The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a three-day safety forum on professionalism in aviation at its Washington headquarters beginning May 18. The safety board intends to gather information on how pilots and air traffic controllers are screened, selected and trained for the job, and to examine ways to enhance professionalism and excellence in performance.
MICHAEL DOYLE was promoted to vice president-Eastern division sales for Avantair. Doyle has 15 years of sales experience. In his new role, he will generate sales and oversee the East Coast sales team, as well as assist with the company’s national sales efforts.
Malaysia’s Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) has taken delivery of two AgustaWestland AW139 medium-twin helicopters. The aircraft were used for training before shipment to Malaysia. Bomba will use the helicopters for firefighting, search and rescue, land reconnaissance and general support duties. The contract, signed in January 2009, also included conversion training for aircrew and maintenance staff. The order book for the AW139 has reached nearly 460 aircraft, with orders from more than 120 customers located in almost 50 countries.
TURBOMECA Makila 1A and 1A1 engines [Docket No. FAA-2009-0982; Directorate Identifier 2009-NE-19-AD] — This proposed AD would require operators to replace certain TU250 Comparator/Selector (CS) boards in the engine control unit, per the instructions of Turbomeca Mandatory Service Bulletin No. 298 73 0809 Ver. A (dated Feb. 12, 2008) or No. 298 73 0810, Ver. B (dated April 27, 2009).
TURBOMECA Astazou XIV B and XIV H engines [Docket No. FAA-2010-0219; Directorate Identifier 2010-NE-14-AD] — This proposal would require operators to inspect certain third-stage turbine wheels and remove any damaged wheel, per the instructions of Turbomeca Mandatory Service Bulletin No. 283 72 0804, Ver. C (dated Oct. 23, 2009).
Airborne communications company Aircell is launching a new free educational series to help give business aircraft operators a complete understanding of the latest generation of inflight connectivity.
Gulfstream Aerospace is offering the Securaplane Technologies PreFlite system as an upgrade on large-cabin aircraft. The system provides worldwide, real-time event notification and remote system control/interrogation of aircraft via a GSM-connected cell phone or land line. The upgrade for aircraft includes new, more accurate, radar-based wheel-well sensors and enhanced intrusion communications. The system also provides the ability to arm, disarm and check status from any phone.
Solid economic growth and a rapid rise in the value of Brazil’s currency, the Real, have sharply eroded Embraer’s advantage in labor costs, says CEO Frederico Fleury Curado. “People feel we have the advantage of low-cost labor, but that’s outdated information,” he tells BA. Curado notes that Embraer will assemble Phenom 100 light jets in Melbourne, Fla. He says the cost of building and finishing a Phenom in Florida is “about the same” as the cost of building it in Brazil and shipping it to North America. “Yes, we are cheaper than in Germany,” he says.
Hawker Beechcraft delivered the 600th T-6 military trainer. The U.S. Navy took delivery of the milestone aircraft, a T-6B, which will be based at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton, Fla. Deliveries of the single-turboprop T-6 began in 2000 after the aircraft was initially selected to fill the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System role for the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy.
BOMBARDIER Regional Jet Series 100 and 440 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-1068; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-042-AD; Amendment 39-16258; AD 2010-08-03] – Conduct periodic inspections of the inrush current to verify the angle of attack (AOA) heating capability, and replace any inaccurately calibrated AOA transducers. Also, perform a one-time inspection of certain AOA transducers, and replace other transducers. This AD, which replaces an earlier directive (AD 2009-04-11), resulted from an MCAI originated by Transport Canada.
Cessna continues to expand its flight-training network with the addition of seven new Cessna Pilot Centers (CPCs). The additions increase Cessna’s global network to more than 280 CPCs. The CPC network uses the new Cessna Flight Training System and Cessna aircraft, and offers customers an array of services, including flight training. Freeflight in Antwerp, Belgium, became the first CPC in its region and will support Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
EMBRAER E170 and E190 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-28377; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-063-AD; Amendment 39-16257; AD 2010-08-02] – Perform a test for proper operation of the firewall hydraulic shutoff valves. If a valve fails the operational test, replace it before further flight and repeat the test at intervals that do not exceed 600 flight hours. This AD, which resulted from an MCAI originated by the aviation authority of Brazil, is intended to prevent an engine fire from spreading beyond the firewall.
