FAA Reauthorization cleared the first hurdle last week with Senate Commerce Committee approval, but aviation taxes have yet to be addressed in the Senate. The Senate Finance Committee is handling the aviation taxes portion of reauthorization and is expected to consider its own bill in June. The Finance Committee has been rumored to be considering dropping the 4.3-cent-per-gallon commercial fuel tax and boosting the jet fuel tax for business aircraft to 49 cents per gallon (BA, May 7/205).
Joined the business aviation consulting firm Waypoint Partners, LLC. Mamelson previously spent eight years with LMM, the operations division of Northwestern Aircraft Capital, most recently as director of operations. During his tenure with LMM, the company grew into a large Part 135 operation with more than 100 pilots and 40 aircraft.
Named vice president of business development for commercial programs for IAI International, based in Arlington, Va. Gaber previously was director of business development for IAI. He has served with the company since 1978, holding positions including director of marketing and sales at IAI's Bedek Aviation Group, and director of marketing and business development, Europe for Bedek. He moved to IAI International in 1999.
Promoted to manager of FlightSafety International's Cessna learning center in Wichita, Kan. High joined FlightSafety in 2005 as an instructor and later was named manager of the Cessna facility. Before joining FlightSafety, High served as commanding officer of the University of Kansas NROTC unit and spent 35 years in the Navy, accruing 8,000 hours in the P-3 Orion.
Cessna Aircraft is offering a new maintenance program for the Citation Mustang. Under the ProTech program, customers pay a monthly fee that will cover labor costs for regular maintenance. The program is divided into tiers that are based on projected use of the aircraft. The maintenance would be conducted at either one of the 10 Cessna Citation Service Centers or other participating authorized facilities. The ProTech program works in conjunction with Cessna's ProParts program.
National Air Transportation Association urged the Federal Aviation Administration to convene an Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) for six months to address Part 135 maintenance and inspection programs.
Named vice president of finance and controller for M7 Aerospace. Ricketson has more than 35 years of financial management experience. He previously was vice president of finance for Turbomachinery Products Division of Goodrich in Chandler, Ariz. He also held financial posts with General Electric, UNC Corporation, and United Technologies, among others.
May 21-24 - Regional Airline Association Annual Convention, Memphis Convention Center, Memphis, Tenn., Contact Joe Gordon at (202) 367-1170. May 22-24 - European Business Aviation Association Convention and Exposition EBACE2007, Geneva, Switzerland, (202) 783-9000. June 18-24 - Paris AirShow, Le Bourget Airport, Paris, http://www. paris-air-show.com/en/ July 23-29 - Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture Oshkosh 2007, Oshkosh, Wis., (920) 426-4800
BLR Aerospace won European Aviation Safety Agency approval for winglet systems on the King Air 200 and 300. BLR introduced the system for the King Air 200 in 2005 and since has installed 65 systems on King Air 200s and 300s. The latest approval will allow BLR to tap into the market of some 150 King Air 200s and 300s operating under EASA registry. The winglets increase cruise speed by three to six knots, reduce fuel consumption and increased vertical rate of climb. Other improvements include reduced drag and better handling qualities.
Aviation Manufacturers are facing a fee increase of almost 20 times the current rates, in some cases, under a European proposal that is set to take effect June 1. The fee increase is part of an overall rewrite of the European Aviation Safety Administration rates and charges for certification services that is designed to lower the administrative burden for the agency and raise revenue. See article below.
Appointed director of business development, Cessna for FlightSafety International. Croitoru, a 20-year FlightSafety veteran, most recently was manager of the company's Cessna learning center in Wichita, Kan. He joined FlightSafety in 1985 as marketing service representative, and also has served as product marketing manager in St. Louis, regional marketing manager for the upper Midwest and Canada and assistant center manager in Wichita. In his new role, Croitoru will be responsible for marketing new training programs and improving FlightSafety's existing programs.
Model CL-600-1A11 (CL-600), CL-600-2A12 (CL-601), CL-600-2B16 (CL-601-3A, CL-601-3R, and CL-604) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26353; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-189-AD] - Revises an earlier proposal that would have required inspecting to identify the part number and serial number of the selector valves of the nose landing gear (NLG) and the nose gear door; and doing related investigative and corrective actions, if necessary. The original proposal resulted from reports of uncommanded partial retractions of the NLG.
Garmin co-founder Dr. Min Kao is providing scholarships, too. The awards will come from the Kao Family Foundation, which will offer 100 scholarships worth $5,000 per year per student as part of the Garmin Electrical and Computer Engineering Educational Initiative. The money will be given to college students who are studying electrical and computer engineering. Recipients also will be given first consideration for one of more than 75 annual paid internship opportunities at Garmin. Housing and health insurance will be provided to interns as well.
