St. George, Utah, is one step closer to getting a new airport now that FAA has completed its environmental impact analysis on a new site five miles southeast of the city's downtown area. The new site was chosen out of six potential sites. In its Record of Decision (ROD), FAA said the city's plans to build an airport with a 9,300-foot runway on 1,300 acres met all environmental and safety guidelines, and would not have an adverse effect on local parks. The new airport would be able to accommodate regional jets flown by hometown carrier SkyWest Airlines.
Brazilian manufacturer Embraer plans to make a splash next week at the New York Stock Exchange. Scheduled for Sept. 5, the day after Labor Day, the Embraer event will include a press conference and the opportunity to visit a full-scale mockup of the company's Phenom 300 light jet, which is currently in development.
Slots and more slots: FAA last week published a proposal and a final rule capping operations at two of the nation's busiest airports, New York LaGuardia (LGA) and Chicago O'Hare (ORD). The proposed LGA "operating authorizations" would limit scheduled carrier use of regional jets with fewer than 100-plus seats. Non-scheduled operators would continue accessing LGA under a slot reservation system similar to the one currently in effect.
Model EMB-135BJ airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-24366; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-040-AD; Amendment 39-14716; AD 2006-16-16] - Requires inspecting for missing fire blocking material on the left- and right-hand partitions of the forward baggage compartment door; replacing the seal on both partitions; and performing corrective action if necessary. This AD results from a report indicating that certain airplanes were delivered with the fire blocking material missing and the seal improperly installed on the partitions of the forward baggage compartment door.
The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command will host a Naval Undergraduate Flight Training Systems Industry Day next month in Maryland. The session will be held Sept. 14 at the Maryland Higher Education Center in California, Md., not far from the Navy's test center at Patuxent River Naval Air Station. The event, open to members of the aerospace industry as well as the public, will discuss the future of naval aviation flight training and opportunities for future industry involvement.
A cross-section of industry and government officials has begun to draft education standards for technicians who specialize in avionics installation and integration. The effort is part of a larger government-sponsored project, the National Center for Aviation Technician Training (NCATT), which was created to promote aircraft maintenance professionalism.
Canadian manufacturer Bombardier plans to begin construction this fall of a major facility in Mexico that will assemble or build components for a number of its aircraft models (BA, Oct. 31/203). Bombardier began operating a temporary facility in May in the El Marques Industrial Park in Queretaro, southwest of Yuma, Ariz., where a combination of 100 employees and 100 students completing a four-week training program is producing electrical harnesses and structural aircraft components. By the end of next year, employment is expected to reach 600.
The Kansas City Aviation Department selected Dallas-based Trammell Crow Company to be the master developer for the KCI Business Airpark on the southeast corner of Kansas City International Airport. Trammell Crow will work with potential tenants of the property, including air cargo facilities, logistics firms, distribution facilities, companies engaged in light manufacturing and commercial office space providers. Trammell Crow has worked on a number of major airport development projects, including at Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Portland, Ore., and Calgary, Alberta.
Models 172R, 172S, 182T, T182T, 206H, and T206H airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25262; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-39-AD; Amendment 39-14725; AD 2006-17-04] - Requires inspecting the two-end fittings on each of the flexible fuel hoses located in the engine compartment for the correct torque values, and, if any incorrect torque values are found during the inspection, tightening the hose-end fittings to the correct torque values. This AD results from one report of loose fuel hose connections to the fuel injector servo on a Cessna Model 172S airplane.
Model F27 Mark 050 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25641; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-114-AD; Amendment 39-14730; AD 2006-17-09] - Requires an initial inspection of the leading edge sections of the elevators to detect loose leading edges and to ensure that there is no gap between the sections and the front spar, and corrective actions if necessary. This AD also requires determining the type of leading edge installed on the elevators.
Model EMB-135BJ, -135ER, -135KE, -135KL, and -135LR airplanes; and Model EMB-145, -145ER, -145MR, -145LR, -145XR, -145MP, and -145EP airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2004-19676; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-138-AD; Amendment 39-14717; AD 2006-16-17] - Requires determining the torque values of the screws that attach the seat tracks to the airplane, and corrective action if necessary. This AD results from a report of under-torqued screws.
