Raytheon Aircraft Company's Hawker Completion Center in Little Rock, Ark. was certified as a Designated Alteration Station (DAS) by FAA. The Little Rock facility is now approved to issue supplemental type certificates and experimental certificates for altered aircraft, and amend airworthiness certificates for such aircraft. "Achieving DAS authorization allows us to complete certain phases of the certification process on our own," said Mark Fuller, the facility's DAS administrator.
Aviation industry and White House officials last week objected to House passage of a bill, H.R.1, that calls for implementing a number of the Sept. 11 commission recommendations, including a mandate for screening of all air cargo aboard passenger aircraft. The House passed the bill 299-128 Tuesday as part of the Democrats' "First 100 Hours" pledge.
The National Air Transportation Association wrote senior FAA officials hoping to clear up a handful of issues that the final Operations Specification, OpSpec A008, on Part 135 operational control has raised, including issues dealing with pilot employment and payment. FAA drew mostly praise for its collaboration on the long-awaited OpSpec A008 that was released late last month (BA, Jan. 8/13).
Aircraft components supplier TransDigm group has agreed to pay $430 million to acquire Aviation Technologies Inc. (ATI), a Seattle based supplier of interior products for a wide array of military and commercial aircraft. The deal, which is expected to close in February, is by far the largest acquisition ever made by TransDigm and the first since the Cleveland company went public in March 2006. ATI had revenues of $105 million last year and would expand TransDigm's sales base by nearly 25 percent.
Eclipse Aviation, which expected to be receiving a steady stream of revenue by now from new aircraft deliveries, might seek another round of funding later this year because production and shipment of the manufacturer's line of Eclipse 500 Very Light Jets have fallen behind schedule.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which got FAA to block off thousands of square miles of airspace in a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) zone along the Arizona/Mexican border last year to enable CBP to conduct surveillance missions with a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle, is planning to launch a similar UAV surveillance program along the U.S.-Canada border. See article below.
Model F406 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26693; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-90-AD] - Proposes to require inspections of the nose landing gear (NLG) key lock system installation within three months or 100 hours time-time-service for certain aircraft and replacement of the key lock system, if necessary. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the aviation authority of France, which received report of a nose landing gear collapse during takeoff roll.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection plans to establish an unmanned aircraft system pilot program along the nation's border with Canada, headquartered in Grand Forks, N.D., by the end of the government's current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.
Joe Bogosian, assistant administrator for international aviation at FAA, is leaving the agency Feb. 1 to become president and chief operating officer of Safran-North America, an international technology group involved in aerospace propulsion and aircraft equipment.
Rockwell Collins received a five-year Exchange Services contract renewal from Flight Options, LLC. Under the contract, Rockwell Collins provides avionics equipment for more than 130 Flight Options aircraft with a 24-hour turnaround. The agreement covers avionics on Beechjet 400A, Hawker 400XP, Citation III, Citation V, Hawker 800XP, and Challenger 601 aircraft.
Lufthansa Technik appointed Hans Schmitz, 54, senior vice president of VIP & Executive Jet Solutions, a newly formed division that combines the completion center and maintenance, repair and overhaul services of the former VIP & Government Jet Services unit. The combined unit will have some 1,200 employees. Schmitz joined German carrier Lufthansa in 1981 and moved to Lufthansa Technik's material management division in 1994. Since 2003, Schmitz has been general manager of Ameco Beijing, the joint venture between Lufthansa and Air China.
An aviation attorney with Holland & Knight LLP, was promoted to partner. Harrington focuses on accident investigation and litigation. He graduated from Marquette University in 1988 with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering and received a juris doctorate, cum laude, from Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law in 1999.
January 25 - Coping With Crisis-Managing an Aviation Disaster, Alexis Park Resort, Las Vegas, Nev. Register at www.thecommunicationsworkshop.com 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.
