SAVANNAH AIR CENTER broke ground last month for a new hangar at its Savannah, Ga. modification and completion center. The 101,500-foot structure will be large enough to accommodate up to six large-cabin business jets such as the Global Express and the Gulfstream V. The new hangar will be used primarily for interior completions and maintenance. "The additional facility is critical to the continued growth of our business," said Jeff Zacharious, CEO. Savannah Air Center is an authorized completion center for Bombardier Global 5000 and Global Express XRS aircraft.
A CONSULTING FIRM retained by Piper Aircraft to assess relocation possibilities for the general aviation manufacturer expects to make a presentation to Piper officials within a few weeks.
Model DA 40 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27348; Directorate Identifier 2007-CE-015-AD; Amendment 39-15078; AD 2007-11-21] - Requires repetitive inspections of the universal joint. The AD also calls for replacement of the complete joint assembly as a terminating action for the repetitive inspections. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency.
Rockwell Collins and ARINC have joined forces to offer what they promise will be better broadband communications capability for business jet passengers. Rockwell Collins is reintroducing its eXchange (TM) broadband connectivity offering, with the ARINC SKYLink broadband network service. Under terms of the agreement, Rockwell Collins will supply airborne broadband hardware and after-sales support, while ARINC SKYLink will provide the Ku-band satellite service.
Was promoted to airport director of the Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS). He has spent nearly 13 years at SUS, serving as assistant director and later as deputy county director of aviation. As airport director, Bales replaces Dick Hrabko, who left SUS after 42 years to take over as director of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL). Before joining SUS, Bales was an operations supervisor at Lambert and airport operations manager at Toledo Express Airport and Metcalf Field.
CLAUDE BOLTON has told the U.S. Army it may negotiate with Bell Helicopter Textron on a get-well plan for the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter program, according to BA affiliate Aerospace Daily & Defense Report. Paul Bogosian, the Army's program executive officer for aviation, said he has until the end of June to report back to Bolton with a final restructuring proposal. He predicts an 18-month slip in the program, until April 2010, for the first unit to be equipped with the modified Bell 407 airframe.
The office responsible for planning the next-generation (NextGen) ATC system should be given more independence and greater program oversight, the Government Accountability Office tells House lawmakers. GAO believes the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) should not be moved out of FAA, but does need to be more independent from FAA's Air Traffic Organization. GAO's latest comments about JPDO were provided in response to questions from the House subcommittee on space and aeronautics.
Model EMB-135BJ airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27494; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-269-AD; Amendment 39-15071; AD 2007-11-14] - Requires replacing the fuel Level Control Unit (LCU) 1 and LCU 2; reworking the LCU 1 and LCU 2 supports; and segregating, replacing, and reworking some harnesses. This AD stems from MCAI from the aviation authority of Brazil.
Aviation user fee opponents last week stepped up their protests as the airline community ran a series of editorials in their in-flight magazines depicting general aviation operations as the root of airline delays. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association said it has anticipated "such stealthy maneuvers" and called the claims "a dramatic oversimplification." "If only it were that simple," said AOPA President Phil Boyer.
MEMBERS of the Teterboro Airport Industry Working Group are expected to meet Monday to review progress on a series of initiatives they developed to improve safety and community relations at the busy New Jersey general aviation airport. The initiatives, rolled out last fall in a press conference with frequent airport critic Rep. Steve Rothman (D-N.J.), include a voluntary nighttime curfew and a voluntary agreement to fly only Stage 3 or quieter aircraft.
GENERAL DYNAMICS won a $10 million order from FAA for additional CM-300 Ultra-High Frequency radio equipment to upgrade communication capabilities between air traffic controllers and military aircraft in the National Airspace System. The latest order is part of a $102 million UHF Replacement Radio contract originally awarded to GD in 2002.
