RAYTHEON AIRLINE AVIATION SERVICES (RAAS) delivered a Beechcraft 1900D twin turboprop modified with a corporate shuttle interior to Atlanta-based The Williams Group International, which provides construction and engineering services, primarily in energy-related fields. The aircraft is configured with 11-passenger executive seating in two club groupings and individual seats. RAAS also installed supplemental soundproofing, LED-style lighting, pleated window shades and a 52-inch-wide galley.
The pilot and passenger aboard a Bellanca 7GCBC airplane both were killed this month when the pilot apparently lost control while attempting to perform some extreme maneuvers, authorities suspect. The pilot and his passenger took off about 1800 Alaska daylight time Sept. 12 from Neana, Alaska. The airplane, N36237, collided with terrain about 14 miles east-northeast of Neana.
STEVE FUSHELBERGER, a veteran aviation industry public affairs and marketing executive, will begin work today (Sept. 26) as vice president of marketing for Cessna Aircraft. Fushelberger will report to Roger Whyte, senior vice president of sales and marketing. Phil Michel, the current vice president of marketing and one of the company's key executives for many years, will continue with the company until his retirement in April. "For the past 30 years, Phil has played a key role in our company's growth and success," Whyte said.
While they're pleased with the prospect of finally gaining access to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), business aviation groups called the Transportation Security Administration's proposed DCA procedures overly burdensome and urged the agency to ease the restrictions.
LOREN LEMAN was elected chairman of the Aerospace States Association. Leman is the lieutenant governor of Alaska. ASA is an aerospace scientific and education organization comprising lieutenant governors and appointed delegates from more than forty states.
DASSAULT Model Falcon 10 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-22309; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-159-AD; Amendment 39-14254; AD 2005-18-14] -- supersedes an existing AD that applies to all Dassault Model Falcon 10 series airplanes. The existing AD currently requires revising the airplane flight manual (AFM) and installing a placard in the flight deck to prohibit flight into known or forecasted icing conditions.
ARINC DIRECT teamed with Aircraft Performance Group (APG) of Castle Rock, Colo., to offer APG's Runway Analysis as part of the ARINC Direct's on-line flight services product line. Runway Analysis enables operators to precisely increase maximum aircraft takeoff and landing weights based on specific runways and actual conditions. The service covers more than 100 types of business aircraft.
DASSAULT FALCON JET, which usually throws a large party for its customers during the National Business Aviation Association convention, has decided to cancel this year's event and give the money it would have spent on the party to the Red Cross or other agencies. "Watching the daily feed of stories depicting the horrendous loss and anguish in the Gulf Coast region has worn a deep emotional hole in our planning process," said John Rosanvallon, president and chief executive officer, in a letter.
LYCOMING AEIO-360, IO-360, O-360, LIO-360, LO-360, AEIO-540, IO-540, O-540, and TIO-540 series reciprocating engines [Docket No. FAA-2005-21864; Directorate Identifier 2005-NE-29-AD; Amendment 39-14276; AD 2005-19-11] -- requires, for certain engines rated at 300 horsepower (HP) or lower, replacing certain crankshafts. This AD results from reports of 12 crankshaft failures in Lycoming 360 and 540 series engines rated at 300 HP or lower.
COMMUNITY AIR SERVICE COALITION is hosting a networking event, 2005 Connections, Dec. 6-7 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel at Orlando International Airport in Florida. The event is designed to bring together airport, community and air carrier representatives in 30-minute sessions but is not a conference with planned speakers or panel discussions. At least 16 airlines already have confirmed participation. For more information about the event or CASC, visit www.SmallAirport.com or contact Minna Scholl at (202) 316-0502.
TEXTRON and its employees have pledged up to $1.25 million for employee and humanitarian aid to those affected by Hurricane Katrina, including a $250,000 grant for a dollar-to-dollar match of employee contributions. The company and its business units also have made a number of material and personnel contributions: Cessna Aircraft donated transport aircraft services to move medical personnel into the affected regions and permitted its employees who are certified disaster relief volunteers one week off with pay to assist agencies providing assistance to those affected.
SIKORSKY sold an S-92 helicopter to Eastern General Aviation Corporation (EGAC) to provide offshore oil support in the Bohai Bay area in the North China Sea. The S-92 will be configured to carry 19 passengers and two crew. Sikorsky expects to deliver the helicopter late next year. The contract follows an order EGAC placed a month ago for two S-76C++s.
Dassault Falcon got its third 7X business jet, S/N 03, into the test program with a successful first flight Tuesday from the French manufacturer's facility in Bordeaux-Merignac, France. The aircraft flew for one hour and 43 minutes, reaching an altitude of 41,000 feet and a speed of Mach 0.82. S/N 3 will be used primarily for avionics, systems and reliability testing, Dassault officials said.
THALES won a contract from the German Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement for ground-based precision landing systems under a German military aviation modernization program. Thales will supply seven ILS 420 instrument landing systems with remote control systems to enable monitoring and control from distant sites as well as provide training support. The contract includes an option for an eighth system.
Mesa Airlines, the Phoenix, Ariz.-based regional airline, said Friday it plans to launch "an independent inter-island Hawaiian airline with the service expected to begin in the first quarter of 2006."
Ballistic Recovery Systems expanded its production capability and increased its product line with the purchase of the Tijuana, Mexico-based manufacturing facility of Paranetics Technology, BRS announced last week. Headquartered in Cayucos, Calif., Paranetics produces parachutes for the U.S. Department of Defense. The BRS acquisition does not include Paranetics' domestic operations.
GARY JORDAN was elected to the board of directors of the Aeronautical Repair Station Association. Jordan is president and chief executive of San Antonio, Texas-based Jordan Propeller Service, Inc. Jordan, a 50-year veteran of the propeller repair industry, founded the Worldwide Aircraft Propeller Association and served as its first president in 1992.
First Aviation Services, Inc. reported a major turnaround in profitability for the quarter and six months ended July 31, due to a significant reduction in company expenses.
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY CF34-3A1 turbofan engines [Docket No. FAA-2004-18869; Directorate Identifier 2004-NE-23-AD; Amendment 39-14256; AD 2005-18-16] -- requires removal from service of certain HPT components prior to the parts exceeding their designated life limits. This AD results from the discovery that the manufacturer removed certain part numbers of HPT rotating components from the Life Limits section of the CF34 Engine Manual, SEI-756.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-400 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-21435; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-163-AD; Amendment 39-14257; AD 2005-18-17] -- requires a one-time inspection of the fuel and hydraulic tubes, and corrective actions if necessary. This AD also requires modifying fairlead plate assemblies. This AD results from reports of chafing between fuel and hydraulic tubes and the fairlead plate where the tubes pass through the firewall.
