– Textron Chairman and CEO Lewis Campbell will retire effective Dec. 1, and the board has tapped President and COO Scott Donnelly to succeed him. Donnelly also will join the Textron board on Oct. 1. Campbell, a 17-year company veteran, will stay on Textron’s board as nonexecutive chairman through the company’s 2011 annual shareholders meeting.
– FAA debuted the first wide-area multilateration surveillance system to be certified for en route and approach aircraft separation in the U.S. national airspace system. The multilateration system, provided by Sensis, is operated from the Denver en route control center, and covers four airports serving popular Colorado skiing destinations. Currently, this area has gaps in radar coverage, but the multilateration system will enable radar-like separation. FAA last week declared initial operating capability for the Sensis system.
NANCY LEWIS was appointed director of government affairs for the National Transportation Safety Board. Lewis will serve as a liaison between NTSB, Congress and other federal agencies. She joined NTSB in April 2005 as the special assistant to NTSB member Deborah Hersman. She also spent time in the Office of General Counsel for the Transportation Security Administration and 13 years with the Office of Chief Counsel at the Federal Railroad Administration.
DUNCAN AVIATION completed the first aftermarket installation of winglets on the Falcon 2000EX. Duncan Aviation also is the first center in North America to install the Aviation Partners (API) High-Mach Blended Winglets on the Falcon 2000 series. The API winglets were certified in the quarter, and the retrofit is now available for all Falcon 2000/2000EX operators. Duncan Aviation also is an installation center for the Hawker 800 series winglet program.
EMBRAER’S executive jet business accounted for 10.7 percent of total company sales in the first half of the year, down from 13.8 percent in 2008, the company reported in a filing last week with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The dip in business came despite the ramp up of Phenom 100 deliveries and the delivery of the first Lineage 1000. The company handed over 21 Phenoms in the first six months. Embraer still expects to deliver 110 Phenoms this year, the company said.
Oct. 2 – European Aviation Club/International Bar Association Conference on Implications of the EU ratification of the Cape Town Convention, Hotel Bristol Stephanie, Brussels, e-mail: [email protected] Oct. 5-8 – Flight Simulator Engineering and Maintenance Conference, Conrad Hilton Hotel, Cairo, Egypt, (410) 266-2008, e-mail: [email protected], www.aviation-ia.com/fsemc/
THE UBS “September Business Jet Market Index” measuring market conditions and customer interest came in 16 percent higher than its July survey. UBS said this shows continued slowing in the rate of market deterioration. On a scale of 0-100, the September index was 43. “Our index continues to be weighed down by weak pricing and record-high used inventory levels and has not yet crossed the 50 threshold indicative of actual improvement in market conditions that has historically led [to] meaningful upside for the stocks,” said the report.
THE 2009 AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION’S annual Aviation Summit will feature two tracks this year – Proficiency & Safety, and Ownership & Flying. The summit, Nov. 5-7, 2009, in Tampa, Fla., will offer nearly 60 hours of forums and new opportunities to learn in the exhibit hall itself. Aviation humorist and CFI Rod Machado will offer his unique take on aviation safety and the fun of flying.
VULCANAIR P68, P 68B, P68C, P 68C-TC and P 68 Observer airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0869; Directorate Identifier 2009-CE-043-AD] – This proposal, which would supersede an existing directive (AD 85-08-04), would retain the wing spar inspection and modification requirements of the earlier AD but expand the number of airplanes to which it applies. AD 85-08-04 requires repetitive visual inspections of the front and rear wing spars for cracks. If cracks are found, the wing spars must be modified.
DOWTY R408/6-123-F/17 propellers [Docket No. FAA-2009-0776; Directorate Identifier 2009-NE-32-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to apply sealant between the bus bar assemblies and the backplate assembly, per the instructions of Dowty Propellers Service Bulletin No. D8400-61-66, Rev. 1 (dated May 4, 2007).
Avic General Aircraft hopes to begin production next year of two business aircraft, one a jet and one piston-engine. Separately, the Chinese company has launched a four-engine amphibious aircraft, an extensive update of the SH-5 flying boat developed and built in small quantities from the 1960s to 1980s.
DASSAULT Fan Jet Falcon and Falcon 10, 20-C5, 20-D5, 20-E5, 20-F5, 50, 200, 900, 900EX, 2000 and 2000EX airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0864; Directorate Identifier 2008-NM-202-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to inspect for overpressure tightness on both pressurization-regulating valves. If any leaks were found, operators would need to replace the affected valve with a serviceable unit before further flight.
