The U.S. House and Senate Thursday passed another short-term extension of FAA’s operating authority, pushing consideration of a longer-term reauthorization bill into a lame-duck session of Congress, at the earliest.
CHUCK GLASS , who has served as director of global flight training and fleet programs for Piper Aircraft, was assigned to the state of Brunei Darussalam to strengthen the company’s presence in the region. Glass will concentrate on Piper fleet sales in the Asia/Pacific region. A former senior U.S. Army officer and aviator, Glass joined Piper in April. He also has served as Diamond Aircraft’s chief representative for China and president and CEO for the Beijing Pan Am International Aviation Academy.
Piper continues to expand its supplier list for its PiperJet single-engine personal jet with the selection of Millennium Concepts to provide the seats.
The National Air Transportation Association is holding its FBO Success Seminar Oct. 5-7 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The three-day event will focus on fueling and include a roundtable discussion with major oil company representatives and third-party fuel brokers. Issues to be covered include optimizing operations, lowering credit card interest rates, minimizing insurance premiums, developing long-term customer relationships, marketing for any FBO size, developing a favorable lease and positioning for sale and merger or acquisition. The seminar will also cover legal issues.
Concerns over the carriage of lithium batteries on aircraft have been renewed as suspicions grow that such batteries may have been involved in the fire on board a UPS Boeing 747-400 freighter that crashed in Dubai on Sept. 3.
As Congress prepared its 16th extension of FAA’s authorization last week, the Kansas delegation was appealing to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to take action on a long-term bill to provide stability for the aviation industry.
EUROCOPTER FRANCE SA-365N1, AS-365N2, AS 365 N3, EC 155B and EC155B1 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2010-0426; Directorate Identifier 2009-SW-34-AD; Amendment 39-16433; AD 2010-19-05] – Inspect each blade of the fenestron tail rotor to determine whether there has been any outward slippage (toward the shroud) of the stainless-steel ring that is around the sleeve of each blade where the blade enters the fenestron hub. If the stainless-steel ring has slipped outward, replace the blade with an airworthy blade before further flight.
As ATR considers a new turboprop airliner to succeed its existing family, it sees a need for a larger aircraft, but not a faster one. “We have to be prepared to respond [to the market],” says ATR CEO Filippo Bagnato. “Today we have a study, but the time plan is not fixed.”
The Corporate Angel Network (CAN) reached another milestone, transporting its 35,000th patient. The milestone was reached this month, not quite 30 years after the first CAN flight in 1981. CAN arranges free flights to treatment for cancer patients in the empty seats of corporate aircraft. The 35,000th patient was 16-month-old William Relyea, who flew with his mother and grandmother from Westchester County Airport to his home in Syracuse, N.Y., following treatment for neuroblastoma at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
Embraer has appointed Vnukovo-3 Group as its authorized sales representative in Russia. The Vnukovo-3 Group operates a dedicated business aviation terminal in Moscow, providing service for more than 90% of business aircraft flights in the city, Embraer says. The group will sell the entire Embraer Executive Jets product line. More than 30 Legacy 600 executive jets currently operate in the Russian market.
While Hawker Beechcraft has adequate liquidity in the near-term, the Wichita airframer must improve its profitability to avoid long-term troubles when significant debt payments come due in 2014, says a Moody’s Investors Service analyst.
Industry groups are hoping to step up pressure on lawmakers to take action on a longer-term FAA reauthorization bill, even though many lobbyists predict another short-term extension is in the near future. Twenty-six associations have written the Senate urging action on reauthorization. “The legislative process for enacting a long-term reauthorization has been dragging on for four years,” the associations say, and note the current extension expires at month’s end.
Mid-Continent Instruments was awarded an approved model list supplemental type certificate (AML STC) for its MD835 lithium emergency power supply. Approval marks the first lithium nanophosphate battery to receive FAA clearance for use in Part 23 aircraft. The AML STC covers a list of 30 aircraft, including various Beechcraft King Air, Beech 1900, Beechcraft Premier and Cessna Citation models.
