald Buchanan, a contract mechanic, who while working on a Continental 737 at El Paso in 2006 was killed during an engine run-up. The event was entered into Continental's ASAP. The airline, the contract maintenance company and a mechanic were fined. Another mechanic had all his certificates revoked.
By the end of 2007, major turbofan business aircraft manufacturers had racked up a $58 billion-plus order backlog, according to GAMA. Overall revenue from new general aviation sales reached $21.9 billion, a 16.4-percent increase over 2006. OEMs delivered 4,272 general aviation. aircraft in 2007, 5.4-percent more units than in the previous year.
I RUSHED OVER AND LOOKED down into the darkened concrete pit. There he was, motionless, eyes wide in panic, blood splattered on his thick white hair. Oh no, I thought, I've killed Boomer. While the underlying cause of this wrenching accident was my curiosity, the immediate culprit was the local Boys & Girls Club. Walking is a favorite activity of mine. For my dog, it's ecstasy, as though the way to a mountain of Alpo surrounded by fire hydrants guarded by meowling, slow-footed cats. He's crazy for it.
A question regarding the Learjet 35 departure, which ended up in the mountains ("Combatting CFIT," Cause & Circumstance, March 2008, page 84). Was the aircraft equipped with EGPWS or GPWS and, if so, did it work? I would suggest that if they have a waiver from this kind of equipment, then there should also be some restrictions in place, such as no VFR at night.
Dubai Aerospace Enterprise has consolidated the MRO businesses of the former Landmark Aviation and the well-known mod and completion center, Associated Air Center, which it acquired in July 2007 as a compliment into DAE's aerospace engineering unit. All the businesses are now integrated and are operating under the Standard Aero banner, with Associated Air Center maintaining a separate marketing identity, the company announced March 27.
AS WE ALL KNOW (or should know) mistakes beget mistakes unless you break the chain by mentally stepping back to reassess the situation. Night IMC, a missed NOTAM and loss of situational awareness created such a chain on Feb. 2, 2007, resulting in the destruction of a Socata TBM 700 on approach to New Bedford, Mass., Regional Airport and the deaths of two pilots and their passenger.
Omni Aviacao took delivery of a Learjet 40 configured for emergency medical services conversion. The aircraft was modified to allow easy access for a stretcher. Lifeport supplied a medical kit for the aircraft, which can transport one patient on a stretcher and a four-person medical team on flights of up to 1,800 nm. The Model 40 joins Omni's fleet of three Learjet 45 business jets and one Learjet 31. Based in Portugal, Omni Aviacao provides a range of fixed-wing and helicopter services in Europe.
Mark Harris' name and photo were accidentally attached to a paragraph describing someone else's appointment as team leader for ASI in the February "On Duty," page 88. The entry should have read: Mark Harris was appointed site leader for Crane Aerospace & Electronics' Fort Walton Beach, Fla., facility.
On April 8, Embraer formally introduced its new MSJ and Embraer MLJ executive jet programs, earlier given the go-ahead by the company's board of directors after more than two years of product and market research and analysis. The midsize Embraer MSJ, with a 3,000-nm (5,560 km) range, and the midlight Embraer MLJ, with a 2,300-nm (4,260 km) range, will be positioned between the $25 million Legacy 600 super midsize and the $6 million Phenom 300 in Embraer's executive jet portfolio.
Among emissions from jet engines in addition to CO 2, NO x, and CO is H 2O, or water vapor, which at the sub-freezing temperatures of the flight levels where jets fly manifests itself as contrails when humidity levels are appropriate.
"Combatting CFIT" (Cause & Circumstance, March 2008, page 84) was excellent, but my recollection of the Boeing Training Aid on CFIT was that ATC is only responsible for traffic avoidance. It is also my understanding that ATC will provide terrain "advisories" when workload permits, but doing so is not in their primary job description.
More than 13 years after the FAA began requiring specialized training and experience requirements for pilots of Robinson R-22 and R-44 helicopter operators due to an inordinate number of serious accidents, the agency in April extended that requirement for another 15 months. The additional requirements for the two- and four-place Robinson helicopters were instituted in 1995 when the FAA issued SFAR 73 - 16 years after Robinson Helicopter Co.'s R-22 received an FAR Part 27 Type Certificate in 1979.
