RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT named Pro Star Aviation in Manchester, N.H. an authorized service center for Beechcraft Bonanza, Baron, King Air, Beechjet, Premier and Hawker 400XP models. Pro Star operates in 22,500 square feet of hangar, back shop, storage and administrative space and provides avionics installation, engine and airframe maintenance, repair and modification, non-destructive testing and pre-sale inspection. The authorization covers line and base maintenance, and warranty and spare parts support.
( )HC-( )2Y( )-( ) series propellers [Docket No. FAA-2006-25244; Directorate Identifier 2006-NE-25-AD; Amendment 39-14754; AD 2006-18-15] - Requires initial and repetitive eddy current inspections (ECI) of the front cylinder half of the propeller hub for cracks and removing cracked hubs from service before further flight. In addition, this AD allows installation of an improved design propeller hub (suffix SN A'' or B'') as terminating action to the repetitive ECI. This AD results from a report of a propeller blade separating from a propeller hub.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) expects to take delivery of its new Predator B unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) later this month with deployment in Arizona by early October, officials say. The deployment of CBP 104 - the Homeland Security Department agency's second unmanned aircraft - has been delayed 30 days to equip it with new electro-optical and infrared software and hardware, according to Michael Pitts, director of CBP Air and Marine's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program Office.
FLIGHT SAFETY FOUNDATION has developed a cost model that will provide aircraft and airport operators a tool to estimate both the direct and indirect costs of ground accidents. The cost model is the first product in FSF's Ground Accident Prevention (GAP) program. FSF has worked with industry and safety experts over three years to accumulate the data to develop the cost model.
Washington Dulles International Airport has unveiled its new $1.3 billion AeroTrain system that will connect the main terminal to airfield concourses starting in 2009.
The NORDAM Group broke ground on a new facility that will nearly triple the aircraft interior specialist's cabinetry production space in Wichita, Kan. The 120,000-square-foot facility, which will house NORDAM's Interiors and Structures unit, is slated to open in early 2007. "Right now, we are steadily busy in our Wichita plant working to meet the demand for our cabinetry," said Gary Ball, vice president and general manager of NORDAM Interiors and Structures division.
EUROCOPTER sold nine helicopters to Inaer Group, a European-based helicopter operator. The two companies signed an agreement for Inaer's acquisition of several different types of helicopters that will be used for firefighting, civil protection and emergency medical services. The four EC 135s, two EC 145s, two AS350B3s and one AS355NP are to be delivered between June 2007 and January 2009.
Cessna Aircraft, which received FAA type certification just over a week ago, (BA, Sept. 11/119), completed the certification process in a shade under four years - slightly faster than promised when the aircraft was introduced at the 2002 NBAA convention in early September of that year.
Raytheon Aircraft Company named two of its executives to new positions last week. Randy Nelson, who joined RAC as vice president of product development and engineering just weeks ago after 28 years at Cessna Aircraft, was named senior vice president, product development and engineering. David Bernstorf, who has held a variety of engineering management posts since joining Beech Aircraft in 1973, was named vice president of airworthiness, certification and technical engineering.
Model 390 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-24640; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-26-AD; Amendment 39-14755; AD 2006-18-16] - Requires inspection of the spigot bearing, Part Number (P/N) MS14104-16, for the proper position in the spigot fitting assembly and installing the wing spigot bearing retainer kit, P/N 390-4304-0001. FAA is issuing this AD to detect spigot bearings that are not positioned flush with the fitting assembly.
Was appointed airframe maintenance manager for BizJet International. Geis has 32 years of aviation industry experience. Most recently he was director of maintenance for Jetsource Charter, Inc.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION said the wreckage of a helicopter missing in Mexico for more than 14 years was found this month near San Felipe, Mexico. The agency said the Hiller UH-12E, N40268, went missing April 21, 1992 while the pilot was observing some animals from the air for a conservation group. The wreckage and the pilot's remains were recently found in mountainous terrain. The helicopter had been the subject of an extensive search effort in 1992 near the Bay of Gonazja, which is about 100 miles south of San Felipe, Mexico.
ROCKWELL COLLINS acquired IP Unwired, an Ottawa, Ontario-based, privately owned developer of high-data-rate HF/VHF/UHF modem and networking products and services for military customers. Clay Jones, Rockwell Collins chairman, president and CEO, said the purchase strengthens Rockwell's network-centric operations offerings. IP Unwired, which was bought for an undisclosed amount of cash, has annual revenues of about $3 million. About 30 IP Unwired employees will join Rockwell Collins.