JetNetwork of Miami, Fla. opened a new office in Braintree, Mass., seven miles south of Boston Logan Airport. Julie Hume Talmage, the company's director of business development, will head the office. Boston native Paul A. Svensen Jr., the company's chief operating officer, will divide his time between the Miami headquarters and the new Boston office. JetNetwork sells a flight card membership program to customers who then have access to some 100 aircraft for personal or business travel.
Model ERJ 170 and ERJ 190 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25643; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-135-AD] - Proposes to require repetitive inspections to detect damaged smoke seals in the aft avionics compartment, repair/replacement if any damage is found, and reinforcement if no damage is found. This proposed AD also would require eventual replacement of all smoke seals in the aft avionics compartment with new, improved seals having new part numbers, which would terminate the repetitive inspections.
Precision Flight Controls received orders from a number of flight schools in North and South America for its single and dual-control Modular Flight Deck (MFD) system for their training programs. Schools selecting the dual-control MFD include Capital City Aviation in Columbus, Ohio; August Martin High School in Jamaica, N.Y.; Montair Aviation in Vancouver, Canada; Mercury Flight Center in Chesapeake, Va.; and Green River Community College in Auburn, Wash.
Mercury Air Group, Inc. (MAG) served up a double dose of bad news last week - a loss of more than $2 million for the third quarter of its fiscal year and the imminent departure of two of its largest customers.
The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing to retain the current reservation system and the limit of six nonscheduled operations per hour as part of a larger proposal that would create a new slot system designed to limit the use of smaller scheduled jets at New York's LaGuardia Airport. LGA currently is operating under a slot system through the High-Density Rule, which is slated to expire Jan. 1. FAA's proposal would maintain the current system and number of reservations already in place at LGA.
Appointed vice president of sales and marketing for Ship it AOG. Goyco will oversee recruitment of key personnel, new business development, the evaluation of investment opportunities within the corporate aviation sector, new technology integration and strategic marketing management. He brings 23 years of aviation experience to Ship it AOG, an international distributor of spare parts for the business aviation sector. He served in the U.S.
AirCell has developed a new Axxess EZ inflight phone system that the company said is designed for easy installation on MagnaStar-equipped airplanes (BA, Aug. 14/69). AirCell said the system was designed specifically to use the MagnaStar's existing aircraft wiring and component locations. The system will include call alert and fax capability, and can be upgraded to AirCell's air-to-ground broadband service that will come online in late 2007. Shipments of the Axxess EZ are slated to begin in February.
Model MU-2B series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-23884; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-13-AD; Amendment 39-14726; AD 2006-17-05] - Requires flight checks of the rigging of the engine and propeller systems. This AD results from a recent safety evaluation that used a data-driven approach to evaluate the design, operation, and maintenance of the MU-2B series airplanes to determine their safety and define what steps, if any, are necessary for their safe operation.
Raytheon Aircraft Services secured supplemental type certificate (STC) approval for installation of an auxiliary ground heating system for Beechcraft Premier I/IA business jets. The system will enable operators to preheat the cabin without running the engines. All RAS facilities are approved to perform the installation. RAS also holds STCs for installation of auxiliary ground heating systems on Diamond MU-300, Beechjet 400 and 400A and Hawker 400XP aircraft.
Named regional sales manager for Landmark Aviation. Reiling will be responsible for sales in Oklahoma, Kansas and North Texas. He previously held sales and customer service positions with Dallas Airmotive, KC Aviation and Gulfstream.
Cessna Aircraft's Pancake Breakfast Fly-In attracted more than 400 people and 130 airplanes Aug. 19 in Independence, Kan. The event included tours of the Independence plant where the Mustang and single-engine piston aircraft are built. Attendees came from as far away as Hillsboro, Ore. and Pittsburgh, Pa.
Adam Aircraft completed another round of funding, bringing in an additional $93 million from the U.S. and Europe to help complete the certification of the company's A700 twin-engine jet. The latest round was led by a new investor, DCM, a venture capital company, and other financing companies including Mesirow Financial, W Capital Partners, D.E. Shaw Laminar Portfolios and Acadia Woods Partners. Previous investors Goldman Sachs and Hunt Growth Capital also kicked in additional funds.
Federal Aviation Administration issued an inspector's handbook bulletin this month providing a means for operators of Part 135 "nine-or-less"-seat aircraft to issue their own Special Flight (ferry) Permits through an "organizational designee" within their company, a privilege for which operators who inspect their aircraft under FAR Part 135.411(a) (1) were previously not eligible. The change comes after months of discussion between FAA officials and air cargo industry representatives.
