*May 24 -- A single-engine Cessna U206G float-equipped airplane, was substantially damaged during a collision with a 17-foot powerboat during a water takeoff from the Bayou Fourchon Seaplane Base, near Leeville, La. The pilot and two passengers in the airplane were not injured, however the occupant of the motorboat was killed.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey is using the prospect of anger by voters over air traffic delays as impetus for Congress to "get it done" and pass the Bush administration's proposal for reauthorization of the FAA, one that includes a large spike in fuel taxes and a provision for user fees. Blakey delivered the threat scenario during a Congressional hearing on the Next Generation Air Transportation System --NextGen -- June 13. She warned the members and staffers in attendance that if Congress failed to pass the reauthorization bill by Sept.
The instrument panel of Encore+ is far different from any previous Model 560. Encore+ marks the first time Rockwell Collins avionics have been installed in a legacy narrow-body Citation, following the move from Honeywell to Rockwell Collins equipment started by the CJ-series.
Few business aircraft have been in production as long as the King Air B200, which essentially has been unchanged since 1981. It is the best selling, most enduring turbine powered business airplane ever made. More than 1,800 units have been delivered and today there are some 1,000 on the FAA registry.
TIMCO Aviation Services, Greensboro, N.C., announced that Leonard Kazmerski has joined the company as vice president of Marketing and Business Development.
NBAA, Washington, D.C., announced that Mike Nichols has been promoted to vice president, operations, education and economics; Jo Damato has been promoted to director, operations and education development; Ernie Stellings has been promoted to manager at NBAA's General Aviation (GA) Desk, located at the FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center; and Sue Ashley was promoted to assistant manager at the GA Desk.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has certificated winglet systems developed for the Beech King Air 200 and 300 by BLR Aerospace. Officials at the Everett, Wash.-based company say that this approval clears the way for approximately 150 aircraft on the EASA registry to reap the same performance and aesthetic benefits their North American counterparts already enjoy.
RMS Technology has added Live Weather, a third weather solution, in a recent update to Flitesoft flight planner. With Live Weather, users let Flitesoft gather and update weather automatically. It includes nationwide (48-state) NexRad, METARs, TAFs, winds aloft and weather maps, among other features. There is no added cost when using Live Weather, no user name or password is required, and there is no advertising, cookies, or expense of any kind, according to RMS. Price: No charge RMS Technology, Inc. 124 Berkeley Av..
At the recent EBACE in Geneva, EMS introduced its new voice solution, the eNfusion CNX-400 Cabin Gateway product. The fourth in the CNX Cabin Gateway family of airborne-networking products, it will enhance the user experience and will enable even further cost savings when Inmarsat's new SwiftBroad service goes live later this year, according to EMS. The CNX-400 networking device combines the exclusive compression and acceleration functionality of the CNX-200 Network Accelerator with a new multi-functional voice solution and an integrated PBX.
Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) has introduced a bill designed to ban helicopter flights over Manhattan and increase security for helicopter flights alighting at the city's heliports.
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who cast the deciding vote in May to keep a $25 per segment fee in the Senate version of the FAA reauthorization bill, now wants to exempt Alaskan pilots from paying any such fee. Stevens said he was surprised by reaction in his state against the fee. During a recent press conference, he said there was a lot of misunderstanding about the fee, which would only apply to turbine aircraft that fly between controlled airports -- for Alaskan pilots, that means for flights between Fairbanks and Anchorage.
In Paris on May 9, Bill Glover, managing director for environmental strategy at Boeing Commercial Aircraft, said his company's initial skepticism about alternative fuel plans has eased as technologies have advanced and regulatory pressures have grown, particularly in Europe. He said researchers are not optimistic about the prospects for synthetic kerosene derived from coal or natural gas -- a method being explored by the U.S.
The first customer Falcon 7X (s.n. 05) was delivered to Gilbert Chagoury, founder and chairman of The Chagoury Group June 13, after a non-stop flight from Dassault Falcon's Little Rock (Ark.) Completion Center to Le Bourget Airport in Paris, arriving at 0450 local time. The second customer delivery (s.n. 04) was also to Le Bourget where it reigned over the Dassault Aviation static display throughout the Paris Air Show before being turned over to proud owner Serge Dassault. This still leaves Dassault with a fat backlog of 165 orders for the flagship trijet.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univeristy's Prescott, Ariz. campus launched FlightView Dispatch in its classrooms for spring semester on nine computers used to instruct students in the FAA approved dispatch course on the effects on the airspace and routing when severe weather erupts. RLM Software, maker of FlightView, said the selection of its software for ERAU's classrooms was made by Randy Rehbach, chairman of the flight department at the Prescott campus.
TAM/AIR, a division of Epic Aircraft, recently announced a flawless, 40-minute first flight of its new Elite, a single-pilot, twin-engine VLJ with company test pilots Dave Morss and Len Fox at the controls. The carbon-fiber Elite is powered by two Williams Jet FJ-33-4 engines, which deliver 3,120 pounds of thrust. The company expects the new jet to reach FL 410 in under 17 minutes, and have a top speed of 410 KTAS. Range at economy cruise is more than 1,600 miles with reserves and 1,330 pounds of usable payload.
For more than three decades, aircraft certification standards have become increasingly more stringent, thereby increasing safety margins and potentially reducing accident rates. During the same 30-year period, though, not much has changed with respect to pilot technique. The accident rate attributable to human error hasn't been reduced significantly. It still is a causal factor in nearly eight of 10 fatal accidents.
The FAA in May addressed remaining concerns regarding pilot payment and other issues within its Part 135 Operational Specification A008. The NBAA and NATA appear satisfied that the new guidance. "This notice provides our members with additional information that will assist them in fully understanding the FAA's expectations regarding operational control while maintaining their existing business models," NATA President James Coyne said. (see some details below)
The phased development of Singapore's Seletar Aerospace Park is expected to take about eight years, and cost in the region of $40 million for the first phases. The park will support a new integrated aerospace industry cluster incorporating aerospace MRO; design and manufacturing of aircraft systems and components; business and general aviation activities; and an aviation campus for the training of pilots, aviation professionals, and technical personnel. The Singapore government will develop about 350 acres of adjacent land at the airport.
WHEN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS begin legislating technical matters that should be left to regulators, there is no limit to the potential mischief and disruption that can result. The most recent example is a provision inserted in the Senate version of the FAA reauthorization bill, which would prohibit the FAA from challenging or influencing weight restrictions or prior permission rules at the Teterboro, N.J., Airport (TEB).
EADS Socata received an order from European fractional aircraft ownership provider JETFLY for four TBM 850 single-turboprop aircraft. The aircraft will supplement JETFLY's existing fleet of three TBM 700s. EADS Socata valued the contract at $11.4 million.
Northstar Aerospace, Inc., Chicago, appointed Harry Schmink to the position of president, Gears and Transmission. Ian Taylor, formerly general manager of Northstar Aerospace (Canada) has been named vice president, programs. Tom Purvin is the new vice president, Sales and Market North America. David Fisher has been appointed director, Business Development North America.
