Cirrus Design Corp., which had won few style points calling its new single-engine personal jet “The-Jet,” announced Thursday that henceforth the aircraft will be known as the Cirrus Vision SJ50.
Bombardier has narrowed its shortlist of potential assembly sites for the proposed CSeries family of aircraft to Kansas City, Mo., and Mirabel, Quebec. The Canadian manufacturer’s decision to pick between the two sites – one an established base, the other a foreign site with a limited connection to the airframer’s commercial operations – comes as its Quebec-based machinists make CSeries assembly a condition of their new labor contract.
DASSAULT Falcon 10 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0674; Directorate Identifier 2008-NM-086-AD] – The FAA has proposed superseding an existing AD that requires operators to either revise the Airplane Flight Manual and install a placard in the flight deck to prohibit flight into known or forecasted icing conditions, or repetitively inspect for delamination of the flexible hoses in the wing slat anti-icing system and take corrective actions, if necessary.
CHC HELICOPTER CORP. said the date for completing the acquisition of the company by an affiliate of First Reserve Corp. has been extended until July 31. The planned acquisition of CHC, one of the world’s largest providers of helicopter services to the global offshore oil and gas industry, was announced in late April. Completion of the deal remains subject to a number of conditions, including receipt of transportation regulatory approvals in Canada and Europe.
AVIONS DE TRANSPORT REGIONAL ATR42-200, -300, -320 and -500 airplanes and ATR72-101, -201, -102, -202, -211, -212 and -212A airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0293; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-287-AD; Amendment 39-15582; AD 2008-13-19] – Requires repetitively verifying the electrical resistance of the three pitot probes, replacing any defective probes and eventually replacing the three low-current sensors for the pitot probes, per the instructions of Avions de Transport Regional Service Bulletins ATR42-30-0074 Rev. 1 and ATR72-30-1044 Rev. 1 (both dated Sept. 26, 2007).
JetDirect founder and Sentient Flight Group (SFG) Chairman Greg Campbell has replaced Steven Hankin as chief executive officer of SFG, part of a strategy to address cash flow problems that have resulted in delayed payments to vendors.
A final rule issued last week by the FAA will require U.S. operators of a host of light general aviation airplanes to inspect and replace, if necessary, externally mounted fuel-injector fuel lines on an estimated 17,740 engines, a task that will cost the industry more than $11 million. The new airworthiness directive (AD 2008-14-07), which was proposed earlier this year (BA, Jan. 21/40), applies to operators of Piper PA-24 Comanche, PA-30 and PA-39 Twin Comanche, PA-28 Arrow and PA-23 Aztec; Beech 23 Musketeer; Mooney 20; and Cessna 177 Cardinal airplanes.
July 14-20 – Farnborough International Air Show, Farnborough, England. For more information, contact Shirley-Ann Latch at 44 20-7976-3349; www.farnborough.com July 19 – National Aviation Hall of Fame, 47th Annual Enshrinement Ceremony, Dayton, Ohio. Contact Cee John at (937) 256-0944; or fax, (937) 256-8536 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
The U.S. Department of Justice is forcing Signature Flight Support to dispose of one of the two fixed-base operations at the Indianapolis, Ind. International Airport (IND) before Signature can proceed with the acquisition of seven FBOs from Hawker Beechcraft Corp.
July 14-20 – Farnborough International Air Show, Farnborough, England. For more information, contact Shirley-Ann Latch at 44 20-7976-3349; www.farnborough.com July 19 – National Aviation Hall of Fame, 47th Annual Enshrinement Ceremony, Dayton, Ohio. Contact Cee John at (937) 256-0944; or fax, (937) 256-8536 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
CESSNA AIRCRAFT received an order from TWC Aviation in Burbank, Calif. for two Model 850 Citation Columbus business jets. TWC provides charter, aircraft management, acquisition and sales, maintenance and consulting services. Cessna, which announced the large cabin, intercontinental Citation in early February (BA, Feb. 11/60), said it had received 36 orders by the end of the first quarter. The Columbus is designed to fly 4,000 nautical miles at Mach .80.
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE tapped a 16-year company veteran to fill the void at the top of the manufacturer’s supersonic technology development program. Robert A. Cowart was named director, supersonic technology development, “responsible for the development of advanced technology supporting quiet supersonic flight over land, with a principal focus on sonic boom suppression concepts.” Cowart was most recently project engineer on Gulfstream’s supersonic technology program.
EMBRAER ERJ 190 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0668; Directorate Identifier 2008-NM-088-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to spot-face the lower wing stringers between Ribs 7 and 10, perform a dye-penetrant inspection of the reworked stringers, shot-peen the stringers if no cracks are found, rework the stringers if cracks are found, and report the results of the inspections and repairs to the ANAC, the aviation authority of Brazil.
