NICK VOGEL was appointed marketing assistant-electronic media administrator for Mid-Continent Instruments. Vogel will manage company web sites, e-mail marketing campaigns, search marketing and electronic media communications. Vogel has a bachelor’s of business administration and master’s of business administration from Wichita State University.
The ongoing absence of a permanent administrator at the Transportation Security Administration likely won’t hamper day-to-day operations, but it will slow progress on the more controversial issues, notes Eric Byer, vice president of government and industry affairs for the National Air Transportation Association. Byer calls the decision by Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Robert Harding to withdraw his nomination for the job frustrating because it continues to leave a vacuum of political leadership. “It’s disappointing because the heavy lifting is not there,” he says.
The House version of the FAA reauthorization bill includes a provision that would increase the ability of FedEx ground workers (not including mechanics) to organize on a local level. The March 29 edition of BA incorrectly referenced the workers impacted by the measure.
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) last week awarded $13.8 million in federal and state funds that will enable 32 airports to make upgrades and enhance safety. Pennsylvania contributes $886,765 from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s aviation development program, which comes from the state’s jet fuel tax, and leverages more than $544,677 in local matching funds. FAA provided $13 million in grants through the block grant program.
EUROCOPTER FRANCE Model AS 332 C, L, L1 and L2; AS 350 B3; AS355 F, F1, F2 and N; SA 365N and N1; AS 365 N2 and N3; SA 366G1; EC 130 B4; and EC 155B and B1 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2009-0663; Directorate Identifier 2007-SW-25-AD; Amendment 39-16231; AD 2010-06-07] – Replace the servo controls used on the main and anti-torque rotors with airworthy servo controls. This AD, which resulted from an MCAI issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency, was prompted by the discovery of a manufacturing nonconformity in one batch of servo control caps.
The growing nationwide effort to promote the benefits of general aviation continues this month with an event scheduled by the Centennial Airport Business Association (CABA) at Centennial Airport near Denver. CABA is hosting its first “Aviation Saves” open house from noon-7 p.m. April 28 on the ramp between the Signature Flight Support and XJet facilities. The event, open to the public, will include a variety of displays and entertainment.
A Eurocopter EC145 recently completed a flight that marked the first time that signals simulating the future European satellite navigation system Galileo were used for navigation in a helicopter. In the “Galileo Test and Development Environment” (GATE) trial held near Berchtesgaden in southern Germany, transmission antennas on six mountain peaks simulated the Galileo signals, and the pilot used a Eurocopter-developed synthetic vision system on which the terrain below and around the helicopter was shown in perspective.
EMBRAER E170 and E190 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0274; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-055-AD; Amendment 39-16248; AD 2010-07-04] – Revise the “Limitations” section of the Airplane Flight Manual to prohibit dispatch of the aircraft if a certain error message related to the engine inlet ice protection system is displayed on the Engine Indication and Crew Alerting System (EICAS), unless troubleshooting confirms that the message has not been triggered due to a failure of an air management system controller card.
Goodrich recently delivered its 2,000th Helicopter Health and Usage Management System (HUMS). The diagnostic health-management system, which is produced by the company’s Sensors and Integrated Systems business in Vergennes, Vt., is used on a variety of military and civil rotorcraft, including the Sikorsky S-76D and S-92. HUMS provides maintenance technicians with feedback on the performance of a helicopter’s engine, structure and rotor, enabling an aircraft to be serviced before major system failures.
HONEYWELL TFE731 engines [Docket No. FAA-2009-0331; Directorate Identifier 2008-NE-40-AD; Amendment 39-16235; AD 2010-06-11] – Remove from service certain second-stage and third-stage low-pressure compressor rotor (LPCR) discs. This AD, which resulted from a report of cracks found in a disc bore, was issued to prevent an uncontained failure of LPCR discs, which could result in damage to the airplane. FAA estimates that this directive will affect 27 engines installed on airplanes on the U.S. Registry and cost U.S. operators a total of $900,000.
Midcoast Aviation says it is the first service center to install newly designed auxiliary fuel tanks in a Bombardier CRJ200SE. The so-called “PATS -5 configuration” tanks replace the original PATS auxiliary fuel tanks in the corporate airliner. This modification prevents a reduction in the airplane’s range as a result of the original fuel tanks having to be deactivated to meet the safety requirements of Special FAR Part 88.
