Named vice president of flight test engineering for Adam Aircraft. Thomson formerly founded Optika, a document imaging and workflow software company that went public in 1996. He also was president of Blue Mountain Avionics and has served Ashton-Tate, the developer of the dBASE database product. Thomson has a pilot's license with an MEL Instrument rating.
The National Transportation Safety Board added crew resource management (CRM) for Part 135 operators to its list of "Most Wanted" safety recommendations. NTSB annually reviews the list - first released in 1990 - to highlight recommendations the safety board believes would significantly improve safety in the various modes of transportation. "Our Most Wanted List puts extra pressure on our nation's transportation safety regulators to act more quickly on our recommendations," said NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker.
Brazilian officials have agreed to hire at least 40 more air traffic controllers this week in Brasilia, which will help, but not solve, the controller shortage, according to industry officials in that country. In addition, the top official of the Brazilian air traffic control agency was fired.
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS GROUP won a contract to supply its ICS-200 dual-channel Iridium satellite phone system as standard equipment on the Gulfstream G150 business jet. The system provides air-to-ground voice, fax and data connections. ICG, based in Newport News, Va., provides equipment for 10 different aircraft models.
Was appointed director of Bombardier's Fort Lauderdale Service Center. Rivera has more than 24 years of maintenance and completion experience, including as director of aircraft services for Gulfstream Aerospace. In his new role, he will be responsible for operations at the Florida facility and focus on customer service and continuous business improvements. Bombardier's Fort Lauderdale facility covers nearly 100,000 square feet and employs 130 technicians.
BOEING BUSINESS JETS handed over the 100th green BBJ to the government of India. The delivery comes 10 years after Boeing Business Jets was formed to sell business-jet variants of the Boeing 737. More than one-third of BBJs have been sold to government heads of state and typically are configured to seat between 25 and 50 passengers. PATS Aircraft in Delaware will complete the 100th BBJ. The aircraft will have a stateroom, meeting room, communications center and seating for 48 passengers.
THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH this week will begin rating areas by icing severity and the probability of encountering icing conditions. The new service, to start Dec. 6, is part of an upgrade to the Current Icing Product (CIP) that will be available to air traffic controllers, pilots and other aviation users. NCAR developed the product with funding from the FAA. "This is a major advance that will enable dispatchers and even pilots to choose flight paths that avoid icing conditions," said Marcia Politovich, who oversees in-flight icing research at NCAR.
TRIUMPH EXECUTIVE John Bartholdson announced plans to retire at the end of the company's fiscal year on March 31, 2007. Bartholdson, senior vice president and chief financial officer, has served as CFO since the inception of Triumph Group, Inc. in 1993. Bartholdson, who received a bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering and a master of business administration degree from Penn State University, began his aviation career as a flight test engineer for GE Aerospace. He later became chief financial officer of Warner Company and joined Lukens, Inc. in 1978.
BETH WAGNER, a veteran McGraw-Hill advertising representative who previously was selling advertising for The Weekly of BUSINESS AVIATION, has been promoted to regional account manager for our sister publication, Business & Commercial Aviation magazine. Wagner will continue to be based in McGraw-Hill's Washington, D.C. office and will work with clients in the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast region from New Jersey to Florida who previously dealt with long-time B/CA sales representative Ken Ross.
The United Kingdom's Civil Aviation Authority has scheduled its latest round of Safety Evenings Dec. 12 and 13 to discuss issues affecting the general aviation community. The CAA annually hosts about 40 such presentations, which last year drew more than 2,000 attendees. The Dec. 12 event will be hosted by Devon Strut at the Stowey Arms, Exminster, Devon. The Dec. 13 event will be hosted by FlightSafety International at Farnborough Airport.
EMBRAER has hired FAA's David Balloff, the agency's top congressional liaison. Balloff had served as assistant administrator for government and industry affairs at FAA since October 2002. Before that he held a similar role at the National Transportation Safety Board. At Embraer Balloff will be vice president for external affairs and will continue to be based in Washington, D.C. Taking Balloff's place at FAA is Megan Rosia, who was managing director for government affairs and associate general counsel for Northwest Airlines.
THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD recently ruled against FAA in an enforcement case involving operational control of an aircraft. FAA originally ordered an emergency revocation of certificates held by M&N Enterprises and Sky Way Enterprises for a number of alleged violations related to operational control.
Was named area general manager for SheltAir Aviation Services. Brunk will oversee SheltAir's Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Fla. locations. He has 20 years of aviation experience, most recently as manager of operations and product integrity for Galaxy Aviation in West Palm Beach, Fla.
