The pilot and all three passengers aboard an Australian Robinson R44 helicopter were killed when the aircraft collided with terrain Feb. 21, about six miles west of the community of Gunpowder, Queensland. The aircraft, VH-HBS, was owned and operated by North Australian Helicopters Pty. and was operating under the provisions of the Australian Civil Aviation Regulations.
A Falcon 900 business jet ran off the end of a runway at the Teterboro, N.J. Municipal Airport (TEB) after landing about 2:30 Friday afternoon and got stuck in a muddy area just beyond the end of the runway. There were three people on the aircraft. A spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey told BA there were no injuries, but workers were still trying late in the afternoon to free the aircraft from the mud. TEB has drawn a lot of attention from anti-airport forces since a Challenger overrun accident there a year ago.
Arinc Engineering Services, LLC (AES) was named a prime contractor by NASA to support aircraft flight critical systems research. AES will compete against four other prime contractors for a range of task orders under a recent indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity award. The contract tasks will cover support of flight critical systems development and integration as well as flight dynamics, guidance and control, crew systems and aviation operations, and reliable and robust avionics systems.
MD Helicopters plans to expand the standard equipment packages on its entire product line to include wire strike alert systems, cockpit voice and video recorders, health and usage monitoring systems and terrain awareness warning systems, beginning in 2007. In addition, MD Helicopters is adding a "Fly Safety Training" package to the company's training program. The company said it is enhancing its safety equipment and training program offerings as part of an effort to support the safety recommendations of the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST).
The Federal Aviation Administration delayed a series of controversial flight restrictions over Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP) until Feb. 20, 2011. FAA originally proposed the tighter restrictions, including restructured routes and flight-free zones, in two separate rules released in 2000. The agency implemented the tougher restrictions in the western end of GCNP in April 2001, but delayed implementation in the eastern end of the park after the United States Air Tour Association and seven air tour operators filed suit and raised safety concerns.
Aircraft Owners And Pilots Association will hold its annual Fly-In and Open House Saturday, June 3 at the association's headquarters at the Frederick, Md. Municipal Airport (FDK). The event will include a static display of aircraft, seminars and a self-guided tour of the AOPA headquarters building.
Wingspeed Corp. released two XLLink Systems, which are designed as low-cost communication units for diverse applications on both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. The XLLink System Model L, retailing for about $3,000, provides flight tracking and aircraft situational display capabilities. The system generates and sends messages with aircraft GPS information to Wingspeed's ground-based services via the Iridium network of low-earth-orbiting satellites. XLLink is integrated with Flight Explorer's aircraft situational display software.
Montreal's Mirabel Airport, which hasn't seen a passenger flight since October 2004, will be transformed into an amusement park under a deal reached late last month. Aeroports de Montreal (ADM) and I-Parks-Oger International signed a memorandum of understanding to develop an "indoor recreational multiplex" at Mirabel covering more than 100,000 square meters. AeroDream, or Reveport in French, will be a "one-of-a-kind attraction in North America," targeting local visitors as well as tourists and business travelers.
Fuel providers have experienced the price sensitivity in the aviation gasoline market. ConocoPhillips executives said avgas sales were off five to six percent in the latter half of 2005 when fuel prices spiked. Avgas sales already were softening, but went into an even steeper decline after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, they said. Jet fuel sales, however, were up about two percent in 2005.
GARY PORTERFIELD was promoted to assistant manager of FlightSafety International's learning center in West Palm Beach, Fla. Porterfield joined the West Palm Beach facility in 2003 as an instructor for the Bombardier Learjet 55 aircraft and subsequently led development of the Piaggio Avanti P180 training program. He was promoted to program manager for Learjet 55 and Piaggio Avanti training in July 2005. Before joining FlightSafety, he flew for American Eagle and a number of corporate and charter operators. He also served in the U.S. Air Force.
