DAC International has begun offering a new in-flight BlackBerry Wi-Fi connectivity system, FliteNet, which interfaces with Iridium or Magnastar telephone systems. FliteNet is a carry-on system designed to accommodate Wi-Fi connections without having to mount components on the aircraft. The system can retrieve and broadcast e-mails to multiple Blackberry devices above 10,000 feet. DAC International plans to add the iPhone to the system capabilities in the future. The initial iPhone functionality with Magnastar interface is expected to be available in the third quarter.
U.S. government officials denied a request from Brazilian officials to revoke the certificates of the two ExcelAire Legacy 600 pilots who were involved in the Sept. 29, 2006 midair collision with a Gol Airlines Boeing 737. A small group of Brazilian officials — including Brazilian congressmen and an assistant prosecutor who also is representing litigants in the Legacy accident case — traveled to Washington in April to make a formal request.
Comlux The Aviation Group is continuing to increase its Bombardier fleet with an order for a new Global Express XRS jet. The aircraft will join a fleet of 11 Challenger and Global business jets and be operated by the company’s VIP charter division, Fly Comlux. In addition, the company’s Comlux Aviation Services unit in Indianapolis was named an authorized service facility for Bombardier Learjet and Challenger aircraft. The Indianapolis facility has been a designated aircraft-on-ground line maintenance facility for Bombardier aircraft since May 2009.
JOHN LAWSON was named chairman of the board for Project Phoenix, a Dubai-based business aircraft sales organization. Lawson has provided consulting services to Project Phoenix since its inception in 2007, and is taking a more formal role that includes an equity stake. Lawson had spent more than 20 years with Canadair/Bombardier, retiring in 2001. He had served as president of Bombardier Business Aircraft Sales, as well as held positions in government requirements, customer support, international sales and marketing.
BOMBARDIER DHC-8-400 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0431; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-072-AD; Amendment 39-16272; AD 2010-09-07] – Before further flight, replace the angle of attack (AOA) sensors with new or serviceable sensors, per the instructions of Bombardier Alert Service Bulletin A84-27-51 (dated Dec. 22, 2009). Also, measure the inrush current of the AOA vane, as specified by Bombardier Alert Service Bulletin A84-27-46 (dated Oct. 20, 2009).
Position Description Projects Administrator 4800 - Security Operations -ORD 085-2010-049 Projects Administrator - Security Operations The Chicago Department of Aviation is seeking a Projects Administrator – Security Operations to plan, initiate, and manage security projects. The City of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. For full details and to apply go to:
Hartzell Propeller has received an FAA supplemental type certificate for the installation of new three-blade propellers on the Cessna P210N (1978-84 models) and T210F-N (1966-84 models). Installation of the 82-inch-diameter Scimitar prop on these aircraft typically results in a 1- to 3-kt. increase in cruise speed and a 4% decrease in time to climb to 23,000 ft., when compared with the originally installed McCauley prop.
Concord, Mass.-based air taxi provider Linear Air has relaunched its point-to-point service from the New York City region, President and CEO William Herp tells BA. “I’m glad to be back on the growth path after all our history with Eclipse Aviation,” says Herp. Linear Air began operating in 2004 with Cessna Grand Caravans and added four Eclipse EA500 very light jets by 2008, he says.
Hawker Beechcraft Services (HBS) recently held a grand-opening ceremony for its expanded aircraft maintenance facility at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa, Ariz. HBS completed the final phase of a $14 million project that included an additional 26,000-square-foot hangar and expanded customer facilities and administrative offices. The expansion is expected to generate up to 110 new jobs over five years, HBS says.
AgustaWestland recently delivered three new helicopters to customers in Japan, including the first AW119 Ke to be shipped to the Asian nation. The eight-place, single-engine helicopter was ordered in April 2009 by a private customer and is now in service as a VIP transport based in Kitakyushu.
While defaults continued to chip away at Gulfstream Aerospace’s backlog, parent company General Dynamics (GD) provided hope that the business jet market is reviving, announcing that Gulfstream’s first quarter yielded the largest number of new orders since mid-2008. “The Aerospace group is off to a very good start in 2010,” Jay Johnson, GD’s president and chief executive, told analysts last week in reporting the first-quarter results.
