SIR PETER RIGBY’S AVIATION GROUP, which trades as Patriot Aviation and Heliflight, has acquired helicopter charter and engineering specialist London Helicopter Centres Ltd., which is headquartered in Redhill, Surrey and Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. The deal will expand the Aviation Group’s flight training, charter, sales and engineering reach in both the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, where it holds Cessna and Schweizer distributorships.
Tug Hill Aviation of Ft. Worth, Texas, took delivery of Phenom 300 Serial Number 5 in late December, thus becoming the first operator of Embraer’s newest jet. The delivery followed FAA certification of the second member of the Phenom family in mid-December (BA, Dec. 21/281).
Cincinnati-based ARGUS has posted continued international growth for its Charter Evaluation and Qualification (CHEQ) System and ARGUS Audits. ARGUS noted that 250 aircraft and more than 600 pilots are participating in the international CHEQ System. Additionally, 12 international operators have received an ARGUS rating, and several more will be added to the elite list during first quarter 2010, following completion of an ARGUS Audit.
LOCKHEED MARTIN unit Kelly Aviation Center, L.P. has earned AS9110 certification. The certification shows the San Antonio-based company goes beyond basic AS9100 standards to include additional safety, reliability and airworthiness requirements for both military and commercial aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul.
KISSIMMEE GATEWAY AIRPORT’S noise exposure maps are in compliance with FAR Part 150, says the FAA, which approved in mid-December the documentation submitted by the City of Kissimmee. For more information, contact Lindy McDowell, FAA, Orlando Airports District Office, 5950 Hazeltine National Dr., Orlando, Fla.
A Fairchild SA227, N227ML, ran off the side of Runway 23 during landing roll at about 3:21 p.m. Eastern Standard Time Jan. 2 at Lake Cumberland Regional Airport (SME) in Somerset, Ky. No one was injured, but the aircraft was substantially damaged. Registered to 472 LLC, the aircraft was operated by Locair on a Part 135 flight from Baltimore/Washington International Airport under an instrument flight rules flight plan.
HONEYWELL Model GTCP36-150(R) and GTCP36-150(RR) auxiliary power units [Docket No. FAA-2009-0803; Directorate Identifier 2009-NE-34-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to inspect the fuel control unit (FCU) differential pressure (Delta P) sleeve bore for erosion, replacing the FCU if it fails an inspection, and installing a fuel deflector on the Delta P sleeve of the FCU, per the instructions of Honeywell Service Bulletin No. 3882840-49-7975, Rev. 1 (dated April 10, 2009).
FIELD AVIATION COMPANY handed over the last of seven Dash 8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) for the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). The initial Dash 8 MPA, a Series 200, was modified for CBP in 2004. The MPA fleet now includes four Dash 8 Series 200s and three Series 300s. Field Aviation modified the aircraft, interior, navigation and communications and other systems on the aircraft. ATK Integrated Systems installed sensor hardware and the mission management system before delivery to CBP. CBP placed the contract through the Canadian Commercial Corp.
Driven partly by a need for more rescue aircraft during natural disasters, Chinese aircraft manufacturer Avic is looking to develop a new class of rotary-wing aircraft through one of its subsidiaries. It would be developed by Avicopter in coopertaion with Russian Helicopters, and could go into service in five to 10 years. The helicopter, called the Advanced Heavy Lifter, is being pitched as a civilian aircraft, but Avicopter has not ruled out military uses.
THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION COUNCIL recently registered the 200th operator under the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO), a code of best safety practices designed to help operators to achieve a high level of safety and professionalism. The International Civil Aviation Organization has officially recognized IS-BAO, and the European Aviation Safety Agency has determined that it meets Safety Management System requirements for both commercial and noncommercial operators.
The U.S. business aircraft fleet was involved in 45 percent fewer accidents in 2009, marking one of the safest years yet for business aircraft operators. Business jets and turboprops combined for 44 accidents in 2009, down from 64 in 2008, according to statistics compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates. Business aircraft (both jets and turboprops) were involved in eight fatal accidents that resulted in 32 fatalities in 2009, compared with 32 fatal accidents and 58 fatalities in 2008.
Burlington, Vt.-based Heritage Aviation has opened a new fixed-base operation that will rely heavily on wind, solar and other renewable energy sources. “When we had the opportunity to build a new general aviation facility, we knew we wanted to have renewable energy components as part of the facility,” said Christopher Hill, president of Heritage Aviation and Heritage Flight. “We wanted to do as much as we could to reduce our energy consumption and carbon footprint.”
