Two persons aboard a Piper Cherokee were killed and a third severely injured Wednesday when the aircraft crashed into the roof of an auto repair shop in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Although nearly a dozen people were in the shop at the time of the crash, no one on the ground was injured.
If your travel plans include flying over Brazil, you should make sure your aircraft doesn't look like one that might be carrying illegal drugs. According to a June 24 article in The Washington Times, the U.S. and Brazil are working on the final details of an agreement that would authorize shooting down airplanes suspected of smuggling drugs.
FlightSafety International earned FAA Level D approval for a Citation XLS flight simulator stationed at the company's Cessna learning center in Wichita, Kan. The Cessna center is one of FlightSafety's largest training facilities and offers training on all current models of Cessna aircraft. FlightSafety also offers Cessna training at its facilities in Long Beach, Calif., Atlanta, Ga., Columbus, Ohio, Vero Beach, Fla., San Antonio, Texas, Toledo, Ohio, Orlando, Fla. and Paris/Le Bourget.
HERSMAN SWORN IN AS FIFTH NTSB MEMBER; GOGLIA JOINS PAMA - The National Transportation Safety Board has its full complement of members with the swearing in last week of Deborah Hersman to the board. Hersman joins NTSB from the Senate Commerce Committee, where she was a professional staff member for five years. On the committee, she had responsibility for the legislative agenda, as well as oversight and policy initiatives on surface transportation, including rail, truck, bus, pipeline and hazardous materials transportation safety.
Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Calif.), chairman of the Homeland Security Committee and the House Policy Committee, named Bailey Wood communications director. Wood will handle press operations for both Cox's personal office and the House Policy Committee. Wood previously held staff posts for a number of Republican legislators.
P&W UNIT ACQUIRES ROBOTICS SPECIALIST - Engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney acquired 100 percent of CTA, Inc. of Huntsville, Ala., a privately held firm that provides robotic systems integration for the aerospace and other industries. The company specializes in robotic systems for application of precision coatings and material handling.
National Business Aviation Association's Certified Aviation Manager Governing Board held an organizational meeting earlier this month, electing the first officers. The CAM Governing Board will manage NBAA's Certified Aviation Manager program, which is designed to prepare and recognize business aviation professionals for management roles.
The Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) is making "slow progress" in its mission to rewrite Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, agreeing on draft language for some of the less contentious issues, according to one participant. But many of the tough issues remain to be worked out, including some significant differences between various interests. The next ARC sitdown is in August and FAA added another day (Aug. 23) at the front end to provide four days of face-to-face work.
Aerospace employment in the U.S. continues to weaken, the Aerospace Industries Association reported this month. According to recent Bureau of Labor Statistics figures, aerospace employment in March totaled 569,000, compared with 574,000 in December and 590,500 in March 2003. This decline continues a trend that began in mid-2001, AIA said.
CESSNA last week opened its new Citation Service Center in Orlando Fla. Situated on the west side of Orlando International Airport, Cessna's newest facility currently covers 155,000 square feet, replacing the original 47,275-square-foot center that had served Cessna customers in the Southeast since 1983. Cessna, however, is adding another 45,000 square feet to the center, including a humidity-controlled paint room and aircraft detailing area. The addition will be complete in October.
Sabreliner Corp., St. Louis, Mo., said it expects to receive FAA certification in July for its reduced vertical separation minimum compliance package for Sabreliner 80 business jets. The company, along with its partners, Kohlman Systems Research of Lawrence, Kan. and Aviation Material and Technical Support of St. Louis, recently completed the fifth and final trailing cone test flights, the last of the group certification requirements established by FAA. The Sabre 80 RVSM package covers aircraft equipped with the Collins AP-105 autopilot and is priced at $159,900.
Jet Aviation named Colin Bond chief financial officer of the company's worldwide operations, effective Aug. 15. Bond has nearly 20 years of experience in financial accounting and treasury management, beginning as an auditor for Arthur Andersen in London. He also has served as a management consultant for Price Waterhouse and, most recently, was vice president of finance for the Great Lakes Chemical Corporation.
