Phil Michel, the veteran Cessna Aircraft marketing executive who announced plans last year to retire next month, will remain with the Wichita, Kan. aircraft manufacturer for an indeterminate period. Steve Fushelberger was named in September to succeed Michel as vice president of marketing (BA, Sept. 26/139), but he left Cessna last week for personal reasons, according to an internal memo. Michel was vacationing last week, but he expects to resume his duties early next month.
TPE331 series turboprop engines [Docket No. FAA-2006-23706; Directorate Identifier 2006-NE-03-AD] - proposes to require initial and repetitive dimensional inspections of the splines between the fuel pump and fuel control, for wear or damage. This proposed AD also would require replacing those fuel control assemblies with serviceable modified fuel control assemblies that have improved overspeed protection.
The new request for proposals (RFP) for the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) is largely the same as the draft RFP for the Future Cargo Aircraft (FCA) released by the Army last year prior to the Air Force coming onboard the program, according to competitor Raytheon.
Federal Aviation Administration last week proposed another airworthiness directive on Mitsubishi Heavy Industries MU-2B series airplanes. The AD calls for including information in the Limitations Section of the FAA-approved Airplane Flight Manual to protect against improper rigging of the propeller feathering linkage. The proposed AD is one of a series of actions the agency is taking as part of an overall design, maintenance and operational review of MU-2B series airplanes (BA, Jan. 30/45).
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Friday travels to Asia to meet with his counterparts in China, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore on exploring ways to improve air cargo screening. In Hong Kong, Chertoff plans to inspect a pilot program that scans ship cargo containers before they are loaded. "I want to see it for myself," Chertoff told an audience at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, adding that any valuable techniques he sees would be adopted by U.S. security authorities.
House Aviation Subcommittee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) last week expressed concern that FAA is curbing its certification activities in fiscal 2006, even though Congress upped the agency's certification funding by $4 million to restore staff levels. FAA has indicated that it plans to use the $4 million to cover needs elsewhere in the agency (BA, Jan. 30/41). Mica told attendees at a hearing Wednesday on U.S.
FlightSafety International is hosting a Helicopter Safety Forum May 4-5 at the Marriott Dallas/Fort Worth South Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas. The forum will include safety-centered seminars and discussion groups with participation of industry experts and government officials. The forum will address air medical, law enforcement, fire, offshore and other corporate and commercial operations.
NAVAERO, the Chicago-based producer of electronic flight bag products, is collaborating with Eclipse Aviation to develop a diagnostic storage unit (DSU) for the Eclipse 500 very light jet. The DSU will collect in-flight performance and maintenance data that can be used for trend analysis and other purposes.
Brazilian manufacturer Embraer has completed the Joint Definition Phase (JDP) for its Phenom 100 Very Light Jet, the first in a series of business jet products the company is developing to complement its regional airliner business.
Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100 & 440) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-24110; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-020-AD; Amendment 39-14508; AD 2006-05-11] - supersedes an existing AD that currently requires revising the airworthiness limitations section of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness of the aircraft maintenance manual (AMM) by incorporating procedures for repetitive functional tests of the pilot input lever of the pitch feel simulator (PFS) units.
FAA earlier this month declined the petitions of dozens of Part 135 operators who sought extensions of long-standing exemptions from Mode S transponder requirements. The agency last fall said it planned to terminate all exemptions from Mode S equipment requirements on March 1, 2007 (BA, Oct. 10/161).
Flight Design USA, the U.S. distributor of the German-built CT two-place sport plane, moved to a new 5,000-square-foot facility in South Woodstock, Conn. The new building also will house Flight Design USA sister companies HPower Ltd. and Flightstar Sportplanes.
