Model BAe 146 and Avro 146-RJ airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25920; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-137-AD; Amendment 39-14851; AD 2006-25-10] - Requires calculating the current life of each lift spoiler jack, and eventually replacing each lift spoiler jack. This AD results from a review of all system components as part of the life-extension program for the affected airplanes that indicated the fatigue life limit of certain lift spoiler jacks cannot be extended from the current life limit.
German aerospace manufacturer Grob issued a statement Friday, headlined "Grob Aerospace confirms SPn program on track," despite numerous unanswered questions about the fatal crash of the company's No. 2 SPn prototype at the end of November (BA, Dec. 4/253).
Models LC41-550FG and LC42-550FG airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26400; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-71-AD; Amendment 39-14948; AD 2006-25-08] - Requires, for all Columbia Models LC41-550FG and LC42-550FG airplanes equipped with Kelly Aerospace Thermal Systems Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) SA02260CH, Thermawing Deice System (also known as E-Vade), deactivating the deice system and installing a placard in clear view of the pilot.
The Federal Aviation Administration last week called for operators of Columbia aircraft equipped with Kelly Aerospace thermal deicing systems to turn off the systems because improper installation could cause burning of key structures.
FLIGHTWORKS added a 2006 Cessna Citation Sovereign to its fleet in Manassas, Va. The aircraft completed the acceptance flight at the end of October and subsequently flew from Wichita to Manassas. FlightWorks has added 12 aircraft to its fleet since January, and its fleet now totals nearly three dozen aircraft. The new aircraft will be managed under FlightWorks' FlightWise asset management program.
FAA'S AIR TRAFFIC ORGANIZATION responded to that news Dec. 14, announcing a "hiring freeze effective today on all non-controller/technician outside hiring," and warning that ATO management is "considering stopping all controller/technician hiring after March 31." Other edicts include stopping all international travel and all non-operational travel, prohibiting ATO attendance at conferences and reducing expenditures for information technology and flight procedures programs.
Model TBM 700 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26233; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-63-AD] - Proposes to require, unless already done, within the next 50 hours time-in-service after the effective date of this AD, accomplishing a detailed inspection of the aileron control cable pulleys and brackets, and applying corrective actions as necessary, following EADS SOCATA Mandatory Alert Service Bulletin SB 70-134, ATA No. 27, dated July 2005. The proposed AD will affect an estimated 55 aircraft on the U.S. Registry. The estimated cost of the proposed AD to U.S.
EMBRAER appointed Edson Mallaco and Acir Padilha to oversee aeronautical services and customer support for the company's E-Jets business. Mallaco, who will be responsible for aeronautical services, is a 22-year Embraer veteran who previously served as vice president of customer support, airline market in Brazil and as managing director of Embraer Aircraft Customer Services in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Padilha, who takes responsibility for customer support, has been with Embraer for 17 years, participating in the ERJ-145 and E-Jets programs.
Douglas Schwartz and Steven Busch were named to new terms on the board of the National Business Aviation Association. Schwartz, who just took over as manager of global aviation services at ConocoPhillips (BA, Dec. 11/264), and Busch, who is president of Krey Distributing Co., an Anheuser-Busch distributorship, had previously been elected to seats on the NBAA board. But under NBAA's bylaws, both were subsequently required to resign their board seats when their employment status changed.
Joshua Freeman, 42, a prominent Washington, D.C.-area developer and a minority partner in the Washington Capitals hockey franchise, was killed along with the pilot when their Bell 407 helicopter crashed shortly after taking off Thursday from a golf course in Delaware.
TAC AIR is celebrating its 20th anniversary in the fixed-base operation business. The Truman Arnold division began as Road Runner Aviation, an FBO in Texarkana, Texas, and has grown to 11 locations across the U.S. -- Amarillo, Texas (AMA), Chattanooga, Tenn. (CHA), Denver, Colo. (APA), Fort Smith, Ark. (FSM), Greenville, S.C. (GMU), Hartford, Conn. (BDL), Knoxville, Tenn. (TYS), Lexington, Ky. (LEX), Omaha, Neb. (OMA), Shreveport, La. (SHV) and Texarkana, Ark. (TXK).
