Mooney Airplane Co. and AmSafe, Inc. have announced the availability of AmSafe Aviation Inflatable Restraints (AAIR) retrofit kits for Mooney airplanes. The airbag systems are currently standard equipment on new Acclaims, Ovation 2GXs and Ovations 3s. The system is available in three separate configurations: front and back seat (four places); front seat only (two places) and rear seat only (two places). They come in gray or tan and take approximately one week to install. Price: $6,900 (two seats); $10,800 (four seats) Mooney Airplane Co.
U.K.-based BBA Aviation, the parent company of Signature Flight Support, has acquired 100 percent of the capital stock of the United States' Executive Beechcraft, Inc. It includes four full-service FBOs, their associated maintenance services and charter/management businesses, as well as aircraft sales activities and all aircraft inventory. In the year ended December 2006, Executive Beechcraft had sales of $63 million and gross assets of $33 million.
Intelligence | 17 * TSA, NATA, Airports Unveil New Screening Effort * Port Authority of N.Y. and N.J. Acquires SWF as Possible Reliever * OpSpec A008 Oversight to Tighten * Nav Canada Goes to Piggy Bank to Avoid Loss Edited by James E. Swickard Commentary 7 | Viewpoint By William Garvey A Good and Clever Friend 84 | Cause & Circumstance By Richard N. Aarons Silent Too Long 88 | Point of Law By Kent S. Jackson Dueling FBOs
Xuron Corp. has introduced a new line of precision aircraft maintenance hand tools that are ideally suited for a wide range of avionics, harness making and repair applications, according to the company.
I was delighted to receive your note and pleased to learn of your satisfaction with B&CA. Orbis is indeed a fabulous application of technology for the good of humankind.
International Communications Group (ICG) of Newport News, Va., has earned FAA parts manufacturing approval (PMA) for replacement satellite communication systems on Gulfstream G150s.
(Salt Lake City) -- Brian R. Jones has joined the FBO's aircraft sales team and has been given the responsibility for the sale and acquisition of turboprop and jet aircraft. Prior to joining Million Air Salt Lake City, Jones, who has almost 40 years of aircraft sales experience, owned and operated B.R. Jones and Associates, LLC and previously held marketing and sales positions with Learjet, Raytheon and Piper.
AeroMech -- the Everett, Wash.-based company that provides RVSM certification and support services -- has teamed with Mid Canada Mod Center of Mississauga, Ontario, to certify Rockwell Collins IDS-3000 flat-panel displays in an RVSM-capable Cessna Citation 550. The process involved an upgrade to Aeromech's existing Citation 550 RVSM group STC.
The NTSB said it believes a Piper PA-46-310P Mirage crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in April shortly after taking off from the Bahamas. The aircraft, N444JH, had departed Nassau International Airport for Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Fla., International Airport on April 10 at about 1650 EDT. The pilot and the controller had several communications about altitude and heading before the pilot was advised to contact Miami Air Route Traffic Control after being cleared to climb to 12,000 feet. The pilot did not acknowledge the last transmission.
I just came across the October 2006 issue of B&CA where you have a brief description of a Hawker that collided with a glider near Reno. You state that, "The female pilot suffered lacerations from flying glass . . ." The inclusion of the pilot's gender is irrelevant to the story. Unless you intend to include this modifier in all future references to pilots ("the male pilot," "the female pilot"), it would seem to be a sexist approach to reporting that should be discontinued.
Sabreliner Corp. -- the Perryville, Mo., company that offers a variety of modifications and retrofit programs designed to extend the service life of the venerable business jet to 30,000 hours or landings -- recently refurbished "Sabre One," the first Sabreliner business jet ever produced.
The Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 Integrated Display System (IDS) has been certified on a Piaggio 180 aircraft. Jet Works of Denton, Texas, installed the system in the twin-turboprop aircraft. The Pro Line 21 IDS is an upgrade program that is less expensive than performing a major cockpit retrofit. The system integrates next-generation LCDs and enhanced graphics with existing traffic alert collision avoidance, terrain awareness warning, communication, flight management and autopilot systems.
Bombardier, Montreal, Canada, appointed Bob Horner as vice president, international sales. Mike Fahey was named vice president, Learjet sales, with responsibility for Learjet sales worldwide.
I very much enjoyed David Esler's "Coping With the Future: Major Business Airports" (May, page 76). Each airport has its unique set of plusses and minuses.
Mooney Airplane Co., Kerrville, Texas, appointed John McCoury as vice president of engineering. Jon Greenwood is the company's new vice president and chief financial officer, replacing Barry Hodkin, who has been appointed vice president of corporate planning.
Dassault says A, B and C checks intervals for the Falcon 7X average 50 percent greater than on any previous Falcon model, which the company says cuts maintenance costs and increases aircraft availability. Compared with previous Falcon 900 models, the F7X "A" check has gone up to nine months/600 flight hours from six months/300 flight hours. The "B" check has been extended to 2,400 flight hours from 1,500, and the most intensive, the "C" check, is now eight years or 4,000 flight cycles instead of six years and 3,750 flight cycles.
DeCrane Aircraft Holdings has renamed itself DeCrane Aerospace to emphasize its stronger integration among its component businesses to provide seamless customer solutions across former business boundaries. DeCrane Aircraft Holdings was initially, indeed, a holding company for businesses acquired by founder Jack DeCrane and did little or no business of its own.
Embraer has started its fastest ramp-up for aircraft production ever. At its Gavião Peixoto Test Center, a 128,844-square-foot Phenom final assembly facility is under construction, to be completed by the end of this month. The first aircraft to be assembled there will be the fourth Phenom 100. The final assembly of the initial six test aircraft (three each of the Phenom 100 and 300) will be at São José dos Campos, where the first Phenom 100 has rapidly taken shape since March.
Avotek Information Resources has just published Introduction to Aircraft Maintenance, Revised Edition. This book is part of the company's AMT series, consisting of four textbooks that cover the FAA curriculum requirements for A&P training. New material and updated information covers electronic motors and generators, maintenance forms and records, mechanics' privileges and responsibilities and human factors. Price: $44.95 Avotek Information Resources (800) 828-6835 www.avotekbooks.com or www.amtbooks.com
Robert E. Breiling's new edition of the Business Turbine Aircraft Accident Review is now available. It identifies the potential accident/incident cause factors that will aid you and your pilots in supporting the procedures and standards already established to continue to maintain the highest levels of safety. There are 187 business jet and turboprop accidents and incidents and 175 turbine helicopter accidents identified in this 500-page review.
ARINC Engineering Services recently opened a new 81,000-square-foot aircraft modification and operations center at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. The facility, four times the size of ARINC's previous center, is large enough to hold four C-130s and eight more on the ramp. In addition, the new center includes 30,000 square feet of offices and back shops to provide in-house fabrication, testing and inspection capabilities. The center will provide heavy aircraft modifications, line and heavy maintenance, aircraft systems integration and engineering design.
*Beechcraft King Air C90A, B200, B200C, B300 and B300C airplanes -- Inspect the flight controls for improper assembly or damage. If any improperly assembled or damaged flight controls are found, take corrective action. *Cessna Citation 500, 501, 550, S550, 551, 560, 560XL and 750 airplanes --Install identification sleeves on the wires for the positive and negative terminal studs of the engine and/or auxiliary power unit fire-extinguishing bottles, as applicable, and re-connect the wires to the correct terminal studs.
This month, Executive Beechcraft, the Midwestern aircraft service company, expects to receive an STC for its installation of the Garmin G1000 integrated avionics suite in the Beechcraft King Air C90.