BOMBARDIER Regional Jet Series 100 and 440 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0525; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-027-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to replace the existing overwing emergency exit placards with new placards in accordance with the instructions of Bombardier Service Bulletin 601R-11-088, Rev. A (dated March 24, 2009). This proposal, which resulted from an MCAI originated by Transport Canada, corrects erroneous instructions on the existing placard, which could cause difficulty or delay when opening the overwing emergency exit.
DOUGLAS MCCROSSON was promoted to chief operating officer for CPI Aerostructures. McCrosson had served as senior vice president of operations since January 2008, leading CPI Aero’s business development, engineering, procurement and manufacturing organizations. He joined CPI Aero in May 2003 as director of business development. Before that, he was corporate secretary and vice president of Frisby Technologies and also held various engineering and marketing positions with Frisby Aerospace.
ASI Jet Center, the fixed-based operation at Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie, Minn., has expanded operations to Minneapolis/St. Paul International (MSP), filling a vacancy created after General Dynamics Aviation Services (GDAS) left the airport last summer. ASI Jet Center recently opened MSP Jet Center at Minneapolis/St. Paul to specialize in the inspection, maintenance and repair of mid- to large-cabin business jets.
AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION reported that aerospace employment overall is expected to fall from 657,100 to 641,000 in 2009, marking the first drop since 2003. “The employment decline is not nearly as severe as in other industries,” AIA President and CEO Marion Blakey noted, estimating that aerospace employment fell by four percent from last year to the third quarter of 2009, while jobs in manufacturing overall dropped by 11.7 percent. The civilian and military sectors, however, helped buffer losses in general aviation employment. U.S.
CAE FLIGHTSCAPE AND CAE USA were selected to provide simulator training for a military demonstration/validation initiative covering the application of Military Flight Operations Quality Assurance concepts to the training environment for accident prevention. The U.S. Defense Safety Oversight Council is funding the initiative through the National Defense Center for Energy Environment and is operated by Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC). CTC awarded the contract to the CAE businesses.
FOKKER 70 AND 100 main landing gear parts will be manufactured by Fokker Services as a result of a recent manufacturing license agreement with Goodrich, the original equipment manufacturer of the system. Under the terms of this accord, Fokker Services B.V. has the exclusive rights to produce all the main landing gear parts for these out-of-production aircraft. The components will be used to overhaul Fokker 70 and Fokker 100 main landing gears, as well as to help ensure the availability of spare parts for operators.
DELTA AIRELITE added a Bombardier Learjet 45XR and Cessna Citation XLS to its fleet. The 2007 model Learjet 45XR is based in Jacksonville, Fla., and the 2007 model Citation XLS is at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
FAA is hoping to finish its initial work by the end of January on a notice of proposed rulemaking calling for new equipment and operation requirements for commercial helicopters, particularly those involved in air ambulance flights. The rulemaking project was given the formal go-ahead in April as the agency, along with the National Transportation Safety Board and Congress, became increasingly concerned about the spike in air ambulance crashes (BA, April 27/195).
EUROCOPTER AS355E, F, F1, F2 and N helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2009-1090; Directorate Identifier 2009-SW-31-AD] – This proposal would require operators to remove the tail-rotor drive shaft and replace it with an airworthy one, per the instructions of Eurocopter Alert Service Bulletin No. 01.00.51, Rev. 1 (dated Feb. 9, 2006). This proposed AD, which resulted from an MCAI issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency, was prompted by the discovery of a metallurgical non-conformity on a flange of the forward shaft section of a tail-rotor drive shaft.
SPECTRUM AIR has unveiled its schedule of private jet flights to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Jan. 21-31, 2010. Roundtrip flights will be scheduled from Los Angeles and New York City via per-seat reservations.
THE FIRST CHALLENGER 850 to come out of Flying Colours Corp.’s completion facility in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, has been delivered to Moscow, Russia, where the jet will be managed by Chartright Air Group. Flying Colours is working on three additional Challenger 850s and has two additional completions scheduled for 2010. Work on the 850s will be performed at both Peterborough and at JetCorp Technical Services, the Flying Colours’ facility located near St. Louis.
COBHAM SATCOM was granted full Inmarsat approval for its Satcom SwiftBroadband services. Cobham’s SwiftBroadband product line enables connectivity on a range of aircraft, providing network and Internet access, e-mail, fax and telephone service. Cobham also produces a variety of antennas for the satellite communications service, including the HGA-8000/7001/7000/6500/6000 and IGA-5001/5006.
