SHORT BROTHERS Model SD3-60 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0375; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-272-AD; Amendment 39-15627; AD 2008-16-09] – This rule, which supersedes two existing directives (ADs 2004-13-08 and 2005-04-13), requires an additional inspection to detect cracks in the balance weight brackets for the elevator trim tabs and replacement of balance weight brackets when they have reached their maximum life limits.
GRANT BYERS was appointed to the board of directors of Carmanah Technologies, a provider of solar power and lighting technologies for aerospace and other industrial applications. Byers is senior vice president, environment for SNC-Lavalin, an engineering and construction group. He led environmental consultancy Morrow Environmental Consultants for 18 years until SNC-Lavalin purchased the firm in 2005.
THALES UK won a contract to provide Cat III 420 Instrument Landing System (ILS) and 415 Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) for Liverpool John Lennon Airport in the United Kingdom. The contract increases the total number of Thales 420 ILS systems that the U.K. Ministry of Defence and Regional Airports has ordered to 25.
FOKKER F.28 Mark 0100 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0850; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-342-AD] – This proposed rule, which would supersede an existing directive (AD 97-13-05), would require a one-time inspection of the lower bolts of the stabilizer control unit dog-links, per the instructions of Fokker Service Bulletin SBF100-27-091 (dated Aug. 31, 2007). If a failed bolt were found, it would need to be replaced before further flight. Also, operators would need to install a tie-wrap through the lower bolts of the stabilizer control unit.
PAUL LU was appointed on-site program manager for Gulfstream. Lu will serve as a company liaison for Gulfstream G650 suppliers in the Irvine, Calif., area, overseeing design, test, certification, quality and reliability of the parts and components. He has served with Gulfstream for 12 years, most recently as manager for Special Missions. He also was sales and business manager for Gulfstream’s Long Beach, Calif. facility, an entry-into-service program manager and government programs manager.
ROB CRUICKSHANK joined the board of directors for Carmanah Technologies. Cruickshank served as president of the British Columbia Technology Industries Association (BCTIA), a nonprofit organization representing the technology industry. He held several executive roles with TELUS/BCTEL, including serving as president of BCTEL Mobility. He also spent two years as president of MDSI Mobile Data Solutions.
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA Model 222, 222B and 222U helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2007-0178; Directorate Identifier 2007-SW-20-AD; Amendment 39-15622; AD 2008-16-04] – Requires adjusting the rigging of the tail-rotor pitch-change mechanism, per the instructions of the applicable Bell Helicopter Textron Alert Service Bulletin – No. 222-07-104 for the 222 and 222B, and No. 222U-07-75 for the 222U (both dated Jan. 9, 2007).
DAVE SPECTOR joined Avidyne as senior director for aftermarket integrated flight deck sales. Spector will be responsible for sales of retrofit installation for the Avidyne Entegra systems. He formerly served as an associate director of business development for Gen-Probe Inc. in San Diego, Calif., where he managed licensing, joint ventures, equity participation, and merger and acquisition activities. He also co-founded an institutional technology and healthcare broker/dealer, WCM Partners, and served with Idec and US Filter Corporation.
FAA recently reiterated that type certificate (TC), parts manufacturer approval (PMA), and supplemental type certificate (STC) holders are responsible for the continued operational safety of their products. FAA released a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin noting that some engine manufacturers have warned that support of their products could be limited if customers opt to install replacement parts produced by other manufacturers under PMA.
BANYAN AIR SERVICES was named an authorized dealer for Raisbeck’s Learjet 30 series modifications. The fixed-base operation, located at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, will sell, install and service Raisbeck’s ZR LITE and aft fuselage locker performance systems for jets in the southeastern U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean. The ZR LITE system enhances the takeoff, climb, cruise and descent performance of the Learjet, enabling the aircraft to fly higher and faster and saving as much as 11 percent in fuel consumption.
AGUSTA Model A109A and A109A II helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2008-0834; Directorate Identifier 2007-SW-78-AD] – This proposed rule would modify the applicability of an existing AD that requires operators to conduct dye-penetrant and visual inspections of each tail-rotor blade for cracks and replacement of any cracked blade with an airworthy one before further flight. This new proposal, which resulted from a revised MCAI issued by the aviation authority of Italy, would not apply to newly redesigned and improved tail rotor blades.
