GENERAL DYNAMICS Chairman and CEO Nicholas Chabraja last week remained bullish about the Gulfstream G650 program. While other manufacturers have suffered development setbacks in an unsettled economy, Chabraja said research and development spending “will remain reasonably constant,” and the G650 is still on schedule. The backlog for the aircraft is “holding tough,” he said, noting Gulfstream has lost a few orders but picked up a few more.
JOHN SAMMON, the Transportation Security Administration’s assistant administrator for transportation sector network management, will discuss the Large Aircraft Security Program and “Operation Playbook” security measures during the National Air Transportation Association’s Air Charter Summit June 8-10 at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly, Va. Sammon will join a number of key government officials scheduled to speak during the summit as well as at NATA’s FBO Leadership Conference, which will be held June 9-11 also at the Westfields Marriott.
DB AVIATION has opened a 42,000-square-foot hangar at its fixed-base operation at Waukegan Regional Airport in Illinois. The new facility has 37,000 square feet of hangar space and accommodates 5,500 square feet of office space.
Seattle-based Aviation Partners Inc. last week received supplemental type certification for installation of API winglets on Falcon 2000LX aircraft, an upgrade that will give the aircraft an NBAA-IFR range of 4,000 nautical miles at .80 Mach with six passengers aboard, Dassault Falcon announced last week. This represents a 5.4 percent increase in range for the Falcon 2000LX compared with the Falcon 2000EX that doesn’t have winglets. API received European Aviation Safety Agency STC approval for the winglets on April 23.
THIELERT AIRCRAFT ENGINES TAE 125-01 and TAE 125-02-99 engines [Docket No. FAA-2009-0201; Directorate Identifier 2008-NE-47-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators of Diamond Aircraft DA 42 airplanes to replace the propeller control valve. This proposal, which resulted from an MCAI issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency, was issued in response to several in-flight shutdowns of TAE 125 engines on DA 42s. Preliminary investigations showed that the shutdowns were mainly the result of failure of the propeller control valve.
NetJets Europe has expanded its presence in the Czech Republic. The company has tapped Vadim Horiszny, currently vice president of NetJets Europe, to lead its business development in the Czech Republic and the Central and Eastern European region.
PILATUS PC-12 and PC-12/45 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0126; Directorate Identifier 2009-CE-003-AD; Amendment 39-15884; AD 2009-08-11] – Following the instructions of Pilatus PC-12 Service Bulletin No. 30-011 (dated July 9, 2008), install a flange and scoop in the aircraft skin to vent overboard the hot air from the deice pressure regulator. This AD, which resulted from an MCAI issued by an aviation authority of another country, was prompted by incidents in which the deice pressure regulator has vented too much hot air into the forward compartment.
A CITATION XLS has landed and taken off from the world’s highest airport. The Cessna jet, operated by the China Flight Inspection Center of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, performed a total of five takeoffs and landings in February to validate navigation aids and to gather information on high-altitude operations at Tibet’s Qamdo Bangda Airport, which is located at 14,219 feet (4,334 meters) above sea level.
PremiAir opened a new 20,000-square-foot, fixed-wing maintenance center at Oxford Airport in the United Kingdom last week to service the Hawker Beechcraft family of aircraft. The facility was moved from Blackbushe Airport, near Farnborough. It is approved for EASA Part 145 base maintenance and has 20 employees, including three new engineers, and boasts new workshops, customer reception areas, office space and dedicated car parking.
JET AVIATION ZURICH installed a precision navigating system (P-RNAV) into a 22-year-old Cessna 650 Citation III as part of a comprehensive avionics, refurbishment and soundproofing upgrade. The avionics package included new weather radar with multifunction radar display, cockpit voice recorder, Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System, and Runway Awareness and Advisory System. Jet Aviation Zurich also installed a new cabin configuration with leather upholstered seating as well as thermally isolated soundproofing.
CZECH AIRLINES has become the launch customer of Avions de Transport Regional’s recently developed ATR Door-2-Door service. The global maintenance agreement, which is valued at more than $14 million over seven years, covers the repair of the line replaceable units on the airline’s 12 ATR turboprops.
AIRCRAFT & TURBINE SUPPORT expects to hold a grand opening in late spring for a multimillion dollar expansion of its facilities at Tulsa International Airport (TUL) in Oklahoma. The project includes a remodeled terminal, a corporate aviation complex with rentable executive office space and a 22,000-square-foot storage hangar. An Avfuel distributor, Aircraft and Turbine Support specializes in “away-from-base” maintenance for Challenger, Falcon, Lear, Hawker and Westwind aircraft and overhaul of GE CJ610 and CF700 engines.
