October 17-19 - National Business Aviation Association 59th Annual Meeting & Convention, Orlando, Fla., (202) 783-9000 October 22-24 - International Aviation Womens Association 18th Annual Conference, "Aviation's Global Resurgence: Five Years Later and Climbing," W Hotel, New York, Ellyn Slow, (732) 326-3703, email: [email protected], www.iawa.org or Karen Griggs, (410) 571-1990, [email protected]
The European Commission will introduce new security restrictions for carry-on baggage across Europe Nov. 6, and although aviation officials are working hard to ease the transition, the rules are expected to cause passenger confusion and airport disruptions.
London City Airport has been acquired by a consortium composed of AIG Financial Products Corp. and Global Infrastructure Partners, the infrastructure joint venture between Credit Suisse and GE Infrastructure Inc. The consortium outbid parties including Hochtief and Fraport AG. Although a final sale price was not released, the airport was valued at $917 million when the facility was put on the block in May. The airport was bought by Irish businessman Dermot Desmond in 1995 from the U.K.'s Mowlem, which built the airport in 1986.
DANIEL HOGAN was named to oversee sales in the Northeast and Southeast U.S. for VISTAGY. Hogan has 15 years of sales experience in the software and engineering industries, working with companies including Invention Machine and IBM/Rational Software.
Model EMB-135 airplanes and Model EMB-145, -145ER, -145MR, -145LR, -145XR, -145MP, and -145EP airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25925; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-167-AD] - Proposes to supersede an existing AD that requires repetitive inspections of the pitot static heating relay K0057 and corrective actions, if necessary. The existing AD also requires a terminating modification, which ends the repetitive inspections.
NEW PRODUCTS continue to drive sales, and this week's NBAA convention is expected to see multiple new business jet introductions. Cessna Aircraft already announced plans for a CitationJet 4 (BA, Sept. 4/105), and is expected to share its vision for a wider-body successor to the company's Mach 0.9-cruise Citation X, deliveries of which began more than a decade ago. Raytheon has plans for two new Hawkers, Models 750 and 900. Also, Piper Aircraft is believed to be ready to announce a new jet.
Jet Aviation is making a major investment in its hangar and shop facilities in Basel, Switzerland to accommodate a growing tide of business for its aircraft completion, modification and repair business there.
Model BAe 146 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-22974; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-180-AD; Amendment 39-14774; AD 2006-20-05] - Requires repetitive inspections to measure the depth of chafing or scoring in the skin along the full length of the wing-to-fuselage fairing from forward to aft ends at the contact between the seal and fuselage, and related investigative/corrective actions if necessary. This AD results from a report of chafing in this area.
CLAYTON A. CALLIHAN, a veteran communications official with extensive experience in the aviation/aerospace industry, recently joined Science Applications International Corp. in a senior-level communications post at the company's McLean, Va. headquarters.
ONE PERSON aboard a Robinson R44 helicopter, N769RT, was killed Oct. 8 when the aircraft crashed into Lake Tapps in Washington, but the other occupant survived.
BRIAN DUBIE, the lieutenant governor of Vermont, was elected chairman of the Aerospace States Association (ASA) at the group's recent meeting in Washington, D.C. ASA is a bipartisan body comprising lieutenant governors and governor-appointed delegates from more than 40 states.
FA-200 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25259; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-36-AD; Amendment 39-14783; AD 2006-20-13] - Requires creation of inspection holes, corrosion inspection of the flange of the wing spar, repair of corrosion if necessary, and removal of the sealing compound. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the aviation authority of Japan. FAA is issuing this AD to require actions that are intended to address the unsafe condition described in the MCAI.
Several New York-area political leaders called on the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration to review airspace restrictions over New York City, and metropolitan areas in general, in the aftermath of Wednesday's crash of New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle's Cirrus SR20 into a Manhattan skyscraper.
A STRIKE against the Bombardier Aerospace facility in Wichita, Kan. by members of Local 639 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is heading into its third week with no new negotiations scheduled. Union leaders had approved a new contract proposal from the company at the end of September, but workers rejected the package by a wide margin.
Model BAe 146 and Avro 146-RJ airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25920; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-137-AD] - Proposes to require calculating the current life of each lift spoiler jack, and eventually replacing each lift spoiler jack. This proposed 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.
IVIATION, Memphis, Tenn., is releasing a series of interactive computer-based learning courses for corporate, charter and commercial operations. The first two courses will cover human factors/crew resource management and aircraft icing. "These are critical areas of safety that flight operations need," said CEO David Perdue. "There's a tremendous demand for human-factors/CRM and aircraft icing training as well as the other courses." Perdue said the courses will fit any sized flight department or charter operation.
DFW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT has a new source of revenue, an oil and gas lease with Chesapeake Energy Corp., which will be drilling for oil and gas under airport property. Under terms of the agreement finalized this month, the airport received $185 million in an "initial bonus," which is equivalent to more than 30 percent of the airport's current annual budget. DFW also will receive an annual royalty of 25 percent of the value of natural gas produced on the airport's 18,000 acres.
Fractional aircraft operator NetJets named company veteran John Colucci executive vice president-sales. Colucci joined NetJets in 1993 in the early days of the fractional aircraft program. In mid-1993, the company had 25 Cessna Citation business jets and 111 customers. Today the company is operating more than 645 airplanes in its worldwide fleet for more than 3,400 fractional-share customers.
SAFE FLIGHT INSTRUMENT CORPORATION last week celebrated the company's 60th anniversary. Leonard Greene, who in the spring of 1944 witnessed an airplane crash involving a friend, founded Safe Flight in October 1946 to develop lift instrumentation that would warn a pilot that he is nearing a stall. Greene patented the wing-mounted lift detector, which became the first stall warning device. Since then, manufacturers have installed some form of stall warning on every aircraft produced.
(Beech) Model 400, 400A, and 400T series airplanes; and Raytheon (Mitsubishi) Model MU-300 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26004; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-212-AD; Amendment 39-14785; AD 2006-21-02] - Requires revising the Airplane Flight Manual to modify the Operating Limitations, Abnormal Procedures, and Normal Procedures, as applicable, for flight in icing conditions. This AD results from multiple reports of high-altitude, dual-engine flameouts on airplanes operating in certain meteorological conditions (BA, Aug. 28/91).
Viking Air Ltd. began accepting deposits from customers last month for new production models of an updated Twin Otter utility aircraft - an airplane company officials hope to be delivering within a little more than two years (BA, July 17/23).
JET SOURCE CHARTER added a King Air 350 to its fleet of managed and charter aircraft. The aircraft, which will be available for charter by the end of the month, will be based at McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, Calif.
New World Jet Corp. (NWJC) signed a new long-term strategic operations agreement with Jet Aviation, NWJC said last week. "Since 1996, New World Jet has maintained an excellent strategic relationship with Jet Aviation," said Bruce McNeely, CEO of NWJC. The company changed hands about a year ago when Gold Jets LLC bought NWJC (BA, Feb. 20/79). NWJC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gold Jets and is a Part 135 air carrier with a fleet of more than 30 aircraft.