BRYAN MOSS was named to the board of directors of RTI International Metals, Inc., the Pittsburgh, Pa.-based provider of titanium mill products and fabricated metal components. Moss retired as president emeritus of Gulfstream Aerospace at the end of March, having previously served as president of the Savannah, Ga. business jet manufacturer and executive vice president of the Aerospace Group of General Dynamics, Corp., Gulfstream’s parent company. He continues to serve as a consultant with GD.
SERVION completed a renovation of its facilities at Texas State Technical College Waco Airport (CNW) in Texas. The refurbished FBO was designed to provide pilots and passengers “a streamlined, sophisticated atmosphere to rest, relax and prepare for the next flight,” with amenities such as courtesy cars, Internet access, snooze rooms and television. Servion is an Avfuel-branded dealer and participates in Avfuel’s AVTRIP and contract fuel incentive programs.
General Electric has completed the acquisition of Walter Engines, a Czech company with an 85-year heritage. GE officials hope the deal will help them cut into rival Pratt & Whitney’s dominance in the small to midsize turboprop and turboshaft market, where Pratt’s broad product line of PT6 turboprop/turboshaft engines has held a commanding share for decades. GE said the acquisition “broadens GE’s offerings...
HERITAGE FLIGHT, a Burlington, Vt.-based charter operator, added a Bombardier Challenger 604 to its fleet. Heritage said the new addition allows the operator to transport passengers from the Northeast to destinations on the West Coast, Europe and the Caribbean. The aircraft replaces a Challenger 601, which Heritage removed from its fleet last year. Heritage also operates a Citation Excel and Encore and Beechcraft King Air C90B.
AERO JET SERVICES, a Scottsdale, Ariz. charter operator, opened a new hangar and offices at Henderson Executive Airport (HDN) in Las Vegas, Nev. The company has a Hawker 800XP and a Learjet 31A based at HDN, and a Challenger 601, Lear 55 and Beechjet 400 based at McCarran International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT COMPANY Model 208 and 208B airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0331; Directorate Identifier 2008-CE-009-AD; Amendment 39-15569; AD 2008-13-06] – Following the instructions of Cessna Service Bulletin CAB08-2 (dated Feb. 4, 2008), inspect the left and right wing wire bundles and repair or replace damaged wire. Also, inspect the wire bundles for correct attachment to the anchor points, and correct any deficient attachments.
PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA PW305A and PW305B engines [Docket No. FAA-2008-0664; Directorate Identifier 2008-NE-04-AD; Amendment 39-15579; AD 2008-13-16] – Requires identification and removal from service of certain low-pressure compressor fan blades, per the instructions of P&WC Alert Service Bulletin 24595 (issued Nov. 27, 2007). This AD, which resulted from an MCAI issued by Transport Canada, was prompted by two incidents in which fan blade dislodgements occurred because of blade fracture.
Ross Aviation LLC acquired another fixed-base operation, the former Lacey’s Serv-a-Jet, Inc. facility in Laredo, Texas. Ross said the newly redesignated Laredo Aero Center is the largest FBO at the airport. The FBO was founded by Doug Lacey and two associates in 1975. The business occupies nearly 100,000 square feet of newly renovated hangar, office and terminal space. Lacey will remain as general manager of the facility. Laredo is a primary port of entry into the U.S. from Mexico and other nations to the south.
Bombardier has decided to offer five variants of its CSeries, including a hot and high version of its larger 130-seater, and has significantly overhauled specifications for the entire aircraft family. The changes, contained in a design update confirmed in May but only now emerging, coincide with increased speculation that the Chinese, which require aircraft capable of landing on short runways at high altitudes, will launch the CSeries. Bombardier has said it will make a launch decision this fiscal year, which ends Jan. 31.
Lufthansa Technik (LHT) will use radio frequency identification (RFID) systems from Motorola to track aircraft components. The company-wide implementation follows trials at LHT’s Hamburg maintenance center. For the initial phase, LHT will apply RFID tags to documents accompanying aircraft components, but plans are already being developed to directly tag the spare parts.
Last week’s midair collision between two emergency medical service (EMS) helicopters en route to the same helicopter landing area at a Flagstaff, Ariz. hospital has focused public and regulatory attention on the dismal safety statistics of the U.S. EMS industry. The accident happened June 29 in clear daylight conditions and involved two Bell 407 helicopters – N407GA operated by Air Methods, and N407MJ, operated by Classic Helicopters. The collision occurred about 3:48 p.m. local time within one-quarter mile of the Flagstaff Medical Center.
