Landmark Aviation received FAA supplemental type certificate approval to install Rockwell Collins dual ADC-87A air data computers on Dassault Falcon 50 aircraft. The replacement will help the aircraft comply with reduced vertical separation minimum requirements. The ADC-87A is compatible with new display systems such as Collins' ProLine 21 Integrated Display System. Landmark will perform the installation at its 225,000-square-foot facility in Springfield, Ill. The facility is a Class 4 FAA repair station and also is European Aviation Safety Agency-approved.
Model F-28A, F-28C, F-28F, TH-28, 280, 280C, 280F, 280FX, 480, and 480B helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2006-26771; Directorate Identifier 2005-SW-07-AD] - Proposes to require determining the installation dates for each main rotor push-pull control rod, inspecting the push-pull rods for corrosion, replacing any push-pull rod which has corrosion that is severe enough to cause pitting, or has visible moisture inside the rod, and repairing each push-pull rod that has corrosion but no pitting.
Flight Options named a veteran of the building products industry to head sales and marketing. The Cleveland, Ohio-based fractional aircraft provider, which is owned by Raytheon, named Philip LaVelle vice president of sales and marketing. LaVelle will oversee the teams responsible for marketing, advertising, partnerships and selling the Flight Options portfolio of products - including Fractional First, JetPASS Ultimate Travel and aircraft management, the company said.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators are trying to determine what caused an apparent system malfunction that resulted in substantial damage to a Model 35A Learjet during a landing last month at Nashville, Tenn. The airplane, N136WE, was landing at Nashville after a 40-minute flight from Raleigh, N.C. that originated about 8:30 a.m. Dec. 26. The 1978 Learjet is registered to Air 1 Inc. of Nashville and was being operated as a Part 135 air taxi flight by Secure Air of Nashville.
Congressional travel on private planes also is under scrutiny on Capitol Hill as both the House and Senate hash out ethics rules. The House earlier this month banned House members from using "official, personal or campaign funds to pay for the use of privately owned airplanes." Some members have complained about the measure, saying it would prevent them from flying their own airplanes (BA, Jan. 8/17). In the Senate, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) was fighting efforts to impose an outright ban on private aircraft travel. See article below.
Melanie Alvord, a veteran Capitol Hill staffer, joined FAA as assistant administrator for communications, effective Dec. 27. Alvord had most recently served as assistant staff director for the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee (which oversees FAA programs), where she helped manage a staff of about 30 and coordinated the work of 10 subcommittees. Before that, Alvord was communications director for the same committee.
Edward R. (Ed) Williams was recognized by the Flight Safety Foundation for his many contributions to improving the safety of corporate and business aviation. Williams, a former Navy pilot, flight department manager and accident investigator, spent 35 years at AAU/Global Aerospace, a worldwide aviation insurer.
Boeing subsidiary Aviall said it was awarded an early renewal of its 10-year Model 250 exclusive worldwide aftermarket agreement with Rolls-Royce. Aviall said the current agreement, which was not scheduled to expire until the end of 2009, will now run until 2019. About 16,000 Model 250 engines are in service worldwide, and Aviall said it supports more than 4,500 customers in 155 countries and a network of 27 Rolls-Royce authorized maintenance centers worldwide.
Joined Globalair.com as the Airport Resource Center coordinator. Cox will be responsible for coordinating communications and data on the line fuel mapping system. She has 10 years of corporate aviation experience, working previously as an aircraft dispatcher for Bombardier Flexjet and Gulfstream. She also held positions at Signature Flight Support and Louisville Executive Aviation.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey told BA Jan. 8 she hopes to be able to unveil the financial portion of the agency's reauthorization proposal "shortly after" President Bush sends the Administration's overall fiscal 2008 budget package to Congress, which is scheduled for Feb. 5. Asked if the financial portion of the FAA package - which is expected to include significantly higher fuel taxes and new user fees - had won Office of Management and Budget approval yet, Blakey indicated she had a call scheduled to discuss the issue that afternoon.
