The National Transportation Safety Board hopes to add nearly 80 positions later in the decade in an effort to boost its accident investigation mission, NTSB acting Chairman Mark Rosenker told a congressional panel. The agency asked the House aviation subcommittee for funds to cover 475 positions in fiscal 2008 and 2009, a request that comes after industry advocates voiced concerns about the agency's shrinking staff.
General Aviation Manufacturers Association was encouraged to see that the Bush Administration is seeking a $10 million boost in fiscal 2007 funding for FAA certification activities, a distinct change from the past couple of years when the Administration tightened the agency's certification budget and reduced staffing. GAMA successfully lobbied Congress for $4 million in additional certification funding for fiscal 2006, but FAA - facing budget cuts in other areas - has indicated that it plans to use that money elsewhere.
Gulfstream Aerospace is claiming a speed record for a Gulfstream 450 flight from Denver's Centennial Airport to Honolulu Airport on the island of Oahu. The manufacturer said the aircraft flew 2,944 nautical miles in seven hours, seven minutes at an average speed of Mach 0.84 with an average headwind of 61 knots. The aircraft had 4,900 pounds of fuel remaining upon landing. Larry S. Mueller, a senior international captain for Gulfstream, was the pilot and Craig (Skip) Wilkerson, another international captain, served as co-pilot.
Aviation and volcanic hazard experts last week agreed that significant progress has been made in technology to detect and track volcanic activity, but they also said detection, prediction, education and dissemination strategies must improve or volcanic ash will "continue to be a dangerous and costly threat to aviation." More than 100 jet aircraft have reported damage stemming from volcanic ash encounters in the past 25 years. Terry McVenes, Air Line Pilots Association executive air safety chairman, estimated that the damage has cost $250 million.
Pilatus is ramping up production to keep up with the record sales that the Swiss plane-maker logged last year and expects to continue over the next two years. Pilatus plans to ship 90 PC-12s this year, more than the company has ever delivered in a single year during the airplane's 13-year production history. The company shipped 80 PC-12s last year and 70 in 2004. "The outlook over the next 24 months is extremely positive," said Fred Muggli, head of PC-12 sales and marketing for Pilatus Aircraft.
Named to the newly created position of Enterprise Services Center director for FAA's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. Gimpel will direct the Aeronautical Center's offices of Enterprise Systems, Information Technology and Financial Operations. He formerly was Department of Defense Finance and Accounting Service corporate director for quality and performance. He has more than 20 years of federal service, including four years as an officer in the U.S. Army Finance Corps.
Bombardier delivered its 250th 70-seat Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet to long-time customer SkyWest, Inc. The St. George, Utah-based regional will operate the aircraft as a Delta Connection carrier. "It's fitting that this aircraft is going to SkyWest Airlines, one of the first airlines to sign a letter of intent for CRJ Series aircraft in March 1989, before the CRJ aircraft program was officially launched," said Steven Ridolfi, president of Bombardier Regional Aircraft. SkyWest Airlines operates 123 Bombardier CRJ200 and 57 Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft.
The Internal Revenue Service's highway fuel tax refund process is so cumbersome that aviation fuel vendors have little incentive to obtain the refunds, the National Air Transportation Association told the agency. Responding to guidance that IRS issued on the highway fuel tax refund process, NATA urged the IRS to simplify the process for fuel vendors. The association warned that without such changes, the Airport and Airway Trust Fund stands to lose a significant percentage of the jet fuel tax from business aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration last week released another set of restrictions and equipment requirements for operating the Cessna Caravan 208 and 208B in icing conditions.
Privatair, the international business aviation provider, formed a unit that will be responsible for the travel arrangements of companies conducting financial "road shows." A company typically mounts a road show when it is preparing to make an initial public offering of its stock, requiring a team of senior executives to make detailed financial presentations to investment firms and security buyers in widely separated locations over a relatively short period of time.
Model CL-600-2C10 (Regional Jet Series 700, 701, & 702) airplanes, Model CL-600-2D15 (Regional Jet Series 705) airplanes, and Model CL-600-2D24 (Regional Jet Series 900) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-24074; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-213-AD] - proposes to supersede an existing AD that requires repetitive detailed inspections for cracking or deformation, or pulled or missing fasteners, on the lower panel of the left- and right-hand main landing gear (MLG) doors, as applicable, and corrective actions if necessary.
