FLIGHTCRAFT was awarded authorization to service the Cessna Citation Mustang. Flightcraft, the first Citation Authorized Service Center to win approval to work on the Mustang, provides inspections, routine maintenance and warranty service on Citation series business jets. Based in Portland, Ore., Flightcraft said it invested in tooling and technicians were factory trained on airframe and powerplant to be recognized as a service center.
Models Navion (L-17A), Navion A (L-17B), (L-17C), Navion B, Navion D, Navion E, Navion F, Navion G, and Navion H airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27611; Directorate Identifier 2007-CE-024-AD] - Proposes to require a one-time inspection of the entire fuel system and repetitive inspections of certain fuel selector valves. This proposed AD results from reports of airplane accidents associated with leaking or improperly operating fuel selector valves.
Model EMB-145XR airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27981; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-021-AD] - Proposes to require installation of a bonding jumper between the pilot valve line tube and the pressure refueling system tube. The proposal stems from MCAI from the aviation authority of Brazil. The MCAI cites a report that the refueling line inside the ventral fuel tank on the Embraer EMB-145XR aircraft model is not protected in accordance with SFAR-88 (Special Federal Aviation Regulation 88) requirements.
BOTH OCCUPANTS of a Robinson R44 II helicopter were killed last month when the aircraft crashed into a lake near the pilot's home in Bass Lake, Ind. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the Part 91 flight, which occurred about 2031 CDT, less than 10 minutes after the helicopter took off from the Starke County Airport in Knox, Ind. after refueling.
Joined AirCell as OEM sales manager. Aguirre has 20 years of industry experience, holding sales, completions and program management posts for companies including Gulfstream, Airshow and Securaplane. He also was an airframe repair specialist in the U.S. Air Force.
AVIATION INDUSTRY EXPO 2008, which is designed for participants involved in aircraft maintenance, ground support equipment, safety and FBO services, will be held March 18-20 at the Dallas, Texas Convention Center. The 2007 event drew more than 5,000 aviation professionals from more than 35 countries. For more information about next year's event, contact: www.AviationIndustryExpo.com.
Dermot Desmond, the Irish investor, entrepreneur and former owner of the London City Airport, has purchased a majority stake in ExecuJet, the business aviation services company headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland.
CHARTERX/WYVERN unveiled a new PASS service that provides pre-trip checks for commercial air charter. PASS, rolled out during last week's Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar in Tucson, Ariz., is the company's first new product since CharterX Corp. merged with Wyvern Consulting last year. Through PASS, charter passengers, brokers and operators can verify that each flight meets safety standards and is up-to-date in compliance with regulations.
ONE AVIATION FIRM with some good news on the environmental front is Aviation Partners, Inc. (API) of Seattle, Wash., which designs blended winglets for a variety of business jets and airliners, including the Hawker 800 Series, the Gulfstream II and the Boeing 737. API says installation of its winglets reduce an aircraft's fuel usage by approximately seven percent.
DA 42 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27610; Directorate Identifier 2007-CE-023-AD] - Proposes to require an exchange of the wing stub safety walks. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) from the airworthiness authority of Austria. The MCAI cites a report that the surface roughness of the wing stub safety walks Series 300, gray color (equals sandpaper grid 40), installed during production on some airplane serial numbers, adversely affects the aircraft single engine climb performance.
Falcon 10 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27983; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-192-AD] - Proposes to supersede an existing AD that requires revising the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) and installing a placard in the flight deck to prohibit flight into known or forecast icing conditions. In lieu of the AFM revision and placard installation, that AD allows identifying the part number of each flexible hose in the wing (slat) anti-icing system, performing repetitive inspections of each hose for delamination, and performing corrective actions if necessary.
A veteran aviation marketing executive, now has expanded duties with BBA Aviation's Engine Repair and Overhaul (ERO) organization. Pratt joined the organization, which includes Dallas Airmotive, Premier Turbines and H+S Aviation, in 2003 as director of marketing. In that role he has been involved in advertising, direct marketing, public relations, research and trade show activities.
