A Bell 206B Helicopter was destroyed and four occupants killed in Switzerland late last month when it crashed while carrying skiers to a dropoff point in the Alps. Investigators said the aircraft, HB-XQO, had departed Sirnach, Switzerland about 0800 on March 26 for a heli-skiing flight. The Swiss Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said the helicopter struck mountainous terrain at an elevation of 10,400 feet and was destroyed. The pilot and all three passengers were killed.
General aviation groups last week expressed disappointment at the announcement that Adm. David Stone, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, who has run the Transportation Security Administration since late 2003, is relinquishing his post, noting the strong channels of communication that Stone fostered during his tenure.
BELL, AMARILLO GEAR UP TO BUILD PRESIDENTIAL HELOS - Although some Connecticut lawmakers plan to try to overturn the U.S. Navy's presidential helicopter award to a Lockheed Martin-led team, officials in Amarillo, Texas are gearing up for more than two decades of high-technology, high-pay, high-visibility work on the $6.1 billion VXX program. Under the self-branded title "Rotor City USA" - an acknowledged takeoff of Detroit's "Motor City" - Amarillo Economic Development Corp.
ATR received a contract for two ATR 42-300s from Russian carrier UT Air under an initial contract that could lead to further orders. "We are interested in taking up to 15 ATR aircraft in order to meet our fleet expansion plan," said UT Air Chairman Andrey Martirosov. "Apart from leasing, we are also looking at opportunities to buy them but this will be conditional on lifting import duties on foreign aircraft types." ATR further is negotiating with the airline for training and a Global Maintenance Agreement contract, the plane-maker said.
National Air Transportation Association last week urged the San Diego City Council to provide Gibbs Flying Service, the fixed-base operation at Montgomery Field, an opportunity to submit a proposal to continue its service at the local airport.
Avantair, the fractional aircraft ownership provider that sells shares of the Piaggio Avanti, rounded out its executive team with the appointments of Frank Parrella as director of operations, Thomas Mancuso as director of maintenance and Ken Siegel as director of human resources. Parrella, who has 26 years of commercial flight experience, formerly was a line captain for American Eagle. He will be responsible for all Avantair daily business operations, including scheduling, maintenance, training and flight crew operations.
FAA DEPUTY MAKES STRONG CASE FOR FRACTIONALS AT LABACE - Bobby Sturgell, the FAA's deputy administrator, made a strong show of support for fractional aircraft ownership programs - and advocated acceptance of FAA's regulatory approach to such business arrangements in other nations - during prepared remarks delivered at the LABACE business aviation conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
PILATUS Model PC-6 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-20515; Directorate Identifier 2005-CE-09-AD] - proposes to require repetitively inspecting the stabilizer-trim attachment and structural components for cracks, corrosion, and discrepancies and replacing any defective part with a new part. This proposed AD also would require replacement of all Fairchild connecting pieces, Part Number 6232.0026.XX, with a Pilatus connecting piece. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Switzerland.
CESSNA'S NEWEST CJ FLIES - Cessna's successor to the CJ2 light business jet, the CJ2+, took to the skies for the first time April 2 for two hours and six minutes. The conforming CJ2+ prototype took off from Mid-Continent Airport at 10:03 a.m. and was tested for basic stability, flap and landing gear extension and retraction, controllability, trim actuation, engine operating characteristics and basic autopilot operation before landing at 12:09 p.m. The CJ2+ was unveiled at the 2004 National Business Aviation Association convention.
Eclipse Aviation completed FAA certification inlet icing tests of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F engines that power the Eclipse 500 very light jet. The tests were completed at the National Research Council's approved icing tunnel in Ottawa, Canada. Eclipse called the successful completion of the tests an important milestone in the company's quest for certification in March 2006.
Rockwell Collins won a 10-year contract from NetJets Europe to provide maintenance, repair and technical support for the company's fleet of Hawker 400XP business jets, Rockwell Collins said.
British catering firm Thinking Food, International (TFI) acquired Majestic Catering at the Luton, England Airport to better serve the needs of its corporate/executive aircraft customers. TFI, based at Biggin Hill Airport, has supplied catering to a number of U.K. airports from Biggin Hill, but officials said customer demand from operators using Luton, Stansted, Cambridge, Oxford and Northolt led to the acquisition of the Luton caterer. TFI is now installing a new kitchen at Luton that is expected to be open by mid-summer.
