LAWMAKERS CONCERNED ABOUT DEA AIRCRAFT REQUIREMENTS - Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are concerned that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency doesn't have enough available aircraft, or access to other U.S. aircraft such as from the Defense Department, to stop large drug shipments bound for the United States.
JOHN JUMPER, the former chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, joined the board of Rolls-Royce North America Holdings. Jumper served 40 years with the Air Force, reaching the rank of general. He was a member of the Joint Chief of Staffs and also had served as deputy chief of staff for air and space operations and senior military assistant to two secretaries of defense. He accumulated more than 5,000 hours of flight time, including 1,400 combat hours during two tours in Southeast Asia.
Cessna Aircraft tried to spike speculation this month about new single-engine models it is considering with a statement at the AOPA Expo in Tampa that "no decisions have been made regarding configuration, specifications or timetable" (BA, Nov. 7/207). The Wichita manufacturer wasn't ready to detail the new models in Tampa, but potential buyers won't have long to wait for information. The company is expected to make an announcement early in the new year about two new, largely aluminum, single-engine models.
HONEYWELL ALF502L series and ALF502R series turbofan engines [Docket No. 92-ANE-34-AD] - proposes to supersede an existing AD that establishes stress rupture retirement life limits for certain third stage turbine discs used in conjunction with certain third stage turbine nozzles. This proposed AD would bring requirements forward and unchanged, from the previous AD for ALF502R series turbofan engines.
28,269: The number of attendees at NBAA's 58th Annual Meeting and Convention last week in Orlando, Fla. The show attracted 1,142 exhibitors, who bought 4,815 10- by 10-foot exhibit spaces. Some 110 aircraft were on static display. Attendance was down from the 31,259 attendees at the 57th annual event last year in Las Vegas, but the number of exhibitors topped NBAA's previous record of 1,084, set last year. Attendance this year nearly matched the 28,574 who attended the 2003 NBAA convention, which also was in Orlando.
Garmin unveiled a new digital weather radar product that will interface with the company's G1000 avionics suite and MX-20 multi-function display. The GWX 68 radar will be offered with either a 10-inch antenna providing 270 nautical miles of weather coverage, or a 12-inch antenna, which has a 305-nm range. The radar incorporates Garmin's WATCH (Weather Attenuated Color Highlight) function, which identifies "deceptively strong or unknown intensity" parts of a storm, and Target Alert, which looks ahead for intense storms in the 80- to 320-nm range.
Sino Swearingen Aviation officials, who formally accepted a type certificate for the SJ30-2 business jet last week from FAA Deputy Administrator Bobby Sturgell, say the next objective for the company is obtaining a production certificate from FAA and getting production of the new plane under way.
GULFSTREAM WINS FAA/ISRAELI APPROVAL FOR G150 - Gulfstream Aerospace last week received certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the Civil Aviation Administration of Israel for its G150 midsize business jet. Certification came 10 weeks sooner than Gulfstream anticipated when the company rolled out the first aircraft earlier this year (BA, Jan. 24/36).
JOE THURMAN was named director of the Global 5000/XRS program for Midcoast Aviation. Thurman will lead a cross-functional team overseeing the Global completion program. Thurman reports to John Kim, vice president of program office and engineering.
KELLY SEPE was promoted to manager of structural engineering for Midcoast Aviation. Sepe will be responsible for enhancing design/engineering efforts on green completion programs and working with engineering and production to streamline the process.
AIRBUS EYES 'AFFORDABLE' MEMBER OF CORPORATE JET FAMILY - Airbus last week unveiled its newest corporate jet, the A318 Elite, which the European consortium said is designed to provide the same cabin width as the Airbus A320 but at a price "even more affordable." Company executives, however, last week were not ready to discuss pricing details on the jet, which they called the "entry-level airliner" to the Airbus Corporate Jet family.
Associated Air Center completed and delivered an Airbus Corporate Jetliner Prestige aircraft. The aircraft is the fourth ACJ that Associated has completed but the first in the Airbus Prestige program. The Prestige interior includes 16 VIP seats, divans for 16 passengers, an aft cabin master bedroom, galley and crew rest area.
Dassault Falcon Jet officials expect to log orders for 100 new aircraft by the end of December, the first time in company history the French firm will have hit the three-digit mark in new orders in a single year.
Evergreen Helicopters acquired two new aircraft, an Agusta/Bell AB139 and a Bell B412. The helicopters, EHI's second AB139 and third B412, increase Evergreen's total fleet of aircraft to more than 75. The aircraft are used for offshore, emergency medical service, search and rescue and VIP operations.
GIPPSLAND Model GA8 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-22639; Directorate Identifier 2005-CE-48-AD; Amendment 39-14346; AD 2005-22-02] - requires repetitive inspection of the upper and lower grooves of the forward cargo door slide for cracks, excessive wear, and excessive width. This AD also requires replacement of the forward cargo door slide if any of the above conditions are found during any inspection. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Australia.
Rockwell Collins received a letter of intent from NetJets for eFlight information products on NetJets aircraft over a 10-year period. A final agreement is expected by the end of the year. Under the agreement, Rockwell Collins will provide dual Class 2 Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) systems for a number of NetJets aircraft. The EFB will be integrated with the Rockwell Collins eFlight ground and onboard software for database distribution and loading as well as document management.
Gulfstream Aerospace hopes new quiet technologies will help persuade regulators to change a rule that bans supersonic flight over land. The company has been using its Supersonic Acoustic Signature Simulator II to demonstrate research that has quieted the sonic boom to a "sonic whisper," according to Gulfstream executives.
Signature Flight Support reached an agreement to purchase the assets of Million Air La Quinta at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (TRM) in Riverside County, Calif.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100 & 440) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-22793; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-161-AD] - proposes to require replacing the Gask-O-Seal in the coupling of the refuel/defuel shut-off valves. This proposed AD results from a report that Gask-O-Seals that did not incorporate an integral restrictor to limit fuel flow rate and fuel pressure during refueling were installed on certain airplanes. FAA is proposing this AD to prevent a buildup of excessive static charge, which could create an ignition source inside the fuel tank.
Bombardier Aerospace signed an agreement with Lufthansa Technik for the German firm to complete up to 17 Challenger 850 business jets over the next three years. The agreement builds upon the alliance Bombardier and Lufthansa Technik announced during the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in May, when Bombardier named Lufthansa a preferred completion center for the 850. Lufthansa Technik will complete the aircraft at its facility in Hamburg, Germany and will work with Bombardier to develop executive interiors for the Challenger 850.
Federal Aviation Administration last week formally extended the comment period until Feb. 6 on its controversial proposal to make permanent the airspace restrictions over Washington, D.C. FAA also said it would hold a public meeting on the proposal to establish a National Defense Airspace Region encompassing the inner Flight Restricted Zone and the more sweeping Air Defense identification Zone.
Airbus and Boeing, competing head-to-head in the large business jet segment, are taking different approaches to capturing more customers. Airbus, looking smaller, unveiled an "Elite" business jet variant of the A318. Boeing also looked smaller - at a variant of the 737-600 - but Steven Hill, president of Boeing Business Jets, said potential customers say they want the airframer to build a bigger jet. The company is "very, very close" to making a decision on launching a 737-900ER BBJ, which would be nine feet longer than the BBJ 2.
