PATRICK DE BLANC was named director of corporate communications for Globalair.com. De Blanc has 28 years of business and general aviation experience, most recently as manager of marketing communications for Dallas Airmotive. De Blanc also served with Aviall and was director of communications for Mitsubishi Aircraft International.
FAA SEEKS INDUSTRY REVIEW OF TURBINE BUSINESS AIRCRAFT ACCIDENTS - Federal Aviation Administration officials are recommending that an industry-based Joint Steering Committee examine accidents involving turbine-powered business aircraft to determine whether there are common themes in those crashes that could be addressed through application of best industry practices. Senior agency officials late Feb. 19 met with several industry leaders to discuss steps the industry could take to increase safety (BA, Feb. 14/73).
A Hawker 700 flying from Chicago crashed at Bromont Airport near Montreal, Canada late Feb. 21, injuring six people aboard. The aircraft, N21SA, reportedly landed left of the runway and spun twice before stopping. The runway lights apparently were not working at the time of the accident. The Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
IRIDIUM REVENUES, SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS SUBSCRIBERS UP IN 2004 - Satellite voice and data specialist Iridium reported a 23.2 percent increase in revenues in 2004, thanks in part to a 22.5 percent jump in the number of subscribers. Subscribers grew to 114,000 by the end of 2004 in the company's maritime, aviation and defense/government markets. In the general aviation market, the number of aircraft using Iridium-based equipment doubled to more than 2,500 in 2004, Iridium said.
The Air Force of the United Arab Emirates awarded Bell/Agusta Aerospace of Fort Worth, Texas an $83 million contract to provide eight AB 139 medium-twin helicopters. Six aircraft will be configured for search and rescue operations and two will be assigned for VIP transport missions. Oman and Ireland also have ordered the AB 139. Announcement of the UAE contract coincided with the biennial IDEX military exposition in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The manufacturer is moving its headquarters to Reston, Va.
March 8-10 - National Air Transportation Association/Professional Aviation Maintenance Association GSE Aviation Services and Suppliers AS3 Supershow, Sands Expos & Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev., (703) 845-9000 March 10-12 - 16th Annual International Women in Aviation Conference, Adam's Mark Hotel, Dallas, Texas, (386) 226-7996 March 14-16 - 17th Annual Flight Safety Foundation European Aviation Safety Seminar, Sheraton Warsaw Hotel and Towers, Warsaw, Poland, (703) 739-6700
The U.S. and Russia have signed an agreement to help control the spread of man portable air defense systems (MANPADS), President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Feb. 24 in Bratislava, Slovakia. "We agreed...to combat MANPADS," which terrorists could use to shoot down private and commercial aircraft, Bush said in a press conference with Putin that came as Bush was wrapping up a tour of Europe.
DASSAULT Model Falcon 10 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2004-19177; Directorate Identifier 2002-NM-202-AD; Amendment 39-13974; AD 2005-04-02] - requires a temporary change to the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) to provide procedures to the flightcrew for touchdown using the main landing gear to avoid a three-point landing. This AD also requires repetitive inspections of the piston rod of the drag strut actuator of the nose landing gear (NLG) for cracks, which would terminate the AFM revision, and corrective actions if necessary.
CONGRESSMEN SEEK LEGISLATION TO EXPAND AEROSPACE JOB TRAINING - A group of congressmen is sponsoring legislation that directs nine federal agencies, led by the Labor Department, to form a task force for developing strategies to expand public and private aerospace job training programs. The Aerospace Industries Association on Feb. 23 endorsed the proposal, saying it would ask the federal government to address a "looming shortage of qualified workers in the sector."
Rolls-Royce selected NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi as the preferred site for relocation of its large-engines outdoor test facility from the United Kingdom. Rolls-Royce plans to spend $42 million on construction and facility upgrades in Mississippi and plans to do development work there on the Trent 900 for the Airbus 380 and the Trent 1000 for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The British engine maker announced in 2001 that it planned to close its outdoor testing facility at Hucknall in the United Kingdom.
Summary: This notice contains a summary of certain petitions seeking relief from specified requirements of 14 CFR, dispositions of certain petitions previously received, and corrections. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities.
