BAE SYSTEMS Model ATP airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-22562; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-60-AD; Amendment 39-14303; AD 2005-20-09] - requires an inspection of each bolt attaching the aft isolators to both engine subframes and replacing bolts, if necessary. This AD results from reports of failures of the bolts attaching the aft isolators to the engine subframe. FAA is issuing this AD to prevent failure of the bolts attaching the aft isolators to the engine subframe, which may result in an engine separating from the airplane.
National Air Transportation Association last week completed its second annual Aviation Business Roundtable, which gathered 65 aviation industry leaders and senior government officials to discuss issues such as user fees, fuel pricing and airspace and airport access. The industry leaders, who included the heads of many aviation services businesses and manufacturers, met with TSA chief Edmund "Kip" Hawley, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Sen.
Tulip City Airport in Holland, Mich. recently completed a runway expansion from 5,000 feet to 6,263 feet. The airport is served by Tulip City Air Service, an AvFuel-branded fuel dealer that provides hangar space, maintenance, charter and aircraft sales and management.
CESSNA Models 401, 401A, 401B, 402, 402A, 402B, 402C, 404, 411, 411A, 414, 414A, 421, 421A, 421B, 421C, 425, and 441 Airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-21173; Directorate Identifier 2005-CE-22-AD; Amendment 39-14321; AD 2005-20-25] - for certain aircraft equipped with certain avionics bus circuit breaker switches, requires inspecting the avionics bus circuit breaker switch to determine the date code and replacing any without a date code. This AD also imposes a 1,000-hour safe life limit on avionics bus circuit breaker switches with a date code earlier than 0434.
TSA Chief Edmund "Kip" Hawley warned business aviation executives last week that there are still people in the security community who oppose general aviation access to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and would push back against substantive attempts to ease restrictions there. Hawley said business aviation must build a positive record of operations there to convince naysayers that business jets can be safely operated at DCA.
FAA Flight Standards Service Director James Ballough, who also met with the Aviation Business Roundtable last week, told the aviation leaders that the agency intends to resurrect plans to create an office within Flight Standards dedicated to charter operations. The announcement comes as charter industry executives are concerned by how few FAA resources are dedicated to Part 135 on-demand operations. It also comes as FAA begins the monumental task of rewriting regulations governing Part 135.
Jet Source Charter added a Bombardier Challenger 604 to its charter certificate. Based at Scottsdale, Ariz., the 2003 model business jet is the first aircraft on Jet Source's charter certificate that is based outside the air carrier's Carlsbad, Calif. headquarters.
BAE SYSTEMS Model ATP airplanes and Model HS 748 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-22482; Directorate Identifier 2003-NM-009-AD; Amendment 39-14291; AD 2005-19-26] - requires doing a detailed inspection of the drain pipes of the fuel cross feed system and certain electrical cables for chafe damage; doing an inspection to determine the clearance between the cable loom and the cross feed drain pipe; and doing corrective actions if necessary.
GULFSTREAM REVENUES CONTINUE TO GROW IN THIRD QUARTER - Strong sales at Gulfstream Aerospace helped lead General Dynamics to double-digit revenue and earnings growth. GD last week reported third-quarter revenues of $5.4 billion, up 16 percent from third-quarter 2004 revenues of $4.6 billion. Operating earnings increased to $588 million in the third quarter, compared with $493 million in the third quarter of 2004.
FAA'S PINKERTON URGES IRS TO SUSPEND NEW FUEL TAX RULES - A senior Federal Aviation Administration official urged the Internal Revenue Service to suspend new rules taxing certain jet fuel at the highway diesel fuel rate, saying the rules could create problems for both FAA and operators.
Flight Safety Technologies received a contract from the U.S. Department of Transportation/Volpe Center valued at as much as $9.8 million to continue work on the SOCRATES wake vortex sensor technology. Flight Safety received a $1.67 million "task order" covering data analysis from the SOCRATES system being tested at Denver International Airport and follow-on tradeoff studies of the SOCRATES sensor technology. The task order runs through March.
COLUMBIA ADDS FIFTH FBO WITH LAKELAND ACQUISITION - Columbia Air Services expanded its chain of fixed-base operations into the Southeast with the acquisition of Lakeland Air Service, Inc. at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Florida. Columbia renamed the facility Columbia Air Services - LAL. Jack Williams, the former manager of Lakeland Air Service who has 20 years of experience at the airport, was named general manager of the newest Columbia Air services facility.
Piaggio this month handed over the 100th Avanti P.180 to a customer. The aircraft was delivered to Avantair Oct. 10 at Piaggio America in West Palm Beach Fla. "This is a proud moment for everyone at Piaggio," said Jim Holcombe, chief operating officer and executive vice president of sales and marketing of Piaggio America. "We are looking forward to delivering the next 100, and are quite confident the best is yet to come." The high-speed twin pusherprop was certified in October 1990.
Gulfstream leased a new 100,000-square-foot center in Savannah, Ga. to house its research and development organization and plans to move some 750 engineers into the new facility beginning in March. The new Gulfstream Research & Development Center will be the site of several continuing research efforts at Gulfstream, including work on advanced avionics, cabin technologies, synthetic vision and sonic boom suppression.
Boeing Business Jets is supporting Prince Albert II, the ruler of Monaco, in an attempt to duplicate his great-grandfather's attempt to reach the North Pole in 1906. The company recently provided a BBJ to carry Prince Albert and his team from Monaco to Svaabard, Norway, the starting point of their trial expedition. Six days later a larger BBJ 2 carried the group on the return flight to Monaco. Boeing plans to provide a jet to carry the expedition team and its equipment next year, including seven sleds and 40 sled dogs.
SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT selected Thales to supply the cockpit for the S-76D helicopter. Thales will provide its TopDeck modular integrated avionics package designed for helicopters. The first delivery of the S-76D is planned for 2008.
PILOTS FINALLY REACH TENTATIVE CONTRACT AGREEMENT WITH NETJETS - After years of acrimony between fractional provider NetJets and its more than 2,000 pilots, the two sides finally reached a tentative agreement this month on a new contract.
Fixed-base operations began paying higher taxes for jet fuel this month, but there remains considerable - and growing - confusion about who may obtain rebates for those taxes and how they can go about doing it. The recently passed highway reauthorization bill requires that certain jet fuel be taxed at the highway diesel fuel rate, but allows the "ultimate vendor" of the fuel to seek a rebate on the difference between the highway and aviation tax rates. NBAA and NATA have strongly encouraged FBOs to register as ultimate vendors.
DASSAULT Model Falcon 2000 airplanes equipped with CFE738-1-1B turbofan engines [Docket No. FAA-2005-22560; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-061-AD] - proposes to require determining the serial number of the engines installed on the airplane, inspecting any affected engine to verify that a spherical bearing is installed on the attachment fitting of the engine mount, and corrective action if necessary.
The Nordam Group board of directors last week named Ken Lackey chairman. The appointment follows the death of chairman Ray Siegfried on Oct. 6 (BA, Oct. 10/162). Nordam recently named Lackey vice chairman to position him for the transition of the leadership of the company. Lackey will continue serving as chief executive, a position he assumed after Siegfried had been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, in late 2001.
NASA and the X Prize Foundation plan to collaborate on two upcoming Centennial Challenge prize competitions. The Suborbital Payload Challenge would reward the first team that demonstrates a reusable suborbital rocket to altitudes or speeds of interest to science researchers. The Suborbital Lunar Lander Analog Challenge will reward the first team to build a vertical take-off/vertical landing suborbital vehicle capable of the speeds and energies required to land on, and launch from, the moon.
