The core demonstrator for Snecma's Silvercrest turbofan - a new 9,500- to 12,000-pound-thrust engine designed for super mid-size and large business jets with gross weights of between 45,000 and 60,000 pounds - is scheduled to begin ground testing later this year at a facility in Villaroche, France. Although no applications for the new engine have been publicly announced yet, the Silvercrest could enter service as early as 2012, according to Snecma.
Liberty Aerospace appointed Keith Markley president and chief executive. Markley formerly was chief operating officer for the company, and before that, vice president of sales and marketing. In his new role, Markley succeeds Anthony Tiarks, who will remain on the company's board of directors. "Liberty Aerospace has grown significantly over the last two years, moving to a full-production Part 23 aircraft manufacturer," Tiarks said. "During this time, Keith has demonstrated his ability to lead and grow the company to meet increasing worldwide demand.
Brazilian manufacturer Embraer continues to work hard on defining new aircraft to round out its offering of executive jets, but officials are not saying exactly when they will be ready to announce any new products. The first is expected to be an aircraft in the mid-light to mid-size segment of the market.
American Legend Aircraft Company, the Sulphur Springs, Texas-based manufacturer of the Legend Cub, formed a new division, American Legend Aircraft Services, to provide restoration services on vintage tube-and-fabric aircraft. The unit will provide repair, overhaul and upgrade services ranging from annual inspections to complete restorations.
The Federal Aviation Administration last week sought comments on a new revision to the interpretation of "known icing" that came in response to an Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association appeal. AOPA urged the agency to repeal a previous determination that "high relative humidity" was a condition of known icing, saying the determination was overreaching. FAA's Eastern Region counsel in June made the determination that high relative humidity constitutes known icing conditions after a pilot sought to clarify when "known ice" exists for purposes of enforcement action.
The Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) has generated an impressive number of ATM concepts and blueprints in its three-year existence, but Director Charles Leader believes a new approach is needed to help JPDO bring some of these grand plans to fruition.
GARY JET CENTER is planning to more than double its hangar space with a new 38,000-square-foot hangar at its facilities at the Gary/Chicago International Airport. The $5 million project is expected to be completed this spring. Gary Jet Center, 30 minutes from downtown Chicago, has been an Avfuel branded dealer since 1995, and participates in the AVTRIP fuel incentive program.
Was appointed vice president of programs and new business for Mooney Airplane Company. Washburn formerly spent 19 years with Gulfstream Aerospace, most recently as program director for multi-mission aircraft. Washburn graduated from Southwest Missouri State University (now called Missouri State) with a bachelor of science in applied mathematics and a minor in industrial engineering. He has a dual master's degree from the University of Texas in mathematics and in management and administrative science.
MILLENNIUM CONCEPTS, based in Wichita, Kan., won a contract from Gore Design Completions to provide structural design and certification work for the interior of a Boeing Business Jet. The project will be the first time Millennium has teamed with San Antonio, Texas-based Gore. Millennium has a background in designing and certifying VIP interiors on a range of business aircraft, from Cessna Caravans to Boeing 747s.
A booming business jet market helped make up for slow regional airline aircraft sales for Bombardier Aerospace, which last week reported revenues of $8.2 billion for fiscal 2007. Bombardier Aerospace revenues for the year ended Jan. 31, 2007 were up slightly from the fiscal 2006 revenues of $8.1 billion.
AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION has begun to offer the Air Safety Foundation Pinch Hitter course on-line. The course is designed to familiarize non-pilots with a basic cockpit layout to make them more comfortable flying as a passenger. The course will provide virtual flying practice and simulates control of the ailerons, rudder and landing. The course is not intended to be used as flight training, but it does provide tips for passengers in case of pilot incapacitation. The course is at www.asf.org/pinchhitter.
Model AS350B, AS350B1, AS350B2, AS350B3, AS350BA, AS350C, AS350D, and AS350D1 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2006-25085; Directorate Identifier 2006-SW-02-AD; Amendment 39-14996; AD 2007-06-15] - Requires replacing a certain hydraulic drive belt. Also required is reducing the lubrication time interval for a certain hydraulic pump drive shaft. This amendment is prompted by in-flight failures of the drive belt and the drive shaft.
MOONEY is offering Jeppesen's NavData services and electronic charts on Ovation2 GX, Ovation3 and Acclaim airplanes. The NavData package will be preloaded onto the Garmin G1000 avionics systems and subscriptions to the Jeppesen service will coincide with aircraft delivery date. The Jeppesen-Mooney bundle includes an aviator bag that holds the G1000 NavData Starter kit, JeppView digital charts for the Multi-Function Display (MFD), a binder, tabs, and paper en route charts.
Joined ServiceElements as motivational speaker/ facilitator and strategist. Ramsay has an 18-year business aviation career, beginning as a customer service representative for Butler Aviation at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. She has served with flight departments, Signature Flight Support, Jet Aviation and most recently, the Exxon Avitat Network. She has chaired the National Business Aviation Association Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference and Committee.
A worn tire on a Piaggio Avanti twin turboprop is the focus of a National Transportation Safety Board investigation of an accident that substantially damaged the aircraft this month.
SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-W. Va.) joined the growing list of key lawmakers who are declaring the Bush Administration's user fee FAA funding plan as essentially a no-go. Rockfeller, chairman of the aviation subcommittee, said he doesn't think the FAA plan is "going anywhere in particular in either branch of Congress." Rockefeller said he told FAA Administrator Marion Blakey that the plan is failing "not just because of the user fees, but because people [in Congress] hadn't been given enough information. They didn't have a plan.
SOLOY AVIATION SOLUTIONS signed an agreement with Airwork New Zealand to sell and support Soloy's AS350 conversion kit. The kit converts the helicopter to Honeywell LTS101 power. Airwork is an approved Honeywell Maintenance Center. Based in Ardmore Airfield, Auckland, Airwork New Zealand has bases throughout New Zealand and Australia.
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD is celebrating its 40th anniversary. NTSB launched as an independent entity April 1, 1967 after the Bureau of Safety was removed from the Civil Aeronautics Board. Since then, NTSB has overseen investigation of some 130,000 aviation accidents, in addition to thousands of highway, rail, marine and pipeline accidents. The safety board, which has fewer than 400 employees, is charged with investigating every civil aviation accident and major accidents involving other modes of transportation.
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 39-14982; AD 2007-06-01] - Supersedes AD 62-24-01, which currently requires repetitively inspecting, using the dye penetrant method, the front and rear horizontal stabilizer spars for cracks and replacing any cracked stabilizer.
The Next Generation Air Transportation Systems Institute, which has had difficulty keeping an executive director in place, is now seeking another candidate after the resignation last month of Stephen T. Fisher.
The former Raytheon Aircraft Company workforce continued to deliver new airplanes to customers last week, but those deliveries were taking place under the new Hawker Beechcraft banner, following the sale of the Wichita manufacturer for $3.3 billion to GS Capital Partners, a partnership between Canadian conglomerate Onex Corp. and investment banker Goldman Sachs.
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION has scheduled its 2007 Day on the Hill May 7. The event will provide NATA members a venue to discuss key aviation issues with House and Senate members. The event follows NATA's committee meetings, where Nicholas Sabatini, FAA associate administrator for aviation safety, and Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, are scheduled to speak.
