After Maintaining Radio Silence on the issue for years, the Department of Transportation finally acknowledged last week that it is moving into newly constructed quarters in what is called the Southeast Federal Center in Washington, D.C. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration began moving in last week, and the other 5,600 headquarters employees should complete the process by the end of June. DOT employees have been in leased quarters in the 10-story Nassif Building in southwest D.C, just two blocks from FAA headquarters, for the past 38 years.
Rockwell Collins said its Pro Line 21 Integrated Display System (IDS) was certified on a Piaggio 180 aircraft. Jet Works in Denton, Texas, installed the system. The IDS integrates liquid crystal displays and graphics with traffic alert collision avoidance systems, terrain awareness warning systems, communication, flight management and autopilot systems.
Lufthansa placed an order last week for 30 Embraer 190s and 15 Bombardier CRJ-900s. The company's supervisory board approved of the deals ahead of the annual shareholder meeting in Berlin. Deliveries will start by the end of next year. The decision shows a strategic shift in Lufthansa's regional network. The airline is moving upward in aircraft size, as the Embraer and Bombardier jets will replace smaller Avro RJ-85s and CRJ-200 with 50-seat operations moving more to affiliates, such as Eurowings and Contact Air.
Model ERJ 170 Airplanes and Model ERJ 190 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27785; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-267-AD] - Proposes to require a functional test to check the Flight Guidance Control System (FGCS) channels and engagement and replacement of the actuator input-output processor in accordance with EMBRAER Service Bulletin 170-22-0003 or 190-22-0002, both dated Nov. 9, 2006. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the aviation authority of Brazil.
Embraer picked up a significant breakthrough order from Lufthansa last week. The German carrier, which has been a loyal Bombardier CRJ customer for its regional routes, placed an order for 30 Embraer 190s, exactly double the number of Bombardier CRJ-900s it agreed to buy. See article below.
Joined The NORDAM Group as managing director, sales and marketing, Asia Pacific. Rossi formerly served with Honeywell International, Singapore, where he was director, sales and marketing and customer account leader in charge of Singapore Airlines and NORDAM's account.
Columbia Aircraft's Columbia composite airframe recently completed successful fatigue testing that matched the equivalent of 25,000 flight hours at loads exceeding the airframe's utility category certification levels. The testing involved more than 100 sites of damage, 25 intentional manufacturing defects and a number of structural and nonstructural repairs. The airframe withstood the testing, "while the testing fixture, made of high-strength steel, was beginning to fail due to metal fatigue," Columbia said.
CT7-5, -7 and -9 series turboprop engines [Docket No. FAA-2005-20944; Directorate Identifier 2003-NE-64-AD; Amendment 39-15018; AD 2007-08-01] - Supersedes an existing AD that applies to GE CT7-5A2, -5A3, -7A, -7A1, -9B, -9B1, and -9B2, -9C, -9C3, -9D, and -9D2 turboprop engines, with certain part number and serial number Stage 2 turbine aft cooling plates installed. That AD currently requires a one-time eddy current inspection (ECI) of boltholes in certain P/N Stage 2 turbine aft cooling plates.
Beech Models 45 (YT-34), A45 (T-34A, B-45), and D45 (T-34B) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25105; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-33-AD; Amendment 39-15016; AD 2007-06-01 R1] - Clarifies an AD that requires repetitively inspecting, using the eddy current method, the front and rear horizontal stabilizer spars for cracks and replacing any cracked stabilizer.
The general aviation community last week sent a flurry of letters to papers across the country after the Associated Press reported that the federal government has awarded billions of dollars from airline passenger taxes to small airports used "mainly by private pilots and globetrotting corporate executives." The article quoted Bob Poole, the director of transportation studies for the Reason Foundation, who has long advocated user fees, as saying that general aviation facilities are "making out like bandits" while airline passengers are overtaxed to give private jets a fre
Silverjet, the British business-class carrier, became the launch customer for the new Wireless Emergency Primary Power System (WEPPS) developed by STG Aerospace. The WEPPS system is designed to reduce aircraft operating costs through new application of current technologies for managing and powering emergency lighting systems in aircraft. STG said WEPPS comprises a series of "fit-for-life" nonrechargeable battery modules that replace conventional NiCad battery/charger packs.
