TAC Air, a rapidly growing division of Truman Arnold Companies, is seeking a professional for a senior management position at its corporate headquarters in Texarkana, Texas. Ideal candidate will have a minimum 10 years experience in aviaton, including at least 5 years experience in a management capacity. Undergraduate and/or graduate degree(s) in aviation management or a closely related field desired. Please forward letter of interest and resume to: Director of Human Resources
TURBOMECA Arriel 2S1 engines [Docket No. FAA-2009-0568; Directorate Identifier 2009-NE-20-AD; Amendment 39-16200; AD 2010-04-07] – Upgrade the digital electronic control unit software to Version 11.01 and implement Modification TU 109, per the instructions of Turbomeca Mandatory Service Bulletin No. 292 73 2109, Version E, dated Sept. 17, 2008.
AIRCELL completed the transition of its leadership with the appointment of Michael Small as president and chief executive officer. Ron LeMay, who last summer took on the roles of president and CEO, will return to the position of chairman of the board. Jack Blumenstein, who resumed the position of chairman last summer after serving as president and CEO, is remaining on the board of directors.
JEFFREY MCPHIE was promoted to director, customer support for FlightSafety International. McPhie joined FlightSafety in 2008 as manager, customer support at the company’s facility in Teterboro, N.J. Before that, he owned an audio visual production company and held management positions with Design Presentation and General Electric.
JIM LIANG was appointed as Gulfstream Aerospace’s international distribution manager for parts and materials in Asia. Liang will be based in Hong Kong and oversee distribution for more than $27 million in Gulfstream parts and materials at Hong Kong, Beijing and Singapore. He has served with Gulfstream for 11 years, most recently as a senior avionics technician at the company’s Long Beach, Calif. facility. Before joining Gulfstream, he was a manager/partner with Incom/Geoearn International Inc., an import/export business in Anaheim, Calif.
BAE 146 and Avro 146-RJ airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0912; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-047-AD; Amendment 39-16182; AD 2010-02-11] – Conduct repetitive detailed inspections of the Frame 29 wing-to-fuselage attachment lug plate joint for corrosion, fatigue cracking of the bolts and fastener bores, and degraded, cracked, missing or poor condition sealant. Make any necessary repairs before further flight, per the instructions of BAE Systems Inspection Service Bulletin ISB.53-213 (dated May 21, 2008).
AIR METHODS has received supplemental type certification for installation of the Cobham Digital Audio Control System (DACS) on the Bell 429. Air Methods’ Products Division in Colorado recently installed the system on its Bell 429 air medical helicopter. The helicopter will be delivered to the Air Methods Mercy One hospital-based program in Des Moines, Iowa in March.
LUIS PLANAS was appointed vice president of quality at Dassault Falcon’s Little Rock, Ark. facility. Planas will oversee quality processes and procedures, training and environmental operations at the facility. He has more than 30 years of aviation industry experience, including 10 years in business aviation. His experience includes positions with OEMs, repair stations, and airlines, as well as fractional and charter operations. Before joining Dassault, Planas was responsible for quality operations at HondaJet.
STEVENS AVIATION received FAA supplemental type certification for installation of a runway awareness and advisory system (RAAS) in a Learjet 60 business jet. The project was initiated as part of Stevens Aviation’s Business Liner upgrade program. The RAAS is designed to minimize the risk of runway incursions and warn of potential surface hazards.
ROBERT STALLINGS has joined the board of directors for the National Air Transportation Association. Stallings is the founder and president of Eastern Aviation Fuels, which is the exclusive U.S. marketing source for general aviation fuel for Shell Aviation. Stallings holds an ATP fixed-wing rating with more than 8,500 hours and holds a helicopter license.
BOMBARDIER CL-600, CL-601, CL-601-3A, CL-601-3R, CL-604 and CL-605 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0039; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-239-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to replace certain hydraulic accumulators, per the instructions of Bombardier Service Bulletins 600-0742, 601-0597, 604-29-008 and 605-29-001 (all Rev. 01 and dated July 6, 2009). This proposed rule, which resulted from an MCAI originated by Transport Canada, was prompted by seven on-ground hydraulic accumulator screw cap or end cap failures on CL-600-2B19 (CRJ) aircraft.
– Business jet deliveries will rise at a steady 2.7 percent per year compound annual growth rate between now and 2019, according to a new forecast from Sparta, N.J.-based Brian Foley Associates. In all, almost 9,000 business jets, worth $170 billion, will be delivered through the period, the report said. Some 48 percent of them will go to non-North American markets, compared with an historical 30 percent, a major shift, Foley said.
Online business aviation resource Web site GlobalAir.com has unveiled Max-Trax, an airport fuel pricing mapping system. Max-Trax uses its proprietary FBO fuel pricing index of jet, avgas and 100LL fuel suppliers from airports across the country, developed in conjunction with GlobalAir.com’s Airport Resource Center (ARC), to display the latest airport fuel price information on the primary destination airport or alternative airports nearby, as well as details on services and amenities available at each.
