Jet Aviation Palm Beach earned FAA approval to do inspection, maintenance, replacements and modification work on the Gulfstream V, the Embraer Legacy and most Cessna Citation models. The center already was authorized to support a range of Bombardier, Dassault Falcon Jet, Gulfstream and Raytheon Aircraft. Jet Aviation officials added factory-trained technicians and inspectors to handle increased activity.
HONEYWELL'S UCZEKAJ TAKES COO POSITION AT NORDAM - John Uczekaj, the 18-year Honeywell veteran who most recently headed the company's business and general aviation electronics business, will take over as chief operating officer of The NORDAM Group next month. Uczekaj rounds out the NORDAM senior management team, NORDAM said, bringing a strong background in engineering, program management, new product development, sales and marketing, customer relationships and executive leadership.
FlightSafety International (FSI) is incorporating Falcon 900EX EASy and 2000EX EASy maintenance technician training through FSI's recently introduced Dassault quality assurance program. FSI instructors at Little Rock, Ark., Paris/Le Bourget and Teterboro, N.J. earned Dassault Falcon authorization to provide the training. While the initial training focuses on the Falcon 900EX EASy and the 2000EX EASy, FSI plans to expand the training to include other Falcon aircraft. FSI is the factory-authorized training organization for Falcon pilots and maintenance technicians.
Pilot hiring among the fractional aircraft operators has picked up in 2004, according to aviation employment specialist AIR, Inc. According to AIR Inc.'s latest pilot hiring report for 2004 through July, the four major fractional aircraft operators had hired 236 pilots, compared with 198 during the same period in 2003. Nearly 28 percent of the fractional hires in 2004 came during July - 66 pilots were placed. AIR Inc. noted that, counting air carrier and helicopter operators, more than 940 pilots were hired in July, making it the second busiest month of the year.
Adam Aircraft added nine orders to the backlog for its A500 centerline twin-piston aircraft and A700 jet aircraft during EAA AirVenture 2004 last month in Oshkosh, Wis. Adam has accrued more than 60 orders for the A500, which is expected to win certification by the end of the year. The aircraft has completed 98 percent of its conformity testing, 94 percent of its structural testing and 66 percent of the system testing. Adam expects to receive type inspection authorization (TIA) by the end of the month and then win initial type certification 12 weeks following TIA.
CIRRUS EYES UNTAPPED MARKET WITH PRODUCTION BOOST - Cirrus Design Corp., which last quarter surpassed all other general aviation manufacturers in terms of unit shipments, is continuing to increase production, and company president and co-founder Alan Klapmeier believes that may be only the beginning for the Duluth, Minn. plane-maker. Cirrus announced it would boost production to 12 aircraft per week, about a 10 percent increase from the current rate and almost a 30 percent increase from the rate in 2003, when the company manufactured 469 aircraft.
EMBRAER NET SALES SOAR IN SECOND QUARTER - Brazilian plane-maker Embraer reported second quarter 2004 net sales of $924.3 million (U.S.), the highest in the company's history and a 63 percent increase over net sales in the second quarter of 2003. The increase comes as Embraer boosted commercial deliveries. The company handed over 43 aircraft in the second quarter of 2004, up from 28 in the second quarter of 2003. Embraer also credited the increase to higher average sales prices with the Embraer 170 regional jet entering the product mix.
James R.O. McIntyre, the Montreal-based communications executive, was named to the board of directors of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame. McIntyre is president of Romeo Oscar, Inc., the aerospace marketing and advertising firm. McIntyre was introduced to the aviation industry as a child, as his father spent several years as an engineer with de Havilland Aircraft of Canada. McIntyre began his career with Canadair in 1975 as part of the team that was launching the Challenger business jet program. He later spent nearly 10 years with Innotech Aviation.
Washington Dulles International Airport reopened its third runway last week, ahead of schedule, although operations on the runway are limited while more work is completed. The airport began reconstruction of Runway 12-30 April 19 and was scheduled to reopen the runway by Aug. 30. The airport, however, was concerned about capacity constraints that the runway closure could cause and asked Lane Construction Corp. of Meriden, Conn., to expedite work. The runway now is used only for departures while Lane completes the projects.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association urged European officials to consolidate aviation regulatory authority under the newly formed European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), saying the current patchwork of state regulations has proved complicated and unnecessarily costly for both commercial and non-commercial operators. GAMA made those comments in response to EASA's Notice of Proposed Amendment NPA 2/2004, one of the earliest rulemakings out of the agency designed to facilitate the transition of oversight from the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) to EASA.
