CESSNA won contracts from four flight schools in Europe for new Cessna 172 Skyhawks. Cessna sold four 172s to the Romanian Aviation Academy in Bucharest, which will double the school's Skyhawk fleet. Aeroclub Milano in Italy also is doubling its fleet of 172s, with a contract for two G1000-equipped aircraft. In addition, Cessna secured a contract from Euro Flyers in Spain for 14 aircraft to be delivered this year. The aircraft will replace an existing fleet that is used for initial and instrument training.
AIRNET SYSTEMS of Columbus, Ohio announced the resignation of Joel E. Biggerstaff, the company's president, chief executive and chairman. Biggerstaff, who will serve as a consultant to the company through 2007, joined AirNet in 1999. He was promoted to CEO in 2001 and became chairman following the retirement of Jerry Mercer, AirNet's founder. Bruce D. Parker, 59, an AirNet director since 2002, has assumed the role of CEO and board chairman.
Sikorsky Aircraft says it has selected General Electric Aviation to provide the new CH-53K heavy lift helicopter's main engines, representing at least the second major subsystem supplier selected by Sikorsky for the huge, newly built helo. The GE38-1B engine planned for the U.S. Marine Corps CH-53K is a derivative of the CFE738 commercial turbofan engine and the U.S. Navy T407 turboprop engine, Sikorsky said Dec. 22.
BOMBARDIER received an order from Securite Civile of France for another Bombardier 415 amphibious firefighting aircraft. The order will boost the French fleet to 12 Bombardier 415 aircraft. France, which took delivery of its first CL-215 amphibian aircraft in 1969, was the launch customer for the Bombardier 415 in 1994. Bombardier has since delivered 65 Model 415s to firefighting agencies in Croatia, Greece, Italy, Canada (Ontario and Quebec), Spain and France.
A veteran of administrative posts on Capitol Hill, joined the General Aviation Manufacturers Association as the organization's executive assistant and scheduler. Most recently, Kohler served as executive assistant to Rep. Ben Chandler (D-Ky.), where she served as liaison to the staff of foreign embassies as well as to various House committees. Those duties included monitoring transportation and infrastructure work within the House aviation subcommittee. Kohler previously worked for Rep. Tom Barrett (D-Wis.) and at the law offices of John T. O'Rourke.
The Transportation Security Administration added two key airports - Dulles International (IAD) in the Washington, D.C. area and Bradley International (BDL) in Windsor Locks, Conn. - to the list of approved "gateway airports" for direct access to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). TSA requires that all general aviation flights depart from a gateway airport before they fly into DCA. The gateway airport is one of several general aviation requirements included in the DCA Access Security Program (DASSP), which the agency established in July 2005.
GERMAN air traffic controllers were expected to delay a planned strike that was originally set to begin during the weekend. The Gewerkschaft der Flugsicherung (GdF) union was studying a pay proposal from German air traffic control provider Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS). The initial DFS proposal called for a three percent wage hike for controllers, plus a one-time payment of about US$2,200.
FIRSTFLIGHT added a Gulfstream G200 to its charter fleet. The aircraft will be based at Stewart/Newburgh Airport in New York. The aircraft replaces a Learjet 55 that was under management by FirstFlight in New York. The Learjet, sold to a new owner, will continue to be managed by FirstFlight, but based in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa. The Learjet also is expected to be available for charter frequently in the Chicago area.
(Type Certificate No. A48EU formerly held by APEX Aircraft and AVIONS PIERRE ROBIN), Model R2160 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26492; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-77-AD; Amendment 39-14861; AD 2006-26-03] - Requires inspecting the fuel pressure indication system for leakage at the end of the adapter in the fuel pressure indication system. Such leaks could allow fuel to collect near the exhaust manifold and lead to a fire. None of the Alpha Aviation Model R2160 airplanes affected by this action are on the U.S. Registry.
HOUSE DEMOCRATS last week formally elected Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Oberstar, most recently the ranking Democrat on T&I, has been involved with the committee and its predecessor Public Works and Transportation since he was first elected in 1974. Oberstar has chaired the aviation, investigations and oversight and economic development subcommittees. He became the ranking Democrat of the committee in late 1995.
EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY has delayed the beginning of spring semester classes at its Daytona Beach, Fla. campus until next week as the school continues to clean up and recover from a Christmas Day tornado that inflicted major damage, including the destruction of most of the ERAU flight training fleet. School officials said the opening of classes was pushed back from Jan. 10 to Jan.
Part 135 charter operators will begin receiving notification soon from Federal Aviation Administration inspectors that they must adhere to a new Operations Specification, OpSpec A008, designed to ensure that operators have clear operational control of their aircraft. The long-awaited OpSpec was released in late December after months of close collaboration between the agency and industry.
