NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD is investigating a March 30 incident in which a Diamond Aircraft Industries DA 20-C1, N346DC, lost all engine power, necessitating a forced landing. The aircraft, which NTSB said was piloted by a Diamond Aircraft sales representative, had departed from a small airport near Butler, Pa. and was headed for Meadville, Pa. About five minutes after takeoff, at an altitude of 800 feet AGL, engine RPMs dropped from 2,000 to idle. The pilot applied full throttle and rich fuel mixture, but the engine remained at idle.
THE METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON AIRPORTS AUTHORITY signed an agreement to take over operation of the Washington Dulles Toll Road and use the revenues from the road to pay for a $4 billion project to extend the Metrorail subway system to the airport. The authority will oversee a two-phase plan to build a 23.1-mile extension of Metrorail to Dulles and beyond. Phase I is scheduled for completion in 2011; Phase II, which includes the Dulles Metro stop, will be finished in 2015.
Named program chief pilot for CJ Systems Aviation Group. Lhote will manage contracts at 17 base sites operated by STAT MedEvac Systems. He has served with CJ Systems for eight years as site manager, pilot and assistant chief pilot.
ROCKWELL COLLINS named Jeff Moore senior vice president of operations, replacing Kent Statler, who took over as vice president and general manager of Rockwell Collins Services in November 2005. Moore has a 30-year career with Rockwell Collins in a number of management and operational positions. Most recently, he was vice president of manufacturing operations for Government Systems.
Eclipse Aviation broke ground last week at the Gainesville, Fla. Regional Airport (GNV) for a new service center, the first of seven service centers the company is building to support its Eclipse 500 Very Light Jet aircraft.
GENERAL AVIATION MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION was pleased that FAA last week agreed to extend for six months the deadline for complying with new drug and alcohol testing rules. The extension came at the request of nine associations, including GAMA, which said the rules need to be clarified before they can be properly followed. One of the sticking points is the extent to which the rules apply to original equipment manufacturers and the companies to which they subcontract maintenance.
AFRICAN CARRIERS dominate the list of 92 airlines the European Commission recently banned from operating in European Union countries. All carriers registered in Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo are excluded from the EU as they "have an inadequate system for regulatory oversight," the EC said. To review the complete list of banned carriers, visit: http://europa/eu.int/comm/transport/air/safety/doc/flywell/2006_03_22_f….
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION is expected to task a government/industry group shortly to draft recommendations on equipment requirements for large-scale implementation of automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B). ADS-B, which enables aircraft tracking via satellite, has been tested in Alaska (the Capstone program) as well as with cargo carriers. Industry groups are enthusiastic about the potential for ADS-B to save FAA billions of dollars because it will enable the agency to turn off most, if not all, ground radars.
Rick Voorhis, a former board member of the National Air Transportation Association, was killed March 29 in a Cessna Caravan accident in a mountainous area near Yucaipa, Calif., about 25 miles west of Palm Springs.
Accidents involving turbine-powered business aircraft dropped substantially from the first quarter of 2005 to the quarter just ended, according to information compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla.
A UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS doctoral student was honored as FAA's Air Transportation Centers of Excellence "Outstanding Student of the Year" for his research into airport concrete. Zachary Grasley is a doctoral student in civil engineering at the university's main campus at Urbana-Champaign, where he is researching the behavior and characteristics of concrete used in airport pavements and structures.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association called the creation of temporary flight restrictions the wrong way to manage unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and urged the Federal Aviation Administration to move forward on regulations that ensure UAVs operate to the same level of safety as manned aircraft. Security agencies have increased the use of UAVs before FAA has had an opportunity to regulate them, Andrew Cebula, executive vice president of government affairs, testified before the House aviation subcommittee late last month.
Model G-159 airplanes [Docket No. 96-NM-143-AD] - revises an earlier proposed AD that would have required repetitive non-destructive testing inspections to detect corrosion of the skin of certain structural assemblies and corrective action, if necessary. The original proposal also would have required x-ray and ultrasonic inspections to detect corrosion and cracking of the splicing of certain structural assemblies, and repair if necessary.
