One early product of the Aviation Rulemaking Committee's (ARC) ongoing rewrite of Part 135 could be a regulatory proposal to increase the maximum payload of Part 135 cargo carriers. There appears to be a consensus among the ARC's Applicability Committee that the current 7,500-pound-payload restriction is outdated and that the maximum should be boosted to 18,000 pounds. One avenue under review is issuance of a Special Federal Aviation Regulation to implement the change.
NBAA's senior vice president of operations, Robert Blouin, last week met with United Kingdom officials to continue the dialogue about regulatory treatment of fractional ownership and other kinds of business aircraft operations. U.K. officials have indicated they consider fractional ownership aircraft operations commercial flights, but have been holding a series of discussions about how they should treat international fractional flights. Other European countries have been watching the U.K.
Air BP Aviation Services is developing a security and safety training program to assist Air BP dealers, general aviation personnel and fixed-base operators. The course will focus on the causes of high insurance rates, solutions for managing risk and exposure reduction.
Lufthansa Technik Logistik won a contract to coordinate logistics for shipments between Bombardier in Montreal and Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services (LBAS) at Berlin-Schonefeld and Cologne, Germany. Lufthansa and Bombardier founded LBAS in 1997 to service Bombardier business aircraft. Based in Hamburg, Lufthansa Technik Logistik provides logistics for more than 450 companies worldwide.
Sage Parts formed a GSE Services unit to provide parts, service and support for aircraft ground support equipment. The new unit will be based in Orlando, Fla. Sage will provide troubleshooting for GSE fleets and work with customers to identify parts necessary for repairs. It also will perform upgrades and retrofits. Sage Parts supplies replacement parts for ground support equipment and operates warehousing and shipping facilities at its Farmingdale, N.Y. headquarters as well as other locations throughout the country and in Puerto Rico.
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.
A start-up company led by People Express founder Donald Burr and former AMR Corp. Chief Executive Robert Crandall is expected to place an order with Adam Aircraft for Adam's A700 jet, with which the startup will launch a new air taxi service, the Wall Street Journal reported last week. The company, iFly, is hoping to offer "a highly simplified charter operation" with air taxi service that is comparable to first-class tickets, the newspaper said. Initial plans would base two or three planes in New York and eventually grow to hundreds of planes throughout the region.
Gulfstream Aerospace passed a two-week FAA audit of its manufacturing operations in Savannah, Ga. A seven-member FAA team completed a "Snap Shot II" audit, focusing on the processes involved in building aircraft components. The audit covered design control, quality assurance, manufacturing processes and control, supplier control and internal audit organizations.
SIGNATURE BUYS ANOTHER AIRKAMAN FBO NEAR JACKSONVILLE - Signature Flight Support, which bought AirKaman's Jacksonville, Fla. International Airport (JAX) two years ago, broadened its share of the Jacksonville market this month with the acquisition of AirKaman's fixed-base operation at Cecil Field (VQQ) in Jacksonville (BA, July 22, 2002/33). Signature parent BBA Group PLC said the purchase price for the Cecil Field facility was $14.5 million.
FAA WARNS AIRCRAFT OWNERS TO UPDATE ADDRESSES - Federal Aviation Administration last week issued a warning that beginning June 1 it would increase its regulatory enforcement program for ensuring aircraft registrations contain current information. "Many U.S. aircraft owners risk having their aircraft registration canceled because the addresses they have on file with the FAA are out-of-date," the agency said in a statement last week.
TSA STRESSES AIRPORT-SPECIFIC SECURITY IN NEW GUIDELINES - The Transportation Security Administration's newly released general aviation security guidelines include an "Airport Characteristics Measurement Tool" designed to help general aviation airports assess risk and tailor appropriate security programs to that risk.
GROUPS BACK FUNDING FOR CONTRACT TOWER PROGRAM - While the fierce battle over contract air traffic control towers has quieted since last fall, several aviation groups this month urged key legislators to ensure the continuation of what has become a controversial program. State and airport officials, along with cargo, regional and business aircraft operators, asked House and Senate appropriators to fully fund the program, which allows FAA to contract out the operation of VFR control towers to private companies that use non-FAA personnel to staff them.
Gulfstream Aerospace expanded and extended its 60-day "Meet the Quote" spare parts price-matching program, which was launched in March. Originally limited to Gulfstream-built business jets, the program was broadened to add the G100, Astra and G200 aircraft that the company acquired through acquisition. The program will now continue through July 31. To participate in the program, a customer submits a current competitive quote on a specific exchange part.
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.
Regaining business aviation access at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport appears to be on a much slower track. Acting TSA Administrator James Stone told members of the General Aviation Coalition May 7 that it will be at least six months before his agency comes up with a security threat mitigation plan for reopening the airport to anyone but scheduled air carriers. Even if TSA sticks to the six-month schedule to develop such a plan, it still would have to be vetted by other members of the government security community before implementation could begin.
The buildings that house FAA's headquarters personnel in Washington have been named in honor of the Wright Brothers. The building at 800 Independence Avenue where Administrator Marion Blakey has her office is now the Orville Wright Federal Building, while a separate building on the other side of 7th St. is now the Wilbur Wright Federal Building. The name changes were included in legislation signed by President Bush April 30. In a message to FAA employees, Blakey said the renaming "is a fitting tribute for these two American icons.
AVCRAFT SIGNS 20-AIRCRAFT DEAL WITH HAINAN AIRLINES - AvCraft received a contract from Hainan Airlines for 20 328Jets, including the conversion of five previous options to firm orders. Delivery of the latest order, valued at more than $200 million, will begin this year and continue into 2007. Hainan currently operates 27 of the aircraft. "We are very pleased to be strengthening our ties with Hainan Airlines. This deal will eventually position HNA as one of the largest, if not the biggest, Dornier 328Jet operator in the world," said AvCraft CEO Ben Bartel.
General aviation advocates came a step closer to winning an extension of 50 percent bonus depreciation when the Senate Tuesday overwhelmingly passed the Jumpstart Our Business Strength (JOBS) Act, which includes a measure that would give purchasers of new business aircraft more time to qualify for the tax benefits. "With Senate passage, we have cleared another major hurdle to extending the benefits and positive effects of bonus depreciation for our industry," said Ed Bolen, president and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
Opponents of FAA's proposed new rule governing air tours told agency officials at a public hearing last Tuesday that their proposal was misdirected, overreaching and should be withdrawn. For the many and diverse critics of the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), it was a first opportunity to state their grievances face to face rather than in written comments or via Internet "chat" sessions (BA, April 26/185).
May 17-19 - Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association Spring Conference, Radisson Resort and Spa, Scottsdale, Ariz. Contact Stan Bernstein, (508) 747-1430 May 18-20 - AS 3/GSE Aviation Services and Suppliers Supershow, National Air Transportation Association/Professional Aviation Maintenance Association, Las Vegas, Nev. (703) 845-9000 May 25-27 - European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE2004), Geneva, Switzerland, (202) 783-9000