Interactive 3D moving maps are now available for integration on Rockwell Collins Airshow inflight entertainment systems for airliners, an industry first, the manufacturer says. Similar to previous generation Airshow moving maps, the new 3D version is highly customizable and offers functionality such as custom branding. The new 3D maps utilize NASA’s Blue Marble map data with proprietary image enhancements to deliver “unparalleled 3D graphical realism.”
THOMAS VENARGE was promoted to president of APV Engineered Coatings in Akron, Ohio. Venarge had served as the vice president of manufacturing for the company since 2004. He also had been plant manager since 1999. Founded in 1878, APV produces high-temperature coatings, inspection markers, lubricants, release agents, caulks and sealants and adhesives, among other products, for a range of industries, including aerospace.
A bonus depreciation extension took a significant step forward with last week’s Senate passage of the Small Business Lending Funding Act of 2010. The bill, H.R. 5297, which includes the bonus depreciation measure along with a range of small business assistance and tax incentives, was adopted by a 61-32 vote Sept. 16 after Democrats were able to overcome Republican opposition. H.R. 5297 next must return to the House, which is widely expected to pass the bill. House action could come this week.
FAA has revoked Phoenix Heliparts’ Part 145 repair station certificate for failure to comply with recommendations stemming from an August 2008 inspection that uncovered maintenance problems and recordkeeping lapses. The company’s mechanics did not follow repair station and quality control manuals when repairing aircraft, and they used incorrect parts, the agency says. FAA also cites at least four instances of falsified maintenance record entries.
EMBRAER ERJ 170 and ERJ 190-100 LR, -100 IGW, -100 STD, -200 STD, -200 LR and -200 IGW airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0497; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-019-AD; Amendment 39-16417; AD 2010-18-04] – Conduct a detailed visual inspection for cracking of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) machined support. Replace the support with a new part if any cracks are found, and reinforce or replace the support if no cracks are found.
Atlantic Aero of Greenwich AeroGroup Inc. has expanded its Falcon Jet services to include Falcon 900 and 2000 business aircraft. The company already has secured facilities, tooling, technical data and experienced personnel for the expansion efforts, officials note. Atlantic Aero has been serving Falcon 10, 20 and 50 owners for more than 10 years. The expansion into the 900 and 2000 fleet includes the addition of a 23,660-sq.-ft. hangar to Atlantic Aero’s aircraft maintenance campus capable of housing up to ultra-long-range business jets.
Hawke Capital Partners, a private equity investor focused on helicopters, has acquired the assets of Aviation Services Unlimited at Griffiss International Airport in Rome, N.Y. At the same time, Hawke recapitalized charter and maintenance firm Uniflight. The Aviation Services facility in Rome will become the third location in Uniflight’s maintenance, repair and overhaul business. In addition, Aviation Services Unlimited will act as a sister company to Uniflight’s Part 135 and 133 flight services, targeting the utility and power industry, law enforcement and other sectors.
ATR is confident that deliveries of its turboprop airliner family will break well into four figures after handing over the 900th aircraft to Brazil’s TRIP Linhas Aereas at a ceremony in Toulouse, France, on Sept. 9. The landmark aircraft, an ATR 72-500, is TRIP’s 30th ATR. ATR’s 900th delivery comes two years after the EADS/Alenia Aeronautica joint-venture shipped its 800th aircraft and a quarter of a century after its first. With more than 150 ATRs on firm backlog, CEO Filippo Bagnato says that total production should pass through the four-figure mark in 2012.
Lakeland, Fla.-based Sun ’N Fun is offering a cruise for aviation enthusiasts as a new fund-raiser. The Royal Caribbean Western Caribbean cruise, slated to set sail from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Jan. 15, 2011, will feature well-known aviation educators John and Martha King, who will make two presentations and participate in other cruise-related activities.
Cessna Aircraft’s negotiations with the International Association of Machinists (IAM) were reaching a pivotal juncture as last weekend approached, with the existing contract expiring and union votes scheduled for Sept. 18 that could result in a strike.
