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.
Gulfstream Model GV and GV-SP series airplanes (Docket No. FAA-2004-19492; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-200-AD; Amendment 39-13844; AD 2004-22-16) - requires a one-time general visual inspection for contact or insufficient clearance between the crew oxygen bottle/supports and any wiring harness, and related investigative and corrective actions if necessary.
The Boeing Business Jet will remain shut out of Teterboro Airport under the most recent FAA budget. The fiscal 2005 FAA budget - part of the omnibus appropriations bill that Congress passed this month - included a provision prohibiting FAA from using any funds to change weight restrictions or prior permission rules at Teterboro Airport. Boeing has been seeking an exemption to the 100,000-pound weight limitation at Teterboro so the BBJ could land there.
Aeronautical Repair Station Association scheduled its 2005 Annual Repair Symposium and Legislative Day March 11-13 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel at Pentagon City in Arlington, Va. The symposium will include sessions on European aviation regulations, FAA Flight Standards Service developments, training manuals, human factors in training, repair station-customer relations, employment law and other topics.
AOPA URGES MINNESOTA LEGISLATORS TO SAVE CRYSTAL AIRPORT - Calling Crystal Airport a critical reliever for the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association this month urged Minnesota legislators to save the airport that regional planners are considering closing and redeveloping.
CAE SimuFlite received European Aviation Safety Agency approval for Gulfstream V, Gulfstream IV and Falcon 2000 maintenance training at its facility in Dallas. CAE SimuFlite expects approvals for other maintenance programs to follow shortly. CAE SimuFli
Ecuadorian carrier TAME signed a letter of intent this month to acquire up to seven aircraft from Brazilian manufacturer Embraer. The agreement includes two Embraer 170LR models that carry 70 passengers and one 98-seat Embraer 190. The deal includes options for four more aircraft.
AGUSTAWESTLAND COMPANIES RELOCATING TO FAIRFAX, HIRING 300 - AgustaWestland Inc. and AgustaWestlandBell will relocate and consolidate their operations to Fairfax County, Va., in January 2005 and hire 300 new workers, the companies said this month. The companies, currently located in nearby Arlington, Va., will occupy 30,000 square feet at the Plaza America complex in the Reston area.
The Boca Raton Airport Authority has the right to permit third-party development of aviation land on the airport (BCT) as long as the airport does not violate the exclusive rights provision of the Airport and Airway Improvement Act of 1982, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled this month.
Embraer Model EMB-135 and -145 series airplanes (Docket No. 2003-NM-04-AD) - Withdraws a proposal that would have required a one-time inspection of the trailing arm cardan of each main landing gear (MLG) to identify a certain part number; a one-time inspection of certain trailing arm cardans to detect cracking, if necessary; and replacement of incorrect trailing arm cardans with cardans having a certain part number.
February 6-8, 2005 - Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo 2005, Anaheim, Calif., (703) 683-4646 February 12-16, 2005 - 16th Annual National Business Aviation Association Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference, Reno, Nev., (202) 783-9000 March 8-10, 2005 - National Air Transportation Association/Professional Aviation Maintenance Association GSE Aviation Services and Suppliers AS3 Supershow, March 8-10, Sands Expos & Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev., (703) 845-9000
