SOCATA TBM 700 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26234; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-064-AD; Amendment 39-15983; AD 2007-03-17 R1] – Inspect the rivets on Frames C18 BIS and C19, and, if necessary, take corrective action in accordance with the instructions of either SOCATA TBM Aircraft Mandatory Service Bulletin SB 70-129 (dated June 2005) or SB 70-129, Amendment 1 (dated February 2009).
A nearly 40 percent drop in deliveries led Hawker Beechcraft to a $212.4 million decline in net sales for the second quarter ending June 28. Hawker Beechcraft reported an operating income of $39.4 million on net sales of $816.3 million. The operating income was down from $86.4 million in the second quarter of 2008. “The reduced aircraft volumes accounted for a significant majority of the reduced operating income,” the company said, noting aircraft deliveries declined from 129 in the second quarter of 2008 to 78 in the most recent quarter.
WHILE GA manufacturers continued to struggle in the second quarter, the used aircraft market appeared to strengthen. The number of used jets sold increased 26.4 percent in the second quarter, the first such increase since late 2007, according to statistics complied for the National Aircraft Resale Association by AMSTAT. The number of jets for sale continued to edge up during the second quarter, but only by 1.6 percent. That compares with the 10.2 percent increase in the first quarter of 2009 and the 68.7 increase for all of 2008.
BAE SYSTEMS Jetstream 4101 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0463; Directorate Identifier 2008-NM-065-AD; Amendment 39-15984; AD 2009-16-01] – Inspect the nose landing gear’s lock plate for damage, excessive wear and cracking. Replace the lock plate if any damage, wear or cracking is found. Inspect the wheel nut for damage. Replace any damaged nut. Measure the gap between the inner flange of the outer cone (at each of the three sections) and the end face of the axle to determine if parts are worn. Replace any worn parts.
In a startling development, Richard T. Santulli, the Wall Street mathematician who created and then oversaw the development of NetJets Inc. into the largest operator of business jets in the world, is resigning as chairman and chief executive of the Berkshire Hathaway-owned company, effective immediately.
PATRICK FINNERAN was named president and chief executive of Sabreliner Corp., a St. Louis-based aviation services provider. Finneran joined Sabreliner in April as executive advisor after retiring as vice president of The Boeing Company’s Integrated Defense Systems. He joined McDonnell Douglas in 1987 and held several management positions for the company, as well as with Boeing, which acquired McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Finneran also had a 20-year career with the U.S. Marine Corps.
JOSH BRUNGARDT was named director of the Unmanned Aerial Systems Program Office for Kansas State University at Salina. Brungardt will manage efforts to help develop policies and procedures for the entry of unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace. He will be trained as a UAV operator. Brungardt has served as the chief pilot for High Performance Aircraft Training, EFIS Training and Lancair. He has completed more than 100 first flights on experimental aircraft.
TRIUMPH GROUP appointed Richard Ill, chairman and chief executive. Ill formerly had been president and chief executive. Replacing Ill is Jeffry Frisby, who will serve as president and chief operating officer. Frisby previously was group president of Triumph Aerospace Systems Group since 2003. In addition, Triumph Group promoted David Kornblatt, who has been senior vice president and chief financial officer, to executive vice president and chief financial officer.
SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORP. transferred its XL2 Technology demonstrator development program to the company’s facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., in preparation for the next phase of testing. The X2 Technology demonstrator uses a counterrotating coaxial rotor that will be designed to provide a cruise speed of 250 knots along with smooth low-speed handling, efficient hovering, and a seamless transition to high speed. Sikorsky’s Global Helicopters operation in Horseheads, N.Y., has housed the X2 Technology demonstrator program for the past three years.
STEPHEN HADLEY was elected as a director of The Raytheon Company. Hadley currently is a senior advisor for international affairs at the U.S. Institute of Peace. He served as national security advisory and deputy national security advisor under President George W. Bush, a former partner with the law firm of Shea and Gardner, and a former principal of The Scowcroft Group.
SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D-MO.), who sits on both the Senate Commerce and Armed Forces Committees, last week released a statement that she planned to work to block the additional funding for the Gulfstreams. “This just makes no sense. Talk about the wrong message at the wrong time,” McCaskill said. When asked about the funding, a Pentagon spokesman said Defense Secretary Robert Gates has “been focused on big-ticket items and, frankly, not an additional Gulfstream or two.
