ERA SYSTEMS CORPORATION was selected by ANS CR, the Czech air navigation service provider, to deploy a wide area multilateration system in Brno, Czech Republic. The system, capable of decoding ADS-B signals, will provide surveillance coverage out to 80 nautical miles from the Brno airport. The system will be the third wide area multilateration system that ANS CR has installed and the final system necessary to provide nationwide coverage. Other systems previously were deployed in Ostrava and Prague.
LANDMARK AVIATION has increased its presence at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport (SPI) in Springfield, Ill., through its acquisition of the assets of charter operator First Class Air, Inc. Houston-headquartered Landmark Aviation has a total of 42 FBOs in its network, including locations in the U.S., Canada and Western Europe.
SATCOM DIRECT, which provides satellite voice, fax and Internet data services, signed an agreement with MedAir, Inc., to provide air-to-ground access to emergency physicians at MedAir’s 24/7 MedLink Global Response Center. Under the agreement, MedLink subscribers can tap into the response center through Satcom Direct Global One Number service. Global One Number provides 10-digit dialing worldwide with connections within 15 seconds or less between the aircraft and the ground.
JOHN WADE joined Aircell as senior vice president and general manager – Business Aviation Services. Wade will oversee Aircell’s Business Aviation Services division in Broomfield, Colo. He has more than 20 years of avionics and in-flight communications experience, previously serving as chief technical officer and general manager at in-flight mobile phone and Internet provider OnAir. He has also held senior executive positions with Tenzing Communications, PRIMEX Aerospace Company and GEC Marconi In-Flight Systems, among others.
EMBRAER EMB-135, -145, -145ER, -145MR, -145LR, -145XR, -145MP and -145EP airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0483; Directorate Identifier 2008-NM-006-AD; Amendment 39-15716; AD 2008-22-19] – Requires inspecting for damage of the Pitot 1 and 2 and TAT 1 and 2 current-sensor relays and sockets and replacing the A1 and C1 electrical contacts of the sockets, the sockets themselves and the current-sensor relays, in accordance with the instructions of the applicable Embraer Service Bulletin – either 145-30-0052, Rev. 01 (dated Jan. 23, 2008) or 145LEG-30-0019, Rev. 01 (dated Jan.
AVFUEL added AeroPremier Jet Center to its network of branded dealers. AeroPremier was founded to provide fixed-base operation services at Lakefront Airport in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina had damaged the existing general aviation infrastructure. The facility is the largest FBO complex in the New Orleans area, Avfuel said, capable of accommodating aircraft in the Gulfstream V range. AeroPremier is still the only FBO in the area that can offer in-house maintenance and wash and detail services.
HOLLY NELSON joined XOJET as senior vice president, finance and controller. Nelson previously was senior vice president, controller and chief accounting officer for JetBlue Airways Corporation, where she played an instrumental role in taking the company public. She also was director of corporate accounting and reporting at Northwest Airlines.
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FAA EXPECTS to release a controversial rule in February that would permanently establish a Washington, D.C. Special Flight Rules Area. The notice of proposed rulemaking, which would codify the current Air Defense Identification Zone, was published in August 2005 and drew nearly 20,000 comments in opposition, more than any other rulemaking. The final rule was formally sent to the Office of Management and Budget late last month, and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association last week met with OMB officials in a last-ditch effort to derail the rule.
JASON LIAO was appointed director of sales for Bombardier Business Aircraft. Liao is responsible for all Learjet, Challenger, and Global aircraft sales in China. He has more than 26 years of aviation experience, previously holding senior positions at Hawker Beechcraft Corporation and design and engineering positions with Boeing, Dee Howard Co. and Chengdu Aircraft Co. He is vice chairman and a founding member of the Asian Business Aviation Association.
The Flight Safety Foundation, which has long advocated the decriminalization of aviation accidents, is calling for stronger statutory protections against the disclosure of voluntary reporting program information in court proceedings.
Jerry Smith, a 14-year aviation sales veteran, died when the Cessna 177 Cardinal he was piloting crashed Nov. 11 about five miles from Rich Mountain in Mena, Ark. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating the accident, which destroyed the aircraft. Smith, the only person aboard, was operating the aircraft for business.
Turboprop-maker ATR is seeing the first encouraging signs that engine-makers will be able to deliver the performance the company has set for its 90-seat aircraft. Although ATR hasn’t formally launched the new aircraft, dialogue is well under way with potential engine suppliers. The early feedback is that the aircraft may be able to deliver the higher speed and lower fuel burn goals, as well as improved time-to-climb, says Mario Formica, vice president-sales, studies and marketing.
Sweeping reforms of the Chinese aerospace sector will present the global industry with a team of focused competitors with specialties ranging from engines to fighters to aircraft equipment.
