DASSAULT Falcon 50 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0732; Directorate Identifier 2008-NM-053-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to conduct repetitive ultrasonic inspections for cracks in the stiffeners of the right-hand and left-hand wing lower panels between Ribs 13 and 17, per the instructions of Dassault Maintenance Manual Temporary Revision 74 (dated November 2007). If any cracks are found, they will need to be repaired.
DASSAULT appointed Bhakari Aviation and Execujet South Africa, both at Lanseria International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, as Dassault Falcon Authorized Service Centers. Both Execujet and Bhakari will provide scheduled and unscheduled maintenance support, transient service, troubleshooting, AOG support and basic inspections. Dassault also named Palmali at Ataturk Airport in Turkey as an authorized provider of AOG assistance as well as scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and warranty repair work for Falcon aircraft.
CHELTON FLIGHT SYSTEMS received its first European Aviation Safety Agency approval for a synthetic vision installation. EASA approved installation of Chelton’s Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) on Bell 206A, B and L series and 407 light-single-engine helicopters. The Chelton EFIS uses three-dimensional graphics to depict terrain ahead of and around the helicopter in a real-time visual picture. The display helps the pilot “see” aircraft position in relation to surroundings, regardless of weather or time of day.
The California National Guard (CNG) is ramping up its aerial deployment – and outreach – to fight a spate of early season wildfires. Currently 22 rotary-wing aircraft are supporting the firefighting effort, including 14 CNG helicopters and eight helicopters from Utah, Nebraska, Washington state, Arizona and Oregon, according to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office. Already, these rotary-wing aircraft have dropped nearly 3 million gallons of water.
EMBRAER signed sales agreements for one Lineage 1000 and two Legacy 600 business jets, the company announced last week. The Lineage 1000 was ordered by Royal Jet, which is representing the Habtoor Group conglomerate from the United Arab Emirates. In addition to conducting technical assessments and overseeing other prepurchase details, Royal Jet will provide aircraft management services for the Lineage 1000, which will be operated for private use.
Canadian maintenance specialist Cascade Aerospace struck an agreement with Swedish operator Nord-Flyg to convert Bombardier Q400 regional turboprops into freighter aircraft. Nord-Flyg initially ordered two Q400-PF Package Freighter conversions, but signed a letter of intent to acquire three more Q400s for conversion. Nord-Flyg acquired the two Q400s from SAS in March following a decision by SAS to get rid of its Q400 fleet in the wake of a series of landing gear accidents that began last year (BA, Jan. 28/40).
JOSEPH (ANDY) JOHNSON was named assistant manager of FlightSafety International’s Cessna Learning Center in Wichita, Kan. Johnson is joining FlightSafety following a 27-year career in the U.S. Navy. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. and a master’s degree in financial management from the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, Calif.
RICHARD HODKINSON joined FirstFlight, Inc. as president of the company’s newly formed West Coast Division, which will be headquartered in a new facility in Van Nuys, Calif. In 1994, Hodkinson formed Elite Aviation in Van Nuys, and grew the business to a fleet of 24 jets before selling the company in 2004. He then remained with Elite for two more years as president and chief operating officer. FirstFlight is a charter management and aviation services company headed by President and CEO John Dow and headquartered in Elmira and Corning, N.Y.
ONAIR, an inflight passenger communications specialist, is teaming with Aviation Center Cologne (ACC) to provide communication services to the business jet market. ACC, which has centers at Cologne airport and in Luxembourg, will install airborne equipment that would allow passengers to use their mobile phones and other communications devices during flights. OnAir will provide air-to-ground link services using Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband satellite communications. The services will be available beginning in early 2009.
FLIGHTSAFETY has begun offering a “Required Navigation Performance Special Aircraft and Aircrew Authorization Required” (RNP SAAR) course for pilots of Gulfstream G550, G500, G450 and G350 aircraft equipped with PlaneView. The one-day course includes three hours of ground school, a detailed preflight briefing and a four-hour simulator session. FSI expects pilots to take the RNP course in conjunction with recurrent training.
CIRRUS SR20 AND SR22 AIRPLANES need to be modified to prevent the cabin doors from opening and separating from the aircraft in flight. AD 2008-14-13 requires operators to replace the cabin door rod ends with new parts, including a redesigned nonbinding hinge pin that replaces the existing pin at the upper door hinge. Parts and labor for the installation could cost up to $550 for each of the 2,308 affected airplanes, FAA said. This AD, which resulted from two known occurrences of in-flight cabin door separation, becomes effective Aug. 14.
