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.
FAA recently notified pilots that the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will begin using the laser warning system May 21 to alert operators who have encroached into restricted airspace over the Washington, D.C. area (BA, April 18/177). Honeywell, however, has another way to help keep pilots from straying into prohibited airspace.
May 16-19 - Regional Airline Association Annual Convention, Cincinnati, Ohio, (202) 367-1170 May 18-20 - European Business Aviation Association Convention and Exposition EBACE2005, Geneva, Switzerland, (202) 783-9000 June 4 - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Fly-In, AOPA Headquarters, Frederick, Md., (301) 695-2000 June 5-8 - American Association of Airport Executives/International Association of Airport Executives, U.S. Airport Security Conference, Dublin, 703-824-0504, e-mail [email protected]
Pan Am International Flight Academy renewed its alliance with ExpressJet Airlines under which students who successfully complete Pan Am's Career Pilot Development (CPD) training program and meet certain criteria are guaranteed an interview with ExpressJet. The criteria include completion of a two-year degree program and Air Crew Education and Route Flying segments of the CPD program.
KIRSTEN KRUEGER joined Executive Jet Management as a charter sales manager based in San Jose, Calif. Krueger formerly was a charter sales representative for ACM Aviation in San Jose.
ROBERTO PINO was appointed manager of commercial aircraft programs for Safe Flight Instrument Corp. Pino formerly held aviation sales and marketing posts with L-3 Communications and Honeywell. He will focus initially on Safe Flight's automatic throttle programs for the CRJ 200, 700 and 900 regional airliners.
LAKE AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER TO AUCTION COMPANY ASSETS - The company that builds the Lake Aircraft line of amphibious aircraft plans to sell all corporate assets - including type certificates, supplemental type certificates, engineering data and manufacturing capacity - at a July 27 auction during the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis.
Aviation Technology Group's (ATG) Javelin prototype is taking shape with the installation of modified Williams FJ33-4-15M turbofan engines as well as vertical and horizontal tails. The engines were modified to include an inverted oil system to allow aerobatic flight. ATG also began testing the avionics and communications systems, and said the equipment functioned as designed. ATG will use the demonstrator to evaluate aircraft performance, handling qualities and selected system installations.
MARK CULLEN was named charter sales manager for Executive Jet Management. Cullen will be based at EJM's Cincinnati office. He formerly was director of sales and marketing for Cincinnati Bell Supply.
TAMARA ADLER was elected to the board of directors of FLIR Systems, which produces infrared imaging systems for a variety of applications. Adler most recently was a managing director with JPMorgan Chase, and before that she spent five years with Deutsche Bank. Adler also served with Goldman, Sachs & Co. and was a partner with the law firm of Hogan & Hartson, LLC.
CESSNA Model 680 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-20916; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-027-AD; Amendment 39-14055; AD 2005-08-03] - requires revising the airplane flight manual (AFM) to add procedures to facilitate recovery of the cockpit display units in the event that the cockpit display units go blank, and to add flight crew briefings on the use of standby instruments in case the cockpit display units go blank and do not recover.
HOUSE APPROPRIATORS BACK TSAAC PROGRAM - Pleased with the early success of the Transportation Security Administration's Access Certificate (TSAAC) program, House appropriators encouraged TSA to move forward on the program and directed the agency to report back to Congress early next year on the program's progress. The House homeland security appropriations subcommittee included that directive in the report language to the fiscal 2006 homeland security appropriations bill.
ERIN SALAFIA was promoted to charter sales manager for Executive Jet Management. Salafia previously served as an executive assistant and assistant risk manager for EJM. She is based in EJM's Teterboro, N.J. office.
SUSAN WAGNER was named charter sales manager for Executive Jet Management. Wagner is moving over to EJM from NetJets, where she had served as a sales assistant. Wagner will remain based in Columbus, Ohio.
SUPREME COURT TURNS DOWN PILOTS' AGE LIMIT CASE - The Supreme Court last week declined to hear a case brought by a group of pilots against FAA for its pilot age limit regulation. In Dallas E. Butler et al., Petitioners v. FAA, 12 Southwest pilots challenged an FAA rule dating to 1960 that grounds Part 121 airline pilots at age 60, arguing that FAA should consider the health and skills of each pilot. But with the high court passing over the case, a lower court's ruling in favor of FAA will stand.
