JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, Kruse International was offering Elvis fans a chance to buy Elvis Presley’s 1962 Lockheed JetStar. The auction house, which planned to conduct the sale in Las Vegas Dec. 13-14, said the JetStar “has never been restored and features original external painting and detailing, as well as the original interior.” The engines also have been removed. The aircraft has been stored in Roswell, N.M., where it will be available for inspection on the auction dates.
FRASCA’S AS350 flight simulation training device (FSTD) received FAA Level 6 Qualification. The FSTD is installed at Era Training Center, LLC in Lake Charles, La. Era formally opened the center on June 5 to provide training for corporate aircraft operators, air medical flight services, airborne law enforcement and other helicopter operators. The AS350 FSTD is the third Era trainer to win Level 6 qualification.
Thirty-five years of helping companies set a course for success. Randy Groom has helped aviation companies turn around multi-million-dollar losses, and others get off the ground. Ask for a consultation from someone who knows how to set your business on course in these challenging times. 316-708-3381 www.groomaviation.com
TURBOMECA S.A. Arriel 2B, 2B1 and 2B1A engines [Docket No. FAA-2007-28077; Directorate Identifier 2007-NE-20-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to conduct periodic borescope inspections of the gas generator turbine to detect high-pressure blade rearward displacement, per the instructions of Turbomeca Mandatory Service Bulletin No. 292 72 2825 (dated April 5, 2007). If blade displacement above the specified limit is found, Module 03 must be removed.
AIR TRACTOR, INC. AT-400, -401, -401B, -402, -402A and -402B airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-23646; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-005-AD] – This proposal would revise an existing directive (AD 2006-08-08), which requires operators to conduct repetitive eddy-current inspections of the wing lower spar cap in order to reach the safe life. In addition, the existing AD lowers the safe life for the wing lower spar cap for certain models, including those that are fitted with Marburger Enterprises, Inc. winglets.
MAGUIRE AVIATION and Shangri-La Construction are in negotiations to build the first “green” hangar at the Van Nuys, Calif. Airport. The hangar will be built to meet the standards of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Maguire said during an event Tuesday at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank where a model of the new hangar was unveiled.
– U.S. aerospace industry sales are expected to grow again next year, but the upturn that began in 2004 is leveling out as the economic recession takes hold, says the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA).
BAA JET MANAGEMENT LTD. of Hong Kong recently took delivery of an Airbus A318 Elite configured for use as a business jet. The aircraft is the first A318 to be registered in the People’s Republic of China. The airplane is based at Shenzen and is available for charter, Airbus said.
VIKING AIR LIMITED DHC-6-1, -100, -200 and -300 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-1267; Directorate Identifier 2008-CE-069-AD] – This proposed AD, which would supersede an existing directive, would require operators to inspect the left-hand and right-hand wing front-spar adapter assemblies for cracks, following the instructions contained in Viking DHC-6 Twin Otter Service Bulletin Number V6/541 (dated Oct. 1, 2007) and R.W. Martin, Inc. Service Bulletin No. 00160/2, Rev. A (dated Nov. 15, 2007).
MILLION AIR parent company Freeman Holdings added another facility to its chain of fixed-base operations with the acquisition of Air America Fuel & Services based at Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Wash. The facility will be operated as Million Air Moses Lake beginning Jan. 1. Freeman Holdings, which owns five other Million Air facilities, is planning renovations of its newest facility. Grant County International is located within a foreign trade zone and is a designated port of entry with a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office on site.
THE COMPOSITES & ADVANCED MATERIALS LAB at Wichita State University expanded its machining capabilities with the addition of a four-foot by four-foot WaterjetPRO cutting table. The waterjet device, installed in the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), uses a 30-horsepower pump that can pressurize water up to 60,000 pounds per square inch for cutting brittle and laminated materials like composites.
BUSINESS JET MANUFACTURERS are already bracing for deeper employee layoffs and production cuts as their orderbooks shrink due to customers deferring delivery dates and canceling orders. When asked about new aircraft orders last week, the top executive of one original equipment manufacturer (OEM) told BA, “There are no [new] orders.” As customers slated for near-term aircraft deliveries fall out of the mix, OEM officials are trying to move other customers up.
