Raytheon Model B100 Airplanes (Docket No. 2004-CE-11-AD; Amendment 39-13856; AD 2004-22-28) - requires drilling holes in the hot lip tube "B" nuts, tightening the "B" nuts to specified torque ranges, and securing the "B" nuts with safety wire. This AD is the result of reports of loose "B" nuts on the engine inlet that may loosen and permit a leak in the engine inlet anti-ice system. FAA is issuing this AD to detect and correct loose "B" nuts on the engine inlet, which could result in failure of the engine inlet anti-ice system and consequent ice buildup.
Michael Brasier was named executive general manager of the Mercury Air Centers fixed-base operation at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Brasier oversees the day-to-day operations of the LAX facility and is a member of Mercury's senior management team. He formerly was general manager of Mercury Burbank and served as an area general manager.
Pilatus Model PC-7 airplanes (Docket No. FAA-2004-18579; Directorate Identifier 2004-CE-19-AD; Amendment 39-13856; AD 2004-23-01) - requires, for certain aircraft with any Lear Romec RR53710B type or Lear Romec RR53710K fuel booster pump (Pilatus part number 968.84.11.401; 968.84.11.403; or 968.84.11.404) installed, a check of the airplane logbook to determine whether any installed fuel booster pump has been modified with spiral wrap to protect the wire leads and has the suffix letter "B" added to the serial number of the fuel booster pump identification plate.
Part 135 operators represent anywhere between a $4.4 billion and $12.7 billion industry, but finding a more precise estimate will be difficult without better data collection, the Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged in a comprehensive study it released this month after researching the industry for the past four years. FAA this month transmitted its Part 135 Air Taxi Operators Study to Congress after being ordered to do the study in the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR 21), enacted in the spring of 2000.
Paul Hawthorne joined the Aeronautical Repair Station Association as vice president for operations. Hawthorne, who has 27 years of aviation industry experience, most recently was vice president of quality assurance for Messier Services. He has held quality management positions at an aircraft manufacturer, major air carriers and parts distribution companies. Hawthorne is a certificated airframe and powerplant mechanic and private pilot.
FAA EVALUATES USE OF SOLAR-POWERED TAXI LIGHTS AT GA AIRPORTS - Federal Aviation Administration this week will begin installing solar-powered taxiway lights at Cross Keys Airport in Gloucester County, N.J. as part of a study of whether to offer a technology currently used by the U.S. military as a low-cost alternative for general aviation airports. "This innovative program could eventually benefit thousands of small general aviation airports across the country," FAA said. "These are the same taxiway lights that guide pilots of U.S.
Mooney Model M20M airplanes (Docket No. FAA-2004-19618; Directorate Identifier 2004-CE-39-AD; Amendment 39-13872; AD 2004-23-17) - supersedes an AD that requires replacement of the tailpipe coupling with an improved tailpipe coupling. Since FAA issued AD 91-03-15, a fire erupted in the lower left cockpit area of one of the airplanes affected by AD 91-03-15. The V-clamp that attaches the exhaust tailpipe to the turbocharger fell off, which allowed the exhaust tailpipe to detach from the turbocharger.
Federal Aviation Administration is pushing ahead with plans to develop a numerical safety index that will depict the overall safety of the U.S. aviation industry from general aviation to scheduled airline service. Despite skepticism from some quarters about the value of developing a matrix that encompasses such widely different types of flying, FAA wants the new safety index in place by the end of 2006 (BA, Jan. 26/33). This prototype safety index "will measure aviation fatalities and injuries in all segments of the industry," FAA said.
Flight Safety Technologies, the Mystic, Conn.-based firm that has developed wake vortex monitoring and other flight safety innovations, retained EPOCH Financial Group of Atlanta, Ga. to "implement and manage a comprehensive, strategic investor relations program." Flight Safety CEO Samuel Kovnat said EPOCH will help raise the company's visibility within the investment community.
Oliver will be responsible for strategic planning, including market forecasting and analysis. He is based in London and reports to Smiths Aerospace President John Ferrie. He formerly held several senior positions with Rolls-Royce in Europe and the U.S. He also has served as project director, Aerospace Innovation and Growth Team, for the United Kingdom Department of Trade and Industry.