Model F.28 Mark 0070 and 0100 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26709; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-202-AD] - Proposes to require inspecting the carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) main landing gear (MLG) door to determine whether certain part numbers are installed. For airplanes having certain doors, this proposed AD would require inspecting the MLG outboard door for cracks, play, and loose sealant/bolts/nuts, and related investigative and corrective actions if necessary.
Model 390 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25745; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-47-AD; Amendment 39-14866; AD 2006-26-08] - Supersedes AD 2006-02-51, which requires inspecting the left engine hydraulic pump outlet tube and the clamp; replacing the clamp at each inspection; replacing the hydraulic pump outlet tube immediately if any problem is found; and reporting the results of each inspection or replacement to the FAA. This AD is the result of several hydraulic pump outlet tube failures after issuance of AD 2006-02-51, including failures on the right engine.
Boeing Business Jets struck an agreement with Rockwell Collins to offer the Rockwell Collins enhanced vision system on the BBJ. The EVS provides a Head-up Guidance System (HGS) and head-down displays for increased situational awareness of terrain and the airport environment. Rockwell Collins is working with Max-Viz on certification of the system. The system will incorporate a Max-Viz multi-wavelength infrared sensor in the Rockwell Collins HGS. The EVS will be available through Boeing and Rockwell Collins service bulletins.
Ocean Air Aviation is opening a new location at Roseburg Regional Airport (RBG) in Roseburg, Ore. The facility will be the sole fixed-base operation at RBG and will base an emergency airlift air ambulance there. Ocean Air, a long-time Avfuel-branded dealer, provides fueling, charter, storage and maintenance. The Ocean Air fleet includes a Westwind II and a Metroliner. Ocean Air's primary FBO is at Southwestern Oregon Regional Airport, formerly known as the North Bend Municipal Airport (OTH).
Two pilots on a repositioning flight for Sun Quest Executive Air Charter were killed Friday when the Cessna CitationJet Model 525 business jet crashed and burned just after takeoff from the Van Nuys, Calif. Airport (VNY). One of the fire department officials who responded to the scene told reporters the aircraft had taken on the maximum fuel load of 3,400 pounds. He also said one of the pilots told the tower he was experiencing "some difficulty" during the takeoff.
The National Transportation Safety Board believes crew members piloting the Pinnacle Airlines CRJ-200 that crashed in October 2004 deviated widely from standard operating procedures, leaving them unable to restart the plane's engines after they induced a stall at 41,000 feet, the upper end of the aircraft's flight envelope.
A week after the House passed a ban on private travel, the Senate began considering changes in its own rules regarding private aircraft travel as part of the debate on an ethics reform bill, S.1. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) offered an amendment calling for members to pay fair market value for use of the aircraft - or the full cost of charter. The Reid provision drew support from a number of senators, some of whom have questioned the use of private aircraft altogether.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. has agreed to buy PZL Mielec, the largest fixed-wing airframe manufacturer in Poland, from the Polish government. President Jeff Pino says the acquisition will help the Stratford, Conn.-based company become "a leading member of the European aerospace community" and will allow the two companies to "build on each other's strengths."
January 7-11 - American Association of Airport Executives, 21st Annual Aviation Issues Conference, Kauai, Hawaii. Contact AAAE at (703) 824-0500. 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.
Gales Industries, Inc., a Bay Shore, N.Y. holding company that is assembling a portfolio of providers to the aerospace and defense industry, signed an agreement to buy Sigma Metals, Inc., a metals distributor based in Deer Park, Long Island, N.Y. Gales agreed to pay about $5 million for Sigma, plus an amount equal to Sigma's earnings from Jan. 1 until the deal closes. Gales also is assuming about $1.2 million of Sigma's debt.
Model TBM 700 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26231; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-61-AD] - Requires, (1) Within the next 100 hours time-in-service (TIS) after the effective date of this AD, inspecting all flap inboard carriage roller pins for proper torque values and correcting as necessary before further flight. (2) Repeating these inspections thereafter at intervals not to exceed 100 hours TIS and correcting as necessary before further flight after any inspection in which a discrepancy is found.