THE HOUSE ENERGY AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE is expected to consider its cap-and-trade energy proposal this week (BA, April 20/181). The committee has delayed consideration, apparently, while panel leaders hash out details on its market-based emissions trading proposals.
AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) have signed a five-year agreement extending an alliance between the two organizations. Under the alliance, ERAU provides AOPA memberships for all aeronautical science students and, in return, AOPA sets aside 10 percent of the membership dues paid by ERAU alumni to an AOPA scholarship fund at the school. The partnership has raised more than $234,000 in scholarship money for ERAU students since the alliance formed in 1997.
MILLIE BECKER was named vice president for business development at First Aviation Services, a fixed-base operation at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. Becker joins First Aviation with more than two decades of experience marketing business aviation travel. She has served as vice president of marketing and sales for Landmark Aviation, chief executive of Westchester Air and assistant manager at Ground Handling, Inc.
VINCE RUSCITTI served as director of service center operations in Dallas for Gulfstream Aerospace. He will oversee both the Gulfstream and General Dynamics Aviation Services (GDAS) maintenance facilities at Dallas Love Field. Most recently, Ruscitti was the senior service operations manager at the GDAS center in Dallas. He has served with the Gulfstream and GDAS for 10 years, beginning as a senior avionics marketing representative for Gulfstream in Savannah.
LUFTHANSA has been designated as the authorized training provider for European operators of the Bombardier CSeries commercial jetliner. Under the recently signed agreement, Lufthansa Flight Training will provide pilot and cabin crew training, and Lufthansa Technical Training will provide technical training for the 110-passenger CS100 and the 130-passenger CS300, which are scheduled to enter service in 2013.
SIKORSKY S-92A helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2009-0351; Directorate Identifier 2009-SW-08-AD; Amendment 39-15886; AD 2009-07-53] – Before further flight, replace the main gearbox filter bowl assembly’s titanium studs with steel studs, per the instructions of Sikorsky Alert Service Bulletin No. 92-63-014, Rev. A (dated March 20, 2009).
General Dynamics executives last week were pleased that its Aerospace group “held its own” in the first quarter of 2009 despite slower Gulfstream sales and struggles with Jet Aviation’s completions work. Aerospace revenues grew from $1.28 billion in the first quarter of 2008 to $1.45 billion with the addition of Jet Aviation sales. GD acquired Jet Aviation in November. But operating profit fell 15.3 percent in the first quarter to $200 million.
JANE GARVEY is going back to the FAA – temporarily. Following an announcement by the Obama Administration last week that it will appoint a team of mediators to address the contract dispute between the FAA and its controllers union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, DOT Secretary Ray LaHood revealed at a joint AeroClub/Wings Club luncheon in Washington that Garvey has been chosen to oversee the two mediators to hammer out a contract. This will be Garvey’s second go-around with FAA/NATCA negotiations.
GARMIN INTERNATIONAL has received European Technical Standard Order approval for its GDU 620 display/control unit, which clears the way for installation of Garmin’s G600 flight display system in European-registered aircraft weighing up to 5,700 kg. The display unit for the G600 was the last of the system’s components to receive European certification. The G600 combines primary flight information, including attitude and air data, with navigation, terrain and traffic data displayed in an intuitive pictorial format on dual LCD displays.
STEVENS AVIATION has received parts manufacturing approval for avionics upgrades to the Learjet 60. Stevens owns a supplemental type certificate that covers installation of the Universal Avionics EFI-890R multifunction display with the application server unit and the optional Vision-1 Synthetic Vision System in the Lear 60. Stevens Aviation is negotiating with several partners for distribution and installation of the Learjet 60 kit worldwide.
TURBOMECA Arriel 2B and 2B1 engines [Docket No. FAA-2007-28077; Directorate Identifier 2007-NE-20-AD; Amendment 39-15889; AD 2009-09-03] – Perform repetitive borescope inspections of the high-pressure turbine in accordance with the instructions of Turbomeca S.A. Mandatory Service Bulletin No. 292 72 2825 (dated April 5, 2007). Replace high-pressure turbine modules with rearward turbine blade displacement of greater than 0.5 mm.
THE AVIATION RESEARCH GROUP/US (ARG/US) has produced a comprehensive Audit Recommendations Report that highlights deficiencies in Safety Management Systems (SMS) and Emergency Response Planning (ERP) items found by its on-site safety auditors. The company is making the report available to the public on its Web site. Based on the findings of 116 audits completed between Jan. 1, 2007 and Feb. 28, 2009, the report identifies the areas of SMS and ERP most challenging to flight departments, and provides recommendations regarding industry best practices.