Delta AirElite Business Jets continued to expand its fleet with the addition of a 2007 Bombardier Challenger 605 based in Lexington, Ky. Delta AirElite earlier this year doubled the size of its charter and management fleet with the acquisition of Segrave Aviation. In addition to charter and management, Segrave also has developed online booking and flight management technology.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has notified general aviation officials that the agency plans to begin imposing penalties of up to $10,000 on operators who do not comply with electronic Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) requirements for international operations.
HONEYWELL Primus II RNZ-850 and -851 integrated navigation units (INUs) [Docket No. FAA-2008-0556; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-028-AD; Amendment 39-16246; AD 2010-07-02] – Revise the applicability and extend the compliance times for inspection and modification of the Honeywell Primus II NV-850 navigation receiver module (NRM), which is part of the INU, and incorporate changes into the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM).
A new refurbishment and completion program for the EA500 under the trademark “Total Eclipse” was unveiled last week by Albuquerque, N.M.-based Eclipse Aerospace Inc. (EAI). “We acquired all the DayJet aircraft from United Technologies’ finance arm, and those will also be completed under the Total Eclipse program and offered to new owners,” CEO Mason Holland tells BA. “There is demand for the aircraft, and this program provides virtually new aircraft to buyers.”
MARK SERBENSKI was appointed vice president of sales for Northern Jet Management in Grand Rapids, Mich. Serbenski joined Northern Jet Management affiliate Northern Air as director of maintenance in November 2001. He also has served as a service manager with Waco Classic Aircraft/Centennial Aircraft and taught at Western Michigan University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in science and aircraft maintenance management.
A Portland, Ore. judge last weekgave an association of seven owners of Epic kit-built airplanes — several of which are locked up in the Epic facility in various stages of completion — another chance to present their case for purchasing the assets of bankrupt Epic Air. The assets of the Bend, Ore., plane maker were believed to be sold to the Chinese company Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. Ltd. (AVIC) last month for $4.3 million by the bankruptcy judge. However, the airplane owners persevered and were granted last week’s hearing.
The Office of Management and Budget in late March began its review of a final rule to require aircraft owners to periodically update their registrations.
The business and general aviation community last week urged international aviation leaders to improve data collection in noncommercial aviation. Both the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA) made that recommendation during the International Civil Aviation Organization’s High-Level Safety Conference in Montreal.
Fokker Services has delivered its first auxiliary fuel tank system for the Fokker 100. The system was installed in a VIP-configured Fokker 100 delivered to an unnamed customer. The four additional fuel tanks, which are installed in the forward belly cargo compartment, increase the range of the twin-engine airliner to about 2,700 nm.
April 6–8 – National Business Aviation Association 25th Annual Maintenance Management Conference, San Diego, Calif., (202) 783-9000 April 7-10 – Aircraft Electronics Association 53rd Annual International Trade Show and Convention, Orlando, Fla., www.aea.net April 12-14 – Air Cargo Management Group’s 8th Annual Air Cargo, Express & Freighter Aircraft Workshop, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Seattle, (206) 587-6537, e-mail: [email protected], www.cargofacts.com
Sixty-two public airports in Arizona have submitted 804 projects for funding consideration worth $1.2 billion over a five-year program period of 2011-2015, according to the state Department of Transportation. Arizona is developing its Tentative Five-Year Airport Capital Improvement Program (ACIP) in conjunction with FAA’s Airport Capital Improvement Program.
CESSNA -AD] – This proposal would require operators to install newly designed thrust-attenuator paddles and universal head rivets as the terminating action for repetitive inspection for cracks and loose or damaged fasteners in the existing system. This proposed rule, which would supersede an existing directive (AD 2009-24-13), is intended to detect and correct loose and damaged fasteners and cracks in the thrust attenuator paddles, which could result in inflight departure of the paddles, damage to the rudder and elevator, and loss of control of the aircraft.
Bangkok-based private jet charter operator MJets has opened a fixed-base operation (FBO) at Don Mueng Airport. MJets, which began operations in September 2006, is expanding its services offerings as its customer base grows, says Jaiyavat Navaraj, the company’s managing director. “We wanted to have the ability to offer more services, including ground handling, flight dispatch and hangars, for private jets coming to Thailand,” he explains.
