– Two National Transportation Safety Board members – Mark Rosenker and Kathryn O’Leary Higgins – have submitted letters of resignation to President Barack Obama, NTSB said last week. Both Rosenker and Higgins joined the board under President George W. Bush and are departing the agency before the end of their respective terms.
THE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY AGENCY tapped Brian Delauter to serve as acting general manager of general aviation. Delauter, who joined the agency as 2002 as a stakeholder liaison, most recently was assistant federal security director at Savannah International Airport. His aviation career began as a flight instructor at Elgin Air Force Base, and he has 15 years of experience as a general aviation and commercial airline pilot.
SAAB 2000 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0654; Directorate Identifier 2008-NM-083-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to inspect certain nipple assemblies for signs of damage, wear or leaking of the nipple and socket, in accordance with the instructions of Saab Service Bulletin 2000-79-006, Rev. 01 (dated Oct. 15, 2007). If any leak, damage or wear beyond limits is found, replace the part with a new or serviceable unit prior to further flight.
BRENDAN HICKMAN joined UBM Aviation as chief commercial officer. Hickman will be responsible for sales and marketing of UBM Aviation’s data and information products, including the OAG data business. He spent 15 years with NCR/Teradata Corp. and 20 years with Continental Airlines and its technology unit System One.
EMBRAER President and CEO Frederico Curado acknowledged last week that meeting the company’s forecast for 110 Phenom deliveries this year “is a bit of a challenge,” but said the good news is the company is at number 70 on the assembly line. See article on Page 38.
– Eleven charter operators were awarded platinum ratings in the second quarter by safety auditor and services company Aviation Research Group/U.S., Inc. (ARG/US). The award is given to operators that demonstrate implementation of industry-best safety practices relative to operations and maintenance, and for the first time since it began doing audits in 2001, more than 70 charter operators have platinum ratings.
WHILE the National Business Aviation Association is tracking at about 80 percent of exhibit space sold for its annual meeting and convention in October, the convention floor will be missing two key exhibitors – Cessna Aircraft and Hawker Beechcraft, sources tell Aviation Week. Both companies, however, are participating at the convention and plan to bring aircraft to the static display.
CASA C-212-CB, -CC, -CD and -CE airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0611; Directorate Identifier 2008-NM-165-AD] – Modify certain servo motors in the Honeywell International SPZ200 autopilot system or replace them with modified servo motors, in accordance with the instructions of CASA Service Bulletin SB-212-22-16 (dated March 13, 2006).
U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION opened an office at the Signature Flight Support fixed-based operation at Newark-Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey. The CBP Newark facility participates in the USVISIT program to help passengers with clearance when entering the U.S.
THE THIRD ANNUAL VLJ-Europe 2009 event is scheduled for Sept. 24-25 at Oxford Airport in the United Kingdom. Sponsored by the Air Taxi Association-Europe, the two-day program will discuss challenges facing operators trying to establish their business base during the economic downturn. A number of emerging entry-level jet operators are expected to participate, including Ambeo PLC, JetBird and Flairjet. Also participating will be established operators Blink, London Executive Aviation, Grossmann and JetQuik.
– As Embraer celebrates its 40th year (and 30th in the U.S.), the Brazilian manufacturer’s top executive said the company has its hands full working on certification of its Phenom 300 very light jet, the development of the Legacy 450 and 500 midsized executive jets and starting the initial stage of the KC-390, a clean-sheet military transporter for the Brazilian Air Force.
BAE SYSTEMS has placed two more BAe 146-200s with Indonesian operators. PT Nusantara Air Charter, a locally owned company that flies passenger and cargo charters, took delivery of one 78-seat aircraft in mid-June. PT Aviastar Mandiri, a charter operator that mainly flies in Borneo and Papua on behalf of international oil and mining corporations and Indonesian companies and government agencies, was slated to take delivery of a 98-seat BAe 146-200 this month.
EMBRAER E170 and E190 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0614; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-045-AD] – This proposal would require operators to perform repetitive operational tests of outboard slat skew sensors. If any sensor were to fail a test, it would need to be replaced with a serviceable sensor before further flight. This proposed AD, which resulted from an MCAI originated by the aviation authority of Brazil, was prompted by incidents in which outboard slat skew sensors failed.
