A recent article about Jet Aviation's planned acquisition of Midcoast Aviation should have stated that Midcoast is the only active Bombardier-authorized service facility for the Global business jets in the U.S. Innotech Aviation of Montreal, Quebec also is an authorized service facility and modification center for the Global line of business jet aircraft, as well as a preferred completion center for the Global Express XRS and Global 5000.
The Transportation Security Administration is suspending work on Secure Flight, its long-delayed computerized air passenger screening program, pending an audit of information technology systems, TSA Administrator Kip Hawley said last week.
Mooney Airplane Company is offering a retrofit program to operators of its M20R and M20S models that is designed to increase power and dramatically shorten takeoff distances. The modification increases the output of the Teledyne Continental IO-550 G engines in those aircraft to 310 horsepower at 2,700 rpm.
Jim Blakey was named an associate with JB&A Aviation. An Air Transport Pilot with Learjet and Citation ratings, Blakey has more than 11,000 hours of flight time. He began flying in 1969 while in the U.S. Army and became a professional pilot in 1973. He subsequently served as a flight instructor, charter pilot and agriculture pilot. Blakey also held a number of corporate aviation positions including chief pilot, aviation department manager and director of aviation for companies in Oklahoma, Michigan and Texas.
Embraer EMB-145, -145ER, -145MR, -145LR, -145XR, -145MP, and -145EP airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-23739; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-240-AD] - proposes to require modifying the routing of wire harness W407 near the fire extinguishing tube in the area of each engine, and installing new supports for related wiring. This proposed AD results from reports of chafing of wire harness W407 against the supports and nacelle structure in the engine area. FAA is proposing this AD to prevent such chafing, which could result in an engine shutting down during flight.
SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT delivered its 600th S-76 helicopter. Sikorsky handed over the first S-76 in 1979, and since then the S-76 fleet has amassed more than four million flight hours. More than 220 operators in 59 countries fly S-76 helicopters. Sikorsky is working toward the latest variant of the S-76, the S-76D, which the company hopes to launch in 2008. The Stratford, Conn. manufacturer last year unveiled a series of upgrades on the S-76C++.
Embraer Model EMB-135 airplanes and Model EMB-145, -145ER, -145MR, -145LR, -145XR, -145MP, and -145EP airplanes [Docket No. 2003-NM-271-AD; Amendment 39-14470; AD 2006-03-06] - requires inspecting the pilot's and co-pilot's seat tracks for proper locking of the seats, and adjusting or replacing the seat tracks if necessary. This AD also requires replacement of the seat locking pin on certain SICMA-brand seats.
Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Corp. reported record deliveries of its models in 2005, and officials said they expect the company to achieve another record this year. Columbia, headquartered in Bend, Ore., delivered 115 new aircraft in 2005, compared with 78 in 2004.
EXECUTIVE JET MANAGEMENT added three aircraft to its charter fleet - a Challenger 604 based at Boeing Field in Seattle, Wash.; a Falcon 2000EX based at Dallas Love Field in Dallas, Texas; and a Hawker 800 based at Cuyahoga County Airport in Cleveland, Ohio.
BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE received an order from the Italian government for 15 kits to upgrade Bombardier 415 amphibious firefighting aircraft. Bombardier sold one kit to the Italian government last year. The kit, derived from Bombardier's 415MP multipurpose aircraft, includes autopilot, nose radar, flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. Bombardier has sold 63 415s since 1994.
Mary Baker Engen, the widow of former FAA Administrator Donald Engen, died Feb. 6 after a brief illness. Mrs. Engen, 80, was a long-time resident of Alexandria, Va., but had moved to the home of a daughter in Pennsylvania last month.
Quebec's Lawrence Cannon was named Canada's new minister of transport, infrastructure and communities, a job with more responsibility than posts held by some of his predecessors.