Hangar Space for Lease at the Van Nuys Airport Maguire Aviation is in the process of developing hangar and offices for single and multiple tenant occupancy. Please contact Mike McDaniel or Tim Wray for more information at 800-451-7270. Click here to view the pdf
ATR inked a seven-year Global Maintenance Agreement valued at $27 million to provide spare parts and maintenance services for the Malaysia Airlines ATR 72-500 fleet. ATR will be responsible for repair of equipment and line replaceable units along with maintaining a spare parts inventory. The aircraft are operated by Malaysia Airlines subsidiaries MASwings and Firefly. Firefly and MASwings have collectively ordered 30 of the ATR 72-500s, four of which have been delivered to date.
Cirrus Design expects to formally begin the process of applying for FAA type certification of its Cirrus Vision single-engine personal jet program in two weeks, CEO Alan Klapmeier told reporters last week.
January 11-15, 2009 – American Association of Airport Executives: 23rd Annual Aviation Issues Conference, Kona, Hi. For more information contact AAAE at (703) 824-0500 or go to www.aaae.org/products/allmeetings.html January 20 – NATA Environmental Compliance Seminar, Sheraton North Houston Hotel, Houston, Texas. For more information call (703) 845-9000
MD HELICOPTERS, INC . Model 500N and 600N helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2008-1244; Directorate Identifier 2008-SW-59-AD; Amendment 39-15752; AD 2008-22-52] – Before further flight, turn off the Yaw Stability Augmentation System (YSAS) switch and install a placard on the instrument panel that states “YSAS system is off. Airspeed limit 100 KIAS or VNE, whichever is less.” Also, place a copy of this AD in the “Limitations” section of the Rotorcraft Flight Manual. Within 45 days, replace any affected vertical stabilizer control system (VSCS) adapter tubes with airworthy ones.
Airports will need between $13 billion and $16 billion in the next five years to fund capital projects, but the credit crisis and a looming gap in Airport Improvement Program grant funding could leave airports scrambling.
IRIDIUM SATELLITE reported a 19 percent increase in revenue to $88.2 million for the third quarter ending Sept. 30. Satellite service subscribers grew to 309,000 by the end of September, a 37 percent increase from the 225,000 subscribers at the end of 2007. Iridium said that the increases were reflected across all of its segments, including aviation.
OXFORD-WATERBURY AIRPORT expects FAA to rule on the Connecticut airfield’s proposed noise compatibility program by May 5, 2009. FAA determined Nov. 6 that the noise exposure map for the airport is compliant with applicable requirements of FAR Part 150 and is accepting public comments on the noise plan through Jan. 5. For more information, contact the FAA’s John C. Silva, New England Region, Airport Division, ANE-600, 12 New England Executive Park, Burlington, Mass. 01803.
NETJETS AVIATION INC. signed a wide-ranging agreement with the FAA that will put the fractional jet operator in the forefront of the transformation of the U.S. air transportation system under the NextGen modernization program. NetJets officials and FAA managers from a range of the agency’s functional areas will meet later this month to begin working out the details. NetJets plans to run some test programs in various parts of the U.S. by equipping some of the 550 to 600 aircraft it manages for fractional owners in the U.S. with the required avionics.
DAVID WHITESTONE was elected chairman of the Washington Airports Task Force. He succeeds Stan Harrison, who chaired WATF for 12 years and who will remain a member of the organization’s board of directors. WATF also elected several new board members including: Marion Blakey, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association and former FAA Administrator; Jeffrey Shane, a partner with Hogan & Hartson, LLP and former under secretary at the U.S.
KATE DOUGHERTY, who has served as director of public relations for Cirrus Design Corp. for most of the past decade “has decided to pursue a new career path outside the company,” Chairman and CEO Alan Klapmeier announced last week. Klapmeier described Dougherty as “a Cirrus original” who “developed so many important relationships in the industry” during her tenure with the Duluth, Minn. manufacturer. Debbie Backlund, who worked closely with Dougherty, will handle public relations matters for the company for the immediate future.