Privatair claims it is the first business aircraft operator to have passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). Privatair, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, said IOSA is an internationally recognized and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline.
SAFETY BOARD URGES INSPECTIONS, CO DETECTORS ON GA AIRCRAFT - The National Transportation Safety Board last week urged the Federal Aviation Administration to recommend inspections of general aviation aircraft exhaust systems and require the use of carbon monoxide (CO) detectors on all single-engine reciprocating-powered airplanes with forward-mounted engines and enclosed cockpits. The safety board recommendations stem from the Dec. 17, 2000 crash of a Beech BE-23, N2324J, while en route from Chesterfield, Mo. to Tulsa, Okla.
Federal Aviation Administration appointed Daniel Hickey deputy assistant administrator for government and industry affairs. Hickey formerly was director of government affairs at US Airways and has served as a legislative assistant with responsibility for Commerce and Appropriations for Sen. Lauch Faircloth (R-N.C.).
International Air Transport Association Director General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani reviewed measures taken by his group to fight cost hikes at airports, saying airlines "will not pay for extravagance." Bisignani, who spoke at IATA's annual general meeting in Singapore June 7, said IATA saved airlines $630 million in changes from airports and air traffic control providers, pressuring them to hold or reduce the price paid for services. "This year, airports from Vienna to Seoul reduced or rolled back increases in user charges.
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.
Stevens Aviation doubled the size of the line service center at its Dayton, Ohio (DAY) fixed-base operation to 3,000 square feet. The expansion and remodeling added a number of customer amenities, including an updated flight planning center with high-speed computer access, two wall-mounted flat-screen televisions, new furniture, an additional lavatory and a display of aviation memorabilia.
ARINC is teaming with Florida-based Satcom Direct to jointly offer services to business aviation. Under the alliance, the companies will link Satcom Direct's satellite communications services with ARINC's data link, flight planning, weather and aircraft traffic offerings. The companies also will explore future joint offerings. "Satcom Direct, with their Global One Number technology for ground-to-air dialing, is the perfect complement to our portfolio of flight support services," said Dave Poltorak, ARINC vice president, business aviation services.
FIRM PURSUING RETROFIT MARKET FOR FOUR-CYLINDER, JET A-POWERED ENGINE - French engine manufacturer SMA appointed Nu-Tech Associates of Montreal to be the Canadian distributor and service center for a new line of engines that burn Jet A fuel and could replace conventional piston engines that burn aviation gasoline in a number of light aircraft models. The French powerplant is the SMA SR 305-230, a four-cylinder, four-stroke direct injection configuration that develops a continuous 230 horsepower. The SMA has won certification from European JAA, Transport Canada and FAA.
July 15-16 - National Business Aviation Association Asian Business Aviation Convention and Exposition, Hong Kong, China, (202) 783-9000 July 27-August 2 - Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture Oshkosh 2004, Oshkosh, Wis., (920) 426-4800 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
BAE Model 146 series airplanes (Docket No. 2003-NM-171-AD; Amendment 39-13639; AD 2004-10-09) - requires repetitive detailed inspections for heat damage to any in-line splice in the auxiliary power unit (APU) and integrated drive generator (IDG) feeder cable circuits, and corrective action if necessary. This AD also provides for optional terminating action for the repetitive inspections. This action is necessary to prevent overheating of the in-line splices of the APU and IDG feeder cables, which can lead to smoke, fumes, and fire in the flight deck and cabin.
SpaceShipOne, the world's first commercial manned space launch vehicle, built by Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites of Mojave, Calif., conducted its historic June 21 flight under the auspices of FAA. The agency's Office of Commercial Space Transportation issued the world's first license for reusable launch vehicle missions to Scaled Composites earlier this year. The license authorizes up to six suborbital missions over a one-year period.
DHS'S HUTCHINSON SEES DCA REMAINING CLOSED TO GA - The Transportation Security Administration is fulfilling its responsibility and commitment to develop a plan that would allow "certain aspects" of general aviation back into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), but that plan is still being vetted within the Department of Homeland Security, and it will be some time before GA operations resume at the airport, Asa Hutchinson, under secretary for border and transportation security for DHS, said last week.