Bombardier Aerospace selected SAS Component Group, based in Copenhagen, Denmark, to provide a total support package (TSP) for Bombardier Q400 operators worldwide. SAS Component, which specializes in aircraft component management and logistics, will offer its Free2Fly maintenance support package for the repair of major Q400 components such as the propeller, avionics, auxiliary power unit, landing gear, wheels and brakes. Operators also will have access to an exchange pool of components. The program can be tailored to individual operators, Bombardier said.
BRIAN WATKINS was named vice president of technology for Landmark Aviation. Watkins will be responsible for all engineering activities and the development of new programs, including supplemental type certificates. Watkins joined Landmark predecessor Garrett Aviation Services in 1998 as chief engineer. He was named director of engineering in 2002 and director of program management in 2002. He formerly served as a project engineer on U.S. Navy avionics upgrade programs for Lockheed Martin and as a group engineer for electrical and avionics at Learjet.
JOHN FOREHAND was appointed manager of Northwest Aircraft, based at Aurora State Airport near Portland, Ore. Forehand had been manager of Arizona Piper since 2001 but relocated to lead Northwest Aircraft, which was recently named a New Piper Aircraft maintenance center. Forehand has 25 years of aviation sales experience, beginning with Melridge Aviation, also in the Portland area.
National Air Traffic Controllers Association joined FAA last week in calling for a federal mediator to join the talks between the agency and the union on a new labor agreement. NATCA said it wants the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to join the contract talks when they resume March 6. After meeting with FMCS representatives last week, NATCA said it "came away convinced that mediation is the appropriate next step in our contract talks." Both sides must agree on the need for mediation before FMCS will intervene.
FAA veteran Joan Bauerlein was selected as a winner of the National Public Service Award. Presented by the National Academy of Public Administration and the American Society for Public Administration, the award recognizes managers who exhibit the highest standards of excellence, dedication and accomplishment in their careers. Bauerlein has more than 30 years of public transportation experience and is FAA's director of aviation research and development.
DASSAULT Model Falcon 900EX airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-23886; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-255-AD] - proposes to require inspecting the Number 2 engine left- and right-hand forward mounts for missing rivets and installing rivets if necessary. This proposed AD results from reports of two missing rivets in the front section of the central engine mast discovered on airplanes in service and in production.
Cessna Aircraft leader Jack Pelton attacked Bush Administration arguments last week that FAA funding mechanisms are broken and require a major overhaul, charging, in essence, that FAA is seeking a new pot of money to modernize the air traffic control system without knowing how much that project will cost or what technologies it will require.
Brazilian manufacturer Embraer announced the sale of two Legacy 600 business aircraft to customers in the Asian market. One airplane will be operated by PT Ekspres Transportasi Antarbenua (Premier) of Jakarta, Indonesia, while the other will go to an undisclosed company in the region. Both Legacys are scheduled for delivery this year.
A Challenger 600 business jet, N900LG, was substantially damaged this month while landing at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport (ASE) in Aspen, Colo. The aircraft, owned by Branblubush LLC, was landing on Runway 15 when it encountered wake vortices from a BAe 146, which had just departed Runway 33. At 50 feet AGL, the Challenger rolled hard to the left and the stall warning horn activated. The pilot added power and the airplane rolled hard to the right.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2C10 (Regional Jet Series 700, 701, & 702), CL-600-2D15 (Regional Jet Series 705), and CL-600-2D24 (Regional Jet Series 900) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-22872; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-198-AD; Amendment 39-14490; AD 2006-04-09] - requires replacing the Camloc fasteners on the sidewall of the center pedestal. This AD results from reports of the Camloc fasteners on the sidewall of the center pedestal disengaging and interfering with an inboard rudder pedal.
While the National Business Aviation Association has spent months trying to persuade legislators to shelve two tax proposals that would increase the cost of personal use of a company airplane, a new congressional paper is skeptical about the association's claims and bolsters the arguments of tax increase proponents.
Responding to concerns that limited resources at the National Transportation Safety Board may be hampering general aviation investigations, acting Chairman Mark Rosenker tried to convince GA plane-makers that the agency is committed to investigating all aviation accidents and pursuing GA safety. "I can assure you that the board has its eye on the GA ball," Rosenker told the General Aviation Manufacturers Association board of directors earlier this month.
