THAYER-BLUM FUNDING L.L.C., which controls 90 percent of the stock in Suntron Corp., announced plans this month to acquire the remaining 10 percent of the stock and take Suntron public, subject to completion of financing. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Suntron, headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., provides manufacturing services to support the life cycle of products in a number of industries, including aerospace and defense, semiconductor capital equipment and telecommunications.
A Cessna Caravan 208B carrying a parachute jumping team back from a competition crashed last week in the Cascade Mountains, killing all 10 aboard. The aircraft, N430A, went down near White Pass, Wash., on the evening of Sunday, Oct. 7 after departing from Star, Idaho on a flight to Shelton, Wash. with a pilot and nine passengers aboard. The airplane, which was built in 1994, was registered to Kapowsin Air Sports of Shelton, Wash. The aircraft was used for parachute drops.
Model DG-500, DG-500M and DG-500MB gliders [Docket No. FAA-2007-28709; Directorate Identifier 2007-CE-062-AD; Amendment 39-15219; AD 2007-21-01] - Requires checking and correcting, if needed, the torque of the nut that attaches bell crank 5St19 to the bolt as specified in DG Flugzeugbau GmbH Technical Note 348/19 and 843/26 (dated June 20, 2007). Also, report to the manufacturer any findings of insufficient torque. This condition, if not corrected, may cause excessive bending loads, leading to premature failure of the bolt and loss of control of the aircraft.
AVJET CORP. started construction of a 63,653-square-foot facility in Burbank, Calif. that it says will be the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System-certified private aircraft hangar in the U.S. The building will have a variety of environmentally friendly "green" design elements including photovoltaic power, recycled-content material and resource-efficient systems to reduce energy use and waste.
ATF3-6 and ATF3-6A engines [Docket No. FAA-2007-29092; Directorate Identifier 2007-NE-30-AD] - This proposed AD would require removing certain low-pressure compressor aft shafts on ATF3-6 and ATF3-6A engines from service and installing serviceable shafts. This proposal, which resulted from the discovery of eight cracked shafts during fluorescent penetrant inspections, is designed to prevent uncoupling and overspeed of the low-pressure turbine, which could result in uncontained engine failure and damage to the airplane.
THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF AIRPORT EXECUTIVES will host the AAAE Runway Safety Summit Nov. 14-16 at the Sheraton San Jose Hotel in Milpitas, Calif. The meeting is designed to bring together federal regulators and policy makers, airport operators and managers, aviation safety professionals and consultants to discuss advancements in runway and airport safety including improving runway safety areas, runway friction testing standards and technology. Attendees also will have an opportunity to tour the NASA Ames Research Center.
Was named general manager of SheltAir Aviation Services' new fixed-base operation in Plattsburgh, N.Y. Herrmann has 19 years of aviation industry experience, most recently as general manager of Landmark Aviation in Rochester, N.Y. He also worked as operations manager for Signature Flight Support in Jacksonville, Fla.
Attorneys for AMI Jet Charter filed a detailed response last week to allegations that the Part 135 operator was unable to produce documents requested by FAA inspectors, claiming that most of the requested information was located and made available to the agency before or shortly after FAA issued its emergency suspension of AMIJC's Part 135 operating certificate (BA, Oct. 8/155).
Adam Aircraft has unveiled a new interior for its A700 Very Light Jet. The design, created by the airframe manufacturer in association with Infusion Design, an industrial creative design firm, was built by PCI NewCo, a DeCrane Aerospace company.
Model R2160 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26491 Directorate Identifier 2006 CE-076-AD; Amendment 39-15218; AD 2007-20-08] - Requires inspecting the bronze/brass hollow threaded fuel-line fittings for leaks, per Avions Pierre Robin Service Bulletin No. 86 (dated July 1980), and replacing leaking Type 1 fuel-line fittings with Type 2 fittings before further flight. The FAA estimates that this AD will affect 10 aircraft on the U.S. Registry and will cost U.S. operators a total of $1,800, or $180 per airplane.
