May 5 – 20th Annual Greater Washington Aviation Open, Lansdowne, Va.; [email protected] May 5-8 – Regional Airline Association Annual Convention, Indianapolis, Ind. Contact Scott Gordon at (202) 367-1170.
AGUSTA S.P.A. Model A109A, A109A II and A109C helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2008-0431; Directorate Identifier 2008-SW-08-AD; Amendment 39-15483; AD 2008-09-03] – Within the next 20 hours of time in service, operators must remove, clean and inspect the four grooved clamps that attach the engine exhaust ducts, following the instructions contained in Agusta Bollettino Tecnico No. 109-123 (dated Nov. 16, 2006). If a crack or corrosion is found, before further flight replace the unairworthy grooved clamp with an airworthy one.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL is building a new learning center in St. Louis to provide training for its regional airline customers. Scheduled to open in December, the 80,000-square-foot facility will house up to nine full flight simulators plus classrooms and customer service and support areas. The new center will complement FSI’s existing 40,000-square-foot facility in St. Louis. The two centers will offer up to 18 flight simulators for BAe, Bombardier, Embraer, Fairchild and Saab regional aircraft and Sabreliner business jets.
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE won approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to retrofit any of its four in-production, large-cabin aircraft models with Synthetic Vision – Primary Flight Display. The SV-PFD systems, which incorporates Honeywell’s Integrated Primary Flight Display technology, features three-dimensional, color terrain images overlaid with primary flight display instrument symbology to provide better situational awareness for pilots.
Rolls-Royce conducted a successful first run of its new BR725 turbofan engine, which was selected to power the G650 business jet being developed by Gulfstream Aerospace. The engine “powered up first time and attained 80 percent of its full thrust rating,” Rainer Honig, project director of the BR725 and Future Programs, said in a statement last week. “It is demonstrating full functionality and is performing in line with targets set in the early stages of the program two years ago,” he added.
JETCORP TECHNICAL SERVICES named aviation industry veteran Danny Farnham as vice president, modifications/refurbishment. Farnham has more than 40 years of experience with a number of aviation firms. Before joining JetCorp., he was vice president of completions/modifications at Midcoast Aviation in Cahokia, Ill. Prior to Midcoast, Farnham spent nine years as chief inspector and Gulfstream maintenance coordinator at The Jet Center in Van Nuys, Calif.
STEVE GOBER was tapped to manage OEM relationships for Aero Precision Industries of Livermore, Calif. Gober will be responsible for API’s relationship with Honeywell across all divisions. A retired Marine Corps officer, Gober has 20 years of experience in avionics repair.
The U.S. District Court of Central California last week issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) barring the City of Santa Monica from enforcing an ordinance that essentially bans larger business jets from Santa Monica Municipal Airport (SMO). The ordinance took effect on April 24, but the Federal Aviation Administration issued an interim “Cease and Desist” order calling on the city to halt enforcement. The FAA also filed an application for the TRO to prevent enforcement of the ordinance.
EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY is talking with Boeing about ways to partner to offer flight training in China. The college has been looking into relationships with several universities in China to offer both its academic programs and its flight training expertise. China has special needs because of pilot shortages and airspace restrictions, and Embry Riddle is looking to partner with both companies and universities.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT formally rolled out the first production Citation XLS+ business jet at the end of April, the latest variant of the company’s Excel/XLS line. The XLS+ is expected to achieve certification by midyear with deliveries following by yearend. The newest XLS will include integrated Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics and electronically controlled Pratt &Whitney engines. The exterior and interior have been redesigned to more closely resemble the Citation X and Sovereign models.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT began notifying its Model 172 TD deposit holders late last week that the Wichita aircraft manufacturer no longer plans to deliver those aircraft this year because of uncertainties about engine availability. The Skyhawk TD is supposed to be powered by a Thielert Aircraft Engines Centurion 2.0 liter, jet fuel burning diesel engine. But the recent insolvency filing by the German engine manufacturer has cast a cloud over the program.
ACM AVIATION LLC is adding a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) to its managed fleet this month. The BBJ joins a Bombardier Global Express, Gulfstream V and multiple large Dassault business jets flown by ACM. The company, based in San Jose, Calif., plans to move into a new facility on the west side of Norman Y. Mineta Airport in June. The new site will include a 60,000-square-foot hangar and an 18,000-square-foot terminal and office complex. The new facility is designed to accommodate ACM’s managed fleet of aircraft.