Model DHC-8-102, -103, and -106 airplanes and Model DHC-8-200 and DHC-8-300 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26725; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-161-AD] - Proposes to require modifying the main landing gear (MLG) and nose landing gear (NLG) handle assemblies for alternate release and the MLG retaining plate. This proposed AD also would require performing related investigative and corrective action if necessary.
Model R44 and R44 II helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2006-26696; Directorate Identifier 2006-SW-19-AD] - Proposes, for certain Robinson Model R44 and R44 II helicopters that have a certain seat belt buckle assembly installed, to require removing the buckle assembly and the buckle assembly spacer, and replacing them with airworthy parts. This proposal is prompted by an accident in which a seat belt failed, and also by reports of cracking in the buckle assembly stainless support strap.
EADS Socata delivered a TBM 850 VFT (Very Fast Turboprop) to its first customer for the new model in France. The aircraft replaces a TBM 700C2, which was sold to a new owner in France. The single-engine TBM 850 VFT, an 850-shaft-horsepower follow-on to the TBM 700C2, cruises at 320 knots true airspeed at Flight Level 260. EADS Socata, which launched the aircraft in December 2005 and delivered the first TBM 850 in February 2006, has received orders for 80 aircraft and has delivered 42. U.S.
CAE received a contract from Flight Simulation Company to provide two Airbus A320 and two Boeing 737NG Level D flight simulators. The contract also calls for a used Dornier 328Jet Simulator. CAE valued the contract at $52 million (Canadian).
Able Flight, a new scholarship program designed to help former patients of the Shepherd Center catastrophic care hospital in Atlanta and other disabled people, awarded its first two scholarships during a ceremony at the Atlanta-based hospital. Working with Jet Aviation, Able Flight provided flight-training scholarships to Brad Jones and Stephany Glassing. The scholarships cover a program that uses a specially equipped airplane provided by Hansen Air Group. Jones, 22, was paralyzed last June in an automobile accident. He is a junior at Georgia Southern University.
Goodrich Corporation signed a contract to provide nacelle and thrust reverser systems for all variants of the Airbus A350 XWB airliner, a deal that "is expected to generate approximately $10 billion in original equipment and aftermarket revenues for Goodrich over 20 years," the company said.
Aerospace metals supplier Precision Castparts Corp. (PCP) will pay $300 million to acquire fastener manufacturer Cherry Aerospace LLC from Acument Global Technologies, Inc.
Model 369A, 369D, 369E, 369F, 369FF, 369H, 369HE, 369HS, 369HM, 500N, and OH-6A helicopters [Docket No. 2003-SW-37-AD] - Revises an earlier proposed AD that would have required replacing or reworking certain forward and aft landing gear assemblies. That proposal was prompted by five reports of landing gear strut failures. This action revises that action by proposing to mandate both the creation of an access hole to facilitate inspections and a recurring inspection.
Model ERJ 170 and ERJ 190 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25643; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-135-AD; Amendment 39-14869; AD 2006-26-11] - Requires repetitive inspections to detect damaged smoke seals in the aft avionics compartment, repair/replacement if any damage is found, and reinforcement if no damage is found. This AD also requires eventual replacement of all smoke seals in the aft avionics compartment with new, improved seals having new part numbers, which would serve as terminating action for the AD.
Cessna is continuing its evaluation of a proof-of-concept (POC) light sport aircraft, logging some 50 flight hours on a POC model to evaluate aircraft characteristics. The POC first flew Oct. 13, nine months after Cessna initiated the project. Cessna also continued to test the market for the POC, displaying the aircraft during the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo that took place late last week in Sebring, Fla. The Wichita plane-maker said the plane meets company expectations.
Named general manager of Landmark Aviation's fixed-base operation at Washington Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Va. He formerly was regional sales manager for the company's aircraft charter and management business. Wilson has been with Landmark and its predecessor company, Piedmont Hawthorne, for eight years. He joined the Dulles facility as customer service manager, and later was promoted to assistant general manager.