FAA is expected to publish a new proposal shortly that would cover certification and operational issues involved with the introduction of light jets. The proposal is designed to ensure the same standards apply to all light jets, FAA said. The notice of proposed rulemaking late last month completed Office of Management and Budget review, clearing the proposal for publication. FAA, however, has not yet indicated whether it plans to move forward with a rulemaking for operation of small jets in Part 135 service.
DAHER-SOCATA has selected Atlantic Aero International in Greensboro, N.C. as an authorized TBM Service Center. Daher-Socata said the latest selection helps the company achieve its goal of locating an authorized service center within a three-hour flight of the home airport of any U.S. TBM customer. TBM also has East Coast service centers in Pembroke Pines, Fla. (a Daher-Socata facility), and Groton, Conn. (Columbia Air Services).
The second quarter of 2009 further compounded the economic woes of the general aviation manufacturing sector as the number of deliveries plunged some 49 percent, according to statistics released last week by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. This has led to a 45.9 percent decline in total deliveries through the first half of the year.
AGUSTA AB139 and AW139 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2009-0168; Directorate Identifier 2007-SW-33-AD; Amendment 39-15977; AD 2009-15-14] – Determine whether the fire extinguishing bottle for engines No. 1 and No. 2 have the proper outlet end on the electrical receptacle/connector, which attaches the firing cartridge to the bottle. If a bottle has an improper outlet end, replace the bottle before further flight with one that has a proper outlet end, per the instructions of Agusta Technical Bulletin No. 139-085 (dated May 18, 2007).
CESSNA AIRCRAFT received an order from Singapore Flying College in Australia for five Citation Mustangs. The orders were placed through Aeromil Pacific, Cessna’s authorized sales representative in Australia. A wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, Singapore Flying College provides ab initio and advanced pilot training from its facility at the Sunshine Coast Airport in Queensland. It currently operates four aircraft and two simulators.
TIMCO AEROSYSTEMS, a Greensboro, N.C. subsidiary of TIMCO Aviation Services, was awarded Organization Delegation Authorization (ODA) for supplemental type certificates and parts manufacturing approval. Under ODA, TIMCO will have FAA authority to issue design and manufacturing approvals. TIMCO has been a Designated Alteration Station since 1995 and has developed nearly 300 supplemental type certificate, mostly for aircraft interior and systems integration work.
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE’S service center in Savannah, Ga., was named an Approved Maintenance Organization by the Republic of Mauritius in the southwest Indian Ocean. The designation authorizes the center to provide maintenance, inspection and modification on any Gulfstream GIV or GV series aircraft registered under the Mauritius Department of Civil Aviation.
JEPPESEN received Part 141 and FAA/Industry Training Standards acceptance of its new Jeppesen Private Pilot Online training program. The acceptance clears the Jeppesen training program to be used as a FITS flight syllabus.
FAA officials continue to reassure the charter community that they intend to keep the newest flight and duty time aviation rulemaking committee (ARC) focused on Part 121, but those assurances have not quieted the concerns of Part 135 executives. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety Margaret Gilligan and Flight Standards Director John Allen have all indicated a desire to consider flight and duty time recommendations already developed by the Part 135/125 ARC.
OXFORD AIRPORT, UK continued to increase its traffic by adding three new tenants and more aircraft. London Executive Aviation is establishing a new base at Oxford. London Executive is stationing a new Legacy 600, which is under management contract, at the airport and plans to add other aircraft later this year. Jet Connections, a business aviation management, brokerage and sales firm, is moving to Oxford from Farnborough Airport. And Synergy Aviation of Fairoaks, Cobham, is basing a Cessna Citation CJ2+ at Oxford.
GARMIN recently celebrated the 100,000-unit milestone for its GNS 400/500 series products. Garmin donated that 100,000th unit, a GNS 530W, to the Experimental Aircraft Association Young Eagles, a nonprofit for auction organization dedicated to attracting the interest of young people in aviation. Since their introduction in 1998, Garmin estimates the avionics products have been installed on nearly half of all U.S. single- and twin-engine piston and turbine aircraft.
BELL Model 427 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2009-0227; Directorate Identifier 2007-SW-65-AD; Amendment 39-15978; AD 2009-15-15] – Remove the vertical fin and visually inspect the inboard and outboard surfaces of the fin where it attaches to the tail rotor gearbox support, looking for cracks, an elongated bolt hole, fretting, distortion and corrosion. Also, visually inspect the tail rotor gearbox support attachment legs for cracks, fretting and corrosion.