ED SWEARINGEN, designer of the SJ30 light jet and numerous other airplanes during his long career, was inducted into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame during ceremonies at The Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, Texas last month. As part of the ceremony, the museum opened a permanent display dedicated to Swearingen. Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corp., which recently delivered the first SJ30 to a customer, plans to donate the first prototype SJ30 to the museum. That aircraft is expected to be shipped to Galveston before the end of the year.
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD said a Robinson R44 II was substantially damaged during an attempt to land the helicopter on a shipping trailer at the Port of Baltimore. The aircraft, N74548, was flown from Shannon Airport in Fredericksburg, Va. to Baltimore on Nov. 15 for shipment to a new owner overseas. Witnesses told investigators the helicopter landed "softly" with the nose canted slightly to the right.
December 4-6 - National Agricultural Aviation Association Convention, Orlando, Fla. Contact: Peggy Knizer (202) 546-5726. December 15 - Aero Club of Washington, 2006 Wright Memorial Dinner, honoring Norman Mineta, former Member of Congress and Transportation Secretary. Contact: Nancy Hackett, Executive Director, Aero Club of Washington, (703) 327-7082 January 7-11, 2007 - American Association of Airport Executives, 21st Annual Aviation Issues Conference, Kauai, Hawaii. Contact AAAE at (703) 824-0500.
Flugzeugproduktions-und Vertriebs-GmbH Models EA-300, EA-300S, EA-300L, and EA-300/200 Airplanes -- Proposes to supersede AD 2002-21-11, which applies to certain EXTRA Flugzeugbau GmbH (EXTRA) Model EA-300S airplanes. AD 2002-21-11 currently requires inspection, using a fluorescent dye check penetrant method, of the upper longeron at the horizontal stabilizer attachment for cracks, repairing any cracks found, and modifying the horizontal stabilizer.
Developers of a $60 million venture providing top-end hangar accommodations for corporate aircraft at Dulles International Airport (IAD) expect they will be completely leased out by mid-2007, according to top executives of Landow & Co., a Washington, D.C. area builder of high-rise office buildings and apartments.
Model 750 Airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26352; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-231-AD; Amendment 39-14830; AD 2006-24-01] - Supersedes an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to certain Cessna Model 750 airplanes. The existing AD currently requires repetitive inspections for clearance and chafing of an auxiliary power unit (APU) fuel tube assembly in the tail cone area of the airplane, and corrective actions if necessary. For certain airplanes, the existing AD also requires replacing the APU fuel line.
STARTUP European air taxi operator JetBird hired a former NetJets executive to head its operations. Patrick Raftery, who had been operations director for NetJets Europe, now holds the title of operations director for JetBird, which is headquartered in Switzerland. Before joining NetJets Europe three years ago, Raftery spent 13 years as an international manager for British Airways at posts in Europe, Africa and North America. JetBird aims to offer what it describes as the "first low-cost, on-demand private jet service," beginning in 2009.
FIELD AVIATION, a leading Canadian aircraft modification center, won a Supplemental Type Certificate for a new rear door modification system on Dash 8 Series 100, 200 and 300 aircraft. Field said installation of the STC package will permit the twin turboprops to be used for parachute jumping flights. The airborne-operable inward opening cargo door is 50 inches by 60 inches. Field said the Dash 8's high T-tail empennage provides an obstruction-free exit zone for parachute jumpers.
CORPORATE ANGEL NETWORK, the national non-profit organization that arranges free transportation for cancer patients using empty seats on corporate and fractional aircraft, said Friday it was officially classified as a "public charity" by the Internal Revenue Service. CAN's status as a public charity is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2001.
Model TBM 700 Airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26180; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-59-AD] - Proposes to require, unless already done, within the next 50 hours time-in-service (TIS), inspecting for the batch number identification and replacing defective control cables as necessary in accordance with the Paragraph B. of the ACCOMPLISHMENT INSTRUCTIONS'' of EADS SOCATA TBM Aircraft Mandatory Alert Service Bulletin SB 70-123, ATA No. 76, dated October 2004.
The Federal Aviation Administration Friday released the long-awaited proposal to revise the rating system and expand quality programs for repair stations. The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) resurrects two controversial matters the agency stripped out of a comprehensive rewrite of repair station regulations earlier this decade after industry groups objected. The agency instead kept the existing ratings system and tasked an industry-based Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee with developing recommendations for addressing both ratings and quality assurance.
