GA SECURITY COMES UNDER PUBLIC SCRUTINY - General aviation security came under public scrutiny again last week after a government report on homeland security expressed concern that the unregulated nature of the general aviation sector might prove attractive to terrorists. The 24-page report was drafted by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to give law enforcement officers an overview of aviation security and incidents since Sept. 11, 2001.
NETJETS NEARS PURCHASE ORDER FOR 50 HAWKER HORIZONS - Fractional aircraft provider NetJets reached a tentative agreement to purchase up to 50 Hawker Horizon aircraft, Raytheon Aircraft said last week. The agreement, which includes a 10-year guaranteed maintenance program, is expected to be made final within 30 days, the Wichita, Kan. manufacturer said.
EPA CLARIFIES: FUEL TRUCKS MUST MEET TOUGHER REQUIREMENTS - The Environmental Protection Agency decreed that on-airport mobile refuelers are covered under new fuel spill prevention requirements despite arguments from the aviation industry that containment rules would be impractical for fuel trucks. The National Air Transportation Association, joining airport and airline groups, have long awaited the EPA interpretation of its Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan rules, which strengthens secondary containment requirements for fuel storage.
Bombardier Aerospace claims its new high-priority parts delivery system has dramatically reduced the time needed to get parts to AOG customers in North America. The Canadian manufacturer began the new service in December working with Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. Even though the program was still being phased in during January and February, Bombardier said North American parts deliveries during that period averaged less than 10 hours.
"I'm not at this point advocating user fees," FAA Administrator Marion Blakey told the agency's annual forecast conference Thursday, but she was just one of a number of Washington officials warning that new methods must be found to fund the nation's air transportation system. Asked when she might be ready to propose user fees, Blakey told BA there is a need for "a healthy debate among the stakeholders" of the aviation system to help find a consensus about how to fund FAA in future years.
Gulfstream Aerospace delivered a specially configured Gulfstream V to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) for use in scientific studies. The aircraft, which was ordered in 2001, is known as the High-performance, Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research (HIAPER) and will be available for use by environmental and atmospheric scientists from both public and private research facilities. Designed for use as an aerial laboratory, the GV can investigate essential questions concerning the trend of rising worldwide temperatures.
FAA OPEN TO RECOMMENDATIONS ON PART 135 SEAT HANDBOOK BULLETIN - The Federal Aviation Administration is still grappling with a controversial handbook bulletin that would require certain Part 135 operators to essentially either follow a more complex maintenance program or obtain a supplemental type certificate to remove seats from their aircraft, Dave Cann, manager of FAA's Aircraft Maintenance Division, told National Air Transportation Association members this month.
POGO CONFIRMS ADAM 700 ORDER, BUT ALSO LOOKING AT OTHER AIRPLANES - POGO Jets, Inc. President Donald Burr confirmed that POGO has placed orders for a fleet of A700 twin-engine light jets from Adam Aircraft Company but said POGO officials also are in contact with other manufacturers who are developing other Very Light Jet (VLJ) models.
Chris Brown was promoted to line service manager for Flightcraft's facility at Portland International Airport. Brown has served with Flightcraft for nearly 11 years, most recently as line service supervisor. In his new role, Brown will oversee ramp and customer service at the Portland fixed-base operation.
BOMBARDIER TO OFFER 100-SEAT JETS TO POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS - Bombardier's board last week approved offering the C-Series family of aircraft to potential customers, but the airframer said significant details of the program, such as the location for final assembly and engine selection, remain unresolved.
CVR INDICATES G-III PILOTS IN HOUSTON CRASH WERE TUNED TO WRONG NAVAID - Transcripts of the cockpit voice recorder tape from the Gulfstream III that crashed while pilots were attempting to make an instrument landing system approach to Houston's Hobby Airport last November indicate that the pilots had been tracking a signal from another navigation aid.
The Federal Aviation Administration's potential budget woes, coupled with an aging air traffic control system, are spurring some industry and government leaders to call for dramatically new approaches to funding the agency. General aviation groups, however, are urging caution before the aviation community throws out what they believe has been a time-tested, reliable approach to funding.
Jet Aviation in Palm Beach, Fla., recently installed advanced navigation and communications equipment on a Falcon 900 aircraft. The equipment includes the Max-Viz EVS-1000 enhanced vision system, the EMS Technologies HSD-128 SatCom system and a Honeywell OneView Multi-Region Airborne DIRECTV system. The Max-Viz system uses infrared technology to enhance views of runways, taxiways, terrain and potential obstacles in poor weather or low visibility.
Expansion plans for the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood, Fla. International Airport (FLL) will be among the topics discussed next week during a public meeting and workshop sponsored by the Broward County Aviation Department. The meeting will: provide a general overview of Phase I of the airport's Master Plan Update; give an introduction to the Environmental Services Study; provide a status report on the Strategic Airport Planning Initiatives; and review the environmental impact statement for the proposed South Runway Extension and the Part 150 Noise Compatibility Study.
NTSB CALLS FOR CHANGES TO PREVENT FMS ERRORS - The National Transportation Safety Board recommended last week that FAA take action to reduce the likelihood of aircraft flight management systems (FMS) being incorrectly programmed, which could result in dangerous flying conditions.
MICHAEL MCMILLAN was named president of Meggitt/S-TEC of Mineral Wells, Texas. The avionics manufacturer for the business and general aviation market said McMillan will be responsible for leading the company's strategic direction in all key areas including design, manufacturing and sales. McMillan spent 21 years with Raytheon Aircraft Co. in positions of increasing responsibility. He also was a founding vice president with Piaggio America, where he helped reintroduce the Avanti P-180 aircraft in North America.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-102, -103, -106, -201, -202, -301, -311, and -315 Airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-20481; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-183-AD] - Proposes to require operators to install torque tube catchers on the control columns of the flight controls. This proposed AD is prompted by the discovery that a single malfunction of the torque tube could result in both flight control columns being supported by only one self-aligning bearing.
EMBRAER Model ERJ 170 Series Airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-20501; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-251-AD] - Proposes to require inspecting the engine fire handles of the overhead panel in the cockpit, and replacing the engine fire handles if necessary. This proposed AD is prompted by reports of failure of the internal circuit of the engine fire handles of the overhead panel in the cockpit.
EUROCOPTER FRANCE Model EC 155B, EC155B1, SA-365N, SA-365N1, AS-365N2, and AS 365 N3 Helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2005-20512; Directorate Identifier 2004-SW-35-AD] - Proposes superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to Eurocopter France (Eurocopter) Model EC 155B, SA-365N and N1, AS-365N2, and AS 365 N3 helicopters. That AD currently requires inspecting the hydraulic brake hose for crazing, pinching, distortion, or leaks at the torque link hinge and replacing the hose, if necessary.
About 10,000 feet of pavement on Runway 13-31 at New York's LaGuardia Airport (LGA) will be rehabilitated later this year. The project includes milling and repaving the runway and upgrading its electrical lighting system. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the work will be coordinated with FAA and that runway closures will be scheduled during weekends and nighttime hours to minimize the impact on airline travelers and people living near the airport.