PATS AIRCRAFT and Jet Aviation signed an agreement under which Jet Aviation will be retrofitting PATS' auxiliary fuel systems in Boeing Business Jets in Europe and the Middle East. As a result of fuel tank recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board following its investigation of the wing center tank explosion aboard TWA Flight 800 in 1996, FAA is requiring manufacturers of aircraft of 30 seats and over to modify fuel tanks to remove potential ignition sources according to the provisions of Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) 88.
An industry-based Aviation Rulemaking Committee this month urged the Federal Aviation Administration to consider wide-ranging financial incentives for aircraft operators to encourage them to equip their aircraft with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) systems well before the proposed 2020 deadline. FAA Oct. 5 issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would require operators that fly above 10,000 feet mean sea level or in certain terminal airspace to equip their aircraft with ADS-B systems by 2020 (BA, Oct. 8/158).
October 15 -- Greater Washington Business Aviation Association, Third Annual Golf Classic, Herndon, Va. Centennial Golf Course, [email protected] October 22-25 -- Bombardier Safety Standdown, Wichita, Kan. Contact Dawn Pepperd at Bombardier at (316) 946-2020; or [email protected] October 28-31 -- 52nd Air Traffic Control Association Conference & Exposition, Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, D.C.; (703) 299-2430 or e-mail [email protected]
The Federal Aviation Administration has strengthened its oversight in response to the problem-plagued Flight Service Station (FSS) transition to private sector operation, but that response came after thousands of complaints flowed in from pilots who experienced problems with the service. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association gave flight services a "failing grade." AOPA President Phil Boyer told a House aviation subcommittee hearing last week, "My members hate this.
NATIONAL AIRCRAFT RESALE ASSOCIATION (NARA) named its board members and officers for 2008 during the organization's meeting held just prior to the NBAA convention last month in Atlanta, Ga. Phil Jordan of Business Air will serve as NARA chairman next year, while Michael O'Keeffe of Banyan Air Service will be the organization's vice chairman. Mike Zabkar of U.S. Jet Search will serve as treasurer, and Mike Ellis of Mike Ellis & Associates will be the secretary. Jim Markel of Apex Aviation Corporation will be the immediate past chairman.
Model SF340A and 340B airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-29331; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-136-AD] - This proposed AD, which resulted from an MCAI originated by the European Aviation Safety Agency, would require repetitive ultrasonic inspections to detect cracking in axle adaptors; replacing axle adaptors, if necessary; and ultimately performing the terminating action of inspecting and modifying the main landing gear shock strut and axle adaptors.
YINGLING AVIATION updated the cabin interior for the Oasis Caravan modification. The new interior includes two-tone executive seats, leather upholstered crew seats, and a dual position divan certified for occupancy during takeoff and landing. Yingling completed 18 Oasis interiors in the past year and expects to take nearly two dozen orders in the next 12 months. Seventy-five Caravan Oasis aircraft are in service.
BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE received an order from Aero Toy Store of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. for two Learjet 60 XR aircraft, and a Global Express XRS equipped with a Global Vision flight deck. Aero Toy Store provides sales and purchase, financing, and modification services for new and used aircraft. The company operates fixed-base operations and sales centers in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Montreal as well as a facility at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nev.
General aviation groups are encouraged that the Federal Aviation Administration plans to give a 2020 deadline for mandatory installation of Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) avionics, but the groups say that the agency's 100-page ADS-B equipage proposal leaves a few key technical questions unanswered. FAA Friday formally published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would require ADS-B equipment on aircraft that fly above 10,000 feet mean sea level or in certain terminal airspace by 2020.
Robert E. Breiling, who has compiled safety data and statistics on business aviation for decades, was honored recently by the International Business Aviation Council. Breiling was presented with a glass plaque by IBAC Chairman Rui Aquino and President Don Spruston at an international dinner Sept. 27 at the conclusion of the NBAA convention in Atlanta, Ga. The award was presented on behalf of "Members of Business Aviation Associations Worldwide" in recognition of Breiling's "lifetime contributions and dedication to business aviation safety."
