Elliott Aviation received FAA supplemental type approval for installation of the Elite Series cockpit in the Citation 650 aircraft. The upgrade includes replacing the electromechanical and CR-based electronic flight instrument system with the Universal 890R large-format instrument suite.
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
CharterAuction.com rebranded its charter broker services Jet International and renamed its Web site www.jets.com. "Though we've built awareness for the CharterAuction brand, there is a stronger, more immediate and more universal understanding for the name Jets International," said Nathan McKelvey, CharterAuction president and chief executive. "Therefore, while we will still be incorporated under the CharterAuction.com, Inc.
CharterX continues to expand its portfolio of charter companies with 25 more operators joining the online charter business exchange. CharterX provides up-to-date information on airplane availability, scheduling and pricing. ChartX said its Industry Xchange processes more than 2,000 flight requests each day.
WSI Corporation received a contract from the Central Flow Management Unit (CFMU) of Eurocontrol to provide its WSI Pilotbrief products, including graphic forecasts and displays of current weather for European airspace. CFMU will use WSI Pilotbrief as part of a collaborative decision-making process during regular Web conferences with other agencies as well as for its own planning and tactical decisions. WSI also supports more than 80 commercial aviation customers in Europe.
Raytheon Aircraft Chairman and CEO Jim Schuster believes the Hawker 4000 is on track for certification shortly now that the manufacturer completed a "late requirement" that had stalled the certification program for a few months. The OEM was hoping to have the composite business jet certified by the end of 2005, but FAA mandated a modification providing some additional protection against lightning. Schuster said the requirement was not a new one - but one that the Wichita manufacturer had planned to accomplish after certification.
Ray Bennett was appointed vice president of sales for Flight Options LLC. Bennett has been regional sales director for the Southeast for Flight Options since June 2003. Before that, he held sales positions with NetJets and Raytheon Travel Air. He is a licensed pilot with 1,500 hours of flight time.
The crew of a Cessna Citation 560 had landed long and hot and was attempting to abort the landing and get the aircraft back into the air when the plane collided with a localizer antenna platform at the departure end of Runway 24 at the McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, Calif. on Jan. 24, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Concerned that the average age of aircraft in the U.S. general aviation fleet is 35 years, the Federal Aviation Administration is exploring problems that could crop up for operators of aging small aircraft. The agency scheduled a General Aviation Summit on the issue March 22-23 in Kansas City, Mo., saying the meeting is designed to discuss the potential effects of fatigue, corrosion and deterioration on aging aircraft.
Bombardier is casting a wide net in its aerospace product development now that the company has shelved plans to launch its proposed CSeries jet family after it failed to win customers. Staff assigned to the CSeries program will shrink from 350 to 50 employees, and current program head Gary Scott plans to oversee the much smaller project. Bombardier plans to spend about US$20 million in fiscal 2007 on the CSeries program compared with about $100 million it invested during the last two years.
Air Transport Association President and CEO Jim May figures to be one of the more provocative speakers at the National Air Transportation Association's annual convention in Las Vegas in March. May continues to make the case for a user-fee funded aviation system, most recently in an appearance before the National Aeronautic Association and National Aviation Club. He reiterated claims that commercial airlines, "including passenger, freight and charter operations," contribute more than 90 percent of user taxes to the Airport and Airway Trust Fund.
Sikorsky units Associated Aircraft Group (AAG) and Keystone Helicopter Corporation have teamed to provide integrated helicopter services in the Philadelphia market. The companies will offer aircraft maintenance and charter helicopter services using a Sikorsky S76 operated by AAG. The charter services will extend from the North Carolina technology triangle through the Northeast corridor. Keystone operates a technical services depot and completion center near Philadelphia.
Yingling Aviation, a fixed-base operation at Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita, is jumping back into the aircraft sales business after a 15-year hiatus, announcing that it will sell used Cessna piston, turboprop and jet aircraft. Jerry Pickett, who joined Yingling in 2003 with a background in aircraft sales and acquisition, will lead the revived sales effort. Yingling, celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, was Cessna's first aircraft dealer.
Address: Comments may be submitted via the Web: http://dms.dot.gov; by fax: (202) 493-2251; or by mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street S.W., Nassif Building, Room PL-401, Washington, D.C. 20590-001. Identify docket number. Petitions for Exemption Docket No.: FAA-2005-23189 Petitioner: Brooks Air Transport d/b/a Brooks Fuel, Inc. Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 125.224
The National Business Aviation Association sent out another traffic alert regarding Las Vegas McCarran International Airport saying a GAAP Program had been implemented Friday. "We can expect high demand this [Super Bowl] weekend so we highly recommend you contact your FBO prior to operation to confirm parking is available," NBAA warned. The alert comes just weeks after the association warned members LAS had been experiencing severe ramp congestion, which had resulted in GA aircraft being diverted to other airports (BA, Jan. 16/26).
Trisha Drape joined the Aircraft Electronics Association as director of communications and managing editor of Avionics News. Drape most recently was editor of Knight Ridder's Lee's Summit community newspaper. She also served in writing and editing capacities with the Kansas City Star. She launched a newspaper in Blue Springs, Mo., and has produced a number of publications for the Kansas City Royals, the Kansas Speedway, chambers of commerce, convention & visitor bureaus and other businesses and organizations.
EADS Socata last week received FAA type certification of its TBM 850, a speedier version of the company's TBM 700 single turboprop. The 850 is powered by new Pratt & Whitney PT6A-66D engines that will allow the aircraft to reach a maximum cruise speed of 320 knots true airspeed at Flight Level 260 (BA, Dec. 19/285). Socata plans to begin delivery of the 850 by the end of the month.
Key Air has installed a new management team to help prepare for growth at the Oxford, Conn.-based aircraft management and charter company. Brad Kost, who took over as president and CEO of Key Air in May, is working with a team that includes Danny Olmstead as director of operations, Chief Pilot Pat Moller and Bruce Dixon, the new vice president and chief financial officer.
Raytheon Hawker 800XP airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-22749; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-188-AD; Amendment 39-14455; AD 2006-02-03] - requires inspecting to determine if the correct fuse is installed on the hydraulic over-temperature switch on panel ZK in the rear equipment bay, and replacing the existing fuse if necessary. This AD results from a report of the installation of an incorrect fuse on the over-temperature switch on panel ZK in the rear equipment bay during airplane maintenance.
Embraer Model ERJ 170 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-23703; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-052-AD; Amendment 39-14465; AD 2006-03-01] - requires, when certain SmartProbes are installed, revising the Limitations section of the Airplane Flight Manual to limit the maximum takeoff weight of the airplane and increase the reference speed during certain landing conditions. This AD results from reports of variable calibration values of certain sensors of the SmartProbes, which could result in the transmission of erroneous information to the air data system.
The crew of a Citation business jet that crashed in California last month apparently was trying to abort the landing attempt and came close to executing a successful touch-and-go (BA, Jan. 30/46), but was unable to avoid an FAA localizer structure at the end of the runway. See article below.
The government is attempting to take a tougher line on labor costs in the current negotiations with PATCO's successor, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, but the two sides are not making much progress on a new agreement. "The proposal that NATCA has on the table right now would cost the FAA more than $2 billion in additional personnel costs and expenses over the next five years," Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta told the Aero Club of Washington recently.
MARTI SMITH was promoted to director of regional forums and static displays for the National Business Aviation Association. Smith will manage static displays at the NBAA annual meeting and convention, EBACE, LABACE, ABACE and regional forums. She joined NBAA in June 1988 and has been serving as senior manager of exhibits. She also served as the customer service/operations supervisor at Signature Flight Support at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
