THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION is losing one of its key aviation officials, Edward W. Stimpson, who is the U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization, headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. President Clinton nominated Stimpson for the ICAO post in the summer of 1999 and he was sworn in later that year (BA, Oct. 11/161). Stimpson told BA last week he has submitted his resignation as ICAO ambassador and plans to wrap up his duties in Montreal when the current ICAO Council session ends Dec. 17.
November 15-18 - Flight Safety Foundation/International Federation of Airworthiness/International Air Transport Association 57th Annual International Air Safety Seminar, Pudong Shangri-La Hotel, Shanghai, China, (703) 739-6700 November 18 - National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Regional Forum, Dallas, Texas, (202) 783-9000 February 6-8, 2005 - Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo 2005, Anaheim, Calif., (703) 683-4646
Federal Aviation Administration temporarily put on hold a controversial handbook bulletin covering Part 135 aircraft seat requirements to provide the industry-based Part 135/125 Aviation Rulemaking Committee an opportunity to address the issue. The handbook bulletin for airworthiness (HBAW) was slated to take effect Nov. 29, but FAA has now decided to make the new compliance date Feb. 28.
AEROSPATIALE Model ATR 42-200, -300, and -320 series airplanes (Docket No. FAA-2004-19562; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-73-AD) - proposes to require inspecting to determine the part and serial number of the swinging lever of the main landing gears (MLG) and replacing the swinging lever if necessary. This proposed AD is prompted by a report that, on an airplane lined up for takeoff, the swinging lever of the left MLG collapsed when engine power was applied.
National Business Aviation Association realigned its senior staff, promoting veterans David Almy and Kathleen Blouin and hiring a new vice president of communications.
FAA declined to approve a proposed privately bankrolled Houston JetPort that would have a 7,000-foot runway, citing airspace concerns that could not be mitigated. David Johnson, FAA's vice president of terminal services, told airport planners last week that the proposed site would overlap with existing traffic patterns at other Houston-area airports. "From an operational perspective....establishment of the airport would create a circumstance in which aircraft flying in accordance with federal regulations would routinely be placed in conflict."
BLAKEY, who is two years into her five-year term as FAA Administrator and who has been leading the attempt to turn the agency into a performance-based organization, describes her FAA experience as "very personally satisfying." She pointed out that she's added some key individuals to the agency's leadership team in the past year - including Russ Chew, the chief operating officer of the Air Traffic Organization, and Ramesh Punwani, chief financial officer - adding, "We feel like we're fresh and ready to go."
Executive Jet Management (EJM) made several changes to its management team, moving to "broaden organizational strengths and support the company's continued growth," the company said. EJM named Robert Mayo, former senior vice president of client transition, senior vice president of operations. Reporting to Mayo is Glenna Edwards, who was appointed to the newly created position of vice president of owner standards. Edwards formerly was vice president of client relations. Other moves include the appointment of Larry Lee as assistant director of operations.
CHEW SAYS MORE COST CONTROLS NEEDED TO MATCH REVENUE DROP - Declining trust fund revenue means FAA's new Air Traffic Organization (ATO) cannot continue on a "business as usual" course and must look to cut costs and increase efficiency over the next five years, said ATO head Russell Chew.
Iridium Satellite said its subscriber base just passed the 2,500-aircraft mark and is growing at a rate of more than 100 percent annually. Iridium launched its original system in December 2000 and relaunched global satellite communications services commercially in March 2001. Within a few months, the satellite communications provider began offering dial-up data and direct Internet connections, followed by crew-calling services. Airlines, fractional operations and business and government operators have installed Iridium systems on their fleets, Iridium said.
CAE won a contract to provide a full flight simulator for the new ARJ21 regional jet that is being developed by China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC 1) Commercial Aircraft Co. (ACAC) in China. The simulator will be installed at an ACAC flight-training center in Shanghai in 2008.
KING AIR CREW WAS ATTEMPTING TO EXECUTE MISSED APPROACH - The pilots of a Beech King Air 200 that crashed Oct. 24 in rural Virginia were attempting to execute a missed approach but they overshot the airport and the aircraft plowed into a fog-obscured mountain, killing all 10 people aboard.
At the Department of Transportation, however, Secretary Norman Mineta has not indicated his long-term plans. Despite experiencing health problems over the past couple of years (BA, Feb. 3, 2003/55), many believe Mineta is willing to continue serving at the discretion of the President. One aviation advocate who met with Mineta recently said he appears as healthy as he did when he took the job, and a DOT spokesman told BA affiliate Aviation Daily that Mineta is in great health, "climbing into ferry boats and up the ladders of diesel locomotives."
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.
Bombardier sold a Q300 turboprop to Petroleum Air Services (PAS) in a deal valued at $16 million. The contract converted an option to a firm order. PAS initially ordered two 50-passenger Q300 aircraft in October 2001 and ordered another in January 2003. Delivery of the most recently ordered aircraft is expected in the first quarter of 2005. PAS operates flights from Cairo International Airport supporting petroleum endeavors of Egyptian and multi-national companies. The carrier also provides charter flights.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey is expected to report on the agency's 2005-2009 Flight Plan next week, reviewing how FAA did in achieving its goals in the fiscal year just ended and outlining objectives for the next five years.
GULFSTREAM WINS CERTIFICATION FOR G350 - Gulfstream Aerospace won FAA certification for the newest model in its expanded line of business jets, the G350, which was introduced less than a year ago during the Asian Aerospace exhibition in Singapore. The G350 is expected to enter service during the third quarter of 2005. For decades Gulfstream and its predecessor, Grumman Aircraft, had produced only one model at a time, beginning with the Gulfstream I turboprop, moving on to the Gulfstream II business jet, the Gulfstream III and the Gulfstream IV.
JOE PONTE TO RETIRE FROM NBAA; DELTA LOBBYIST TO JOIN STAFF - Joe Ponte, who has overseen the doubling of membership at the National Business Aviation Association over the past decade, has announced plans to retire from the organization at the end of the month.
ANGELA GITTENS, the director of the Miami-Dade Aviation Department in Florida, was appointed to the Transportation Research Board's Executive Committee. MICHAEL POTTS was named a pilot for Northern Jet Management. Potts formerly was a pilot for El Dorado Hotel and Casino. He holds an airline transport pilot rating and is type rated on the Citation Bravo. Also rated for seaplanes and gliders, Potts is a flight instructor and an advanced instrument ground instructor.