TPE331 series turboprop, and TSE331-3U Model turboshaft engines [Docket No. FAA-2006-23704; Directorate Identifier 2006-NE-02-AD] - proposes to require implementing a new flight cycle counting method for first-, second- and third-stage turbine rotors used in aircraft that make multiple takeoffs and landings without an engine shutdown, and removing turbine rotors from service that have reached or exceeded their cycle life limits. This new flight cycle counting method would require determining total equivalent cycles accrued.
CF34 series turbofan engines [Docket No. 2000-NE-42-AD; Amendment 39-14501; AD 2006-05-04] - supersedes an existing AD that currently requires a one-time inspection, and if necessary replacing certain fan disks for electrical arc-out indications. That AD also reduces the life limit of certain fan disks. This AD requires the same actions and adds one disk part number and serial number to the affected fan disks. This AD results from an error in the first part number and serial number listed in Table 1 of the original AD.
Workers at the New Piper Aircraft, Inc. voted 401 to 307 Wednesday to drop representation by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW). The decertification vote, which still must be validated, was conducted by Region 12 of the National Labor Relations Board. The vote comes not quite three years after the New Piper workers agreed to unionize. The IAMAW secured representation in 2003 after a soft economy and crankshaft problems forced the Vero Beach, Fla. plane-maker to cut production, reduce salaries and lay off employees (BA, Jan.
Corporate Angel Network saluted Raytheon Aircraft Company for a recent $50,000 contribution to the organization, which coordinates free flights for cancer patients on corporate aircraft. In addition to the contribution, CAN Chairman Randy Greene noted that RAC has flown nearly 80 flights carrying cancer patients and that Jim Schuster, RAC chairman and president, is a member of the CAN board of directors.
Federal Aviation Administration is proposing to require software upgrades and warning placards for the Sandel Avionics Model ST34000 terrain awareness warning system/radio magnetic indicator (TAWS/RMI) installed on some 300 U.S.-registered airplanes that range from an Airbus A300 to an Aero Commander 695A and Piper Cheyenne PA31-T2. FAA, which proposed the AD earlier this month, received a report that the combination of an input signal fault and software error led to an in-flight bearing error on a Model 125 Series 700A airplane.
Canada's Aviation Hall Of Fame will hold its 2006 induction ceremony May 27 at the Chateau Champlain Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. This year's inductees will be Dr. A. Ross Tilley (1904-1988); Robert B. McIntyre (1913-1985); Walter Chmela of North York, Ontario; and Fern Villeneuve, of Carrying Place, Ontario. The hall's Belt of Orion Award for Excellence will be presented to the International Aviation Management Training Institute. For information and tickets, contact Mary Oswald at (780) 469-3547 or by e-mail at: [email protected]
San Diego Regional Airport Authority is soliciting statements of qualifications from companies interested in developing and operating a fixed-base operation at San Diego, Calif. International Airport. Interested parties must provide detailed evidence of competency, capability and expertise in FBO development and operation. Statements of qualifications are due by 3 p.m. April 21 and should be submitted to the regional airport authority c/o Real Estate Management, P.O. Box 82776, San Diego, Calif. 92138-2776.
Model EMB-120, -120ER, -120FC, -120QC, and -120RT airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-24076; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-015-AD] - proposes to require replacing the shutoff and crossbleed valves of the bleed air system with new valves having hermetically sealed switches. This proposed AD results from fuel system reviews by the manufacturer. FAA is proposing this AD to prevent a potential source of ignition near a fuel tank, which, in combination with flammable fuel vapors, could result in a fuel tank explosion and consequent loss of the airplane.
Honeywell is supplying its VXP Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) for Columbia Helicopter's fleet of Boeing 234 and 107 helicopters. The Model 234s and BV 107s are commercial versions of the CH-47 and CH-46 military helicopters. Columbia is seeking FAA supplemental type certificate approval for installation of the VXP aboard 22 of the helicopters. The system will allow Columbia to record, monitor and diagnose data from a number of sensors, Honeywell said.
Heli-Dyne Systems, Inc. was awarded a contract by the Westchester County, N.Y. Police Department to supply a Bell 407 helicopter equipped with special mission equipment that includes a FLIR 8500RTX with laser pointer, Breeze external hoist, Bambi Bucket provisions, Avalex moving map, digital recorder and monitors, BMS microwave downlink system and the Spectrolab SX16 Nightsun external spotlight.
The Airport and Airway Trust Fund, which supplies most of FAA's funding, stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars if Congress does not repeal a new tax law that requires certain jet fuel to be taxed at the higher diesel highway fuel rate or if IRS does not simplify the requirements for obtaining reimbursements for those taxes, business aviation advocates fear.