A FINAL National Air Tour Safety Standard is expected to be published this week by FAA, and a large segment of the aviation community hopes the agency has substantially modified its initial proposal. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, unveiled in October 2003, quickly drew a wave of protest from organizations representing the general aviation community as well as air tour operators. Opponents said the proposal was misdirected and overreaching, and thousands of people submitted critical comments to the rulemaking docket (BA, May 17, 2004/225).
Model EMB-145XR airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-24440; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-058-AD; Amendment 39-14862; AD 2006-26-04] - Requires replacement of certain segments of the passenger seat tracks with new, improved seat tracks. This AD results from instances in which the shear plungers of the passenger seat legs were not adequately fastened. FAA is issuing this AD to prevent inadequate fastening of the seat leg shear plungers, which could result in failure of the passenger seat tracks during emergency landing conditions and consequent injury to passengers.
FORMER NBAA EXECUTIVE William (Bill) Horn, Jr. died Dec. 14 of complications from Parkinson's Disease. Horn was a retired Air Force colonel. He was manager of airspace/air traffic control for NBAA from late 1972 through the early 1980s. Arrangements are being handled by the Demaine Funeral Home in Old Town Alexandria, Va., where visitation will be held Jan. 18. Burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery at 9 a.m. Jan. 19.
L'Avion, a French startup carrier, began offering all-business flights in a Boeing 757 fleet last week between Orly Airport in Paris and Newark, N.J., the fourth scheduled carrier to begin offering business-class flights in the past two years. The French carrier plans to operate six weekly frequencies with Boeing 757-200s leased from Lufthansa in a 90-seat configuration. Roundtrip fares range from 1,600 to 3,000 euros (about US$3,935), and the airline claims its lowest fares are half what traditional carriers charge for business-class seats.
ELLIOTT AVIATION was named an authorized service center for Embraer Phenom 100 and 300 aircraft. The authorization covers a range of services, including routine inspections, scheduled and unscheduled airframe, engine, avionics and other systems maintenance and repairs. The six-passenger Phenom 100 is slated to enter service in mid-2008. The aircraft is priced at $2.85 million. The nine-passenger Phenom 300 is priced at $6.65 million and will enter service in mid-2009.
UNITED BUSINESS MEDIA PLC said Thursday that its Commonwealth Business Media (CBM) unit acquired U.K.-based Aviation Industry Group Ltd. (AIG) for about $11 million. AIG is the organizer of 21 annual exhibitions and conferences for the aviation industry, supported by three print titles and associated Internet products. The exhibitions are held in the U.K., while the conferences are held at sites around the world. The acquisition will extend CBM's geographical reach and enhance its product portfolio for the aviation industry, the company said.
A package of ethics reform measures pushed by the the new Democratic Party leadership bans House members from using "official, personal or campaign funds to pay for the use of privately owned airplanes," but at least one House member said the wording of the measure also will prohibit members of Congress who are private pilots from flying their own airplanes.
UTILICRAFT AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES, INC., which is developing a new twin-engine turboprop for the short-haul air cargo market, signed a letter of intent with R&D Development Corp. of Swansea, Ill. for construction of a 55,500-square-foot flight test hangar and office facility on Utilicraft's leasehold at the Double Eagle II Airport in Albuquerque, N.M. Utilicraft is developing the FF-1080-300ER, an all-aluminum, high-wing, twin-engine, unpressurized, fixed-gear twin turboprop specifically for use in the short-haul air cargo market.
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] - Revises an earlier proposal that would have superseded an existing AD that currently requires revising the Emergency Procedures section of the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) to advise the flightcrew of additional procedures to follow in the event of stabilizer trim runaway.
BN-2, BN-2A, BN-2B, BN-2T, and BN-2T-4R series (All individual models included in Type Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) A17EU, Revision 16, Dated Dec. 9, 2002), and BN-2A-Mklll Trislander Series (All individual models included in Type Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) A29EU, Revision 4, Dated Dec. 9, 2002) airplanes [Docket No.
Model TBM 700 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26235; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-65-AD] - Proposes to require for MLG with forging body totaling more than 1,750 landings but less than 3,475 landings since new: Inspecting the forging body for cracks within 100 landings after the effective date of this AD in accordance with the accomplishment instructions of EADS SOCATA TBM Aircraft Mandatory Service Bulletin SB 70-130, ATA No. 32, dated January 2006. If no cracks are detected, the proposal would require repetitive inspections every 175 landings.
The Federal Aviation Administration last month revised its guidance for issuing Letters of Deviation Authority (LODA) for large aircraft operators who want to fly under certain Part 91 provisions rather than obtain Part 125 certification. The agency early last year made a policy determination that large aircraft operators were required to obtain Part 125 certification and decided to stop issuing blanket waivers (BA, April 17/173).