BOMBARDIER expanded its European Customer Services network with the appointment of Gate V Aircraft Maintenance GmbH in Vienna, Austria as an aircraft-on-ground/line maintenance facility for Learjet aircraft. Gate V is the fourth service expansion to Bombardier's European network in the past six months. Other recent additions include two facilities in the United Kingdom and a hangar project at Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services in Berlin, Germany. The Learjet network now includes nine facilities in Europe.
ARINC DIRECT is doubling the size of its aircraft service facilities and adding a range of maintenance and integration capabilities for business jets in Scottsdale, Ariz. ARINC Direct has begun construction on a project that will increase the hangar space from 20,000 square feet to 40,000 square feet. The company also is adding 7,000 square feet of back shop and office space. The project is slated for completion in March 2007.
BOEING'S manufacturing plant in Everett, Wash. earned International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 certification. The facility produces Boeing 747, 767, 777 and 787 airliners. The facility, 30 miles north of Seattle, includes more than 1,000 acres and is surrounded by wetlands. ISO 14001 assures an environmental management system is in place. The facility annually recycles more than 56 tons of aluminum, 460 tons of steel and 800 tons of wood.
Norman Mineta accomplished a remarkable double achievement Dec. 15, receiving two prestigious awards in the same day. President George Bush presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Mineta and nine others at a White House ceremony on Friday morning. The Medal of Freedom, established in 1963, may be presented by the President to any person who has made an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the U.S., world peace or cultural or "other significant public or private endeavors."
THE SCHEDULE for publishing OpSpec A008, which will address aircraft operational control and related issues, continues to slip. Officials had previously indicated the document would be out by the end of November (BA, Oct. 30/195), but word from an FAA spokesman Friday was that A008 will be coming out "no later than Feb. 15," although he added it could happen before then. In conjunction with the operations specification, FAA also is preparing detailed guidance for its inspectors on how it should be interpreted and enforced.
LIBERTY AEROSPACE received Australian certification for the Liberty XL2 single-engine aircraft. Liberty's Australian distributor, Liberty Aircraft Company Pty Ltd., will display the first Australian-delivered XL2 during the Australian International Air Show in Melbourne March 20-25.
BOMBARDIER named Chuck Thomas to head sales of its Bombardier Corporate Shuttle Solutions business in the U.S. Thomas, based in Las Vegas, Nev., has served with Bombardier Business Aircraft for the past five years. Bombardier teamed with Aerodynamics Inc. (ADI) in October to expand its Corporate Shuttle Solutions program. ADI will offer fleet management services to Corporate Shuttle customers.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION is expected to rescind and revise a Dec. 5 notice that would require approval from FAA headquarters any time a turbine-powered aircraft is added to any Part 135 certificate or any time an air ambulance airplane (either turbine or piston) is added to a Part 135 certificate. The notice noted that many operators "may have franchised, leased, or otherwise rented their authority to conduct operations to non-certificated entities.
Model EMB-145, -145ER, -145MR, -145LR, -145XR, -145MP, and -145EP airplanes; and Model EMB-135BJ, -135ER, -135KE, -135KL, and -135LR airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-24696; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-038-AD] - Revises an earlier proposal that would have required replacing the electrical bonding clamps inside the fuel tanks and adjacent areas. The original proposal resulted from a report of the failure of a fitting clamp of an electrical bonding cable for the fuel tubing. This action adds airplanes to the applicability.
Because of the holiday schedule, The Weekly of BUSINESS AVIATION will not publish a Dec. 25 issue. The next issue will be dated Jan. 1. The deadline for receipt of advertising materials for the Jan. 1 issue is noon, Dec. 20. Please accept our best wishes for a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year.
Model DHC-8-102, -103, and -106 airplanes; and Model DHC-8-200 and DHC-8-300 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26558; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-206-AD] - Proposes to require doing a one-time inspection for damage of the electrical cable harness assembly located on the left and right wing root to fuselage aft seal, and repair if necessary; and reworking the fuselage aft seal assembly (left and right) to create a clearance between the electrical cable assemblies and the edge of the fairing panel.