The top executives of 15 aviation organizations wrote to the leadership of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week urging quick action on the nomination of attorney Donald Bliss to be U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Federal Aviation Administration is testing prototype taxiway screens as part of the effort to cut down on dangerous runway incursions. A taxiway screen is placed at the end of a runway to block the view between the runway and an end-around taxiway. End-around taxiways, built beyond the 1,000-foot runway safety area, are designed to make it easier for aircraft to move between runways and terminal gates without having to cross active runways. The screens' purpose is to "hide" aircraft on end-around taxiways from the view of pilots preparing to take off on active runways.
General aviation leaders fear an upcoming Federal Aviation Administration proposal will call for a dramatic overhaul of the agency's funding system and new user fees on business and general aviation aircraft. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey last week said an FAA funding proposal should be sent to Capitol Hill for review this spring. The exact timing of the proposal is unclear - some believe the schedule continues to slip as the plan goes through Office of Management and Budget review.
Roger Fones, former chief of the transportation, energy and agriculture section of the Justice Department's Antitrust Division, joined the law firm of Morrison & Foerster. Fones, who was with the Antitrust Division for nearly 30 years, led its transportation, energy and agriculture section for 10 years.
Aero Advantage ADV200 Series (Part Numbers ADV211CC and ADV212CW) vacuum pumps [Docket No. FAA-2005-20440; Directorate Identifier 2005-CE-05-AD; Amendment 39-14472; AD 2006-03-08] - requires removing from service any affected vacuum pump and installing an FAA-approved vacuum pump other than the affected part numbers. This AD results from several reports of pump chamber failure. FAA is issuing this AD to prevent vacuum pump failure or malfunction during instrument flight rules (IFR) flight that could lead to loss of flight instruments critical for flight.
The National Transportation Safety Board cited the crew's failure to properly execute the published instrument approach procedure and use all navigational aids in the Oct. 24, 2004 crash of a Beech King Air operated by Hendrick Motorsports in Stuart, Va. All 10 people aboard the King Air - eight passengers and two crew - were killed after the aircraft crashed into mountainous terrain during a missed approach into Martinsville/Blue Ridge Airport. The aircraft, N501RH, had departed Concord, N.C. Regional Airport at 1156 Oct.
Mamoru Iguchi was appointed general manager of the Asia Pacific region for VISTAGY Inc. Iguchi will market the company's FiberSIM composite engineering software to aerospace and automotive manufacturers in Korea, Japan, China, Australia and other countries in the Asia Pacific region. The company said it created the position in response to a market that has grown three-fold over the past year.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association today is expected to announce that general aviation and business aircraft manufacturers had a record-setting year in terms of billings for new airplanes and shipped more aircraft in the 12-month period than any other year in the past two decades. "It's been a fantastic year," said GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce. He and other GAMA officials believe the market is poised for continued growth, but their enthusiasm is tempered by concern about potential tax and user-fee proposals that could threaten industry momentum.
Bernard L. Schwartz, chairman and CEO of Loral Space & Communications, will retire March 1, the company said. Schwartz has served in his present roles since the company was formed in 1996 and held the same positions at the firm's predecessor company, Loral Corp., beginning in 1972. "I have concluded that now is the right time to activate our succession plans and pass the reins of the company on to our extremely talented team of executives," Schwartz said in a letter to the company's board of directors.
February 26-28 - Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo 2006 Annual Convention and Exposition, Dallas, Texas, (703) 683-4646 Feb. 28-March 1 - Federal Aviation Administration, 31st Annual Aviation Forecast Conference, "Survival and Growth in Today's World," Washington, D.C. Convention Center, (202) 267-7924 March 20-23 - National Business Aviation Association International Operators Conference, Tampa, Fla., (202) 783-9000
On a more serious note, Coyne said he's "very, very worried about how this fight will unfold." Coyne fears the user-fee issue will create a "tremendous amount of anger and hostility across the aviation industry" as the debate unfolds over the next two years. Current FAA authorization legislation - and existing aviation taxes - are due to expire at the end of September 2007. Coyne charged that FAA "has done a very poor job" of controlling the agency's costs since the PATCO strike some 25 years ago.