HONEYWELL delivered the 1,000th RE220 auxiliary power unit, the company said Friday. The delivery comes 13 years after the Phoenix aerospace giant launched the APU for regional and business aviation. The APU was designed with an effusion cooled low emission combustor, 40kVA of electrical capability up to 45,000 feet, full authority digital electronic control and a foreign object damage resistant radial impeller.
Model 1900, 1900C, and 1900D airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25760; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-48-AD; Amendment 39-14757; AD 2006-18-51] - Requires a one-time visual inspection of both the left and right wing rear spar lower caps for cracking and other damage such as loose or missing fasteners; repair of any cracks or damage; and reporting of any cracks or damage found to the FAA and RAC. This AD results from extensive cracks found in the wing rear spar lower caps and rear spar web of two of the affected airplanes. One of the airplanes also had missing fasteners.
Model AS350B, B1, B2, B3, BA, D, and AS355E helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2006-25773; Directorate Identifier 2006-SW-16-AD; Amendment 39-14758; AD 2006-19-01] - Requires, within 10 hours time-in-service (TIS), inspecting the tapered housing of each main servo-control (MSC) for a crack. If no crack is found, this AD requires, before further flight, retorquing the upper ball-end attachment nut of the MSC. If a crack is found, this AD requires, before further flight, replacing the MSC with an airworthy MSC.
BRAZILIAN AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER Embraer named Breno Correa vice president-Executive Jets Marketing and Sales for Latin America. Embraer said Correa was formerly sales director for a business aircraft sales and charter company based in Sao Paulo, where he also directed the company's operations and aircraft management division. Correa is an aeronautical engineer and a private pilot.
Joins Lux Aviation Engineering Corp. as director of business development. He will have marketing and sales responsibilities and provide product selection and development support. Hauck has 40 years of business and general aviation experience. He spent 28 years with Bombardier/Learjet in engineering, marketing support, product development and sales. He also worked for the autopilot division of Astronautics Corp., Hughes Aircraft, Part 135 charter operators and various repair stations.
The Federal Aviation Administration released a rule this month designed to ensure that aircraft produced in the U.S. are type certificated and manufactured under a production approval. The rule also calls for organizations that produce or alter aircraft, engines or propellers based on a type certificate (TC) or a supplemental type certificate (STC) to get permission from the certificate holder.
Airborne communications specialist AirCell is tripling its production capabilities, expanding its existing headquarters and opening a new facility as the company ramps up to become the sole air-to-ground broadband service provider. AirCell was the high bidder in the Federal Communications Commission's spectrum auction for air-to-ground broadband frequencies in May and has been working toward formal rollout of the service by early 2008 (BA, June 12/265).
GENERAL AVIATION MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION promoted Jens C. Hennig to the position of director, operations. Hennig, who had been manager of operations, will continue to oversee GAMA's safety and accident investigation programs and provide industry analysis. He sits on several advisory committees, including the JAA Operations Sectorial Team and as a representative on the EASA Safety Standards Consultative Committee.
SHIP IT AOG, a business aviation spare parts distributor, moved into a larger facility at Addison Airport in Texas. Founded in 2000, the company has doubled its annual sales each year. The new 7,000-square-foot facility is nearly five times larger than the previous headquarters. The additional space will allow the company to expand its sales staff by 25 percent and boost on-site inventory by 150 percent.
ATR handed over the 700th ATR aircraft, an ATR 72-500, to Air Deccan. The delivery was the sixth of 30 ATR 72-500s on order with Air Deccan. ATR, the Franco-Italian consortium, delivered its first aircraft in 1985. The delivery comes as the program is enjoying a resurgent market for turboprops. ATR has received orders for 50 new ATRs since the beginning of the year, and has sold 828 aircraft - 401 ATR 42s and 427 ATR 72s - since the start of the program.
KANSAS CITY AVIATION CENTER (KCAC) is opening a 24-hour, full-service fixed-base operation at Spirit of St. Louis Airport. Acquired from Thunder Aviation, the facility includes 30,000 square feet of hangar space and a 12,000-square-foot, two-story office. KCAC named its new St. Louis base the Midwest Aviation Center (MWAC) and will offer aircraft sales, charter services, parts sales and installation, avionics maintenance and installation, aircraft maintenance, fuel services, and leased hangar storage space.