GREENWICH AEROGROUP named Ted Miller president of its Wichita, Kan.-based avionics and instrument sales unit, Matrix Aviation. Matrix is a subsidiary of Banner Aerospace, which Greenwich AeroGroup acquired in June. Miller formerly spent 23 years with Duncan Aviation in a variety of management, sales and technical positions. Most recently, Miller oversaw Duncan’s paint, interior and avionics sales in Battle Creek, Mich.
CANDY ZIMMER has joined Fairway Aviation as director of marketing. Zimmer has more than 10 years of experience in graphic design, art direction and project management for a range of companies, including those involved in business aviation. Zimmer will implement the company’s Fairway Technologies business aircraft marketplace, which combines new media and Internet-based technology with traditional sales methods.
CECIL SLOAN was named regional sales manager for Sierra Industries. Sloan has 30 years of aviation experience, including 20 years with Duncan Aviation. Sloan also has served as director of sales and marketing for West Star Aviation and customer service manager and regional sales manager for Garrett Aviation Services.
– Bombardier’s Learjet 85 program has checked off a couple of key milestones, including the completion of all wind-tunnel testing and two proof-of-concept fuselages, as the company continues to strive for certification and first deliveries of its newest business jet in 2013.
BUDDY TOBIN was named senior project manager for King Aerospace Commercial Corporation. Tobin has 16 years of aircraft maintenance and management experience with business and transport aircraft. He most recently was president of BaySys West, a California-based aircraft maintenance and modification center. He also has served in positions of increasing responsibility with Chelton Aviation and Associated Air Center.
AMERICAN EUROCOPTER recently celebrated its 40th anniversary with a special event at the company’s headquarters in Grand Prairie, Texas. The “All American Celebration” commemorated the firm’s significant growth and achievements since it was in founded 1969, when Aerospatiale and LTV Aerospace formed Vought Helicopter. More than 1,000 guests participated in the event, which featured static displays, skydivers and aerial demonstrations of Eurocopter’s historic and current products. The company today has more than 750 U.S.
GENERAL DYNAMICS AVIATION SERVICES CENTER in Westfield, Mass., recently received an FAA aviation maintenance technician diamond certificate of excellence award for its performance in 2008. This is the 11th consecutive year the facility has been honored with the distinction. The program recognizes FAA-certified aviation mechanics and their employers for participating in supplemental aviation maintenance training and other continuing-education courses.
BAE SYSTEMS BAe 146 and Avro RJ airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0398; Directorate Identifier 2008-NM-193-AD; Amendment 39-15971; AD 2009-15-08] – Conduct a visual inspection of the steel grommets on the wing-to-fuselage and main landing gear door fairing panels, per the instructions of BAE Systems Inspection Service Bulletin ISB.53-202, Rev. 3 (dated Dec. 10, 2008). If any damaged grommets are found, before further flight replace the grommets with newly designed grommets or do a temporary repair of the existing grommets until new grommets can be installed.
FAA last week released an advanced proposal that will serve as the first step for a comprehensive rulemaking to require aviation manufacturers, operators and service companies to adopt a Safety Management System (SMS). The advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) provides a general sketch of concepts that SMS would include and asks for public input on a number of questions to help shape an SMS rulemaking.
– The U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) believes a Eurocopter Super Puma AS332L2 might have been pulled from service before it crashed into the North Sea April 1 if the relevance of a metal chip found in the gearbox module days before the accident had been diagnosed differently, the agency said. The AAIB made that finding as a result of its continuing investigation of the failure of the epicyclic reduction gearbox module on the Eurocopter Super Puma involved in the accident.
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– ICON Aircraft, buoyed by a new round of financing, is flying the A5 amphibian light sport aircraft to EAA Air Venture 2009 for its first public flight demonstration later this month. The ICON A5 prototype is scheduled to arrive at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis., on July 27, the opening day of the show, and fly demos on July 31 at a seaplane base near the field.
