ATR SECURES 36-AIRCRAFT DEAL FROM AIR DECCAN - Bangalore, India-based airline Air Deccan signed a deal to buy 30 new ATR 72-500 regional turboprops and a mix of six used ATR 42-500 and 72-500 aircraft, Air Deccan and ATR announced last week. Air Deccan selected ATR over Bombardier, saying the ATR turboprops were "most suitable for our operations and for the Indian market for short-haul routes."
CESSNA'S PELTON NOW CHAIRMAN TOO; MEYER NAMED CHAIRMAN EMERITUS - Textron quietly announced a change at the top of its Cessna Aircraft unit last week, naming Jack Pelton as chairman of the Wichita, Kan. aircraft manufacturer.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-215-6B11 (CL215T Variant) and CL-215-6B11 (CL415 Variant) series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2004-19496; Directorate Identifier 2003-NM-181-AD; Amendment 39-13920; AD 2004-26-08] - requires replacing the mounting pad studs of the auxiliary feather pump with new, longer studs, and installing a pressure relief valve. This AD is prompted by a few incidents of external oil leaks from the oil pump of the power control unit due to a malfunction of the pressure-regulating valve.
Continued investment in the company's legacy engine programs is "one of the key cornerstones of our business strategy," according to Barry Eccleston, vice president and general manager of Propulsion Systems Enterprise for Honeywell's Engines, Systems & Services unit. One of the ways that has paid off is keeping older engines in service by developing new modifications and improvements for new engines that can be retrofitted to existing powerplants. Between 1959 and 2003, Honeywell and its predecessor companies produced more than 65,000 propulsion engines.
MAYOR SAYS CESSNA PLANNING CITATION SERVICE CENTER IN MESA - The mayor of Mesa, Ariz. announced last week that Cessna Aircraft plans to build the company's 11th Citation business jet service center in Mesa. Mayor Keno Hawker said company and city officials are close to signing a deal under which Cessna would build the service center at Williams Gateway Airport (IWA), just east of Phoenix. Hawker made his remarks during his State of the City address last week.
Kansas weather was a real challenge for the Wichita area last week. A heavy ice storm struck the city and surrounding areas Tuesday, knocking out electricity for tens of thousands as tree limbs snapped and brought down power lines. Some 50,000 residents were still without power as of Friday. While the conditions have made it difficult for many workers to get to and from their jobs, the city's four major aircraft manufacturers said disruptions at production facilities were minimal.
NTSB TO PUSH HARD FOR ICING REGULATIONS IN 2005 - The National Transportation Safety Board is pushing federal regulators to act on board recommendations highlighting the dangers of ice accumulation on wings as the condition becomes more prevalent in its accident investigations.
INDUSTRY ADVOCATES SEEK DELAY IN DRAFT TRAINING MANUAL AC - The Aircraft Electronics Association and National Air Transportation Association asked FAA to extend the comment period for a draft advisory circular providing guidance on developing repair station training manuals. Draft AC 145-RSTM details the scope and contents of an acceptable Part 145 repair station training manual under the new Part 145 rules. But AEA found several instances where the draft AC did not match the requirements of Part 145.
Virgin Atlantic Airways repositioned the GlobalFlyer experimental aircraft to the Salina, Kan. airport from the Mojave Desert. Getting the aircraft to Salina "begins the final stage of preparation" as the aircraft gets ready to attempt "the first-ever around-the-world solo flight," organizers said. The launch window for the attempt opens Feb. 2, when weather and jet stream conditions are expected to be most favorable. The aircraft will be piloted by Steve Fossett, who holds current around-the-world records in balloons and sailboats.
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.
Peter Schouwenaars was appointed director of development and operations for iviation's technical services department. Schouwenaars will oversee the company's aircraft maintenance programs, asset management, maintenance facilities and personnel. He has more than 35 years of management and maintenance experience in Parts 91, 121, 129, 135 and 145, and in military operations.
Any lingering questions about Jack Pelton's future with Cessna Aircraft were addressed last week in an e-mail from Textron Chairman Lewis Campbell to Cessna employees. See article below.
