DASSAULT Falcon 2000 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0272; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-275-AD] – This proposal would require operators to modify the existing engine cowl locking system in accordance with the instructions of Dassault Service Bulletin F2000-298, Rev. 3 (dated Sept. 26, 2007). Also, operators would need to modify the engine cowling attachments in accordance with the instructions of Dassault Service Bulletin F2000-166, Rev. 1 (dated Oct. 24, 2001).
ARINC DIRECT is adding a new service that will measure exposure of business aircraft crews and passengers to radiation. The dosimetry reporting is offered free for customers who elect the option. ARINC retained radiation monitoring specialist IASON of Graz, Austria to archive and forward dosimetry data. ARINC noted that high altitude flight can expose aircraft crews and passengers to variable levels of background radiation, and European regulators have established exposure rules for commercial flight crews.
Alcoa, Inc. completed the acquisition of two California aerospace fastener manufacturers, part of the growth strategy for its Alcoa Fastening System (AFS) business unit.
COMP AIR selected the 1,650-shaft horsepower Honeywell TPE331-14GR turboprop engine to power the Comp Air 12 single-turboprop aircraft. The aircraft also will include a McCauley Propeller Systems five-blade propeller. The startup aircraft manufacturer said it had reached general agreements on components for flight test and initial production. The company also is working with potential investor groups to complete a 36-month certification and production startup program.
The operator of an aircraft based at a small airport in Ohio who felt he was being discriminated against because the airport charged tenants but not transient users got his day in court – but not the decision he was seeking.
DAVE SMITH was named vice president, MRO satellite operations for Midcoast Aviation. Smith formerly was director of quality assurance for MRO satellite operations. He joined Jet Aviation in 1996 as an A&P mechanic at the Teterboro location.
AirSprint, a fractional aircraft operator headquartered in Toronto, Canada, placed orders for 23 new airplanes with an aggregate retail value of $116 million with Cessna Aircraft and Pilatus Aircraft.
DASSAULT Falcon 2000EX airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0294; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-288-AD] – This proposed AD would mandate modification of the electrical wiring of the wing anti-ice system in accordance with the instructions of Dassault Service Bulletin F2000EX-116 (dated May 31, 2006) and Service Bulletin F2000EX-140 (dated Feb. 28, 2007).
PAM MCALLISTER was named general manager at TAC Air’s facility in Chattanooga, Tenn. A 20-year aviation industry veteran, McAllister joined TAC Air in 2002, and most recently was customer service supervisor for the Chattanooga location. Before joining TAC Air, she held positions with Signal Aviation and Krystal Aviation.
WAYNE BURK was appointed director of sales for materials services for Gulfstream Aerospace. Burk will be responsible for over-the-counter parts sales in Dallas; Long Beach, Calif.; and Appleton, Wis. Based in Lincoln, Calif., he also handles repair/overhaul, provisioning, WECO and parts program sales. An air transport-rated pilot, Burk has 12 years of business development experience, and was a U.S. Army attack helicopter pilot in Vietnam.
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CARI HERMAN joined Shadin Avionics as software engineering manager. Herman will manage the Software Engineering Group, responsible for refining software development processes; ensuring development schedules are maintained, enhancing execution/visibility, and bringing new software tools and capabilities. She has 14 years of avionics experience, previously as product development manager for Medtronic. She also was a product line manager for Goodrich Sensor Systems and a systems test engineer for Northrop Grumman.
AVIONS DE TRANSPORT REGIONAL ATR42-200, -300, -320 and -500; ATR72-101, -201, -102, -202, -211, -212 and -212A airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0293; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-287-AD] – This proposal would require measuring the heating resistance of the three pitot probes per the instructions of Service Bulletin ATR42-30-0074 or ATR72-30-1044 (both dated May 14, 2007). If the resistance of any probe exceeded 50 ohms, the pitot probe would need to be replaced before further flight.
CAE received Federal Aviation Administration and Joint Aviation Authorities certification for two Dassault Falcon 7X full flight simulators. The simulators, built by CAE, are installed at the company’s Burgess Hill training center in the United Kingdom and the North East Training Center near Morristown, N.J. The certification clears the first two Falcon 7Xs for training at the highest operational level. In addition, CAE received a Level D certification for a Gulfstream G450/550 full flight simulator, also located in the North East Training Center.