MEDAIRE NAMES NEW PRESIDENT; EXECUTIVE VP LEAVING COMPANY - MedAire, Inc., the Tempe, Ariz.-based provider of medical and security information to corporate flight departments and airlines, announced a change in the company's leadership Tuesday.
Assad Kotaite was unanimously re-elected Tuesday for an 11th consecutive three-year term as president of the International Civil Aviation Organization. "The message of global cooperation at the heart of the Convention on International Civil Aviation which created ICAO when signed on 7 December 1944 in Chicago still inspires the world aviation community as it tackles challenges of truly global proportions," Kotaite said in his acceptance speech.
Mooney Airplane Company received FAA certification for the Garmin G1000 avionics suite aboard GX versions of the Mooney Ovation and Bravo single-engine aircraft. "The Mooney Bravo and Ovation GX models will be the first high-performance single-engine aircraft to enter service with the G1000 avionics suite," said David Copeland, vice president of sales and marketing.
CIRRUS PILOT LANDS SAFELY AFTER ENGINE FIRE - The pilot of a Cirrus Design Corp. SR22 escaped injury this month when he was able to make a quick landing after noticing an engine fire.
Catherine Gridley was appointed president of Smiths Aerospace customer services business. Gridley will oversee a unit that serves more than 1,400 customers in 140 countries. She is based in Clearwater, Fla. and reports to Smiths Aerospace President John Ferrie. Gridley joined Smiths in March 2003 as president of customer services Americas. Before that, she was vice president and general manager, customer services Americas, at Goodrich Corporation.
Chinese safety officials are trying to determine what caused the fatal crash of a Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft, the second fatal crash of a CRJ-200 worldwide in just over one month. The Canadian manufacturer confirmed the crash of a China Eastern Airlines CRJ-200 regional jet at 0820 local time Nov. 21. Reports from China said the aircraft had just taken off from Batou in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia when it crashed into a frozen lake. All 47 passengers and six crew members were killed. Two pilots flying a CRJ-200 from Little Rock, Ark.
Raytheon 65, 90, 99, 100, 200, and 1900 series airplanes, and Models 70 and 300 airplanes (Docket No. 2003-CE-51-AD; Amendment 39-13857; AD 2004-23-02) - supersedes an AD, which requires repetitively inspecting the nose landing gear (NLG) fork for cracks. If cracks are found that exceed certain limits, AD 87-22-01 R1 requires replacing the NLG fork with a serviceable part or an improved NLG fork (Kit No. 101-8030-1 S or Kit No. 114-8015-1 S, as applicable). Incorporating an improved NLG fork kit terminates the repetitive inspection requirements.
SIKORSKY SIGNS CONTRACT FOR CANADIAN H-92S - Sikorsky's contract to deliver H-92 helicopters to the Canadian Air Force was signed Nov. 23, after a delay caused by an unsuccessful protest by losing bidder AgustaWestland. Canada picked a Sikorsky Aircraft-led team last summer to replace its aging Sea King helicopters. The first of 28 Sikorsky H-92s - the military variant of the company's S-92 - are to be delivered in 2008, with the rest to follow at one-month intervals. The work is worth C$5 billion ($4.2 billion), Sikorsky said.
RAYTHEON WINS CONTRACT TO PROVIDE WAAS NETWORK FOR INDIA - Raytheon unveiled an agreement with the Indian government to build a ground network for a satellite navigation system similar to the wide area augmentation system (WAAS) in the U.S. The contract covers the first phase of India's GPS and Geostationary Earth Orbit Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system, according to Raytheon's Program Manager Bob Jackson. The contract value has not yet been revealed.
Elliott Aviation was awarded supplemental type certification to install a Collins TCAS-4000 TCAS II/ACAS along with Transponder Flight ID aboard King Air B200 and 350 turboprops that are equipped with Collins ProLine 21 avionics.
CAPITOL HILL HOLDS DOWN FAA SPENDING - Congress this month approved a $13.6 billion budget for FAA in fiscal 2005, shrinking the agency's budget by $219 million from last year and providing some $335 million less than FAA sought. The fiscal 2005 FAA budget was included in an omnibus appropriations bill that passed both the House and Senate Nov. 20.
