A JULY 11 RUNWAY INCURSION at Fort Lauderdale, Fla. is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. The safety agency said a United A-320 was cleared onto Runway 9L via Taxiways T7, D and B while a Delta Boeing 757 was inbound for landing on 9L. After noticing the pending conflict, controllers told the United crew to stop, but the A-320 was going too fast to hold short, finally coming to a stop 30 feet from the centerline of the runway.
Founder and chairman of Wing Aviation, headquartered at Lone Star Executive Airport (CXO) in Conroe, Texas, was named to the board of trustees of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Models TB9, TB10 and TB200 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27432 Directorate Identifier 2007-CE-017-AD; Amendment 39-15122; AD 2007-13-18] - Update the "Airworthiness Limitations" section of the Aircraft Maintenance Manual to include a new 10,000-flight-hour life limit for engine and nose landing gear mounts. This AD results from an MCAI issued by the French aviation authority. The FAA estimates that this AD will affect 146 aircraft on the U.S. Registry and cost operators a total of $5,840, or $40 per airplane. The AD becomes effective August 10.
A witness to the fatal crash of a Cessna Citation 500 aircraft in Arkansas last month told investigators the pilot appeared to be trying to take off after a failed landing attempt when the aircraft crashed and burned.
Eurocontrol opened its new Central Flow Management Unit in Brussels, Belgium, featuring an operations room specifically designed for the task. The CFMU is used by Eurocontrol to ensure airspace is used in the most efficient manner. The CFMU concept was introduced in 1985, but because of significant increases in European flights it outgrew the original facility. Eurocontrol estimates that delays would more than triple without the intervention of the CFMU.
LINEAR AIR, the Concord, Mass. air taxi operator, took delivery of its first Eclipse 500 Very Light Jet. Linear Air current operates a large fleet of executive Cessna Grand Caravan single-engine turboprops.
Cessna Aircraft Company "will proceed with its Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) program and will unveil a full scale mock-up" of the new aircraft along with program details this coming weekend at the Experimental Aircraft Association's Air Venture gathering in Oshkosh, Wis., the company said last week. "After conducting extensive market research, it is clear to us there is a great need for this aircraft as we strive to drive down the cost of flying and learning to fly," said Jack Pelton, Cessna's chairman, president and CEO.
Model R2160 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26494 Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-079-AD; Amendment 39-15119; AD 2007-13-15] - Conduct initial and repetitive inspections of the visible parts of the spar web and the upper and lower boom angles (top and bottom spar caps) for corrosion and take remedial actions, as needed. This AD, which is based on an MCAI issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency, is designed to prevent the development of an unsafe condition that could cause a catastrophic failure of the wing.
A Safety Alert for Operators issued by FAA this month lays out a scenario that could explain the midair collision last September between an Embraer Legacy and a Gol Airlines 737 over Brazil (BA, Oct. 9/165).
CORPORATE ANGEL NETWORK arranged 275 patient flights in June, a new record for the organization, which works with corporate flight departments and other aircraft operators to provide free transportation on business aircraft for cancer patients traveling to and from treatment centers. The previous monthly record of 257 patient flights was set last year.
Charles Bergman, a former U.S. Air Force pilot and a former employee of the Air Line Pilots Association, was named executive director of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS) Institute, the third person to hold the job in the past two years.
A veteran airline executive, was named to the board of directors of Eos Airlines. Eos is operating specially configured 48-passenger Boeing 757 aircraft providing premium flights between New York's JFK Airport and London's Stanstead Airport. The carrier is currently providing 32 flights per week between those points and plans to boost the schedule to 40 flights per week in September. Coltman is currently chairman of Edinburgh Worldwide Investment Trust Plc., and senior independent director at John Menzies Plc.
Model DA 42 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27610 Directorate Identifier 2007-CE-023-AD; Amendment 39-15120; AD 2007-13-16] - Replace the wing stub safety walks with new ones that have a surface roughness equal to or finer than sandpaper grit 100. Also, make a temporary revision to performance data in the Airplane Flight Manual.
CORPORATE FLIGHT DEPARTMENTS and other business aviation operators who plan to fly their aircraft to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia are being asked to participate in a flight activity survey for those events.
Uruguay's flag carrier Pluna ordered seven Bombardier CRJ900 NextGen aircraft as part of a newly unveiled plan to fly 15 regional jets by 2010. The airline took options on eight additional aircraft. Currently, Pluna flies an all-Boeing fleet - one 757-200, one 767-300ER, one 737-300 and three 737-200s. Pluna's ownership structure was revamped earlier this year. Leadgate Investments, a consortium of members from Uruguay, Germany, Argentina and the U.S., owns 75% of the carrier. The government of Uruguay owns the remaining 25%.
Model HP.137 Jetstream Mk.1, Jetstream Series 200, Jetstream Series 3101 and Jetstream Model 3201 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-28115; Directorate Identifier 2007-CE-045-AD] - This proposed AD would require initial and recurrent inspections for cracks in the main landing gear radius-rod forged-cylinder flashline, following the instructions of British Aerospace Jetstream Series 3100 and 3200 Service Bulletin 32-JA060741 (dated November 1, 2006). If cracks are found, the radius rod assembly needs to be replaced with a serviceable unit before further flight.
Within a week of detailing plans to buy communications company ARINC, the Carlyle Group unveiled the acquisition of Sequa Corp. in a deal worth $2.7 billion. Sequa is the parent of engine component repair company Chromalloy Gas Turbine. Carlyle is acquiring all outstanding Class A and B shares of Sequa for $175 per share in cash.
Brazilian plane-maker Embraer last week broke ground for a new business jet service center at Williams Gateway airport in Mesa, Ariz. Slated for completion in mid-2008, the facility will be one of three U.S. locations that will service Embraer's Phenom and Legacy business jets. The $8 million, 45,000-square-foot center will include a hangar, workshops and office space.
FAA is expected to release a new interpretation within the next few weeks addressing some of the scheduling practices of "fractional" charter, which is a charter flight that may be sold to more than one customer (i.e. either sold on a per-seat basis or sold to two or more separate passengers or passenger and cargo combination), according to Joseph Conte, manager of the Operations Law Branch in FAA's Office of the Chief Counsel.
EUROCOPTER received joint U.S., European and Canadian approval to offer night-vision goggle capability to civilian operators of the EC145 helicopter. Eurocopter certified the EC145 using a configuration based on the system used by the French Securite Civile. The configuration uses the MEGHAS display systems and CMA3000 flight management system. The Night Vision Imaging System installation includes internal and external aircraft lighting with either the night-vision goggles ITT F 4949 and/or NOGALIGHT NL-93.
A number of charter operators have pulled empty-leg postings off the Internet after a senior FAA official warned recently that FAA considers a flight to be scheduled when the operator advertises departure point, arrival point and a departure window.
The National Business Aviation Association last week decried the "airline lobbyists' finger-pointing on delays" after the Air Transport Association called for FAA to impose further ground delay programs at Teteboro Airport (TEB) in New Jersey to create more capacity in New York area airspace.
The flight crew of a Cessna Citation II 550 that crashed into Lake Michigan last month began having directional control problems shortly after takeoff, the National Transportation Safety Board said last week.
