Bombardier has started its new Parts Express service for Learjet, Challenger and Global aircraft operators using the flexibility of the Flexjet aircraft fleet for AOG parts deliveries and Mobile Repair Parties (MRP) within the United States. The program is available to Bombardier business aircraft operators whose aircraft are currently under warranty.
Civil aviation safety continued to improve in 2006, according to NTSB statistics. The number of accidents in all segments of civil aviation last year was less than in 2005, with general aviation recording the lowest number of accidents and fatal accidents in the 40 years the Safety Board has been keeping records. Among all American civilian operators, FAR Part 121 scheduled air carriers continued to have the lowest accident rates in civil aviation.
Many of the ground support equipment OEMs have Web sites that make shopping for gear easy and convenient. With so many makes and models of all kinds of gear, selection can be difficult. One way to find your way is to ask other DOMs to share their experience with different pieces of equipment. You can pick up the phone or use the NBAA's Air Mail Web site, www.nbaa.org/airmail, and log on to access opinions and experiences. The NBAA also has a products and services page to help narrow your search for equipment suppliers -- www.nbaa.org/public/marketplace/products.
Soloy Aviation Solutions recently earned FAA approval as an Organizational Designated Airworthiness Representative (ODAR), enabling the Olympia, Wash.-based company to expedite its STC and parts manufacturing approval process. ODAR designation will enable Soloy to place an aircraft in the experimental category to perform flight testing, conformity and type inspection authorization inspections. Soloy Aviation Solutions develops engine accessory and re-engine modifications for helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey says a search will begin soon for a successor to Chief Operating Officer Russell Chew, and she expects to be negotiating a contract with a new COO this summer. The agency will use an executive search firm. She told Aviation Daily she does not think the search will take as long as it did when Chew was hired. At that time, the ATO was still being set up and there was some uncertainty over the COO's role and what the ATO would look like. This should not be the case now, as the ATO has been operating smoothly for more than three years.
WHEN SOMEONE GETS serious about buying a particular used aircraft, the buyer and the seller typically negotiate a pre-purchase inspection. Interestingly, the FAA neither defines nor requires such an activity, and maintenance manuals provided by the manufacturers contain no pre-purchase inspection provisions, either. Regardless, they occur all the time.
The automated flight service network's new Washington, D.C., hub went live Feb. 22 using a new mission operating system, Lockheed Martin's Flight Services for the 21st Century (FS21). The recently completed Washington Hub located near Dulles International Airport assumed the functions of the Anniston, Ala., FSS. Specialists provide pilots weather briefings, inflight information, flight plan filing, Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs), clearances and more.
President Bush has designated Thomas J. Barrett, currently the administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), to become acting deputy secretary of the DOT. Before his appointment to head the PHMSA in 2006, Barrett was vice president and chief operating officer of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. He had a 35-year career with the U.S. Coast Guard, rising to vice commandant. In that role, Barrett was second-in-command, agency acquisition executive, and responsible for the coordination of the Coast Guard Leadership Council.
I am writing to request a correction and clarification to "Doing the Math: The Providers Response" sidebar in David Esler's "Formerly Fractionalized" feature in the February issue (page 66). In Flexjet's response to Complaint 1, Flexjet would like to clarify that Jet Solutions LLC, a U.S. air carrier, operates the Flexjet 25 jet card program. Jet Solutions also leases aircraft from Flexjet to meet the needs of Flexjet 25 card owners, therefore not disrupting service to fractional owners.
I enjoyed your Viewpoint on the FAA's "Morning's Mayhem Review" (January, page 7), especially the item on the Dash 8 running out of runway. Reminds me of the incongruous yarn about the midair refueling tanker that crashed due to fuel exhaustion! I wrote a few paragraphs featuring a Dash 8 that I thought your readers might enjoy.
The interior of the plane began to fill with intense, heavy black smoke, which was extraordinarily painful to breathe and very toxic. . . . It quickly became pitch black in the cabin from the heavy smoke, in spite of the bright light from the fire on the left side of the plane. . . . I was feeling very faint and I later guessed I only had about 15 to 30 seconds of consciousness left. Every breath caused me to convulse and was extremely painful. . . ."
