July 24-30 - Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture Oshkosh 2006, Oshkosh, Wis., (920) 426-4800 October 17-19 - National Business Aviation Association 59th Annual Meeting & Convention, Orlando, Fla., (202) 783-9000 October 27 - 64th annual Wings Club Dinner-Dance honoring Al Ueltschi, Chairman FlightSafety International, Inc. with its Distinguished Achievement Award; Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, 212-867-1770, email: [email protected].
Model F.28 Mark 0070 and 0100 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25391; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-097-AD] - Proposes to supersede an existing AD that requires a one-time inspection of the sliding members in the main landing gear (MLG) for cracking and replacement of the sliding members with serviceable parts, if necessary. This proposed AD would require repetitive magnetic particle inspections of the sliding members of the MLG for cracking and corrective actions as necessary.
TAG Group and high-end fashion designer Gianni Versace SpA have joined forces to offer special interior designs and exterior coating treatments to the owners of large business jets.
Final special conditions for the Cessna 510 Mustang's full-authority digital engine control (FADEC) system were approved by FAA. The agency said the conditions are necessary because digital electronic engine control systems are not adequately addressed in FAR Part 23. "The installation of an engine with an electronic control system requires evaluation due to the possible effects on or by other airplane systems (e.g., radio interference with other airplane electronic systems, shared engine and airplane power sources)," FAA said.
ON-DEMAND OPERATORS WARY OF NEW CUSTOMS MANIFEST PROPOSALOn-demand aircraft charter operators fear a recent Customs and Border Protection proposal that would require them to provide advance passenger manifest information for international flights could cause lengthy delays in their operations. The Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) earlier this month proposed requiring most on-demand air carriers to provide a passenger manifest at least 60 minutes before departure for international flights inbound to or outbound from the U.S.
Model BAe 146 and Avro 146-RJ airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25388; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-086-AD] - Proposes to require inspecting the hydraulic accumulators to identify certain serial numbers, and replacing any affected accumulator with a new or serviceable accumulator. Operators may delay doing the replacement by doing repetitive inspections of the affected hydraulic accumulators for signs of failure (leaking or cracking), and replacing any failed accumulator with a new or serviceable unit.
Special conditions were proposed by the FAA for certification of Dassault Aviation's Falcon 7X. The new, three-engine corporate airplane will use a "hydrophobic" coating, instead of windshield wipers, to keep the windshield clear during precipitation. Dassault must demonstrate that this approach will provide both pilots with a "sufficiently extensive view along the flight path in all normal flight attitudes of the airplane."
The Nordam Group and Jet Star Aeronautic Interiors of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, opened a joint facility in Sao Jose dos Campos, five miles from the Embraer factory. NORDAM will support its cabinetry program for the Embraer Legacy at the 20,000-square-foot facility. The facility currently employs 25 but has room for expansion. "Our new facility in Brazil opens up a lot of possibilities for our cabinetry operations," said Gary Ball, vice president and general manager of NORDAM Interiors and Structures.
Models PC-6, PC-6-H1, PC-6-H2, PC-6/350, PC-6/350-H1, PC-6/350-H2, PC-6/A, PC-6/A-H1, PC-6/A-H2, PC-6/B-H2, PC-6/B1-H2, PC-6/B2-H2, PC-6/B2-H4, PC-6/C-H2, and PC-6/C1-H2 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-24092; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-18-AD; Amendment 39-14682; AD 2006-15-02] - Supersedes AD 2003-09-01, which applies to certain Pilatus Model PC-6 airplanes. AD 2003-09-01 currently requires inspecting and correcting, as necessary, the aileron control bellcrank assemblies at the wing and fuselage locations.
Cessna completed European Aviation Safety Agency certification for its CJ series with EASA approval earlier this month for the CJ2+. EASA granted certification for the Citation CJ1+ March 13 and the Citation CJ3 June 16. EASA approval allows the CJ series aircraft to be certified and registered within the 25 European countries that abide by EASA regulations. The CJ fleet has grown to more than 900 airplanes that have accrued more than 1.3 million flight hours.
Both pilots were killed and both passengers injured Wednesday when a Cessna Citation 560 business jet crashed while apparently attempting to land at a small Iowa airport. The aircraft, N636SE, was en route from Oxford, Miss. to Rochester, Minn., but it is believed the crew was trying to land at the 2,949-foot runway at the Cresco, Iowa Airport (CJJ), which is located just south of the Iowa-Minnesota border in the northeast corner of the state. There were thunderstorms in the area at the time of the 11 a.m. accident.
Signature Flight Support is expected to announce the appointment of company veteran Steve Lee as chief operating officer, possibly as soon as this week. Lee will report to Bruce Van Allen, the chairman of the nation's largest chain of fixed-base operations. Lee's appointment follows the departure last year of President Beth Haskins.
