EADS SOCATA delivered the first TBM 850 VFT (Very Fast Turboprop) to be registered in Germany. The aircraft was handed over to Brose Flugservice, the corporate flight department of the Brose group and will replace a TBM 700C1. The aircraft will be based in Coburg in Bavaria, Germany, where Brose operates three business aircraft including a TBM 700A. Brose produces door and seat components and systems for the automotive industry.
Was named vice president, treasurer for the new Hawker Beechcraft Corp. Sellew will manage cash and liquidity management, bank financing, currency and interest rate hedging and vendor financing. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts with a master's of science in finance from Bentley College, Sellew had a 21-year career with Raytheon and is a graduate of the company's Financial Leadership Development Program. Most recently he was director, international sales finance for Raytheon's Corporate Treasury organization.
GTSIO-520 series reciprocating engines [Docket No. FAA-2005-20850; Directorate Identifier 2005-NE-05-AD; Amendment 39-14976; AD 2007-05-15] - Supersedes an existing AD that requires initial and repetitive visual inspections of the starter adapter assembly and crankshaft gear and unscheduled visual inspections of the starter adapter assembly and crankshaft gear due to a rough-running engine.
Senior Democrats on the House aviation subcommittee last week reiterated concerns about the shift toward contracting out aircraft maintenance and questioned whether FAA should require air carriers to use only certificated contractors. Speaking during a subcommittee hearing on outsourced maintenance Thursday, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) said, "I can't understand why we have a parallel system" of certificated and noncertificated contractors.
Models AT-602, AT-802 and AT-802A airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27212; Directorate Identifier 2007-CE-011-AD] - Proposes to supersede an AD that currently requires repetitively inspecting the engine mount for any cracks, repairing or replacing any cracked engine mount, and reporting any cracks found to the FAA. Since FAA issued AD 2006-22-08, the agency has received reports of two Model AT-802A airplanes with cracked engine mounts (at 2,815 hours time-in-service (TIS) and 1,900 hours TIS) below the initial compliance time in AD 2006-22-08.
Was named general manager of Dallas Airmotive's Premier Turbines division in Neosho, Mo. where he will be responsible for day-to-day operations and profitability of the engine repair and overhaul facility. "Alton has done an outstanding job as our director of supply chain management since joining us in January 2005," said Hugh E. McElroy, president and CEO of Dallas Airmotive. Johnson spent 21 years in maintenance management in U.S. Army Aviation assignments.
PIPER AIRCRAFT President and CEO James Bass won't discuss the research and development budget for the company's new $2.2 million single-engine PiperJet, citing competitive reasons. But he said Piper, which is owned by American Capital, has funds available now for the early stages of the program and is in the progress of getting all the money needed to ensure production and certification of the PiperJet. Piper has a record of getting new aircraft to market on schedule and on-budget, he told BA, including most recently the Piper Meridian single-engine turboprop.
THE FORMER Signature Flight Support fixed-based operation in Oxnard, Calif. (OXR) was purchased by Harold Lee, the president and owner of Million Air Burbank and Million Air Van Nuys. The OXR facility is now known as Golden West Jet Center. Lee's son, Steve Lee, is the general manager at OXR. A recent graduate of San Luis Obispo University, Steve Lee has seven years of FBO experience.
Piper Aircraft officials are moving forward with development of a new single-engine jet aircraft, a possible consolidation of the company's product line and a comprehensive review of whether Piper should move its headquarters and manufacturing facility from Vero Beach, Fla.
The National Transportation Safety Board recommended the Federal Aviation Administration require inspections on Cessna 150 and 152 models to ensure that the rudder bumpers are correctly installed on the rudder horn assembly. The recommendation stemmed from the April 11, 2005 crash of a Cessna 152, N24779, near Williamsburg, Ohio, that killed a certificated flight instructor and a student pilot.
Models C90A, B200, B200C, B300, and B300C airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27071; Directorate Identifier 2007-CE-004-AD] - Propose to supersede AD 2006-23-02, which requires inspecting the flight controls for improper assembly or damage, and if any improperly assembled or damaged flight controls are found, taking corrective action. Since FAA issued AD 2006-23-02, the agency determined the need to add airplane serial numbers that were not previously included in the applicability.
THE CONTINUING DRUMBEAT of opposition to the Bush Administration's FAA reauthorization proposal, and the growing likelihood that Congress will toss out that proposal and write its own FAA reauthorization bill, appears to be taking a toll on FAA Administrator Marion Blakey. Administrator Blakey, whose five-year term is scheduled to end in September, complained last week "It's mighty frustrating when you've got people out there saying our bill didn't get it right, but no one is saying what 'right' looks like."