The NBAA recently posed the following question on its Web site: "Is it necessary to obtain an RVSM letter of authorization [LOA] after purchasing an aircraft that is already RVSM compliant?" The answer, according to the association, is "yes."
I agree with David Collogan's statement in his January Washington column ("Brazilian Tragedy: Answers, Not Scapegoats," page 75), that "rushing to judgment is a mistake." I have some points that I would like to make regarding the GOL Airlines B737 and Embraer Legacy accident, so I'll start at the beginning.
Richard J. Millman, Bell Helicopter Textron's new president and CEO, says he's confident that when the correct "management processes and talent are put in place," the company will overcome existing commercial and military program problems. Millman replaced Michael Redenbaugh in January. Bell recently canceled the Model 417, claiming the single-engine aircraft failed to meet performance projections. Millman also says he is tackling schedule and cost problems with the H-1 program for the U.S. Marine Corp. "All programs at Bell need attention . . .
Landmark Aviation has completed the installation of a Honeywell Primus Epic CDS/R (Control Display System/Retrofit) avionics system on a Gulfstream III at the company's Springfield, Ill., facility. The installation included Honeywell's Mark VII Class A TAWS with a runway awareness and advisory system. The Primus Epic system was integrated into the GIII while retaining the legacy flight management system and Pro Line II navigation and communication equipment.
(Savannah, Ga.) - Two new regional sales vice presidents have been appointed to represent Gulfstream in Asia. Herman Chai, previously Gulfstream's director of completion design, is overseeing sales in mainland China, Japan and South Korea. Peter Hoi, previously director of engineering and certification for Alliant Techsystems in Fort Worth, is now responsible for sales in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and the Philippines. Both men are based in Gulfstream's Hong Kong office. Separately, Sherman Griffith has been named sales director of key accounts for the state of Texas.
*Dassault Falcon 50, 900, 900EX, 2000 and 2000EX airplanes -- Inspect the identification plates of the outboard slats to determine the part numbers, and for certain airplanes, revise the "Limitations" and "Normal Procedures" sections of the airplane flight manual to provide procedures for operation in icing conditions. Also, replace the anti-icing manifold with an anti-icing manifold of the correct design, if necessary.
Research published by the biology department of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville adds to the growing body of knowledge about changes to wake-sleep cycles and their effect on health. Shift work and jet lag are primary causes of such changes in workers, and schedulers and dispatchers are just as susceptible to the effects as flight crews are.
Raytheon Aircraft Co. is offering electronic dimmable window shades for all of the approximately 6,200 King Airs in service. These window shades, which permit passengers and pilots to instantly control the darkness of cabin windows by dynamically varying the tint, are being supplied by InspecTech Aero Service, Inc. The system utilizes a special patented SPD (suspended particle device) light-control film developed and licensed by Research Frontiers Inc.
EMTEQ, a systems integrator and certification consultant, purchased Flight Components AG of Bachenbülach, Switzerland. Each company will maintain its name, operating locations and product line. EMTEQ has a line of LED interior lighting products and systems, while Flight Components has a full line of exterior lighting components. Each will now offer a complete line of interior and exterior lighting products to their respective marketplaces. Flight Components holds EASA certifications as a production and maintenance facility as well as ISO 9001:2000 certification.
Intelligence | 15 * TSA Revises Twelve-Five Program Again * Lawmakers Hit Blakey With Concerns About General Aviation Costs * Bombardier Aerospace Sponsors Safety Standdown Europe * NTSB: Aviation Safety Still Improving Edited by James E. Swickard Commentary 7 | Viewpoint By William Garvey Something to See 78 | Cause & Circumstance By William Garvey Comair 191, a Final Dialogue 84 | Washington By David Collogan
Sikorsky Hawkworks Military Derivatives Completions Center will hire more than 100 aircraft assemblers, aircraft inspectors and engineers by the end of the year to support Black Hawk completions for international military sales. The new 100,000-square-foot completions facility is located at Schweizer Aircraft in Horseheads, N.Y. Specific skill sets needed include electrical hydraulics, airframe structures, final assembly, avionics checkout and flight line operations. Interested candidates may apply online at http://sikorskycareers.com.
