FAA, SOCIAL SECURITY TEAM TO FIND PILOTS DRAWING DISABILITY - FAA should work with the Social Security Administration and other disability benefits providers to catch pilots who have lied about disqualifying medical conditions on their applications for airman medical certificates, the U.S. Transportation Department inspector general recommended this week. The recommendation stems from an 18-month investigation, dubbed "Operation Safe Pilot," that the DOT IG conducted in cooperation with the SSA inspector general and the U.S.
Flight Explorer established a Messaging Services Division in Peachtree City, Ga., to help grow its new Aircraft Data and Messaging (ADAM) product line. Harlin Hamlin, vice president of messaging services, will lead the new division. Flight Explorer's ADAM line provides a communication and tracking link between the ground, the pilot and the aircraft by combining satellite coverage for worldwide aircraft tracking with voice and data communications.
August 9-11 - Asian Business Aviation Convention and Exposition ABACE2005, Shanghai, China, (202) 783-9000. September 15 - NBAA Business Aviation Regional Forum, Denver, Colo., www.nbaa.org September 18-21 - Airports Council International-North America, 16th Annual Conference & Exhibition, Metro Toronto Convention Center, Toronto, Ontario (202) 293-8500, e-mail [email protected] September 19-23 - Aviation Conference and Exhibition (ACE), Connecticut Convention Center, New Haven, Conn., www.aerospace-na.com/ace2005.asp
Professional Aviation Maintenance Association joined the Society of Automotive Engineers as an affiliate. Through the affiliation, PAMA members will have access to benefits of SAE membership, and PAMA will be able to tap into SAE's administrative, publishing and distribution services. The affiliation also expands SAE's reach into the aircraft maintenance realm.
TAG Aviation USA reported more than a 35 percent increase in its management business as the company added 13 business jets to its managed fleet during the first half of the year. TAG added 19 aircraft to its fleet in 2004. TAG, which represents 130 aircraft at more than 55 locations, cited a number of factors for the increased business, including the healthy economy, airline crowding and delays and an increased awareness of the benefits of business aviation.
Executive Jet Management (EJM) added a Hawker 800XP based in Naples, Fla. and a King Air 300 based in Dupage Airport in Chicago to its charter certificate. EJM manages 101 aircraft at more than 60 locations throughout the country.
A funny thing happened to Eclipse Aviation on its way to developing the Eclipse 500 Very Light Jet - it discovered a new aircraft engine fire suppression system that officials say is environmentally friendly, more effective than Halon and potentially worth billions of dollars. See article below.
Flightworks, an Atlanta, Ga.-based aircraft charter and management provider, boosted its fleet to 24 aircraft with the addition of six business jets since the beginning of the year. The latest aircraft in the Flightworks fleet include a Gulfstream 450 based in Jacksonville, Fla.; two Gulfstream IIIs based in Washington, D.C.; a Falcon 2000 in Tulsa, Okla.; a Citation III in Atlanta; and a Citation II in Atlanta.
NEW PIPER PA-34 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2004-19960; Directorate Identifier 2004-CE-47-AD; Amendment 39-14153; AD 2005-13-16] - supersedes AD 93-24-14. This AD stems from many service difficulty reports related to the collapse of the nose landing gear (NLG). Consequently, this AD retains the actions required in AD 93-24-14, requires inspecting the NLG and components of the NLG using new procedures for rigging the nose gear installation, and requires replacing unserviceable parts.
Environmental Tectonics Corp. received an order valued at $4 million from an undisclosed Middle Eastern customer for a Gyrolab GL-1500 spatial disorientation trainer. The GL-1500 is configurable into 20 fixed-wing and eight helicopter training profiles and can be used to train pilots in high-risk flight maneuvers, including upset recovery, spins and stalls. The trainer uses three axes of motion and simulator technology to reproduce the common causes of spatial disorientation.
New Piper Aircraft delivered only 76 new airplanes in the second half of 2004 because operations were severely disrupted by hurricane damage to the company's manufacturing facility in Vero Beach, Fla. last summer. New Piper lost some 300,000 square feet of manufacturing space in last year's storms, but has now relocated manufacturing into 200,000 square feet of space in older buildings, much of which had previously been used for storage. New Piper President Chuck Suma said production is back up to 25 aircraft per month.
