Dassult Falcon made a successful first flight Friday with its Falcon 900DX business jet from the company's facility in Bordeaux, France. During the three-hour, 10-minute mission the aircraft reached an altitude of 41,000 feet and a maximum speed of 370 knots. "All systems performed flawlessly," said Etienne Faurdessus, one of two test pilots on board. "We verified aircraft and navigation systems.
Opponents of the Bush Administration's cuts in federal aviation spending are making themselves heard. The National Institute for Aerospace says NASA needs nearly $900 million in aeronautics funding annually, about half the level requested in the White House's fiscal 2006 budget request. The FAA's Management Advisory Council also published a report last week that was sharply critical of proposed FAA funding levels, which are significantly below levels authorized by Congress. See articles below.
JEFF REID was named vice president of subcontract and vendor relations for Executive Jet Management (EJM). Reid, who joined EJM in 2002, most recently was vice president of information technology. He also has served as a program manager for General Electric's E-Business and Engine Services groups.
Cessna Aircraft's first Mustang business jet has logged more than 36 hours in 19 flights since its April 23 first flight, the manufacturer said Thursday. After successfully achieving interim flight envelope limits of 200 KIAS at Flight Level 410, Cessna test pilots are now expanding the test envelope and expect to reach the aircraft's maximum speed by mid-summer.
NATA URGES FAA TO STUDY CVR COSTS BEFORE ORDERING CHANGES - The Federal Aviation Administration should halt its proposed rulemaking to impose new cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and digital flight data recorder (DFDR) requirements until it conducts a thorough analysis of the costs of those requirements to Part 91 and 135 operators, the National Air Transportation Association told the agency in comments submitted last week. FAA in February proposed requiring operators to upgrade CVR and DFDR equipment to improve the quality and quantity of information recorded.
Rockwell Collins AHS-1000 Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS) won supplemental type certificate approval from FAA for installation on Learjet 31/35/35A/36/36A business jets. The AHS-1000 was designed to replace previous-generation analog and iron gyro systems, Collins said.
REPORT ON AERONAUTICS A 'WAKE-UP CALL- Congress should return NASA's aeronautics budget to 1998 levels to help assure the United States' leadership in aviation, a report by the National Institute for Aerospace (NIA) says.
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer, known primarily as a designer and manufacturer of aircraft for commuter and regional air carriers, last week announced a strategic decision to become a full-line business jet manufacturer, confirming recent reports (BA, March 28/143).
ExelTech Aerospace signed an agreement with Magellan Group to provide spares support for ATR 42 and ATR 72 regional turboprops. Magellan Group supplies airframe and component spares from facilities in Shannon, Ireland and Boca Raton, Fla. Magellan will place more than $1 million of ATR inventory at ExelTech's facility in Montreal. Magellan will ship ATR components, which include flight controls and structural parts, from the Montreal warehouse to operators worldwide. ExelTech's facilities cover 230,000 square feet and include hangar, shop and office space.
Four's a charm? House appropriators last week okayed yet another measure ordering the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reopen Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to general aviation. The measure, included in the fiscal 2006 homeland security appropriations bill, calls for DHS to reopen the airport within 90 days after the bill is enacted. The language is one of four separate provisions ordering DCA reopened to GA that have been offered this year (BA, May 2/197). DHS officials apparently are paying attention to the House demands.
AVFUEL, SIGNATURE FLIGHT SUPPORT EXPAND AGREEMENT - Avfuel Corp. and Signature Flight Support, the nation's largest independent aviation fuel supplier and largest chain of fixed-base operations, respectively, have signed a new agreement expanding their long-time relationship and entering into a major fuel support program. Avfuel has become one of Signature's largest fuel suppliers in recent years, and the new agreement will mean that Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Avfuel will be delivering fuel to even more Signature bases.
Jet Aviation's fixed-base operations in Bedford, Mass., Palm Beach, Fla., Teterboro, N.J. and Dallas were named preferred maintenance service centers for TAG Aviation USA. Under the agreement Jet Aviation will provide heavy maintenance, refurbishment, avionics, scheduled line and base maintenance, modifications, engine repair, cleaning and painting on aircraft operated by TAG Aviation. TAG Aviation operates more than 100 aircraft located at more than 50 locations.