PETER WRIGHT, SR., founder and chairman emeritus of Keystone Helicopter, died June 1 at age 90. Wright, a decorated World War II combat airman who flew with the Flying Tigers, founded Keystone Helicopter in 1953 in Philadelphia and created the American Helicopter Museum and Education Center in West Chester, Pa.
KEY AIR is hosting its second annual Business Aircraft and Jet Preview Thursday June 21 at the company's facilities at the Waterbury-Oxford, Conn. Airport (OXC). The event will feature dozens of exhibitors, including aircraft on display from most of the major business jet manufacturers. The catered event is by invitation only, but members of the aviation community interested in attending should contact Chris Little at [email protected].
Model 500, 501, 550, 551, S550, 560, 560XL, and 750 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27258; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-213-AD; Amendment 39-15074; AD 2007-11-17] - Supersedes an existing AD that requires installing identification sleeves on the wires for the positive and negative terminal studs of the engine and/or auxiliary power unit (APU) fire extinguishing bottles, as applicable, and reconnecting the wires to the correct terminal studs.
The pilot of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) helicopter was killed and the observer onboard was seriously injured last month when the pilot appeared to lose control of the aircraft during a routine border patrol mission and it crashed into a parked pickup truck.
Was named regional director for the Asia Pacific region for Era Corp., a developer of surveillance and flight tracking technology for the air traffic control, military, homeland security, and airport markets. Bensch will be responsible for expanding Era's reach and establishing a customer-focused team in the Asia Pacific region. He has 20 years of experience in the aviation industry, holding senior roles with Sabre Airline Solutions, Lochard, Lufthansa Systems, Rosenbluth International, Amadeus and Galileo.
(Beech) Model 400, 400A, and 400T series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-28308; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-016-AD] - Proposes to require modifying the attachment fasteners on the engine cowling panels. This proposed AD results from several reports of loose attachment fasteners found on the engine cowling panels, and subsequently the panels either peeling back or separating from the airplane during flight.
Rotorcraft Leasing Co. LLC of Lafayette, La. has acquired Go Helitrans, a provider of transportation services to offshore oil and gas production platform and drilling rigs in the western Gulf of Mexico. "This acquisition further strengthens Rotorcraft's position as the largest privately-held helicopter transportation company in the Gulf of Mexico," said Lloyd Marks, president of Rotorcraft. The combined entity will have a fleet of approximately 100 helicopters whose missions will be coordinated from Rotorcraft's flight operations center in Broussard, La.
Model S-76A, B, and C helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2007-28241; Directorate Identifier 2007-SW-07-AD; Amendment 39-15062; AD 2007-11-05] - Requires a one-time ultrasonic inspection of the main rotor shaft assembly (M/R shaft) for cracking. This amendment is prompted by the discovery of cracking that occurred during the manufacturing of certain M/R shafts. The actions specified in this AD are intended to detect cracking in the M/R shaft, which could result in separation of the main rotor and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.
The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) last week denounced the decision to indict four air traffic controllers and two pilots involved in a September midair collision in Brazil as "a crime against air safety." Judge Murilo Mendes of the Brazilian Federal Court in Sinop earlier this month indicted the air traffic controllers and Joseph Lepore and Jan Paladino, the pilots of an ExcelAir Embraer Legacy that collided with a Gol Airlines 737, under Brazilian Penal Code for placing a vessel or aircraft in jeopardy. (BA, June 4/255).
The crew of a Cessna Citation on a mission to deliver human organs to a transplant patient told air traffic controllers they had a "runaway trim" problem shortly before the aircraft crashed into Lake Michigan last Monday.
Model DHC-8-100, DHC-8-200, and DHC-8-300 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27713; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-240-AD; Amendment 39-15079; AD 2007-12-01] - Requires, for certain airplanes, modification of the upper bearing of the main landing gear (MLG) shock strut. This AD also requires, for certain airplanes, revising the de Havilland DHC-8 Maintenance Program Manual to include the MLG shock strut servicing task. This AD results from reports of overextension of the MLG shock strut piston, which allows the torque links to go over-center and rest on the piston.