AND THE CRITICISM KEEPS COMING. Colorado aviation director Travis Vallin told the House aviation subcommittee last week that much of the Administration's proposal "is not in the public interest," citing efforts to prevent judicial review of items such as user fees and tax increases.
A TRIP TO WICHITA could soon become more expensive. The Kansas legislature is debating gaming legislation, which if adopted, could see construction of a casino in or near the "Air Capital of the World."
Model 205A, 205A-1, 205B, 212, 412, 412CF, and 412EP helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2007-27496; Directorate Identifier 2005-SW-37-AD] - Proposes to supersede an existing AD that requires inspecting each affected tail rotor blade forward tip weight retention block and the aft tip closure for adhesive bond voids, and removing any blade with an excessive void from service. That AD also requires modifying certain blades by installing shear pins and tip closure rivets.
Brazilian plane-maker Embraer late last month was readying its first Phenom 100 Very Light Jet for final assembly in time for a first flight by mid-2007. The aircraft's fuselage and wing were completed at the Embraer factory in Botucatu and then shipped to the Sao Jose dos Campos facility for wing-fuselage mating and final assembly. Pratt & Whitney Canada delivered the first two PW617F engines to Embraer for installation last month.
ATR received an order from Canary Islands-based Islas Airways for six new ATR 72-500s valued at $110 million. Islas Airways currently operates one ATR 42-300 and four ATR 72-200 aircraft. ATR will deliver the first two Islas ATR 72-500s this year followed by two more in 2008 and the final pair in 2009. The aircraft will be equipped with 70 seats and ATR's "Elegance Cabin" interior. Islas will use the aircraft to increase frequency and expand routes.
The chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee last week called on the Federal Aviation Administration to step up its efforts to ensure the accuracy of medical certificates, citing "egregious" cases of fraud. Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) released a report compiled by the T&I Committee that found that 10 percent of pilots involved in fatal accidents had a neurological, mental or cardiovascular condition that was not reported on their applications for medical certificates.
Australian banking and investment conglomerate Macquarie Group, which began acquiring fixed-base operations in the U.S. about three years ago, would become the country's largest FBO owner if a deal to purchase the 22 Mercury Air Center locations now owned by Allied Capital Corp. goes through. Officials of the two investment groups are believed to have had exploratory talks for more than a year, but those discussions turned serious over the past month or six weeks.
Helicopter Association International's Heli-Expo 2007, held earlier this month at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., drew 14,806 attendees. The event included 536 exhibitors that occupied nearly 215,000 square feet of space on the convention floor. HAI will hold Heli-Expo 2008 Feb. 24-26, 2008 in Houston, Texas.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association last week continued its appeal to Congress to reopen the contract that FAA imposed on the agency's air traffic controllers in September, warning that morale is "extremely low" and retirements are numbering about three per day. Controllers have turned to the grievance process to voice their dissatisfaction with the situation, filing some 250,000 grievances since the most recent contract was implemented. "One of the only recourses we have is the grievances," a NATCA spokesman said.
Embraer received an order from Italian carrier Alpi Eagles for five Embraer 195 jets. The order includes options for five more 195s and purchase rights for another six. Embraer valued the contract, including options and purchase rights, at $584 million. Alpi Eagles is launching the 122-seat high-capacity variant of the 195 for use on the carrier's intra-European routes. The 195 is the largest of Embraer's E-Jets family. Embraer has reported 619 firm orders and 568 options for the E-Jet line.
ALBANY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY is soliciting bids for T-hangars and nearby infrastructure improvements. The infrastructure includes a new access roadway, two car parking areas, aprons, signage and security fencing. The T-hangar project calls for two prefabricated metal T-hangar buildings - one single-engine 10-unit hangar and one twin-engine 10-unit hangar with an additional 84-foot by 60-foot hangar. Bid documents may be obtained beginning March 29 at the Albany County Airport Authority Purchasing Office, Administration Building, Room 204, Second Floor, Albany, N.Y.
Piaggio Aero Industries signed an agreement to sponsor Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen, both drivers of the Scuderia Ferrari F1 team. The latest agreement expands the partnership, which previously covered Massa. Under the sponsorship deal, the Piaggio Aero logo will be displayed on the drivers' racing uniforms throughout the 2006-07 season. The Scuderia Ferrari team will travel to races in a Piaggio P180 Avanti bearing the Ferrari "prancing horse" trademark.
