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.
The Pilatus PC-12 fleet has accumulated more than one million flight hours in the past 10-plus years. More than 500 owner-pilots, corporations, airlines, air ambulance operations, government agencies, fractional operators and charter operators fly PC-12s, Pilatus said.
Herve Pomerleau, Inc. of Saint-Georges, Quebec was selected to build a new hangar at the Greater Moncton International Airport. The new hangar will house a variety of Transport Canada and Royal Canadian Mounted Police aircraft and will serve as an operations and maintenance facility. "This project will provide the Greater Moncton International Airport with a state-of-the-art facility that will support the airport's long-term development plans," said Claudette Bradshaw, minister of state for Human Resources Development. Groundbreaking is planned for March.
BUSH SIGNS BILL TO MOVE CLASS ACTION SUITS TO FEDERAL COURTS - President Bush Friday morning signed a bill, passed overwhelmingly in the House and Senate, that will move many class-action lawsuits from state to federal courts (BA, Feb. 14/77).
Columbia Air Services added a new 20,000-square-foot hangar and 6,000-square-foot fixed-base operation building to its site in Groton, Conn. The new facilities include meeting rooms, crew lounges and a passenger area. Columbia plans to formally dedicate the facilities in the spring. Opening of the new facilities coincides with the aviation services company's 25th anniversary. Columbia said it plans this year to take delivery of an Adam Aircraft A500 centerline thrust twin, and the company will host the Malibu/Mirage Owners and Pilots Association 2005 Convention.
Pete Djordjevic was named chief pilot for Executive Jet Management (EJM). Djordjevic has more than 22 years of charter and corporate aviation experience. He joined EJM in 1985 as a first officer and most recently was a Challenger CL-604 captain. An airline transport pilot certificate holder, Djordjevic also is rated on the Dassault Falcon 50/900, Learjet 35 and Cessna 500/650.
BELL SELECTS HONEYWELL ENGINE FOR UPGRADED 407 - Bell Helicopter selected Honeywell's HTS900 turboshaft to replace the Rolls Royce 250-C47B engine on new Bell 407 single-engine turbine helicopters. The engine, with a takeoff rating of 925 shaft horsepower, is expected to boost power by 15 percent, which will improve hot/high performance and lower fuel consumption.
French manufacturer Dassult rolled out the first of its new Falcon 7X aircraft Tuesday at the factory in Bordeaux, France, culminating the latest stage in development of a new family of business jets. Dassault said the company recently accepted an order for the 51st 7X to be produced, a backlog that extends into 2009.
FAA'S KEEGAN TO HEAD PLANNING FOR ATC - Agency veteran Charles Keegan was selected by FAA Administrator Marion Blakey to provide broad oversight of FAA's air traffic control planning efforts. Keegan was named vice president-operations planning in addition to his role as director of the Joint Planning Development Office (JPDO).
Pia Bergqvist was named western region sales representative for Liberty Aerospace, the Melbourne, Fla.-based maker of the XL2 single-engine aircraft. Bergqvist, former senior editor of Plane & Pilot and Pilot Journal magazines, is a multi-engine commercial pilot and an instrument instructor. Bergqvist will be based at Santa Monica Municipal Airport. Liberty said the Santa Monica location is the first of several regional offices Liberty plans to open around the U.S. in the next few months.
U.K. MOVING FORWARD WITH NATIONAL ID CARD - The United Kingdom is moving closer to creating a national identity card program after Parliament voted this month to introduce a universal ID card for all British citizens. The Identity Cards Bill passed the House of Commons Feb. 10 on a 224-64 vote and will be debated later by the House of Lords. Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke in favor of the measure, which he said was supported by police and security forces.
Two Virginia legislators, Sen. George Allen (R) and Rep. Tom Davis (R), last week introduced companion bills in the Senate and the House directing the secretaries of homeland security and transportation to implement regulations within six months that would allow general aviation and charter operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
SOUTH KOREA TO REINSTATE EARLY WARNING AIRCRAFT COMPETITION - South Korea's defense ministry said it will resume a stalled $1.9 billion program to acquire early warning aircraft, according to the Korean Information Service. The ministry will receive bids for the program again in late March, and plans to pick a winner in December. Israel's Elta and Boeing had been competing for the work, Elta with a Gulfstream G-550 and Boeing with a 737. Elta's bid didn't meet requirements, falling short in radar detection range, the ministry said.
Ronald Worley was named director of sales, Rolls-Royce Spey/Tay programs, for Dallas Airmotive. Worley will oversee sales for business and general aviation customers who operate Spey and Tay engines. Worley previously was an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) account director for Rockwell Collins, overseeing sales, marketing, program management and support activities for Gulfstream. Before that, he served as OEM sales account manager for AlliedSignal/Honeywell.
Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) this month introduced a bill that would permit charter operators to provide limited scheduled service. The bill, Serving Economies through Aviation and Technology in the 21st Century Act, H.R.488, would allow Part 121 and Part 135 operators to conduct no more than five round-trip public charter flights in turbine aircraft with nine or fewer seats. The bill is intended to supplement air service to small communities.