JERRY STROMBERG joined the sales and marketing team of avionics technologies specialist Appareo Systems as an account executive. Stromberg has aerospace and software experience, working with both government and private sector operations. He has held senior-level positions with Oracle and Hughes Aircraft Company.
Liberty Aerospace tapped J.B. Investments to serve as a distributor of the Liberty XL2 aircraft. Located in Konstancin Jeziorna, Poland, J.B. Investments will cover a territory that includes Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. J.B. Investments was established in 1992 and subsequently has become a distributor of Piper, Diamond and Hawker Beechcraft aircraft. The facility also is an independent representative for Bell Helicopters and Aviat.
Heritage Aviation in Burlington, Vt., will unveil its new, 79,000-square-foot, eco-friendly fixed-base operation at Burlington International on May 20. The company used local Vermont companies and crafts people in the design, construction and outfitting of the FBO building. The FBO has a lounge features furnishings handcrafted by Vermont artisans out of natural woods, stone and textiles from reclaimed and sustainable sources. It also has a gym, game room and media room, as well as flight planning and snooze rooms.
The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey has put out a request for proposals for a new fixed-base operation at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The FBO is currently being operated by the port authority, but the organization wants to lease the space for five years with the option for another five.
Business aircraft activity in March was up 12.9% over the previous month, but charter declined slightly, according to data released last week by the Aviation Research Group/US (Argus). Argus, which tracks serial-number specific arrival and departure flights through its TRAQPak data system, reports that Part 91 small cabin aircraft activity increased 20.1% and Part 91K turboprop was up 16.3%. Including all operations, the small-cabin aircraft category had the best overall showing at 16.6% above February.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc. (MHIA) has several new speakers on tap for its PROP program, which focuses on pilot awareness and decision-making for MU-2 operators. David Strahle will present a two-hour lecture on Airborne NEXRAD Radar at each seminar, while pilot and humorist Ralph Hood will be the lunch speaker. As part of the PROP program – scheduled to be held in Orlando April 30-May 1 and Scottsdale, Ariz., May 21-22 – SimCom will offer a free two-hour MU-2 Pinch Hitter course as a breakout session.
Piper Aircraft is hoping to build momentum for its new PiperSport light-sport aircraft (LSA) with the handing over of the first LSA to three Miami-based pilots during last week’s Sun ’n Fun Fly-In. The company also last week detailed progress on its first jet, the single-engine PiperJet, saying the aircraft remains on schedule for delivery in 2013.
An attempt by the Washington state legislature to help close a $2.8 billion budget gap through a 0.5% tax on aircraft was defeated thanks to the efforts of the National Business Aviation Association, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and state business aviation groups.
National Business Aviation Association last week alerted operators to closely follow airspace closures after the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokul volcano sent plumes of ash into the atmosphere, causing thousands of flights to be delayed and canceled. The eruption has lasted several days – and was expected to have continued into Sunday (April 18) and possibly longer. “While volcanic eruptions are becoming more intermittent, they are increasing in intensity,” NBAA warned its members.
A decline of more than 50% in Learjet’s backlog during the past year is unsettling but not dire, says a top executive at parent company Bombardier. Bombardier reported early this month that a wave of cancellations in 2009 shrank Learjet’s order book to six months’ worth of production on Jan. 31, the end of the company’s fiscal year, down from 17 months a year earlier.
EMBRAER ERJ 170 and ERJ 190-100 STD, -100 LR, -100 IGW, -200 STD, -200 LR and -200 IGW airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-1231; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-212-AD; Amendment 39-16261; AD 2010-08-06] – Conduct a detailed inspection for gaps, voids, or holes in the sealant application on the vapor barrier assembly in the wing stub rear box. Apply sealant to any gaps, voids or holes that are found, per the instructions of Embraer Service Bulletin 170-57-0036 (dated March 13, 2009) or 190-57-0027 (dated March 18, 2009), as applicable.
Bulgarian charter carrier Air Via has renewed and extended its existing Airbus A320 power-by-the-hour (PBH) contract with West Sussex, U.K.-based aircraft support specialist AJ Walter Aviation. AJW has supported Air Via since the carrier took delivery of its first A320 aircraft in 2006 and will now continue to provide a full PBH service for the current Air Via fleet of five aircraft until 2014. AJW already provides PBH support to the Bulgarian carrier BH Air, also with a fleet of five A320 family aircraft.
