RICHARD SOWTER was appointed vice president of sales and marketing for the United Kingdom and Europe at Carmanah Technologies, a manufacturer of LED-based lighting for aviation, marine, roadway, industrial and public transit markets. Sowter spent 11 years in senior management positions with BP Solar International.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-100, DHC-8-200, and DHC-8-300 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-20852; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-240-AD; Amendment 39-14175; AD 2005-13-38] - requires revising the airworthiness limitations section of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness by incorporating new and revised structural inspection procedures and new and revised inspection intervals for the longitudinal skin joints in the fuselage pressure shell. This proposed AD also requires phase-in inspections and repair of any crack found during any phase-in inspection.
HOYER/BLUNT BILL WOULD FINE PILOTS ENTERING CAPITAL AIRSPACE - House leadership introduced a bill late last month to punish private pilots who violate the restricted airspace around the U.S. Capitol and Washington's security perimeter. The bill, which provides for fines up to $100,000 for errant pilots, sends a clear signal that the type of air space security breaches that occurred three times so far this year won't be tolerated, its sponsors said.
EMBRAER Model EMB-145 and EMB-135 series airplanes [Docket No. 2004-NM-37-AD; Amendment 39-14180; AD 2005-14-03] - requires replacement of the engine-driven hydraulic pump. This action is necessary to prevent engine oil leakage at the coupling seal between the hydraulic pump and the engine gearbox from causing low engine oil levels, which could lead to in-flight engine shutdown and consequent reduced controllability of the airplane. FAA estimates that 548 airplanes on the U.S. Registry will be affected by this AD at a cost or $142,480, or $260 per airplane.
NBAA URGES OVERHAUL OF IRS TAX GUIDANCE - The National Business Aviation Association asked the Internal Revenue Service to shelve its recent interpretation regarding aircraft entertainment use, saying the interim guidance goes beyond the congressional mandate and harms operators. The IRS released the interim guidance in June, limiting or disallowing a host of deductions when senior executives use a company aircraft for entertainment purposes (BA, July 4/1).
BAE SYSTEMS Jetstream Model 4101 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-21137; Directorate Identifier 2002-NM-86-AD; Amendment 39-14200; AD 2005-15-11] - requires repetitive detailed and specialized inspections to detect fatigue damage in the fuselage, replacement of certain bolt assemblies, and corrective actions if necessary. This AD results from a review of primary airframe fatigue test results and a Maintenance Steering Group 3 (MSG-3) analysis.
Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Corp., the manufacturer of the Columbia 300, 350 and 400 aircraft that formerly was called Lancair, established an in-house aircraft financing subsidiary, Columbia Aircraft Finance. The new unit will help customers secure financing and provide expertise on potential tax savings and aircraft insurance. The company, which is offering a range of finance programs, tapped aircraft financing veteran Bruce Cady to establish the new unit.
James M. Loy, former administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, was elected to a seat on the Lockheed Martin board of directors. Loy spent nearly 40 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, retiring as an admiral. Then, after heading TSA, he served as deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security before retiring from government service early this year (BA, Feb. 7/62).
Swift Air, a Phoenix-based charter and management company, teamed with Massachusetts-based broker CharterAuction to offer a new management program designed to provide a consistent revenue stream. Participants in the Swift Wings program can enroll their aircraft in Swift Air's "free floating fleet," which allows the aircraft to be used for point-to-point trips rather than be restricted by a home base designation.
Experimental Aircraft Association's 2005 AirVenure last month in Oshkosh, Wis., drew more than 700,000 attendees, up seven percent from the 2004 event. The seven-day AirVenture attracted more than 10,000 aircraft to Wittman Regional Airport, including almost 3,000 showplanes. The convention also hosted 789 exhibitors and visitors from 65 nations.
Liberty Aerospace, manufacturer of the XL2 single-engine aircraft, won FAA approval for the aircraft to operate under instrument flight rules. The Melbourne, Fla. manufacturer claims the XL2 is the only production aircraft powered by a piston engine equipped with a full authority digital engine control. The airplane has a carbon fiber fuselage and can cruise at up to 132 knots while burning only 5.5 gallons of fuel per hour. Deliveries of the XL2, which carries a base price of $139,000, are scheduled to begin later this summer.
EXECUTIVE AIRCRAFT COMPLETIONS BUYS AVIONICS FIRM - Executive Aircraft Completions, LLC of Tulsa, Okla., acquired AVHAR Services, Inc. of San Antonio, Texas. AVHAR, which has been renamed Executive Aircraft Completions-San Antonio, will continue operating from its current facilities for the near term.
