The National Transportation Safety Board stressed the importance of commercial operators' strictly adhering to the sterile cockpit rule after the agency cited the crew's "unprofessional behavior" in the October 2004 crash of a Corporate Airlines Jetstream 32 in Kirksville, Mo. NTSB recommended the Federal Aviation Administration direct its principal operations inspectors to emphasize that Part 121 and 135 operators fully comply with the sterile cockpit rule.
Boeing last week handed over, to Southwest Airlines, the 5,000th 737 to come off the production line. The aircraft, a 737-700, is one of a total of 447 Boeing 737s in the Southwest fleet. Noting its 35-year relationship with Southwest, Boeing credited the airline with helping launch the 737-300, -500 and -700 models. More than 4,100 737s are in service, accounting for more than a quarter of the large commercial jet fleet. The aircraft is operated in 190 countries. The first models, the -100 and -200, entered service in 1968.
Eclipse Aviation Corporation was selected as the recipient of the 2005 Robert J. Collier Trophy "for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America" for "leadership, innovation and the advancement of general aviation" in the production of very light jets, specifically, the Eclipse 500. The National Aeronautic Association, which announced the award, said it will be presented May 15 at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C.
BAE Model BAe 146 and Model Avro 146-RJ airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-23840; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-232-AD] - proposes to require modifying the control cable duct on the left bulkhead structure at Frame 12, and for certain airplanes, the forward toilet bulkhead structure. This proposed AD results from a structural analysis by the manufacturer which revealed that rapid decompression of the flight compartment with the door closed could cause structural deformation of the left bulkhead structure at Frame 12, and of the attached cable duct structure.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION selected six individuals for its 2006 Corporate Aviation Management Scholarships, which will be presented at the association's annual Leadership Conference Feb. 22-23 in Dallas. The 2006 recipients are Dan Domingues of Taughannock Aviation Company in Ithaca, N.Y.; Anna Marie Hern of Trajen in Bryan, Texas; Ryan Marshall McCown of ACM Aviation, LLC in San Jose, Calif.; Paul Wayne Myers of Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla.; Herwig Ingo Schmidts of W.W.
Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, Calif. held grand-opening ceremonies to mark the completion of a 67,500-square-foot hangar that will be used by Pratt & Whitney. The $12 million hangar is being leased to the engine manufacturer, which will use it for aircraft maintenance and repair programs. SCLA is the former George Air Force Base, a 5,000-acre multi-modal business complex.
The Bush Administration unveiled its fiscal 2007 budget proposal for FAA last week, calling for about $500 million less spending than the current year, with the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) facing the steepest cuts.
Bombardier Aircraft Services won approval from FAA to eliminate skin contour tests for the continued operation of Learjet Model 31, 35, 36 and 55 airplanes in Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) conditions. The Canadian manufacturer said the approval was based on aerodynamic analysis and the sampling of multiple aircraft, which showed insignificant variations over time in RVSM-critical regions. The approval will eliminate the need for those aircraft to undergo recurrent skin-mapping inspections every 24 months, as previously required.
Raytheon 65, 90, 99, and 100 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-23319; Directorate Identifier 2005-CE-52-AD] - proposes to supersede AD 92-07-05, which currently requires inspection of the rudder trim tab for proper moisture drainage provisions, and if the correct drainage provisions do not exist, before further flight, modifying the rudder trim tab. Since AD 92-07-05 was issued, FAA has received and evaluated new service information that requires the actions of AD 92-07-05 for the added Serial Numbers LJ-1281 through LJ-1732 for the Model C90A airplanes.
Top executives of 15 aviation organizations sent a joint letter to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week asking for quick action on the nomination of Donald Bliss as ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal. President Bush announced his intention to nominate Bliss last month (BA, Jan. 30/41). See article below.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Park Service have launched an environmental study of actions that could be taken to restore natural quiet at Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP). The agencies noted a 1996 presidential memorandum calling for the "substantial restoration of natural quiet" at GCNP by 2008. Under NPS' definition, substantial restoration will have been reached when "50 percent or more of the park will achieve natural quiet (i.e., no aircraft audible) for 75 to 100 percent of the day."
