NTSB meets this week to discuss final reports on two Learjet accidents. The safety board is slated to convene a public meeting on Tuesday, May 23 at its Washington, D.C. headquarters to review the Oct. 24, 2004 accident in which a Learjet 35A operated by Med Flight Air Ambulance crashed into mountainous terrain shortly after takeoff from Brown Field Municipal Airport (SDM) near San Diego. The captain, the copilot and three medical crewmembers were killed in that crash. The NTSB also is planning to review the Dec. 23, 2003 accident involving a Pavair, Inc.
Dassault Falcon Jet will convene its 26th annual worldwide maintenance and operations seminar at the Boca Raton Resort and Club in Boca Raton, Fla. on May 30. The seminar will feature model-specific technical and operational sessions, information-sharing meetings and a new two-man team presentation format during technical sessions.
Embraer is laying the groundwork to add more business aircraft products after launching its Phenom small-jet family last year. CEO Mauricio Botelho told analysts that the airframer was studying adding two new executive jets with configurations falling between the Phenom 100/300 aircraft that seat eight to nine passengers and the 16-seat Legacy 600 that's built on the ERJ-135 platform. This follows Embraer's recent launch of the Lineage 1000 executive jet built on the airframer's 190 platform.
Could a corporate 787 or A350 be next? PrivatAir, the international business aviation services company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, recently disclosed that it is evaluating the possibility of operating either the Airbus A350 or Boeing 787, two brand-new jetliners that are slated to enter service toward the end of this decade. Company CEO Greg Thomas explained, "PrivatAir has always been on the forefront of business aviation.
Model EMB-120, -120ER, -120FC, -120QC, and -120RT Airplanes in Operation [Docket No. FAA-2006-24120; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-021-AD; Amendment 39-14593; AD 2006-10-09] - Requires replacing the protective tubes and conduits of the wiring harnesses of the refueling vent and pilot valves with non-conductive hoses; modifying the harness wiring and supports; and rerouting the harnesses to prevent interference with adjacent strobe light connectors; as applicable. This AD results from a fuel system review conducted by the manufacturer.
FlightWorks has added a Gulfstream IV business jet and Bell 407 helicopter to its charter fleet. The G-IV is based at McCollum Field in Atlanta, Ga., and will be managed under the company's FlightWise management program. The Bell 407 is the first rotorcraft in the FlightWorks fleet. FlightWorks will operate the helicopter for customers based in the Southeast.
The FAA has delayed until Jan. 1, 2007 proposed changes in aircraft registration policies that would have severely limited the ability of aircraft owners to request "priority service" in connection with declarations of international flights. Citing an increasingly heavy workload and the fact that many operators routinely request priority service even if it is really not needed, officials at the FAA's Aircraft Registration Branch sought to limit priority handling for international flights to one request per aircraft in any three-month period.
Pilatus Business Aircraft is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Since being established in Broomfield, Colo. in 1996, the U.S. arm of the Swiss aircraft manufacturer has delivered some 430 aircraft to customers in North and South America, thus accounting for about 70 percent of the PC-12 turboprops delivered worldwide.
In an effort to stem the decline in the U.S. pilot population, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is planning to launch "Project Pilot" during its 16th annual AOPA Fly-In and Open House in Frederick, Md. on June 3. AOPA officials note that the overall pilot population has declined 25 percent since its peak in 1980. Project Pilot is designed to increase the number of general aviation pilots in the United States by teaming experienced AOPA member pilots with prospective pilots.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) supports FAA's goal of eliminating the inefficiency of issuing special conditions to protect critical aircraft electronic systems from High-Intensity Radiated Fields (HIRF). GAMA also is in favor of harmonizing FAA's HIRF protection requirements with those of European aviation authorities.
Named executive director of Salt Lake City Airport, effective May 30. Since March 2001, he had been director of aviation at Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans.
Hartzell has introduced a new Top Prop propeller conversion kit for early model Cessna 210s and 205s. At 82 inches long, the new two-bladed prop has the same diameter as the original propeller used on Cessna 210, 210A, 210B, 210C, 210-5 (205) and 210-5A (205A) aircraft with IO-470-E and IO-470-S engines. However, the new prop weighs much less - only 60.5 pounds. Also, the time between overhaul has been improved to 2,400 hours or six years, and the system's warranty is for three years or 1,000 hours.
The deadline for SIC type ratings is just over two weeks away for operators who fly outside the United States. An FAA rule released last August stipulated that all aviators who are acting as second-in-command pilots in aircraft certificated for at least two pilots must have a type rating by June 6 if the aircraft is going to fly outside of U.S. airspace and land overseas.
A new type of taxiway lighting system has been installed at Arizona's Prescott Municipal Airport. The new prototype system uses Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology to notify pilots that they are approaching a runway hold line. The taxiway edge lights emit a clear blue light that provides pilots with a visual cue marking the taxiway edge, while the runway guard lights notify pilots that they are approaching a runway hold line.
Midcoast Aviation has delivered the first corporate-use Bombardier Global 5000 aircraft to be custom-completed outside the factory. The long-range aircraft is one in a series of Global 5000s being completed for corporate and government operators by the Jet Aviation affiliated company. Midcoast, a Bombardier-designated preferred completion provider for all models of the Global family, is completing several Global Express XRS and Global 5000 airplanes for corporate operators at its St. Louis Downtown Airport completion center.
NetJets Europe expects to achieve full-year operating profitability in 2006 and net profitability in 2007. The company plans to take delivery of 28 airplanes worth $445 million this year and expects to receive about 30 aircraft next year.
Jet Aviation Dubai has been appointed a Hawker 800 authorized service center by Raytheon Aircraft. Jet Aviation Dubai, the first business aviation maintenance facility at the Dubai International Airport, will perform line and base maintenance and provide warranty and spare parts support.
Sikorsky Aircraft has signed the first European customer for its S-76D. Premier Aviation Services Ltd. of Ireland has agreed to take two of the twin-turboshaft helicopters. The S-76Ds, which are to be used for VIP and executive transport, will be based at Weston Airport outside Dublin. More than 220 operators in 59 countries are flying S-76 helicopters.
Model ERJ 170 Airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-24788; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-073-AD] - Proposes to require a one-time inspection for proper crimping of the terminal lugs for the power cables of each integrated drive generator (IDG), installing a new sleeve on the terminal, and re-crimping if necessary. This proposed AD results from a report that the terminal lugs for the power cables of the IDGs may not be adequately crimped, which could allow the cables to be pulled out of the terminals with no significant force.
Bombardier has designated Omni Aviação/Aero Services as its exclusive Learjet sales representative in France and Portugal. Omni Aviação is an aircraft charter and services company based in Cascais, Portugal.
The newest A318 elite customer is JetAlliance, an Austrian VIP charter operator that operates a fleet of 37 aircraft. The A318 Elite, which is the smallest member of the Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) family, will be powered by CFM International CFM56-5 engines and will feature a cabin installed by Lufthansa Technik.
Hired as senior director in the origination team of the Aviation & Portfolio Group of Republic Financial. Before joining the privately held, Aurora, Colo.-based investment company, he spent 20 years with General Electric, including stints with GE Capital Aviation Services and GE Aviation.
y late last week, the Sport-Jet, a new four-place jet powered by a single Williams International FJ33-4A engine, had made seven flights as part of a 50-hour flight-characteristics validation program. Bob Bornhofen, the aircraft's designer and president of Excel-Jet, Ltd., the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based firm that is developing the light jet, said he was pleased with the stability and handling of the airplane so far. The Sport-Jet is designed to cruise at 340 knots at 25,000 feet and have a range of more than 900 nm.
