Federal Aviation Administration, along with the Air Transport Association and the International Air Transport Association, has scheduled the Fourth Annual International Aviation Safety Forum Nov. 29-30 at the Westfield's Marriott in Chantilly, Va. The forum is designed for government and industry leaders to discuss safety risk management information and other international issues as well as provide an opportunity to expand partnerships.
Bombardier reorganized its business aircraft sales team to keep up with the growth in the market both in the U.S. and internationally, the company said. Bob Horner was named vice president of international sales, adding Asia Pacific, Central and South America to his sales responsibilities. Horner, based in Montreal, already was responsible for a sales territory that included Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Model F406 [Docket No. FAA-2006-26693 Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-90-AD; Amendment 39-14970; AD 2007-05-09] - Requires inspection of the nose landing gear and main landing gear locking devices and replacement to comply with the manufacturer's approved design. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by an aviation authority for France. This AD is issued following a nose landing gear collapse during takeoff roll.
NATCA President Patrick Forrey told the House aviation subcommittee Thursday that he believes a return to the bargaining table could "fix this critical problem immediately before the margin of safety...is further compromised." NATCA appeared before a sympathetic audience as House aviation subcommittee Chairman Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) said, "It is clear to me that the contract negotiation process as currently designed does not promote good faith negotiations and gives an unfair advantage to the FAA.
Appointed a sales representative for California for Mooney Airplane Company. Uecker began working for Million Air at the Monterey Peninsula Airport while still in high school and graduated in 2005 with a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical science from LeTourneau University. While at LeTourneau, he was general manager of KRS Express Aviation. More recently, he held a sales support position with Columbia Aircraft and worked as a salesman for two automobile dealerships.
Piper Aircraft President James Bass is promising "a few major product announcements" during the next year, with the first possibly coming as soon as next month's Sun 'N Fun gathering in Lakeland, Fla.
Brazilian plane-maker Embraer last week reported a $22.5 million drop in net revenues and a $55.6 million decrease in net income in fiscal 2006 despite a growing backlog that reached a record high of $14.8 billion. Embraer revenues for fiscal 2006 totaled $3.807 billion and net income slid to $390.1 million.
The U.S. Transportation Department's Inspector General last week found that FAA's verbal guidance on tower staffing was "misinterpreted and inconsistently applied" at small towers before a crash at Lexington, Ky., last year brought the issue into the spotlight. Because the guidance was verbal, staffing on midnight shifts at towers with combined approach control and tower "was not uniformly compliant." The IG also found that two other combined facilities only had one controller on the midnight shift on the date of the Lexington crash.
The leader of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Wednesday vowed to give the Federal Aviation Administration's user fee package a "decent burial," further dimming the chances that the agency's proposal to overhaul the aviation tax structure will move forward in the House.
Eurocopter AS350 and 355 helicopters are the subject of a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin issued by FAA Thursday. The agency warned of a potential flight safety hazard concerning serrated washers on the lower servo-control rod end fittings on flight control actuators. Eurocopter issued an alert March 20 addressing the problem. FAA said that excessive wear of washers "could lead to flight control disconnect and subsequent loss of aircraft control.
Even though significantly higher fuel prices helped dampen general aviation flying in 2006, the Federal Aviation Administration, in its recently released annual forecast of long-term aviation activity, believes that GA hours flown will increase an average of 3.4 percent per year through 2020, thanks in part to the introduction of Very Light Jets (VLJs).
Model ATR 42 and ATR 72 [Docket No. FAA-2007-27358; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-270-AD] - Proposes to require inspection for correct installation of the bonding cable, and repair, if necessary. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency. The MCAI cites a report that an ATR 42 experienced electrical arcing due to chafing between a bonding cable and electrical wires in the 120 VU (volt unit) electrical harness, causing the loss of some instruments and loss of one hydraulic circuit.
M.S. 760, M.S. 760 A, and M.S. 760 B airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26489; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-74-AD; Amendment 39-14966; AD 2007-05-05] - Requires a pre-takeoff check for contamination in ground icing conditions and prohibits takeoff when contamination is present and flight into known icing conditions. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency.
Macquarie Airports completed its acquisition of a larger stake in the Sydney, Australia Airport, exercising an option to buy BAA parent Ferrovial's 20.9 percent stake, an agreement announced a month ago. Sydney parent Southern Cross Airports Corp. Holdings Ltd. directors Meredith Hellicar and Luis Sanchez Salmeron resigned from the board following the completion of the transaction.
FAA recently raised its estimate for the number of controllers expected to retire in the next 10 years, and the agency also boosted its hiring target for this year to achieve the net increase of 189 needed to offset a growing surge in retirements.
QUEST AIRCRAFT flew the first fully conforming production Kodiak aircraft, Serial Number 001. The aircraft, N491KQ, made a 45-minute first flight from Quest's facility at Sandpoint Municipal Airport in Idaho March 16. The aircraft, which joins the prototype in the flight test program, will be used for function and reliability tests. "The Kodiak prototype successfully completed the flight testing phases that verified the aircraft's aerodynamic conformity and performance, as well as testing several key systems," said Quest President and CEO Paul Schaller.
Embraer was listed among analyst JPMorgan's top picks for commercial aerospace stocks. JPMorgan noted that Embraer has benefited from a shift in regional jet demand toward larger 70-100 seat aircraft. Since the end of 2002, Embraer's backlog for aircraft with 70 or more seats has jumped 247 percent, while Bombardier's backlog has dropped 33 percent. JPMorgan estimated that Embraer has captured about 80 percent of the regional jet backlog.
Cessna Aircraft handed over the first three of 11 Skyhawks destined for Northwestern Michigan College. The aircraft, equipped with Garmin G1000 glass panel avionics, will join the college's training fleet over the next 14 months. Cessna's authorized sales representative, Suburban Aviation in Lambertville, Mich., sold the aircraft. Northwestern Michigan College provides flight training separately and as part of the college curriculum, offering an associate degree in aviation.
Mooney Airplane Company expanded its support capabilities with the addition of four Mooney Service Centers - Eastern Air Center in Norwood, Mass.; General Aviation in Conroe, Texas; Silverhawk Aviation in Lincoln, Neb.; and US Aviation Group in Denton, Texas. The additions increase the Mooney Service Center network to 64 facilities worldwide. In addition to the 54 facilities in the U.S., Mooney has appointed service centers in Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, France and South Africa.
With certification of the Dassault Falcon 7X anticipated soon, the FAA has issued a series of special conditions to address the fact that the new three-engine business jet will have "novel or unusual design features when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes." Final special conditions have been issued concerning the interaction of the French-made jet's systems and structures, limit pilot forces, electrical and electronic flight control systems, and the hydrophobic windshield coating, which will be u
EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY is increasing its training fleet with the purchase of 10 new Diamond DA42 Twin Star aircraft. The twin-engine, diesel-powered aircraft will be equipped with the Garmin G1000 electronic display and autopilot.
Joined the architectural design firm HOK as senior vice president and director of transportation. Darmody will be based in San Francisco and be part of the leadership team for the firm's Aviation/Transportation practice. He has 37 years of planning, design and construction project experience, most recently as vice president and manager of Bechtel Global Aviation Services. He worked on the planning and design of New Doha International Airport in Doha, Qatar and projects at Chek Lap Kok International Airport in Hong Kong.
Model CL-600-2B16 (CL-604) airplanes and Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100 & 440) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26378; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-230-AD; Amendment 39-14972; AD 2007-05-11] - Supersedes two existing ADs. One existing AD requires replacing the horizontal stabilizer trim control unit (HSTCU) with a new HSTCU.