RAPSCO (Regional Airline Parts Support Company) reached an agreement with LORD Corp. to take over manufacture and distribution of parts and assemblies related to the Fairchild (now M7 Aerospace) Metro and Merlin turboprop Models SA26 and SA226. LORD has provided engine mounts and related components for the Merlins and Metros.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey bade farewell to another member of her senior management team last week as Sharon Pinkerton stepped down as assistant administrator for policy, planning and environment after three years in the post. Pinkerton is the third top-level FAA official to leave the agency in recent months, following Woodie Woodward, who had been associate administrator for airports, and David Mandell, Blakey's chief of staff, who had worked with her since she chaired the National Transportation Safety Board (BA, March 13/119).
A Kaman 1200 Helicopter was destroyed and its pilot killed during a March 17 accident. FAA said the K-MAX helicopter, N263KA, operated by Grizzly Mountain Aviation, lost power and crashed about 27 miles northwest of John Day, Ore.
A Falcon 900EX that ran off the end of a runway March 3 at the Teterboro, N.J. Airport (TEB) landed long, according to witnesses interviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board (BA, March 6/107).
Aeronautical Repair Station Association is creating a company to provide liability insurance to repair stations. ARSA said 20 of its members have agreed to help launch the Aviation Alliance Insurance Risk Retention Group (AAIRG). ARSA hopes the new company will be operational in the second half of this year. ARSA will limit participation in AAIRG to association members. AAIRG members will pay an up-front capitalization fee, projected at about 30 percent of a member's current annual insurance premium, and will have a stake in the new company.
Named vice president, marketing, contracts and administration for Bombardier Flexjet. Levesque will develop marketing strategies and steer the administrative process for the company. He formerly was vice president, strategy and business development for Bombardier Aerospace. Before joining Bombardier in 1999, Levesque served with McKinsey & Company.
Model ATR 42-200, -300, and -320 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-20220; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-152-AD; Amendment 39-14504; AD 2006-05-07] - requires repetitive inspections of the upper arms of the main landing gear (MLG) side braces for missing or inadequately bonded identification plates; an ultrasonic inspection of the upper arm of the MLG side brace for any defects and related investigative/corrective actions, if necessary; and replacing the side brace assembly with a modified part.
The U.S. aviation manufacturing industry continues to outpace national averages for industry wages, according to Janet Harrah, director of the center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University. The average wage for the industry in 2004 was $73,000, 86 percent more than the average of $39,000 for all private-sector jobs. Aviation manufacturers employ 600,000 workers and have payrolls of $45 billion annually. The industry also is slightly ahead of the national average in terms of workers covered under union contracts.
Model SA-365N, SA-365N1, AS-365N2, and SA-366G1 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2005-23159; Directorate Identifier 2005-SW-10-AD; Amendment 39-14510; AD 2006-06-02] - supersedes an existing AD that currently requires inspecting the main gearbox (MGB) suspension diagonal cross-member for cracks and replacing it with an airworthy part if any crack is found. This amendment requires more frequent inspections of the diagonal cross-member and adding the Model SA-366G1 helicopters to the applicability.
Appointed regional engine manager for the western U.S. for Dallas Airmotive. Hubble will be responsible for sales of the company's TFE731 and PW300 engine services as well as services for Honeywell auxiliary power units. He has 20 years of aviation maintenance experience, having held positions with Raytheon and Bombardier Aerospace. He also spent four years with Garrett Aviation Los Angeles.
The Czech Republic ordered two Airbus A319 corporate jets (ACJs), which it will use for military and government flights. The two ACJs, which will be powered by CFM 56-5 engines, will replace Tupolev Tu-154s in the government fleet. The aircraft will have "quick-change" kits enabling easy interior configuration conversion from transporting troops to carrying government officials. Lufthansa Technik will outfit the cabins in Hamburg, Germany.
750XL airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-23579; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-02-AD] [Docket No. FAA-2006-23579; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-02-AD] - proposes to supersede AD 2005-26-53, which currently requires incorporation of text into the Limitations Section of the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) reducing the maximum takeoff weight from 7,500 pounds to 7,125 pounds. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for New Zealand and the FAA's decision that the actions correct an unsafe condition.