House Aviation Subcommittee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.), ranking member Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) and Rep. Pete DeFazio (D-Ore.) Thursday met with senior FAA officials to express concern about the agency's decision to slow down and prioritize action on manufacturers' aircraft certification applications (BA, Feb. 14/71). Nicholas Sabatini, FAA associate administrator for aviation safety, told the lawmakers his organization needs $30 million in fiscal 2005 before it can fill key certification slots and resume full certification activities.
HONEYWELL LOOKS TO CHINA FOR NEW OPPORTUNITIES - Honeywell is spending a lot of time and energy marketing its products in China, where the company believes rapid development is opening wide a window of opportunity to do aviation business. "There's a revolution going on there," Honeywell Aerospace Chairman Bob Johnson told reporters at a media briefing in Phoenix last week. "There is an incredibly small number of people [in China] who have ever traveled" but who are now finding their way onto a new crop of low-cost carriers.
LEARJET Model 23, 24, 24A, 24B, 24B-A, 24D, 24D-A, 24E, 24F, 25, 25A, 25B, 25C, 25D, and 25F airplanes modified by Supplemental Type Certificate SA1731SW, SA1669SW, or SA1670SW [Docket No. FAA-2005-20947; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-245-AD] - proposes to require removing the thrust reverser accumulator and making the thrust reverser hydraulic system and the thrust reversers inoperable. This proposed AD is prompted by reports of the failure of two thrust reverser accumulators.
Several House aviation subcommittee members last week expressed concern that the aviation trust fund will not be able to keep up with the Administration's spending requirements but were skeptical that a transition to new aviation user fees would solve the Federal Aviation Administration's problems. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, supported by Transportation Inspector General Kenneth Mead, outlined her case for dropping the current FAA funding system during a hearing Wednesday held by the aviation subcommittee.
CESSNA Model 500, 501, 550, S550, 551, and 560 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-20970; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-53-AD] - proposes to require revising the airplane flight manual (AFM) to prohibit use of the wing fuel boost pumps for defueling under certain conditions; installing a placard; doing other specified investigative and corrective actions as necessary; and modifying the boost pumps. This proposed AD also would require the subsequent removal of the AFM revision and placard.
DASSAULT'S 7X FALCON MAKES SUCCESSFUL FIRST FLIGHT - The Dassault Falcon 7X business jet, the new crown jewel of the French manufacturer's product line, made its first flight May 5, the first step in a planned 15-month test and certification program. The No. 1 airplane took off from Bordeaux's International Airport, climbed to 10,000 feet for various systems checks, and then climbed to 25,000 feet for acceleration/deceleration tests and autopilot and autothrottle checks. The flight lasted one hour and 36 minutes.
STEADICOPTER SEEKING INVESTORS FOR UNMANNED HELICOPTER - Steadicopter Ltd. of Haifa, Israel, is seeking investors for a new unmanned aerial vehicle that could be used for homeland security, the company said April 28. The company combined a patented computer program and Global Positioning System capability with an existing minihelicopter capable of autonomous takeoff, hovering and landing.
Atlas Pilatus Center, an authorized distributor for the Pilatus PC-12, appointed Aerodynamics, Inc. (ADI) as an authorized Pilatus PC-12 satellite service center. Pontiac, Mich.-based ADI will distribute parts and provide services for PC-12s based in the Michigan area. Established in 1998 in Manchester, N.H., Atlas maintains more than 30 PC-12s owned by individual and corporations and supports PlaneSense, a PC-12 fractional ownership program.
GULFSTREAM G150 MAKES FIRST FLIGHT IN ISRAEL - The first Gulfstream G150 business jet, manufactured by Israel Aircraft Industries, made its first flight from Ben Gurion International Airport May 3. The G150, designed as a wider-fuselage successor to the G100, spent four and one-half hours aloft during its initial flight. The pilots conducted checks of handling qualities and systems, cycled the landing gear and operated the flap/slat system. Maximum altitude on the flight was 20,000 feet and the aircraft reached a maximum speed of 250 knots.
Executive Jet Management added three aircraft to its charter fleet in recent months, boosting its overall managed fleet to 101 aircraft in more than 60 locations. The latest additions include a King Air 350 at DuPage Airport in Chicago, a Citation Ultra at Camarillo, Calif. Airport and a Falcon 900EX at San Francisco International Airport.