Bombardier Aerospace sold 11 more 70-seat Q400 regional turboprops, booking new orders from REGCO Holdings Inc. of Toronto, Canada and Japan Air Commuter (JAC) of Kagoshima, Japan. REGCO placed a firm order for 10 of the aircraft, with options for 10 more, in a contract that has a potential value of $500 million including options.
Adam Aircraft flew the first conforming A700 AdamJet, Serial Number 002, this month, one of three conforming aircraft that will be used for FAA certification flight testing. Bill Watters, vice president of flight operations, and Ken Sasine, senior turbine test pilot, were at the controls for the 34-minute inaugural flight Feb. 4 from Centennial Airport in Englewood, Colo. "The aircraft handled very well, stability was excellent, and the flight controls were very responsive and predictable," Sasine said.
Bombardier, spurred by continued demand for the Challenger 850 corporate shuttle, will renew production of the aircraft in mid-April at its Dorval facility, the company announced last week. The aircraft maker suspended production in October of its venerable CRJ200/Challenger 850 platform after delivering more than 950 regional and corporate variants of the platform and its predecessor CRJ100. The 850 is the corporate shuttle version the 50-seat CRJ200 regional jet.
Bush Administration officials have expressed concern that revenues coming into the Airport and Airway Trust Fund cannot keep up with the agency's growing costs. These concerns have become a central argument for the need to adopt a new funding system for FAA. But, by the Administration's own accounts, the uncommitted balance in the trust fund is expected to grow from a low of $1.7 billion in fiscal 2006 to $15.5 billion in fiscal 2011.
Short Brothers Model SD3-60 SHERPA, SD3-SHERPA, and SD3-60 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-22875; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-179-AD; Amendment 39-14469; AD 2006-03-05] - supersedes an existing AD that currently requires an inspection of the fork end of the rear pintle pin on each main landing gear (MLG) to verify that sealant is properly applied and is undamaged, and related investigative/corrective actions if necessary.
TAC AIR is teaming with The Hangar Incorporated (THI) to expand maintenance capabilities at Shreveport, La. THI is a certified repair station with bases in Memphis, Tenn., Batesville, Miss. and Shreveport. THI also provides maintenance for Wilson Air Center in Memphis. "As a result of this alliance, we will now offer a better equipped and more capable organization to provide top quality maintenance service that customers expect and deserve," said Danny Walsh, vice president of aviation for TAC Air. TAC Air will continue to provide line services at Shreveport.
COMMONWEALTH BUSINESS MEDIA appointed Steve Casley president of its recently acquired subsidiary BACK Aviation Solutions. Casley has more than two decades of airline management and consulting experience. BACK provides asset management, analytical information and customer relationship management services.
General Machine-Diecron, Inc. actuator nut assembly for the right main landing gear [Docket No. FAA-2005-23334; Directorate Identifier 2005-CE-53-AD] - proposes to require determining by maintenance records check and/or inspection whether any actuator nut assembly with Part Number (P/N) GMD115-810029-17 or P/N GMD115-810029-23 is installed on various Beech turboprop models on the right main landing gear (MLG) actuator, and, if installed, to require replacing it with a new actuator nut assembly, P/N GMD115-810029-23B or FAA-approved equivalent P/N.
U.S. Air Force is expected to issue a request for information on a tanker replacement project within the next 90 days. An earlier RFI was withdrawn last summer when lawmakers complained that an "analysis of alternatives" had not been completed and issued. A RAND Corp. study, outlined for congressional leaders at recent closed-door briefings, concludes that the most cost-effective alternative for replacing the KC-135 fleet would be to acquire a version of a medium- to large-sized commercial airframe, or a combination of both. Rep.