BUSINESS TURBINE ACCIDENTS DOWN SLIGHTLY IN 2004 - Despite several high-profile accidents involving prominent personalities in the final quarter, the number of accidents involving U.S. business jet and turboprop operators decreased slightly in 2004, according to data compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla. There were 64 accidents last year, 19 involving fatalities, that claimed 53 lives. That compares with 68 accidents, 26 fatal, and 58 deaths in 2003.
THALES' new Beijing air traffic control system was commissioned. Thales delivered the system to the Civil Aviation Administration of China in May and transitioned the system for operational use over the last six months. The system is part of a NESACC (North, East and Southern Area Control Centers for China) contract that Thales received in 2001. The contract calls for Thales to supply its integrated EUROCAT air traffic control systems for Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-1A11 (CL-600), CL-600-2A12 (CL-601), CL-600-2B16 (CL-601-3A, CL-601-3R, and CL-604) Series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2004-19862; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-228-AD; Amendment 39-13907; AD 2004-25-19] -- requires revising the Airplane Flight Manual to provide the flightcrew with procedures and limitations for operating an airplane with out-of-tolerance angle of attack (AOA) transducers. This AD also requires repetitive linearity tests of the AOA transducers and corrective action if necessary.
ELLIOTT AVIATION completed paint jobs on a Challenger 600 and Falcon 50, the first paint work on those types of aircraft done by the company. Elliott Aviation opened its completions center in February 2003 and has since completed more than 70 paint projects. The facility is equipped with a 5,600-square-foot downdraft paint booth that can handle aircraft as large as a Falcon 900 or Challenger 604.
JEPPESEN and NetJets signed a four-year deal to expand Jeppesen's support of the fractional aircraft provider's operations. NetJets began using Jeppesen's international trip planning service in January 2000. A team of Jeppesen employees is stationed at NetJets' Columbus, Ohio flight operations center and provides 24/7 customized trip handling for nearly all international trips the company flies. Under the new agreement, Jeppesen will expand its in-house team at NetJets to include the fractional provider's international operation near Hilton Head, S.C.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT Beech Models 45 (YT-34), A45 (T-34A, B-45), and D45 (T-34B) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2004-19896; Directorate Identifier 2004-CE-44-AD; Amendment 39-13913; AD 2004-25-51] -- requires an inspection and/or modification program approved specifically for this AD by the FAA Wichita Aircraft Certification Office (ACO). This AD is the result of a total of three accidents involving the affected airplanes, including a recent accident in which the wing separated from the airplane in flight.
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE delivered the 100th G200 business jet to fractional aircraft operator NetJets. The aircraft was handed over at Gulfstream's outfitting center in Dallas, Texas. "We are pleased to take delivery of G200, Serial Number 100 for our growing fleet of NetJets aircraft," said Bill Boisture, president of NetJets Aviation. "The G200 has proven to be an aircraft we can rely on time and time again.
PETROLEUM HELICOPTERS INC. (PHI) accepted its second Sikorsky S-92 helicopter last month. The aircraft was flown to PHI's Lafayette, La. facility to join the other S-92 in supporting deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Sikorsky has offered a variant of the S-92 for the presidential helicopter competition, which is expected to be decided this month.
Eight years after launching its Hawker Horizon program, Raytheon Aircraft Company (RAC) said it won provisional FAA approval for the new business jet two days before Christmas. The Hawker Horizon is the third composite-fuselage model to be built by RAC/Beech Aircraft. Positioned at the top of the RAC product line, the new aircraft is designed to compete against other transcontinental business jets, such as the Bombardier Challenger 300, Cessna Citation X, Dassault Falcon 50EX, Gulfstream 200, Embraer Legacy and Falcon 2000.
ACCESS and security also rank high on NBAA's 2005 agenda, Bolen said. NBAA plans to closely watch the reservation system at Chicago O'Hare to ensure that it does not become a permanent feature of that airport and that this system does not spread to other airports. Bolen was encouraged that NBAA's other access plan -- the TSA Access Certificate (TSAAC) -- is moving forward this year. See article below.