The National Air Transportation Association renewed its call for the Internal Revenue Service to ease its fuel tax collection procedures after the agency reassured lawmakers that it had taken steps to answer industry concerns. Eric Solomon, acting deputy assistant secretary of the treasury for tax policy, last month sent letters to key legislators saying that IRS has taken steps to reduce the burden that new fuel tax requirements have had on the industry.
Appointed regional engine manager for the Southwest for Dallas Airmotive. Freeman will sell Dallas Airmotive's TFE731 and PW300 engine services as well as Honeywell auxiliary power unit services. A licensed airframe and powerplant technician with experience in engine, airframe and electrical systems on business aircraft, Freeman formerly held positions with KC Aviation, Gulfstream Aerospace and Western Aircraft.
Joins Wingspeed Corp. as vice president of worldwide sales. Borkowski will be responsible for sales of Wingspeed's XLLink Voice and Data Communications System line. He formerly served as director of sales and business development-the Americas for Rockwell Collins. He also has held sales and engineering positions at Thales, Federal Express, Northwest Airlines, Braniff Airlines, Midway Airlines and Capital Airlines.
RON BERTRAM, the leader of the Australian Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, was killed in a light-aircraft accident April 5 at the Bankstown Airport, officials said. Bertram joined the Australian AOPA more than three years ago as a director and was subsequently named president. Bertram was "an active participant and champion for the general aviation community," said Greg Russell, CEO of Airservices Australia. "The association has lost a true reformer and a person dedicated to making AOPA more relevant and valuable to the aviation industry," Russell added.
Embraer reported record sales of $3.8 billion (U.S.) in fiscal 2005 despite a dip in the overall number of aircraft deliveries. The Brazilian manufacturer delivered 141 aircraft in fiscal 2005, compared with 148 the prior year. But sales climbed 11 percent as Embraer began delivery of the Embraer 175 and 190 regional jets. Net income jumped 17.2 percent to $445.7 million.
Named supervisor-customer relations for Wilson Air Center. Lirette formerly was customer service concierge for Atlantic Aviation Houston-Hobby. In her new role, Lirette will be responsible for customer relations and retention, business development, marketing and special programs and projects.
France Model EC 155B and B1 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2005-22697; Directorate Identifier 2004-SW-46-AD; Amendment 39-14509; AD 2006-06-01] - requires inspecting an electrical cable bundle for wear. If wear is present, the AD requires installing an airworthy cable bundle and modifying the routing of the electrical cable bundles. This amendment is prompted by reports of a short circuit in the wiring, which led to failure of the normal and emergency landing gear operation modes.
Triumph Group, Inc., which has assembled a network of aerospace component manufacturers over the past decade, is adding another Wichita company, Excel Manufacturing, Inc., to its family of companies. Triumph, headquartered in Wayne, Pa., said it completed an agreement to purchase the assets of Excel Manufacturing, Inc. Excel, which has operated in Wichita for more than three decades, has 140 employees. Triumph said the acquisition is expected to add about $35 million in revenue to its balance sheet in fiscal 2007. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
THE NATION'S top airlines last year posted their worst customer service numbers since the industry was plagued by problems of congestion and delays in 2000, according to the 16th annual Airline Quality Rating (AQR) study released last week. Developed by researchers at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and Wichita State University, the AQR uses Department of Transportation data from the Air Travel Consumer Report to rate airline customer service. The AQR is based upon on-time performance, denied boardings, mishandled baggage and consumer complaints for U.S.
Models 690, 690A, and 690B airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-23785; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-10-AD] - proposes to require inspections, visually and using fluorescent dye penetrant, of the support structures for the inboard and center aileron hinge fittings on both wings for cracks and replacing any cracked support structure. This proposed AD would require reinforcement of the support structures for the inboard and center aileron hinge fittings on both wings.