GROB-WERKE Model G120A airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2004-19473; Directorate Identifier 2004-CE-35-AD] - proposes to require replacing the main landing gear (MLG) up-lock hook assembly. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Germany. FAA is issuing this proposed AD to prevent the MLG from becoming jammed and not extending, which could result in loss of control of the airplane during landing. The proposed AD affects an estimated six airplanes on the U.S. Registry.
RANDY BOLINGER was named vice president of marketing and sales for The Lancair Company. Bolinger formerly spent two years with Cirrus Design Corp., most recently as vice president of marketing. Before joining Cirrus, he held positions in brand management, public relations and marketing for Volvo Trucks in the U.S.
PAN AM FLIGHT ACADEMY MOVING FT. PIERCE TRAINING UNIT TO ARIZONA - Pan Am International Flight Academy (PAIFA), whose Ft. Pierce, Fla. training facility was heavily damaged and disrupted by the hurricanes that swept through Florida last year, will relocate its Career Pilot Development (CDP) center from Ft. Pierce to the company's CDP campus in Phoenix, Ariz.
BRIAN CHAPMAN was appointed charter sales manager for American Jet International. Formerly a dispatcher for the company, Chapman will oversee both domestic and international charters. He joined AJI in 2001 and has 12 years of aviation industry experience.
Brazilian Manufacturer Embraer is expected to announce its new entry in the business jet market relatively soon, possibly as early as next month (BA, March 28/141). The increased focus on the business jet market is reflected in the company's decision to name a veteran senior executive to oversee that market segment. See article below.
Aerosonic Corp., Clearwater, Fla., said it and the other parties engaged in the Aerosonic Corporation Securities Litigation filed a notice of settlement with the court, confirming that all parties had executed a memorandum of understanding to settle pending class action litigation. Aerosonic said the MOU "defines a total settlement of $5.35 million, of which Aerosonic will pay $800,000." The settlement is contingent upon preliminary and final court approval, "and could be voided if opt-outs exceed a certain agreed-upon threshold."
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-102, -103, -106, -201, -202, -301, -311, and -315 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-20852; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-240-AD] - proposes to require 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 would require phase-in inspections and repair of any crack found during any phase-in inspection.
SKYWEST ORDERS MORE CRJ700 REGIONAL JETS - SkyWest Airlines, of St. George, Utah, already one of Bombardier's largest regional jet customers, last week placed a firm order for 20 additional CRJ700 aircraft, which will boost its total CRJ700 fleet to 52 aircraft. The latest order is valued at about $637 million (U.S.).
April 12-18 - Sun 'N' Fun Fly-In, Lakeland, Fla., (863) 644-2431 April 18-20 - ATCA/FAA/NASA Technical Symposium, Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel, Atlantic City, (703) 299-2430, e-mail [email protected] April 21 - NBAA Business Aviation Regional Forum, Farmingdale, N.Y., http://www.nbaa.org April 26-28 - Flight Safety Foundation/National Business Aviation Association Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar, Orlando, Fla., (202) 783-9000
Corporate Jets Inc., a fixed-base operation based in Scottsdale, Ariz., opened a new flight crew lounge that covers more than 3,000 feet and includes full kitchen facilities, private bathrooms and quiet rooms. The lounge also is equipped with flight planning areas and a conference room. Corporate Jets is an Avfuel dealer.
CESSNA C208 and C208B airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-20514; Directorate Identifier 2005-CE-08-AD; Amendment 39-14025; AD 2005-07-01] - requires incorporation of information into the applicable section of the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM). This AD results from several accidents/incidents of problems with the affected airplanes during operations in icing conditions, including six accidents in the previous two icing seasons and nine events in the past few months.
Schneider Electric won a two-year contract from the Federal Aviation Administration to provide power support for air traffic control centers, administrative offices and terminal radar approach control facilities. The contract, which includes options for three two-year extensions, has a potential value of $50 million. The contract is a follow-on for Schneider, which has supplied its Square D power products, monitoring, and programmable logic controllers to FAA centers since 1998.