H.R.3, the Transportation Equity Act, has a number of provisions that do affect aviation. One such provision, designed to discourage fuel fraud by diesel fuel users, could end up short-changing the Aviation Trust Fund and create a bureaucratic tangle for business operators. See article below.
Rockwell Collins completed military and commercial flight tests of its SE-Vision flight deck technology, which integrates synthetic vision with real-time enhanced vision imagery. Rockwell Collins is developing the technology in collaboration with Max-Viz, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Air Force Research Lab and NASA Langley Research Center. The flight tests demonstrated concepts for sensor and synthetic imagery for the U.S. Air Force's mobility operations in a low-altitude tactical environment. The flights were conducted on the FAA William J.
Despite concerns in Washington, D.C. about a new Internal Revenue Service rules interpretation that severely limits deductions for aircraft expenses when aircraft are used for "entertainment," the IRS provision is not hurting Cessna's sales. Although Pelton calls the requirements of the IRS ruling "an undue burden" on aircraft operators, he said most big public companies that are used to complying with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation should have no problem meeting the new IRS requirements.
EMTEQ is consolidating its Aerospace and Cabin and Lighting companies into a new 57,000-square-foot building near Milwaukee, Wis. The space will allow EMTEQ to increase its employee base from 150 to more than 350 over the next three to five years. EMTEQ Aerospace provides design and certification engineering and produces coaxial cable assemblies, avionics installation kits and ARINC mounting trays. EMTEQ Cabin and Lighting Systems produces interior LED lighting products for the commercial, general aviation and military markets. Beginning Nov.
CESSNA Models 208 and 208B airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-21275; Directorate Identifier 2005-CE-28-AD] - proposes to require installation of a pilot assist handle, Cessna Part Number SK208-146-2, for all affected airplanes, installation of deicing boots on landing gear struts and cargo pods on certain Cessna Models 208 and 208B airplanes, and changes to the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) and FAA-approved Airplane Flight Manual (AFM).
CHARLIE JOHNSON NAMED PRESIDENT OF ATG - Charlie Johnson, the former president of Cessna Aircraft, has taken over as president and chief operating officer of Aviation Technology Group, the Denver, Colo. firm developing the Javelin high-performance fighter-look-alike aircraft.
VETERAN GULFSTREAM COMPANY PILOT JOINS ADAM AIRCRAFT - Bill Waters, chief demonstration pilot at Gulfstream Aerospace for the past seven years, joined Adam Aircraft last week as vice president of flight operations.
Business aviation advocates were happy a provision expanding aircraft deduction limitations was dropped from the comprehensive highway reauthorization bill last week, but were troubled that another provision to protect against fuel fraud could amount to a tax increase on business jets yet result in a decline in tax revenue going into the aviation trust fund (BA, May 30/243). By a 412-8 margin the House Friday adopted H.R.3 the Transportation Equity Act, which reauthorizes highway and transit programs.
National Air Transportation Association was disappointed that the conference agreement on H.R.3 failed to provide relief from environmental regulations calling for secondary containment protection for airport mobile refuelers. The association, joining airline and airport groups, had been working with key legislators to receive relief from the Environmental Protection Agency mandate, which could cost airports and fuel providers millions of dollars.
Aircraft Owners And Pilots Association will hold its 2005 Expo Nov. 3-5 at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Fla. The Expo will include three interactive general sessions, exhibits from more than 530 exhibitors and more than 70 aircraft on static display at Peter Knight Airport. AOPA also has scheduled 70-plus hours of seminars covering a range of topics such as technology, aircraft ownership, medical concerns and safety.
ARINC Direct's facility at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona was awarded FAA repair station certification. The approval clears the way for ARINC Scottsdale to provide aircraft modifications, integration services, instrument repairs, maintenance and static system testing. The ARINC regional maintenance facility can service and repair more than 50 types of aircraft. The certification is the second for ARINC, which also operates an approved repair station at Colorado Springs Airport (COS).