Aerospace Products International (API) opened a new distribution and logistics center in Luton, England. The Luton facility has 7,000 square feet of storage space and can expand to 14,000 square feet if demand warrants. The facility will serve as API's base for European customers, and API also will pre-position parts through a third-party logistics agreement with Gulfstream.
ATR received a global maintenance agreement to provide spare parts and maintenance to Kingfisher Airlines of India. ATR will support Kingfisher's new ATR 72-500 fleet, providing repair of equipment and line replacement units as well maintaining an inventory of spare parts and engines on-site for Kingfisher. The 10-year agreement also covers airframe maintenance checks and propeller and landing gear maintenance. ATR valued the agreement at about $50 million. Kingfisher has ordered 35 ATR 72-500s, four of which are in service.
Vistagy, Inc., a Waltham, Mass. engineering software specialist, sold its FiberSIM5.1 software suite to Italian aerospace company AleniaAermacchi for its CATIA V5 CAD system. AleniaAermacchi is automating its development process and will use FiberSIM software to generate detailed documentation early in the design phase, including composites information.
Gulfstream I turboprops could face tougher corrosion inspection requirements as a result of a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking issued by the FAA. The agency concurs with the manufacturer's suggestion that mandatory inspections of the twin turboprop be revised to specify that an airplane may remain in service for up to 18 months, with a proviso that repeat X-ray inspections are accomplished at nine-month intervals until rework or replacement is accomplished.
The S-92 helicopter fleet has amassed more than 20,000 flight hours in less than two years of service, according to Sikorsky Aircraft. The Connecticut-based helicopter manufacturer says that the S-92 - a twin-engine medium helicopter used in offshore oil, executive transport, search and rescue, and airline roles - "continues to perform at an impressive operational tempo." Twelve of the aircraft in service are flying 130-160 hours per month; two of those aircraft have more than 2,200 flight hours to date. The first production S-92 aircraft was delivered in late 2004.
Malaysian Helicopter Service ordered three S-76C++ helicopters to support the Southeast Asian offshore oil operations of ExxonMobil. The contract, which includes a complete support package, signifies the first aircraft replacement by Sikorsky for ExxonMobil in the Malaysian region in 14 years. The helicopters are scheduled for delivery in July 2007.
A federal judge is expected to issue a final decision soon in a lawsuit between CAMP Systems International and Gulfstream Aerospace. Judge B. Avant Edenfield of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia rejected Gulfstream's claims of copyright and trademark infringement against CAMP, ruling that the maintenance tracking company's use of Gulfstream maintenance manuals constituted "fair use" under the law (BA, June 19/273).
FAA revoked the air carrier certificate of Annapolis, Md.-based American Flight Group, Inc. and fined Lawrenceville, Ga.-based Medway Air Ambulance $1 million for operating as an air carrier without a certificate. FAA alleged that AFG allowed other companies, which did not have their own operating authority, to operate flights for hire under the AFG certificate. FAA said AFG would list the aircraft of these companies on its operations specifications for a fixed monthly fee. FAA further believes that Medway was among those carriers that used AFG's certificate.
Bombardier delivered a third Learjet 45 XR business jet to Global Wings, Inc., an Osaka, Japan-based on-demand operator. Global Wings flies the Learjet 45 XR for charter among Beijing, China and Osaka, as well as on missions within Japan and to remote locations in northern Asia.
The Nordam Group was selected to supply its Norstar wing tip lenses for the Cessna Citation Sovereign. The Sovereign will become the first business jet to use the technology already employed on commercial and regional aircraft. NORDAM said the Norstar lenses increase product life by 80 percent when compared with polycarbonate lenses and provide a 50 percent weight savings over glass lenses.
National Air Transportation Association is hosting a tax seminar for charter operators Aug. 2 at the Holiday Inn Select Indianapolis Airport in Indianapolis, Ind. Aviation attorney Kent Jackson of Jackson, Wade & Blanck will present the seminar with NATA. The seminar will discuss application of and exemptions from federal excise taxes, state tax problems, international user fees, common tax errors, filing IRS forms, fuel tax credit, structuring aircraft management agreements and tax implications for charter brokering.
Dassault Aviation named TAG Aviation Farnborough an authorized service center. The authorization covers scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, transient service, troubleshooting, AOG support, basic inspections and A checks for the Falcon 50, 900 and 2000 aircraft families. TAG also provides line service, maintenance and inspections, including C checks, on Falcon 20s. Dassault also recently signed on Skyservice's Toronto maintenance facility as a Falcon line maintenance service center.