The operators of hundreds of Bell Helicopter models face an August 14 deadline for compliance with several FAA airworthiness directives that affect a sizeable portion of the U.S. fleet. AD 2008-14-03 calls for inspection and possible adjustment or replacement of a tailboom bolt on more than 2,200 Bell 206 series rotorcraft.
Israel Aerospace Industries displayed the Gulfstream G550-based Conformal Airborne Early Warning and Control (CAEW) aircraft at last week’s Farnborough Air Show. Two of the aircraft are fielded with the Israel Air Force, the first having been delivered into operational service in February with the second following in May.
THE MAINTENANCE DATA LINK SYSTEMS on approximately 135 large-cabin Gulfstream business jets have automatically downloaded 10,000 data transmissions to the aircraft manufacturer’s technical operations centers in the nine months since the PlaneConnect system became available. PlaneConnect automatically relays messages generated by the Crew Alerting System (CAS) and Central Maintenance Computer (CMC) on airborne aircraft to operations centers on the ground, and then via e-mail to operators.
Teams led by Raytheon and Sensis have been awarded 18-month, $6 million NASA contracts to evaluate the effect that new aircraft types, from Very Light Jets to supersonic transports, might have on the next-generation air transportation system (NextGen). The two teams will use modeling and simulation to evaluate how the new classes of aircraft could effect air traffic management efficiency, aviation safety and the environment. The studies will provide NASA and its NextGen partners with research and design recommendations.
PRECISION AVIATION GROUP (PAG) of Atlanta began a major expansion and overhaul of its facilities, the third expansion in the past 10 years. The current 30,000-square-foot complex will grow to 42,000 square feet. PAG also is renovating existing shops and offices and making “large capital investments in tooling, equipment, technology and logistics to better serve our customer base and provide a solid foundation for continued growth,” said President David Mast.
EUROCOPTER AS 355N helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2008-0041; Directorate Identifier 2007-SW-16-AD; Amendment 39-15599; AD 2008-14-04] – Requires installation, on the overhead instrument panel immediately below the ammeter, a placard that defines a new load limitation for the starter-generator of 100 amps above 10,000 feet altitude.
July 28-Aug. 3 – Experimental Aircraft Association, 56th AirVenture Oshkosh 2008, Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, Wis. Contact Karen Fenner at (920) 426-4800; fax, (920) 232-7772 September 10 – National Business Aviation Association, Regional Forum, Hanscom Field (BED), Bedford, Mass. For more information, contact NBAA at (202) 783-9000 September 15-18 – Flight Simulator Engineering and Maintenance Conference, Hilton Salt Lake Center, Salt Lake, Utah. For more information call 410-266-2008
Frederick W. Reid, who has held senior executive posts at several major airlines for nearly 30 years, will become the new president next month of Bombardier’s fractional aircraft provider Flexjet and Skyjet, the company’s charter reservation and Jetcard operation. He will officially assume his new duties Aug. 25.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT continues to ramp up production and delivery of its Citation Mustang. The Wichita manufacturer delivered 45 Mustangs in 2007, expects to hand over the 100th aircraft to a customer in August and anticipates delivering approximately 100 of the Very Light Jets this year alone. Total orders for the Mustang, which has a B&CA-equipped price of $2.76 million, exceed 500 units, and Cessna plans to boost production to 150 aircraft next year.
Pratt & Whitney launched its PurePower engine range, which so far consists of two engines already under development – including a re-branded Geared Turbofan. First to enter service will be the PW1000G, until now referred to simply as the Geared Turbofan. Close behind will be the PW800, aimed at large business jets. Both engines have already been selected to power major aircraft programs.
RICHARD HODKINSON joined FirstFlight, Inc. as president of the company’s newly formed West Coast Division, which will be headquartered in a new facility in Van Nuys, Calif. In 1994, Hodkinson formed Elite Aviation in Van Nuys, and grew the business to a fleet of 24 jets before selling the company in 2004. He then remained with Elite for two more years as president and chief operating officer. FirstFlight is a charter management and aviation services company headed by President and CEO John Dow and headquartered in Elmira and Corning, N.Y.
A newly installed solar panel system is expected to provide 40 percent of the electrical power needed to operate the Fresno, Calif. Yosemite International Airport (FYI), officials said last week.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leaders took steps last week to require FAA to adopt certain personnel changes and workplace rules regarding how the agency enforces safety regulations on air carriers and other certificate holders, a bill that the legislators say addresses issues raised by agency whistleblowers.