Federal Aviation Administration is proposing a new set of requirements for cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders, as recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board. The new requirements will cost the industry $400 million, according to FAA's estimates. Despite the NPRM from FAA, NTSB Chair Ellen Engleman-Connors still isn't satisfied, continuing to advocate the use of cockpit video cameras in business jets and airliners. See article below.
PrivatAir added seven aircraft to its fleet of managed airplanes since the beginning of the year. The new additions include four based at the company's West Palm Beach, Fla. facility: a Lear 55, a Falcon 2000, a Hawker 400XP and a King Air 350. PrivatAir also added a Falcon 900EX in Denver, Colo., and a Falcon 900EX and a Lear 60 based in Teterboro, N.J. The company now manages more than 50 aircraft ranging from turboprops to a Boeing 757, operating out of bases in Europe and the U.S.
GLOBAL FLYER CREW EYES POSSIBLE LAUNCH THIS WEEK - The Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer team is eyeing March 1 and 2 as possible dates when pilot Steve Fossett will attempt to become the first person to fly an aircraft around the globe solo without stopping or refueling. "Since we believe we are completely prepared, the takeoff will be on the first good day," the team said in a statement. Fossett will take off from Salina Municipal Airport in Kansas, cross into Canada, then pass over Newfoundland and cross the Atlantic.
ERIC HILL joined Million Air Long Beach as general manager. Hill is responsible for both general aviation and commercial activities at the Long Beach fixed-base operation. Hill most recently was director of line services for OK3 Air's four FBOs and manager of the company's Ogden, Utah FBO. He also spent 14 years with Great Western Aviation in Ogden, serving in a variety of roles, including director of business operations, member of the board of directors, general manager, FBO manager and line supervisor.
The Part 135/125 Aviation Rulemaking Committee last week met face-to-face for the final time. The ARC's charter formally expires April 8, but National Business Aviation Association President and CEO Ed Bolen, who chairs the ARC, said the panel may need more time before it formally presents its recommendations for revamping Part 135 and Part 125 regulations. The ARC has basically agreed upon its set of recommendations, Bolen said, but added that now the committee must complete writing the report.
Keystone Aviation is building a new 64,000-square-foot hangar that will increase the fixed-base operator's hangar capacity at Waterbury-Oxford Airport facilities in Connecticut to more than 200,000 square feet. The hangar is slated for completion in October and will give Keystone enough capacity to accommodate aircraft such as the GV and Global Express. The airport recently expanded its runway to 5,800 feet, making it the second longest runway in the state. Keystone is an Avfuel dealer, providing fuel services 24 hours a day.
SANTA PAULA CONSIDERS OPTIONS FOR REOPENING - The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Friday visited the privately owned and operated Santa Paula Airport to discuss options for reopening the airport after storms and the resulting floods wiped out much of the 2,650-foot runway. The overflowing Santa Clara River swept away a 150-foot portion of runway pavement and wrecked a tie-down area early last week, forcing the airport to close.
NATA TEAMS WITH OSHA ON WORKER SAFETY INITIATIVE - The National Air Transportation Association formed an alliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to improve aviation worker safety. The agreement, signed by NATA's Airline Services Council, will focus on worker exposure to weather hazards. OSHA and the Airline Services Council will develop training and education programs on weather issues throughout airport operating areas.
SAAB Model SF340A and SAAB 340B series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2004-19752; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-170-AD; Amendment 39-13984; AD 2005-04-12] - requires repetitive inspections for wear of the brushes and leads and for loose rivets of the direct current (DC) starter generator, and related investigative/corrective actions if necessary. This AD is prompted by reports of premature failures of the DC starter generator prior to scheduled overhaul.
One person was killed and three others were seriously injured Feb. 21 when a Bell 206B helicopter on a medevac mission landed hard. A preliminary FAA report said the aircraft, N5723M, stalled while transporting a patient and made a hard landing. The helicopter had departed from Claremore, Okla. and came down about two miles north of Cherokee City, Ark.
EMBRAER Model EMB-135 and -145 series airplanes [Docket No. 2003-NM-237-AD; Amendment 39-13977; AD 2005-04-05] - requires repetitive detailed inspections of the oil in the air turbine starter (ATS) to determine the quantity of the oil and the amount of debris contamination in the oil. If the oil quantity is incorrect or if excessive debris is found in the oil, this AD requires replacement of the ATS with a new or serviceable ATS, and continued repetitive detailed inspections.