Eclipse Aviation's highly touted friction stir welding process, used to assemble many parts of the Eclipse 500 fuselage, is capturing the attention of other aircraft manufacturers as well as the Federal Aviation Administration. The four major aircraft manufacturers in Wichita - Cessna, Bombardier, Raytheon and Boeing - along with FAA are funding research into processes such as friction stir welding to replace the use of rivets.
FAA EASES SPECIAL ISSUANCE MEDICAL PROCESS - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association called a move by the Federal Aviation Administration to simplify the reissuance of certain first- and second-class special issuance medicals a modest step that will help ease the special issuance medical process. FAA last week announced it would expand its program to allow aviation medical examiners to renew certain first- and second-class special issuance medicals provided FAA initially reviews and issues the medical.
Raytheon Aircraft received orders for 44 Beechcraft Bonanzas and Barons following the company's recent announcement that the Garmin G1000 integrated avionics system will be standard on the two models beginning with the 2006 product line. The dual-display G1000 system will be integrated with Garmin's GFC 700 autopilot. In addition, the twin-engine Baron will be equipped with Garmin's new GWX 68 weather radar system. RAC said it received deposits on 34 Garmin-equipped Bonanzas and 10 Barons.
KEVIN DAWSON was appointed director of human resources for Sabreliner Corp. Dawson will oversee recruitment, learning and organizational development, staff and labor relations, benefits, human resources information systems and employee occupational health and wellness for both Sabreliner and Midcoast Aviation. He formerly served with Archer Daniels Midland, handling human resources for the company's operations in Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina. He has 28 years of experience in human resources and employee communications.
Premier Turbines is now offering Core Zone Inspections (CZI) on Honeywell TFE731-20, -40 and -60 engines. Premier, based in Neosho, Mo., now performs CZIs on all models of the TFE731. Premier, a division of Dallas Airmotive, Inc., has been an authorized Honeywell heavy maintenance facility since 1996.
BAE Model BAe 146 and Avro 146-RJ series airplanes (Docket No. FAA-2004-18678; Directorate Identifier 2001-NM-312-AD) - proposes to require repetitive detailed inspections of the rear fuselage upper skin to detect cracking due to fatigue, and repair if necessary. This proposed AD is prompted by evidence of cracking due to fatigue along the edges of certain chemi-etched pockets in the rear fuselage upper skin. FAA is proposing this AD to prevent a possible sudden loss of cabin pressure and consequent injury to passengers and flightcrew.
Stevens Aviaton won approval from Transport Canada to install L-3 Communications FA2100 cockpit voice and data recorders on the Piaggio P.180 twin turboprop. Canadian authorities also have authorized Stevens to equip the Avanti with the Hobbs flight hour meter, which records actual flight time, and a Flexonics signal conditioner to monitor fuel flow and compute fuel burn.
August 24 - National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Regional Forum, Seattle, Wash., (202) 783-9000 September 19-21 - National Association of State Aviation Officials, 73rd Annual Convention and Trade Show, Radisson Riverfront Hotel, St. Paul, Minn., (301) 588-0587 October 10-11 - National Business Aviation Association 13th Annual Tax Conference, Las Vegas, Nev., (202) 783-9000 October 12-14 - National Business Aviation Association 57th Annual Meeting and Convention, Las Vegas, Nev., (202) 783-9000
SUMMARY: Pursuant to FAA's rulemaking provisions governing the application, processing, and disposition of petitions for exemption (14 CFR Part 11), this notice contains a summary of certain petitions seeking relief from specified requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR Chapter I), 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.
DEVELOPER, LOCAL RESIDENTS IN PRIVATE AIRPORT DISPUTE - Houston-area residents and developers opposed to the construction of a private airport with a 7,000-foot runway say its anticipated jet traffic could pose an "irreconcilable conflict" with the city's existing air traffic.
Tightened security measures put in place earlier this month for New York helicopter tour operators have not deterred business, said Roy Resavage, president of the Helicopter Association International, noting that the operators already had security measures in place and that "there is not a whole world of difference" between the former and new security regimes (BA, Aug. 16/70). The primary difference is that the Transportation Security Administration is handling passenger screening at the heliports affected.