EMBRAER named Lomex Aeronáutica, a Grupo Lomex company, as an authorized sales representative in Mexico for Phenom 100, Phenom 300, Legacy 600, and Lineage 1000 executive jets. Embraer said the appointment will help expand its executive jet presence in Latin America. Embraer has more than 13 Legacy 600 aircraft operating in 23 countries and claims orders for more than 750 Phenoms. Lomex Aeronautica provides a range of aviation services throughout Mexico.
ASI GROUP renewed an agreement with the security risk-management firm Control Risks to support ASI’s travel tracking service, Travel Security Manager. ASI has worked with Control Risks since 2005, when the company acquired ASI’s original supplier, Flightlock. Travel Security Manager was created in 2003 to help organizations provide security for their employees. The service tracks travelers worldwide. Subscribers can automatically send ASI briefings, along with company travel policies and emergency contract information, to their employees.
ECLIPSE AVIATION secured its first two international certifications for the Eclipse 500 Very Light Jet. The aviation authorities of India and Australia granted approval for the aircraft, marking the “first of many worldwide Eclipse 500 certifications,” Eclipse Aviation President and CEO Vern Raburn said.
ANDREW STEINBERG, a former top Transportation Department official, joined the Jones Day law firm’s Washington, D.C. office May 1. Steinberg served for five years at DOT, first as FAA chief counsel and most recently as assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs.
EUROCOPTER FRANCE Model AS332 C, L, L1 and L2 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2008-0430; Directorate Identifier 2007-SW-42-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to replace, before further flight, at least one of the hydraulic pumps with an airworthy pump, following the instructions of Eurocopter France Alert Service Bulletin No. 01.00.73 (dated Aug. 23, 2007). This proposed rule resulted from an MCAI issued by the Direction Generale de L’Aviation Civile, the aviation authority of France.
CHELTON FLIGHT SYSTEMS secured European Aviation Safety Agency approval for the latest upgrade to the company’s Electronic Flight Information System. EASA approval clears the way for installation of Version 6.0B on hundreds of aircraft and helicopters registered in EASA countries.
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT shipped the first of two Beechcraft King Air B200GT aircraft to Serco Defence, Science and Technology for use as a trainer in the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force. The second King Air is scheduled for delivery this summer. The aircraft will join Number 45 Squadron at RAF Cranwell, bringing the total number of King Airs in service with the RAF to nine. The King Airs are replacing the RAF fleet of Jetstream aircraft. Hawker Beechcraft won the contract in 2003.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL won Level D approval from FAA for its sixth Bombardier Q400 full flight simulator. The new simulator is located at FSI’s learning center in St. Louis, Mo. FSI also offers Q400 simulator training in Seattle, Toronto and at Farnborough Airport outside London.
DORNIER LUFTFAHRT GmbH Models 228-200, -201, -202 and -212 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0249; Directorate Identifier 2008-CE-012-AD; Amendment 39-15490; AD 2008-09-09] – Requires replacement of certain rudder-control cables delivered after Jan. 1, 2006 with FAA-approved, serviceable rudder-control cables, following the instructions contained in Dornier 228 Alert Service Bulletin No. ASB-228-269 (dated March 23, 2007). This AD was issued following the discovery of cracks inside the cable terminal during production testing of a batch of control cables.
Brazilian manufacturer Embraer’s new Phenom 300 business jet made a successful first flight April 29, the first of four Phenom 300s that will be involved in the test program. Embraer expects the Phenom 300 to enter service in the second half of 2009.
Anticipating a glut of flight requests from prospective commercial operators of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the next several years, FAA has assembled a rulemaking committee to develop regulations for their use.
AIR FORCE RESERVE VETERAN Brig. Gen. Robert O. Tarter was named vice president of safety services for FAA’s Air Traffic Organization. The safety services unit is responsible for auditing safety and quality control in the ATO and facilitating safety performance and improvement, including reducing the risk of runway hazards. The Safety Services unit also is the liaison between the ATO and FAA Air Traffic Safety Oversight Services, which resides within the Office of Aviation Safety, outside the ATO.
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA 222, 222B, 222U, 230 and 430 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2008-0449; Directorate Identifier 2007-SW-10-AD] – This proposed rule would require repetitive visual inspections of the main-rotor hydraulic actuator support to verify the presence of all dowel pins and sealant between the support and transmission. It also would require verification of the proper torque of each attaching nut. These measures are intended to prevent failure of the support and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.