Continued smooth progress with flight testing of the Bell 429 has led company officials to project that certification of the advanced light twin IFR helicopter could occur as early as April 2008. The eight-seat, Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207D-powered rotorcraft has accumulated 90 hours of flying time since initially taking to the air earlier this year, according to Bill Stromberg, Bell Helicopter's executive director, commercial program management.
Only about a year after Gulfstream Aerospace moved into its new Research and Development Center (RDC), the aircraft manufacturer has signed leases for additional space in two adjacent buildings located near the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport. The new Gulfstream Research and Development Center II (RDC-II) comprises two new buildings - a 108,750-square-foot office building and an 80,500-square-foot "flex" building. The office building can accommodate 550 employees, while the flex building is designed to house 150 workers and test equipment.
Model ERJ 170 airplanes and Model ERJ 190 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-28094; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-258-AD] - Proposes to supersede an existing AD that currently requires repetitively replacing the low-stage check valve and associated seals of the right-hand engine bleed system. This proposed AD adds new airplanes to that existing requirement. For all airplanes, this proposed AD also would require repetitively replacing the low-stage check valve and associated seals of the left-hand engine bleed system with a new check valve and new seals.
Louisiana lawmakers joined with the U.S. controllers' union and other aviation groups to urge the Federal Aviation Administration to speed up efforts to reopen the control tower at New Orleans Lakefront Airport, which was extensively damaged in 2005 during Hurricane Katrina.
The Federal Aviation Administration promised to address technical problems with a new flight service station (FSS) system that has caused outages and resulted in 20- to 30-minute hold times for pilots. Those promises came after the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association wrote FAA Administrator Marion Blakey about concerns that the new computerized FS21 (twenty-first century) system had a number of issues that still needed to be fixed. "In short, the FS21 system is in crisis and failing pilots," AOPA President Phil Boyer said.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association is offering a new scholarship in conjunction with the International Council of Air Shows Foundation. The annual award will bestow $2,000 on a college student seeking an aviation-related degree. Pete Bunce, GAMA's president and CEO, said, "Both of our organizations feel it is imperative to work together to help provide a qualified and stable work force for our industry." More information on the ICAS Foundation GAMA Scholarship can be found at www.icasfoundation.org.
Premier Aircraft has applied to the European Aviation Safety Authority for certification of its Falcon 50Dash4 upgrade. The company said the upgrade is beating its guarantees for speed, range and time to climb. The launch operator has reported an increase of cruise speeds of 25 knots true airspeed, 30 percent reduction in time to climb and 4,000 feet higher initial cruise altitudes. Premier received an FAA STC for the upgrade in January of this year. Premier is hoping to secure EASA approval within six months.
Dr. Bruce Holmes, a former senior NASA researcher who helped launch both the Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE) alliance and Small Aircraft Transportation Systems (SATS) project, is stepping into a new post that will allow him to see his years of research implemented in the private sector. Holmes joined air taxi start-up Dayjet to serve as director of air systems research.
Model TBM 700 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25581 Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-041-AD; Amendment 39-15039; AD 2007-09-07] - Requires identification of the nose landing gear (NLG) hinge batch number and modification, if necessary. The AD stems from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) from the European Aviation Safety Agency. The MCAI cited reports of an incomplete thermal treatment done on three hinge pin batches, lowering their mechanical properties with a high risk of deformation under service loads.
Model ERJ 170 and ERJ 190 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27616; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-052-AD; Amendment 39-15035; AD 2007-06-53] - Publishes an AD that was sent previously to all known U.S. owners and operators of ERJ 170 and ERJ 190 airplanes by individual notices.
Flight Safety Foundation's 52nd annual Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar, May 8-10 in Tucson, Ariz., attracted 450 attendees. Co-sponsored with the National Business Aviation Association, the event provided a forum for business aviation experts to discuss corporate safety management systems, the latest in maintenance issues, medical topics and the application of data management and monitoring. "This is the largest CASS so far and that growth tells me that there is strong interest in the corporate aviation safety culture," said FSF President and CEO William Voss.
The Senate Commerce Committee Wednesday narrowly defeated an effort to drop a $25 air traffic control user fee proposal from a comprehensive Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, S.1300, before clearing the bill for full Senate consideration (BA, May 7/205). The committee voted 12-11 against an amendment offered by Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and John Sununu (R-N.H.) to eliminate the user fee, with Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) casting the deciding vote.
