The Million Air Teterboro facility, effective June 1, will change its overall name and that of its FBO to Meridian Teterboro; and the aircraft maintenance division will change its name to Meridian Jet Center from Million Air Maintenance. All four operating divisions - Aircraft Charter, Aircraft Management, FBO and Aircraft Maintenance - will now be operating under the Meridian name. The company is adopting a new corporate identity system, including new branding, logos and new signage.
Associated Air Center won FAA approval as a Designated Alteration Station (DAS). The DAS certification authorizes the Dallas, Texas-based completion center to issue supplemental type certifications and experimental airworthiness certificates on behalf of the FAA. The certification covers all of Associated Air Center's services including installation of safety and flight management systems, cabin décors, furnishings, entertainment systems and passenger seating. Associated Air Center is the second Landmark Aviation subsidiary - after the Springfield, Ill.
Transportation Security Administration last week scored high marks, at least from the Part 135 sector, for its new security rule covering cargo carriers. The rule imposes new cargo programs for operators of heavier aircraft but maintains the Twelve-Five program for Part 135 on-demand cargo carriers. See article below.
Canadian Owners And Pilots Association and the Helicopter Association of Canada are appealing a new $10 daily charge for aircraft weighing three tons or less that use one of seven major Canadian international airports. Nav Canada announced in April a series of "revenue-neutral changes" in its fee schedule that would mean "a reduction in the charge for larger aircraft and an increase for smaller aircraft" (BA, April 17/171).
Part Number 217K22-1, installed on various transport category airplanes, including but not limited to Bombardier Model BD-700-1A10 and BD-700-1A11 airplanes; and Gulfstream Model G-1159, G-1159A, G-1159B, G-IV, GIV-X, GV, and GV-SP series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-24667; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-009-AD] - Proposes to require a one-time inspection of the nosewheel tires to determine if they are within a designated serial number range, and replacement if necessary.
Robert Crandall's Pogo Jets enterprise has pushed back its planned startup because the current crop of Very Light Jets is not right for the mission, Crandall said last week.
Promoted to president of Evergreen Air Center. Toomey succeeds Bob McAndrew, who was appointed president of a new Evergreen company, Evergreen Supertanker Services. Toomey, formerly vice president of marketing for Evergreen Air Center, has more than 20 years of aviation experience. He previously served as vice president of C&D Aerospace and national aerospace sales manager for Saint Gobain Performance Plastics.
Primus II RNZ-850/-851 Integrated Navigation Units [Docket No. FAA-2005-20080; Directorate Identifier 2003-NM-193-AD] - Revises an earlier NPRM that applies to various aircraft equipped with a Honeywell Primus II RNZ-850/-851 Integrated Navigation Unit (INU). The original NPRM would have superseded an existing AD that, as one alternative for compliance, provides for a one-time inspection to determine whether a certain modification has been installed on the Honeywell Primus II NV850 Navigation Receiver Module (NRM), which is part of the INU.
ATR received contracts valued at $230 million from Irish regional carrier Aer Arann and the government of Equatorial Guinea for 13 new ATR aircraft. Aer Arann ordered 10 72-seat ATR 72-500 aircraft. The $180 million contract represents the largest single aircraft investment by a private Irish passenger carrier, ATR said. The aircraft will replace and supplement the carrier's existing fleet of 14 ATR 42 and 72 aircraft. The deal calls for delivery of two aircraft in 2007, five in 2008 and three in 2009.
FlightWorks added a Challenger 300 to its charter fleet. The aircraft, based in Tulsa, Okla., will be managed under the company's FlightWise management program. The program provides dedicated owner service specialists to manage owner travel, records, maintenance and aircraft charter.
James Phelan, who was involved in the first helicopter combat rescue, died May 16. Phelan and Carter Harman flew their Sikorsky YR-4 behind Japanese lines in the China-Burma jungle to rescue American pilot Ed (Murphy) Hladovcak and three British soldiers in April 1944. Phelan also was the husband of the late Jean Ross Howard Phelan, who founded the Whirly-Girls.
South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer and a friend were able to escape from a crashed Mooney M20E last week moments before the wrecked airplane caught fire and burned. Bauer, 37, who has been a pilot since 2003, was attempting to take off from a dirt airstrip in rural Cherokee County just south of the North Carolina border shortly after 1800 Tuesday night. He was accompanied by John M. Leonhardt Sr., 70, a friend and the former owner of the aircraft, who frequently flew as a co-pilot on Bauer's flights.
House Democrats are gaining momentum in their campaign to force a vote on legislation that would stymie FAA's ability to impose a controller contract, but the crucial Republican support that the Democrats need is proving elusive.
Model EMB-145, -145ER, -145MR, -145LR, -145XR, -145MP, and -145EP airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-24696; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-038-AD] - Proposes to require replacing the electrical bonding clamps inside the fuel tanks and adjacent areas. This proposed AD results from a report of a failure of a fitting clamp of an electrical bonding cable for the fuel tubing. FAA is proposing this AD to prevent loss of bonding protection in the interior of the fuel tanks or adjacent areas, and a consequent potential source of ignition in a fuel tank and possible fire or explosion.
Bombardier will likely debut its touted 900X before a stretched Q400 turboprop as the airframer firms up the necessary design changes and discussions with potential customers continue. The company has put more emphasis on stretching current aircraft models since scaling back its plans for the new C-series aircraft family earlier this year. Previously, Bombardier said it was evaluating a 100-seat version of the 86-seat CRJ-900 and a 90-seat version of the Q400 turboprop, which is currently offered in a 70- to 76-seat configuration.
Joined AirCell as European sales manager. Based in Cortaillod, Switzerland, Rosenfeld will lead AirCell's European sales effort and manage the company's network of dealers and installation facilities. He previously was European GA sales manager for DAC International, where he represented a range of aviation products in the region, including AirCell. He also has held positions with companies including Silicon Graphics and EM Micro-Electronique Marin.
Hillsboro Aviation won a contract to retrofit a Bell 206L-4 helicopter with new security, communications and surveillance equipment for the Chicago Police Department. The retrofit will include an Avalex Moving Map, a 12-inch LCD monitor, digital video recorder and FLIR pointing system and a FLIR Ultra 8500XR thermal imager/camera. Other airborne police equipment will include a microwave radio downlink system and a Spectrolab SX-5 Nightsun.
Named interiors manager for Elliott Aviation, the Moline, Ill.-based aviation services company. Ball will oversee all interior completion and refurbishment projects at the company's Completion Center at Quad Cities International Airport. He has nearly 30 years of aircraft interior completions experience, previously serving with Bombardier Aerospace in Tucson, Ariz., where he was responsible for overseeing interiors installations in Challenger 300 and Global Express aircraft.
Conklin & De Decker will hold its 4th annual Commercial Operators and Management Tax Course June 22-23 in Dallas, Texas. The two-day course is designed to discuss tax issues involving aircraft management and charter companies. Sessions cover management and charter agreements, workers compensation, financial options, federal excise taxes, SEC reporting requirements, international fees, insurance and state tax planning. Registration costs $895. For more information, contact Christine Preston at (480) 922-3540.
MU-2B series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-23883; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-12-AD] - Proposes to require incorporating power assurance charts into the Limitations Section of the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM), inspecting the engine torque indication system, and recalibrating the torque pressure transducers as required.
Model 45 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-24792; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-102-AD; Amendment 39-14599; AD 2006-10-15] - Requires a review of airplane maintenance records to determine whether inspections identified by certain inspection reference numbers (IRNs) have been done.