UNISON INDUSTRIES was selected as the Tier 1 supplier of electrical systems on the new HF120 turbofan engine produced by GE Honda Aero Engines. The engine will power the HondaJet business jet that the Japanese manufacturer plans to build in Greensboro, N.C. (BA, Feb. 12/71). Under the 10-year contract Unison will provide electrical sets with an estimated value of $44.8 million. Unison will supply the exciters, ignition leads and plugs, speed, temperature and pressure sensors, a chip detector sensor and harnesses.
THE 19TH ANNUAL GREATER WASHINGTON AVIATION OPEN (GWAO), held May 7 at the Lansdowne Resort in Virginia, raised $127,000 for the Corporate Angel Network (CAN), the non-profit organization that arranges free flights aboard business jets for cancer patients seeking treatment. This year's GWAO attracted the participation of more than 80 aviation corporations and associations representing 37 states and several countries. The golf and tennis tournament also included participation by officials from Capitol Hill and federal agencies.
Farmers in Canada will be able to buy 11,000 acres of land at Montreal Mirabel International Airport under a report submitted to Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon by the facility's transition committee. The airport, which opened in 1975, is currently being used for cargo flights and by manufacturer Bombardier. The committee recommendations will now be studied by the Canadian government.
Alcoa executives responsible for the company's $3 billion per year aerospace business say they agree with Morgan Stanley analysts that the upturn in the commercial jet market is likely to extend until 2010 or 2011. The latest prediction is more positive than an earlier assessment that the upturn will end in 2008 or 2009, partly due to a growing economic rationale for fleet replacement - the need for greater fuel efficiency.
Pilot and safety advocacy organizations blasted a decision by Brazilian officials to recommend prosecution of two ExcelAire pilots whose Legacy business jet was involved in a midair collision with a Gol Airlines 737 last September over Brazil.
Triumph Group Inc., which designs, builds, repairs and overhauls a wide range of aircraft components and accessories, expects to generate revenues of more than $1 billion in fiscal 2008, officials said this month, continuing a period of strong growth for the Wayne, Pa. firm.
Was named senior vice president and chief financial officer for Triumph Group, effective June 1. Kornblatt, a certified public accountant who holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Drexel University, replaces John R. Bartholdson, who retired. Most recently, Kornblatt was senior vice president finance and CFO at Carpenter Technology Corp., a manufacturer and distributor of specialty alloys and engineered products.
MITRE CORPORATION developed a Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) Beacon radio for small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) that the McLean, Va. non-profit research firm said will help facilitate the safe introduction of the UAS vehicles into the national airspace system. MITRE said that the UAT units will transmit data about the UAS position and velocity, enabling pilots to better detect and track the small aircraft. The UAT Beacon radio uses a waveform compatible with the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system that is planned for deployment.
THE SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE is expected this week to consider its version of a comprehensive bill to reauthorize FAA programs and impose a new $25 user fee for air traffic control services. The Senate Finance Committee appears on track to release its portion of an FAA reauthorization bill that focuses on aviation taxes within the next couple weeks. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has been holding a series of reauthorization hearings and is targeting release of its bill before Congress takes off for its week-long Memorial Day break.
BALLISTIC RECOVERY SYSTEMS (BRS) said it is working with Diamond Aircraft to develop a parachute system for the five-seat DA50 Super Star. BRS, which provides full-aircraft parachute systems for Cirrus Design aircraft and other models, said the DA50 Super Star will be certified to fly without a parachute. The joint development program is designed to yield a system that can be offered as an option. "This arrangement, upon completion, will represent another step that will make our vision of parachutes on more airplanes a reality," said Larry Williams, president of BRS.
A BAN on Stage 2 business jets also still appears to be on the table during the reauthorization process. New Jersey legislators, including Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D) and Rep. Steve Rothman (D), have indicated that they would like to see Stage 2 business jets banned in their state. Others legislators are discussing a possible phase-out of Stage 2 business jets.