The Elling Halvorson family, which has been involved in the air tour industry in the Southwest and Hawaii for decades, further consolidated its holdings with the recent acquisition of Scenic Airlines by Grand Canyon Airlines.
Garmin subsidiary Digital Cyclone developed a new Pilot My-Cast cell phone service that provides personalized flight planning and weather information. The service allows pilots to file a flight plan from the cell phone without talking to a flight service station. Pilots will input required flight plan data, such as name, aircraft identification, departure point, cruising altitude, fuel on board, route, and estimated time en route. Pilots then transmit the information to the DUATS provider.
Comp Air Aviation, the manufacturer of kit-built aircraft, said company owner Ron Lueck made a successful April 14 first flight of the Comp Air 12, a single-engine turboprop powered by a nose-mounted Honeywell TPE331-14GR.
Cessna Aircraft won an order from the Gestair Group for 11 172 Skyhawks. Gestair operates 23 Skyhawks at its headquarters in Madrid and another 21 in Cascais, Portugal.
May 8-10 - 52nd Annual Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar, Tucson, Ariz. Contact FSF, (703) 739-6700, fax: (703) 739-6708. May 9 - Coping With Crisis 101-Managing an Aviation Disaster, Hilton Garden Inn, Chicago Midway Airport. Register at www.thecommunicationsworkshop.com May 15-17 - Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association Spring Conference, Scottsdale Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort, Scottsdale, Ariz. Registration and conference information available at www.raccaonline.org
EADS SOCATA'S TBM 850 won approval from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia for commercial passenger and freight operations in all conditions under Approved Single-Engine Turbine-Powered Aircraft (ASETPA) rules. The TBM 850 predecessor, the TBM 700C2, won similar approval two years earlier. The TBM 850 is a speedier variant of its predecessor with a maximum cruising speed of 320 knots true airspeed at Flight Level 260. Priced at $2.6 million, the aircraft is equipped with a Garmin GMX 200 multifunction display.
JetDirect Aviation, LLC and Sentient Jet, Inc. announced plans to merge last week, saying the combined company will "offer the ultimate in product flexibility and choice for customers who fly privately, offering a compelling alternative to the fractional ownership model."
Model EMB-135BJ airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26685; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-200-AD; Amendment 39-15015; AD 2007-07-14] - Requires modifying the forward and aft auxiliary fuel tanks. This AD results from a fuel system reassessment according to SFAR 88 criteria, which revealed the possibility of sparks due to chafing between the harnesses of the forward and aft auxiliary fuel tanks, between certain harnesses attached to the aircraft structure, or between certain harnesses attached to certain mechanical components.
The Federal Aviation Administration last week proposed lengthening the duration for first- and third-class medical certificates for pilots under the age of 40. The proposal would extend a third-class medical for pilots under age 40 to 60 months instead of the current 36 calendar months. A first-class medical would be valid for 12 months for air transport-rated pilots under age 40 instead of six months. These new durations would be consistent with standards the International Civil Aviation Organization set in November 2005.
Model ERJ 170 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25419; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-055-AD; Amendment 39-15007; AD 2007-07-10] - Requires replacing the mini-latches on certain lavatory waste compartment doors with new, stronger latches, and other specified actions. This AD results from reports of certain lavatory waste compartment doors opening during flight due to movement of the waste compartment during takeoff, because the mini-latches installed on the doors of those compartments lose their strength over time.
CAE increased its CAE Global Academy training network with the addition of three new flight training organizations. The latest additions are SAA Flight Training in San Diego, Calif.; Hub'Air in Brussels, Belgium; and Moncton Flight College in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. The organizations partner with CAE's ab-initio training efforts. Students receive ab-initio training at CAE Global Academy locations and then receive type ratings through the global network.
Accidents involving U.S. business turbine aircraft were up slightly in the first quarter of 2007, but the number of fatalities decreased, according to data compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla. There were 19 accidents in the first three months, including five fatal accidents which resulted in 11 fatalities. During the same period in 2006, there were 16 accidents involving business turbine operators, five fatal accidents and 15 fatalities.
