Model 228-212 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26597; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-86-AD; Amendment 39-14900; AD 2007-02-13] - Requires inspecting the landing gear carbon brake assembly. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency.
ON THE OPERATIONAL SIDE Flight Options has "met or exceeded" the company's expectations, Wajsgras said. Raytheon Chairman and CEO William Swanson added that Flight Options "is executing to the plan that we laid out, and I'm pleased with what they're doing." Flight Options has restructured its fleet from 12 types of aircraft to four and shrunk the overall number of aircraft from 220 to 148. "Every metric has improved," Swanson said, citing performance in the areas of aircraft utilization and deadheading.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT COMPANY sold its FACTS maintenance tracking business to maintenance tracking specialist CAMP Systems and named CAMP the factory-endorsed provider of tracking services for all Hawker and Beechcraft aircraft. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. "CAMP's core business is maintenance tracking," said Randy Groom, RAC's president of Global Customer Service and Support. "CAMP invests over $4 million annually in new technology and development.
Was named vice president of charter sales for Executive Jet Management (EJM). Based at EJM's new charter office in the Dallas Park Cities area, Dolezal will be responsible for sales in Texas and the Southwest. She formerly served as a major account executive for Purolator USA in Dallas and has a background in sales management and international marketing.
Model Mystere-Falcon 900 and Falcon 900EX airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-26920; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-244-AD; Amendment 39-14897; AD 2007-02-10] - Requires a detailed inspection of the feeder cables and wiring for damage and correct location, application of epoxy resin to the oxygen box nuts and rivets, and corrective actions, if necessary (repairing the feeder cable, re-routing certain wiring, or installing a protective plate). The AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency.
Joined Downing Aviation Associates, a Phoenix, Ariz.-based aerospace consulting firm, as marketing and technical associate. Maxey graduated from the University of Texas in 1972 and subsequently held a number of engine and airframe engineering, marketing and management positions. He joined LTV Aerospace in Grand Prairie, Texas while still an undergraduate and later moved to Mitsubishi Aircraft Company as chief powerplant and systems engineer, leading the U.S. domestic certification program for the Japanese aircraft manufacturer.
GRETEMAN GROUP, the Wichita, Kan.-based branding, marketing and public relations consulting firm, was named the advertising agency of record for Bombardier Skyjet, Bombardier's jet card membership program. Greteman Group has provided marketing support for Bombardier's fractional aircraft ownership program Flexjet since the late 1990s. In addition to the Bombardier programs, Greteman provides services for FlightSafety International, Signature Flight Support and Dallas Airmotive, among other clients.
EMIRATES CAE FLIGHT TRAINING (ECFT) launched the region's first Gulfstream 550 business jet training program and signed a five-year contract with Chris Crum, CEO of Royal Jet of Abu Dhabi, UAE, for its pilots to train on the ECFT facility's 737BBJ and Gulfstream IV/400 full-flight simulators.
SHIP IT AOG, the Addison, Texas-based business aircraft parts supplier, increased its Hawker 800 distribution capabilities with the purchase of a national inventory of spares from an oil company's flight department. The inventory comprises more than 500 different parts for the Hawker 800, including window panels, igniters, inverters, generators, brakes, gauges, controls, switches, wheel assemblies, avionics, valves, pumps, sensors and connectors.
The National Transportation Safety Board last week appealed to law enforcement officials and the public in Colorado to help investigators find debris from the uncontained failure of a General Electric aircraft engine on Jan. 25.
Model F27 Mark 050 and F.28 Mark 0070 and 0100 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25219; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-259-AD; Amendment 39-14907; AD 2007-02-20] - Requires repetitively removing the two existing escape rope assemblies in the flight compartment and installing new escape rope assemblies. This AD results from reports of small cracks in the polyester assembly block in which the cotton escape rope is stored. A test revealed that the escape ropes had deteriorated over time, and the load capability was considerably reduced.