THE TRANSITION to satellite-based navigation passed a milestone this fall when the number of Wide Area Augmentation System-based (WAAS) approach procedures surpassed the number of approach procedures for ground-based Instrument Landing Systems. “This is clearly a turning point for aviation and the way pilots navigate,” FAA stated. WAAS was commissioned in 2003, and FAA has published 1,333 Localizer Performance with Vertical (LPV) guidance approach procedures. WAAS LPVs are currently at 833 airports.
RAISBECK ENGINEERING AND BLACKHAWK MODIFICATIONS have joined forces to provide a high-performance package for Beech King Air 200s and B200s. The new Raisbeck Epic Platinum and Epic Gold performance systems are now certified for aircraft outfitted with Blackhawk’s -52 and -61 Pratt & Whitney engine upgrades. Raisbeck’s EPIC packages enable Blackhawk engine upgraded King Airs to achieve cruise speeds of up to 318 knots, while improving takeoff and climb performance, decreasing drag and increasing engine inlet efficiency.
SCHUBACH AVIATION expanded its presence in the San Diego, Calif. area, leasing hangar space at Lindbergh Field. Schubach moved three of its aircraft – a King Air, a Citation II and a Citation CJ1 – to Lindbergh Field from its base at Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, Calif. Schubach said the move is part of a plan to grow its regional operations to better serve central San Diego. Founded in 1992 by Henry Schubach, Schubach Aviation operates and maintains a fleet of 21 jet and turboprop aircraft.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION named John Hickey to become deputy associate administrator for aviation safety. Hickey, currently director of the Aircraft Certification Service, will succeed Peggy Gilligan, who was appointed to head the Aviation Safety organization. FAA also promoted KC Yanamura to director of the Office of Accident Investigation. Yanamura previously was deputy regional administrator for the Northwest Mountain region. John Allen was named director of the Flight Standards Service, succeeding Jim Ballough, who is retiring at the end of the year.
The National Transportation Safety Board scheduled three days of public hearings beginning Feb. 3 at its Washington, D.C. headquarters to review the safety of helicopter Emergency Medical Services (EMS) operations, continuing its scrutiny of the segment that has posted a troubling record in recent months. “We have seen an alarming rise in the numbers of EMS accidents, and the safety board believes some of these accidents could have been prevented if our recommendations were implemented,” said NTSB Member Robert Sumwalt, who will chair the hearings.
The U.S. Army is studying development of an optionally-piloted Cessna 208B Caravan for utility transport in routine, but sometimes dangerous battlefield and “area of interest” reconnaissance and patrol missions.
BOMBARDIER CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100 and 440) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-1200; Directorate Identifier 2008-NM-178-AD; Amendment 39-15737; AD 2008-23-16] – This AD, which supersedes an existing directive (AD 2005-17-12), requires revising the Airplane Flight Manual to introduce new procedures for operation of aircraft in icing conditions. In addition, operators must replace or repair certain wing anti-ice piccolo ducts in accordance with the instructions of Bombardier Alert Service Bulletin A601R-30-032 (dated Sept. 18, 2008).
EXECUJET EUROPE has formally dedicated its refurbished FBO facility at Berlin-Schönefeld Airport. The new, two-floor, 400-square-meter facility includes a crew lounge, operations briefing room, VIP passenger lounge and conference facilities, with wireless connectivity in every room. The refurbishment of the FBO, which began in April, cost 400,000 euros. ExecuJet officials say their company is handling most of the business aviation movements at Schönefeld, and they expect to triple their numbers by the end of 2009.
THE NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION released an Environmental Compliance Checklist to help ensure members are complying with the most common Environmental Protection Agency regulations. NATA said the checklist is designed as a guide, but was not a comprehensive review. The association also advised members to check with their individual states for additional requirements. The checklist covers four areas – Storm Water, Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures, Waste Issues, and Underground Storage Tanks – with specific compliance items listed under each heading.
BOMBARDIER COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT opened a Regional Support Office (RSO) near Munich, Germany. The facility at Garching is Bombardier’s fourth customer support office and first in Europe to support CRJ and Q-Series airlines in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Bombardier Commercial Aircraft opened RSOs in Tokyo, Japan and Sydney, Australia earlier this year. Bombardier also expanded the RSO in Shanghai, China. Cornel Hehn, a 13-year company employee who most recently was with Bombardier’s Toronto manufacturing facility, will head the new office.
MARC HAVIS was named director, tax, for Gulfstream Aerospace, reporting to Bill Skinner, vice president and corporate controller. Havis formerly was vice president of tax with the Polymer Group and also served as tax director at Sonoco Products Co.