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY AT SALINA has established an Applied Aviation Research Center that will focus on advancements in aviation technology. A cooperative venture with the Salina Airport Authority and the Salina Chamber of Commerce, the school’s new center will be directed by Kurt Barnhart, the head of the department of aviation for K-State at Salina. The center will research the application and testing of emerging technological improvements in propulsion and airframe systems, avionics and navigation for general aviation aircraft, and unmanned aerial systems.
EXCELAIRE named 30-year aviation veteran Bob Weinwurzel vice president of flight operations. Weinwurzel will oversee all charter and owner operations, including international operations. Before joining ExcelAire, he held senior management posts in the private aviation operations of JPMorgan Chase, Lehman Brothers, and Vivendi Universal. He began his aviation career as a senior operations agent at Atlantic Aviation at the Teterboro, N.J. Airport.
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association last week urged caution in imposing further restrictions on the use of lead in aviation gasoline, stressing that no simple alternative exists for 100 octane leaded aviation gasoline (100LL). “Any change in the current fuel standard will have a direct impact on the safety of flight,” AOPA told the Environmental Protection Agency.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT COMPANY Model 525 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0306; Directorate Identifier 2008-CE-014-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to inspect for missing firewall sealant between the aft firewall assembly and seal assembly. If sealant is found to be missing, operators would need to apply sealant between the firewall and seal assemblies. This proposed AD resulted from a report that firewall sealant may not have been applied during manufacture of certain airplanes.
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON Model 214B and B-1 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2008-0288; Directorate Identifier 2006-SW-25-AD] – This proposed AD would require creating a component history card or equivalent for each pylon support spindle assembly. It also would mandate inspections of spindles for corrosion, nicks, scratches, dents or cracks. Any unairworthy spindles would need to be replaced before further flight. This proposal is prompted by three in-flight failures of spindles that resulted in forced landings.
BOB AGOSTINO, director of flight operations for Bombardier Business Aircraft, resigned that post this month to pursue other opportunities. Agostino, who had been with Bombardier since 1994, oversaw marketing flight operations for the Learjet family of aircraft manufactured in Wichita and for the Challenger and Global flight demonstration teams based in Hartford, Conn.
DASSAULT Falcon 20-C5, 20-D5, and 20-E5 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0296; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-307-AD] – This proposed AD would mandate replacement of certain wing anti-ice flexible hoses with new ones of an improved design, following the instructions of Dassault Aviation Service Bulletin F20-775 (dated July 9, 2007). This proposal, which resulted from an MCAI originated by the European Aviation Safety Agency, was prompted by the discovery of a collapsed wing anti-ice flexible hose on an in-service airplane.
THE U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT in Denver, Colo. has set an April 3 deadline to accept bids for the April 4 auction of Adam Aircraft. The auction is for parties interested in buying the entire company. If that fails, the court would hold a second auction at the end of April to sell off the assets of Adam on a piecemeal basis. But the trustee for Adam Aircraft Chapter 7 proceedings, Jeffrey Weinman, said he’s received “quite a bit” of interest from parties interested in acquiring the company as a whole. The minimum bid for the April 4 auction is $10 million.
BUT THE STOCK MARKET TURMOIL is disrupting plans for some potential business jet users. POGO Jet, Inc. said last Monday it “postponed the initial public offering of common shares of the company due to current market conditions.” POGO is the startup company headed by former American Airlines executive Robert Crandall. POGO plans to offer “branded charter service” using a fleet of Eclipse 500 Very Light Jets. The company had been planning to take delivery of its first aircraft late this year and initiate service in early 2009.
JET FUEL DEMAND for general aviation operations in the U.S. is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 9.4 percent through 2010, according to projections in FAA’s annual forecast document. Consumption of GA jet fuel stayed under 1 billion gallons per year from 2000 through 2003 before jumping to 1.23 billion gallons in 2004 and continuing to grow since then. The agency estimated 2007 consumption at 1.65 billion gallons and predicted that total will climb to 2.1 billion gallons by 2010 and to more than 4 billion gallons annually by 2020. See chart on Page 135.