Dassault Falcon received Brazilian type certification for the Falcon 7X and announced plans to open a factory-owned Falcon Service Center at Sorocaba Airport (SOD) in Sao Paulo during the fourth quarter. Brazilian type certification enables 7Xs to be registered in Brazil. One of the three-engine aircraft already is based in that country.
NEXTANT AEROSPACE has added several options to its Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 Beechjet 400A/XP retrofit package. Available options include a second multifunction display, an integrated flight information system, XM broadcast graphical weather or Universal weather services, TCAS II, AHRS-3000S, GPS-4000S, Doppler turbulence detection weather radar, RTU-4200 radio tuning unit, DBU-5000 database loader and CDU-6200 control display unit.
BLACKHAWK MODIFICATIONS secured European Aviation Safety Agency approval for an engine upgrade for King Airs. Waco, Texas-based Blackhawk Modifications, which specializes in re-engining turboprop-powered business aircraft, gained European approval for its installation of Pratt & Whitney PT6A-61 engines in King Air 200s and B200s. The EASA endorsement of the so-called Blackhawk Super XPR61 engine offering includes the complete Raisbeck EPIC Platinum package as a prerequisite.
JET AVIATION signed a partnership agreement with Sao Paulo, Brazil-based Tropic Air to collaborate on charter and management services in Brazil and Latin America. The agreement will allow Jet Aviation to supplement its existing aircraft and charter and management services in the Latin American market. Jet Aviation will provide Tropic Air with administrative and sales support and customer services training. Jet Aviation also will leverage its fuel and insurance premium discounts for the partnership.
FAA LAST WEEK requested information and documentation from about one dozen executives at Sentient Flight Group. Some of the requested information involved questions about ownership, and many of the requests were sent to former TAG Aviation executives. The requests came out of the agency’s Eastern Region, which was involved in the investigation and certificate revocation of TAG affiliate AMI Jet Charter. Sentient plans to fully comply with the request.
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Helicopter kit manufacturer Rotorway International signed a memorandum of understanding with engine maker Rolls-Royce regarding use of the new RR300 turbine engine in Rotorway’s line of two-place helicopters.
Boeing said it completed work on the first Boeing Business Jet 3 (BBJ3) and the aircraft is expected to be delivered to an undisclosed customer next year. The aircraft, based on the Boeing Next-Generation 737-900ER (Extended Range), will provide 1,120 square feet of cabin floor space, 35 percent more interior space and 89 percent more luggage room than the BBJ2. The BBJ3 will have a maximum range of 4,725 nautical miles to 5,435 nm, depending on the number of passengers and luggage being carried.
Sentient Jet Holdings continued to restructure its businesses with an agreement to sell its jet membership, retail charter brokers and fuel management units to Macquarie Global Opportunities Partners (MGOP), the company announced last week. Sentient said it was dividing its units into two standalone companies – one encompassing aircraft management and charter operations, technical services and FBO businesses and the second comprising the units that will be acquired by MGOP. Terms of the acquisition, which is expected to close later this month, were not disclosed.
EXECUJET AVIATION GROUP, a Zurich, Switzerland-based business aviation company, recently established a sales group for used aircraft. The new group, led by Nicholas McHaffey, former sales director for ExecuJet Middle East, will have representatives based in Europe, South Africa, the Middle East and the U.S.
The U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are working together to develop a joint program office for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), according to the Coast Guard’s commandant. Adm. Thad Allen said the Coast Guard and CBP – both uniformed agencies within the Homeland Security Department – are working together on land-based unmanned aerial surveillance. The agencies also have had talks with FAA about the U.S. military’s UAV technology used in Iraq and how the Coast Guard could implement that in U.S. maritime security.
AN AGUSTAWESTLAND GRAND set a new speed record during a flight between New York and London. That trip was the first leg of an attempt to break the existing around-the-world speed mark for helicopters. The New York to London leg, flown by pilots Scott Kasprowicz and Steve Sheik, covered 3,449 nautical miles and took 40 hours and 41 minutes to complete. Ratification of the record by the National Aeronautic Association is pending. The round-the-world trip, dubbed the “Grand Adventure,” is to be completed this week.
AN EXECUTIVE DORNIER 328 has been introduced by Comtran International, which recently earned a supplemental type certificate for the 12-passenger version of the Dornier 328 JET. Models of the regional twinjet are being converted at Comtran’s facility in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, just north of San Antonio. The first modified aircraft, dubbed the Revolution Series 328, was completed and delivered to a European customer in July 2008.