BELL 205B and 212 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2010-0065; Directorate Identifier 2009-SW-01-AD; Amendment 39-16186; AD 2010-03-03] – Inspect the main-rotor blades, paying particular attention to the area near the blade root, looking for edge voids, corrosion or cracks, per the instructions of either Bell Helicopter Alert Service Bulletin 205B-08-51, Rev. A or 212-08-130, Rev. A (both dated Jan. 13, 2009). This directive is designed to detect rotor-blade defects before they lead to loss of a blade and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. This AD is effective Feb.
GULFSTREAM 100, Astra SPX and 1125 Westwind Astra airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0034; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-120-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to modify the warning and caution lights panel (WACLP), change the WACLP and main entry door (MED) wiring and change the wiring harness connecting the MED to the WACLP. Also, operators would need to amend the “Normal Procedures” section of the Airplane Flight Manual to incorporate new procedures for ensuring that the MED is closed.
CLAY LACY AVIATION has been named the Embraer authorized service center for Phenom 100 and 300 jets in Southern California. The Van Nuys-based company is Embraer’s first Phenom center in California. Clay Lacy will provide inspections, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, paint touchups and interior shop services.
THE SIKORSKY S-92 will continue to perform search and rescue duties in the United Kingdom following the selection of the Soteria Consortium as the preferred bidder to provide harmonized Search and Rescue Helicopter (SAR-H) service for the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Department of Transport. Sikorsky Aircraft, which manufactures the S-92 helicopter, is a member of the Soteria team, along with CHC, Thales and the Royal Bank of Scotland. The MOD and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency will manage the service.
TWO SOUTHEAST ASIAN OPERATORS recently inked deals to purchase new Eurocopter helicopters. Vinacopter has purchased four Eurocopter helicopters to serve as the launch fleet for its newly created subsidiary, HeliVietnam, a commercial charter venture that will fly an AS355NP, two AS350B3s and an EC135 on tourism and VIP transport missions. Delivery of the AS355NP is scheduled for the first half of this year, while the other aircraft will be delivered in the second half of 2011.
Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.), who has been one of general aviation’s staunchest allies during his 16 years in Congress, will retire at the end of his current term. The 76-year-old congressman announced his decision last week, saying, “I am in good health, but I recognize that I should complete this chapter of my life … I know it is time for me to step down.”
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. has launched a new technology development organization – Sikorsky Innovations – which is designed to “develop and mature the technologies, products and processes that will redefine the future of vertical flight.”
DAN WALSH was named chief pilot for Wayfarer Aviation’s principle base of operations in Weymouth, Mass. Walsh has more than 25 years of aviation experience and nearly 12,000 hours of flight time as a crewmember for corporate operators, regional carriers and major airlines. Walsh, who has operated Gulfstream aircraft for the past seven years, has flown as a captain for Part 91 flight departments and Part 135 managed accounts. He also has served as chief pilot, lead captain and FAA check airman.
BOMBARDIER handed over the 100th Challenger 605 jet produced. The successor to the Challenger 604, the 605 has been in service since January 2007. The 605 is equipped with the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite with the option for the Bombardier Enhanced Vision System. More than 800 of the Challenger 600 series have been built, and the fleet has accumulated more than 4 million flight hours.
The severe winter weather that paralyzed the East Coast beginning Feb. 5 took a heavy toll on the Dulles Jet Center (DJC) at Washington Dulles International Airport, with three of four of the DJC hangars – each filled with high-end business jets – crumpling under the weight of nearly two feet of snow. As a result, all three hangars were destroyed, and up to 14 aircraft experienced varying levels of damage. The fourth hangar, which apparently housed four aircraft in the General Dynamics fleet, was damaged slightly, but survived the storm.
PIAGGIO P-180 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-1116; Directorate Identifier 2009-CE-061-AD; Amendment 39-16193; AD 2010-03-09] – Conduct a dye-penetrant inspection of the “0” pressure bulkhead for cracks, per the instructions of Piaggio Mandatory Service Bulletin N.: SB-80-0267 Rev.0 (dated May 19, 2009) or N.: SB-80-0267, Rev.1 (dated June 16, 2009). Whether or not cracks were found, install doublers on the “0” pressure bulkhead following the inspection. Within 30 days of doing the inspection, report all inspection results to Piaggio.
JO KREMSREITER was named Western region sales director for International Communications Group’s (ICG) line of general aviation aeronautical communications product lines. Kremsreiter joins ICG from Iridium, where he was U.S. sales manager of products for special use applications. He also has managed green completion and refurbishment projects and has served as an avionics department manager. In his new role, he will work between ICG’s offices in St. Louis and Denver and represent the company in the Midwest and Western states.