FAA, in an effort to improve transparency and responsiveness to safety concerns, has established two new offices and emphasized initiatives designed to ensure consistent application of rules and polices.
BOMBARDIER’S 13th Safety Standdown, scheduled for Sept. 28-Oct. 1 in Wichita, Kan., will include speeches by FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah Hersman and National Business Aviation Association President and CEO Ed Bolen. The three-day seminar includes several lectures and practical training workshops designed to help pilots and crews expand their understanding of human factors involved in aviation accidents.
CADORATH AEROSPACE LAFAYETTE LLC moved into a new 15,000-square-foot facility in Broussard, La. Situated on four acres of land, the new facility was designed to accommodate the growth of Cadorath’s component repair business. Cadorath is a Rolls-Royce authorized repair facility.
MICHAEL KRAFT was tapped to serve as senior vice president and general manager of Lycoming Engines. He will manage all aspects of the business and report to Fred Strader, chief operating officer of Textron Systems. He previously served as vice president of research, development and engineering for Lycoming and also led Lycoming’s Air Safety Investigation unit. He joined the company in 2007 after holding engineering and general management positions at Andritz, GE Power Systems and GE Aircraft Engines.
– WICHITA, Kan. – A severe downturn in the aviation industry has led to the loss of more than 10,000 jobs in Wichita as the impact from mass layoffs at companies such as Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft and Bombardier Learjet has rippled through small suppliers and the economy.
– Solairus Aviation secured FAA approval to operate aircraft that carry 10 or more passengers in revenue service. The approval marked a key clearance for Solairus, which was founded in March by former JetDirect executives Dan Drohan and Jake Cartwright. Solairus obtained its Part 135 charter certificate in early May. “This approval makes Solairus’ fleet of large cabin charter aircraft available for long range and international charters, and positions us for further growth nationwide,” said Drohan, who is chief executive of Solairus.
ROSS AVIATION has chosen the U.S. Bank Multi Service Aviation card as its preferred aviation fuel card. Ross Aviation will promote the acceptance of the Multi Service Aviation card at its fixed-base operations, while Multi Service Aviation will feature Ross Aviation on its Web site, along with other FBOs where the Multi Service Aviation card is accepted. Ross Aviation operates a dozen FBOs in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, New Mexico and Texas.
EMBRAER EMB-500 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0870; Directorate Identifier 2009-CE-049-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to replace the nuts of the right-hand and left-hand elevators’ mass-balance fasteners with new self-locking nuts, following the procedures outlined in Embraer Service Bulletin No. 500-55-0001 (dated July 24, 2009).
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL received Russian approval for its training programs at the FlightSafety Academy in Vero Beach, Fla. The approval, from the Federal Air Transportation Agency of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, followed an in-depth review of the academy’s Private Pilot License and Commercial Pilot License training programs, FlightSafety said.
PREMIAIR is offering full continuing airworthiness management for helicopter maintenance at its Blackbushe, Surrey, facility. The U.K.-based company is an FAA, EASA and CAA Part 145-approved organization. The facility is a Sikorsky Service Center for the S-76, a Bell Customer Service Facility for Bell 222, 230 and 430, and a Hawker Beechcraft Authorized Service Center for its Beechcraft models. It also supports Eurocopter’s EC155, AS365 Dauphin and AS355 Twin Squirrel, the AgustaWestland 109 and is a Pratt & Whitney Canada Recognized Maintenance Facility.
DAVID MAYER was promoted to managing director for the National Transportation Safety Board. Mayer has been deputy managing director since January 2005. Managing director is considered the senior career position at the safety board. He joined NTSB in 1991 in the Office of Research and Engineering, where he was responsible for transportation safety databases and safety studies. He moved to the Office of Aviation Safety in 1996 and worked on a number of investigations, including the crash of TWA Flight 800.
FAA has selected the Searidge Technologies intelligent-video-based surface management system, IntelliDAR, to provide runway-light automation at New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport. The Searidge system will be used to evaluate the automation of runway lighting at Teterboro as part of an effort to improve safety and efficiency. “The FAA is evaluating unique surface management solutions at Teterboro Airport to automatically control runway lighting.