James P. (Jim) Donlan, 49, a former Honeywell executive who had most recently headed Dallas Airmotive, died July 23 after an apparent heart attack. A friend said Donlan, who had played golf that morning, was exercising on a treadmill at a health club when he was stricken. Donlan, who grew up in South Bend, Ind., received his undergraduate degree and a master's in business administration from Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.
New Piper Aircraft President Chuck Suma has had his hands full getting the Vero Beach, Fla. company back up to full production following last year's severe hurricane damage to the factory (BA, Aug. 1/43), but now that he's achieved that objective he's thinking about the company's next aircraft program. In response to a question at last month's EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., Suma told BA a small jet would be "the next logical step" for the company, adding that New Piper has already done a lot of aerodynamic work on the project.
RAYTHEON OFFERING NEW HIGH PERFORMANCE KING AIR 90 - Raytheon Aircraft Company introduced the King Air C90GT last month, a high-performance version of the venerable C90B model.
ECCLESTON LEAVES HONEYWELL TO HEAD AIRBUS NORTH AMERICA - Airbus announced that the new head of its North American operations will be Barry Eccleston, a well-known aviation industry figure who is already familiar with Airbus through his previous leadership roles in the aircraft engine divisions at Honeywell and Rolls-Royce. Eccleston takes over as CEO of Airbus North America from Henri Courpron, who last month accepted a promotion to executive vice president-procurement at Airbus' Toulouse headquarters.
Elliott Aviation was named a service center and distributor for Socata Aircraft's TBM 700 single-engine turboprop. Elliott will represent Socata in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. Elliott has serviced and sold business aircraft since 1936 and is an authorized Raytheon/Beech dealer and service center. Elliott joins New Avex, Cutter Aviation, Columbia Aircraft Sales and Muncie Aviation as a part of the U.S. Socata TBM 700 distribution network.
"A big ball of irony and stupidity," is how one aviation veteran viewed a provision in the highway reauthorization bill, H.R.3, to require aircraft operators to pay the diesel fuel tax rate on Jet A fuel and then apply for a refund for the two-cent difference between the highway rate and aviation fuel tax (BA, Aug. 1/44). The provision, dubbed "Preventing Fuel Fraud," is designed to cut down on instances where diesel fuel truck operators use aviation fuel to avoid higher taxes.
AEROSPATIALE Model ATR 72 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-21909; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-059-AD] - proposes to require a one-time general visual inspection for contamination of the surface of the upper arms of the main landing gear (MLG) secondary side brace assemblies, repetitive eddy current inspections for cracking of the upper arms and related specified and corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD also would mandate eventual replacement of aluminum upper arms with steel upper arms, which would end the repetitive inspections.
ROLLS-ROYCE DEUTSCHLAND (Formerly Rolls-Royce plc) Models Tay 650-15 and 651-54 Turbofan Engines [Docket No. 2001-NE-02-AD] - proposes to supersede an existing AD that requires borescope inspection of the high-pressure compressor (HPC) Stage 12 disc assembly to detect damage caused by HPC outlet guide vane (OGV) retaining bolt failure, and replacement of unserviceable parts with serviceable parts. That AD also requires as terminating action, the incorporation of a new design retention arrangement for the HPC OGV to prevent HPC OGV retaining bolt failure.
STEPHEN MAYER was appointed director of aftermarket sales for Kelly Aerospace. Mayer will be responsible for aftermarket customer relationships in North America. He has served with Kelly for five years as regional sales manager. He has 27 years of aviation industry experience.
FAA REPAIR STATION OVERSIGHT PROGRESSING SLOWLY, IG SAYS - FAA is trying to make improvements in its oversight of domestic and foreign aircraft repair stations, but progress has been slow and the agency is far from implementing all the changes recommended two years ago by the Department of Transportation Inspector General, an IG report has found.
Suma said New Piper will probably watch the Very Light Jet market evolve over the next 12-18 months before making a launch decision. Finding the "sweet spot" in the market will help determine whether a new aircraft would be designed for high-utilization buyers like air taxi operators or for the owner-flown market.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-1A11 (CL-600), Model CL-600-2A12 (CL-601), and Model CL-600-2B16 (CL-601-3A, CL-601-3R, and CL-604) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-21139; Directorate Identifier 2003-NM-196-AD; Amendment 39-14193; AD 2005-15-04] - requires operators to assign serial numbers or part numbers to certain landing gear parts and to establish the number of landings on the parts, if necessary.