FlairJet, the U.K. charter company based at England’s London Oxford Airport, plans to add its first Embraer Phenom 300 to its managed fleet this July. The light jet reportedly will be the first of its type on the U.K. registry. FlairJet also has agreed to take a third Phenom 100 under management. The aircraft is to be accepted later this month.
EUROCOPTER SA-365N1, AS-365N2, AS 365 N3, EC 155B and EC155B1 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2010-0426; Directorate Identifier 2009-SW-34-AD] – This proposal would require operators to 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.
London Oxford Airport business aircraft traffic grew 25% during the first quarter. Jet fuel sales have risen 47% at the facility during the past year, and the airport is now handling an average of 20 business aircraft movements a day. A new 4,440-square-meter (47,774-square-ft.) three-bay hangar is slated to be built there this year, and the airport is investing £750,000 ($1.14 million) to upgrade its airfield communications equipment as a precursor to establishing enhanced radar coverage.
Eurocopter is stepping up its restructuring effort as the civil helicopter business remains sluggish. Eurocopter plans to cut €200 million (US$264.9 million) in costs, including the elimination of 400 positions in France and Germany. But Eurocopter maintains that its “Shape” program, launched last year, is more than cost cutting. The helicopter maker is investing another €1.3 billion (US$1.7 billion) in research and development to support new helicopter development and expand infrastructure. The company believes those efforts could yield 400 new positions.
Duncan Aviation has increased its network of satellite avionics facilities with the addition of a shop in Bridgeport, Conn. The shop is based at the new Volo Aviation facility and managed by Bill Gunter. Duncan, which now has more than 20 satellite avionics facilities, will maintain its presence at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y.
SUSAN TONNER has joined the Aerospace Industries Association as assistant vice president for acquisition policy. Previously, she was the senior director for federal public policy at TechAmerica, and before that she was senior manager of compliance and ethics for SAP America. Tonner has more than 30 years of experience in government acquisition policy and is the founder of the multi-association Acquisition Reform Working Group.
Flight Assurance, an aviation consultant based in Upper Jay, N.Y., is beginning to offer IS-BAO (International Standards for Business Aviation Operations) external auditing and implementation services. The consultant recently completed the Aviation Lead Auditor Training through ARGUS Pros. Flight Assurance offers a range of business aviation services, but noted IS-BAO is particularly important because clients face a Nov. 18 implementation deadline for an approved safety management system in order to operate in the European Union. IS-BAO contains an SMS component.
Actor Harrison Ford is relieved that Congress and the Obama Administration “were able to resist the impulse of user fees.” Ford, who believes that a diminishing number of new pilots is one of the biggest issues facing industry, says the decision to avoid user fees “makes a huge difference for the pilot population.” He stresses the importance of keeping costs down for flying. Ford, who has taken a significant role in general aviation advocacy, last week met with House and Senate GA Caucus members. See article on Page 6.
Stratos Jet Charters Inc. has joined the Air Charter Association of North America (ACANA). ACANA was created in 2007 by several air charter companies to set a benchmark for professionalism and excellence in the business aviation industry. Stratos Jets was required to meet stringent membership criteria and demonstrate its financial stability, longevity, industry presence, ethical business practices and compliance with Department of Transportation and FAA regulations.
GENERAL ELECTRIC CJ610 and CF700 engines [Docket No. FAA-2009-0502; Directorate Identifier 2009-NE-02-AD; Amendment 39-16273; AD 2010-09-08] – Remove certain AFT Technologies combustion liners from service. This AD was prompted by a report that an engine released a large section of its inner combustion liner and six other reports of combustion liners with premature cracks.
ANTHONY NEWCOMB was appointed district sales manager for Avfuel Corporation. Newcomb will be responsible for fuel sales operations in the western U.S. He has 12 years of aviation industry experience, both as a pilot and aircraft sales professional.
John Bahrenburg, a maintenance technician at the Meridian Jet Center at Teterboro, N.J., has won this year’s FAA Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award for having spent more than 50 years in the aircraft maintenance profession. Bahrenburg began his aviation career with the U.S. Air Force and earned his A&P license while with Red Bank Air Taxi in Red Bank, N.J.