KEY PLAYERS in the discussion over how FAA should be funded were busy last week trying to frame the debate in advance of today's release of the Bush Administration's fiscal 2008 budget proposal. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey told a National Press Club audience Tuesday that the financing portion of the Administration's FAA reauthorization legislation will be unveiled in "the middle of February." That's a little sooner than officials had indicated earlier, but not surprising since the House aviation subcommittee has scheduled a Feb.
February 6-7 - NBAA: Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE) 2007, Hong Kong. Contact Linda Peters at (202) 783-9000, email: [email protected], www.abace.aero. February 15-17 - Women in Aviation International Conference, Orlando, Fla. Contact Connie Lawrence, WAI, (937) 839-4647. March 1-3 - Helicopter Association International, Heli-Expo 2007 Conference & Exhibition, Orlando, Fla. Contact Marilyn McKinnis at (703) 683-4646, fax: (703) 683-0341.
THE AIR GROUP last week broke ground on a multimillion-dollar expansion of its terminal and corporate headquarters at Van Nuys Airport (VNY) in California. The expansion will give The Air Group more than 86,000 square feet of hangar space and 12,000 square feet of office space at Van Nuys. Built by Aerolease Associates, LLC, the project is slated for completion this summer. The Air Group expects to open its new East Coast terminal at Teterboro, N.J. in March. Construction on that project began in late 2005.
ELLIOTT AVIATION added a Beechjet 400A and Beechcraft King Air 350 to its charter fleet at Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie, Minn. The King Air can carry nine passengers, and the Beechjet seats seven.
The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations issued a safety bulletin to its members detailing the problems and potentially dangerous situations pilots might encounter in dealing with Brazilian air traffic controllers.
Summary: This notice contains a summary of certain petitions seeking relief from specified requirements of 14 CFR, dispositions of certain petitions previously received, and corrections. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities.
Was named vice president of operations and program management for Associated Air Center (AAC), a Landmark Aviation company based at Dallas Love Field. Moore, who joined AAC last year as program management leader, will be responsible for operations in all aspects of the business, including quality, cost and aircraft delivery schedules as well as program management. Before joining AAC, Moore served as vice president and general manager for TIMCO, and director of operations, director of inspection and inspection manager for Northwest Airlines.
ATR won a contract from Canary Islands airline NAYSA for two ATR 72-500s valued at $36 million. The contract is a follow-on to an agreement signed in September for four ATR 72-500s. NAYSA currently operates Beech 1900 aircraft. The new fleet of ATRs will enable NAYSA to expand its agreement with Binter Canarias on inter-island connections.
"THE BUSINESSES AND COMMUNITIES across the country that rely on general aviation should be very concerned about the latest comments from the FAA," said National Business Aviation Association President Ed Bolen in a statement responding to Blakey's remarks. NBAA and other GA groups have been warning for more than a year that FAA was considering a series of new user fees on general and business aviation operators that could dramatically increase their cost of flying.
House and Senate leaders agreed to increase the Federal Aviation Administration's operations budget in fiscal 2007 despite an overall government-wide spending freeze that holds spending for most agencies to fiscal 2006 levels (BA, Jan. 22/35). The Democratic leadership unveiled a joint House/Senate funding resolution Monday for fiscal 2007 that would generally hold spending to fiscal 2006 levels, but would provide additional funds for budgets at some agencies that have high personnel costs.
Model DHC-8-400 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26217; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-209-AD; Amendment 39-14886; AD 2007-01-14] - Requires revising the Airworthiness Limitations Items (ALI) of the maintenance requirements manual to require additional inspection requirements of the maintenance requirements manual for certain principal structural elements (PSEs) related to fuselage cutouts and to reduce an inspection threshold for an existing ALI task on the aft entry door. This AD results from data obtained from the manufacturer's fatigue testing.
Fractional operators hired 674 pilots in 2006, down from the 750 hired the previous year, Aviation Information Resources, Inc. (AIR, Inc.) reported last week. AIR, Inc. projected fractional aircraft pilot hiring to increase slightly, to 700, in 2007. Overall, pilot hiring dropped from 10,405 in 2005 to 8,256 in 2006. AIR, Inc. forecast pilot hiring to increase to 8,510 this year.
