Federal Aviation Administration, which has come under fire for holding Internet public meetings rather than face-to-face sessions on its controversial National Air Tour Safety Standards proposal, finally caved in under pressure and said it will hold regional public meetings after all - and extend the comment period on the proposal. The new comment deadline is June 18. The proposal has drawn more than 2,000 comments to date, the overwhelming majority of which oppose the notice of proposed rulemaking. See article below.
The General Aviation Coalition is hoping to receive some good news on a number of thorny security issues when it meets with Transportation Security Administration acting Administrator David Stone on May 7. Stone, nominated this month by President Bush to be assistant secretary of homeland security, likely will face questions from the coalition about the progress of general aviation access to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and a report on the continuation of the Washington-area Air Defense Identification Zone.
NBAA'S BALDWIN APPEALS FOR BONUS DEPRECIATION EXTENSION - National Business Aviation Association acting President Don Baldwin called an extension of the 50 percent bonus depreciation benefit critical to stabilizing general aviation manufacturing and related jobs and appealed to senior House and Senate leaders this month to take up the issue.
Signature Plating won a contract from Gore Design Completions to provide plating for a Boeing 767 Head-of-State project for a Central Asian customer. Gore Design will begin work on the Boeing 767-300ER in October, installing VIP areas in the forward and mid sections of the cabin and a staff section in the rear. Signature Plating will provide all plating, including decorative pieces, light and air fixtures, more than 600 feet of trim, custom logos and a restraint system.
Title VIII - MISCELLANEOUS Section 820. A Sense of Congress that the Department of Transportation should formally define "Fifth Freedom" and "Seventh Freedom" consistently for both scheduled and charter passenger and cargo traffic Section 822. Prohibits scheduled charter airlines from operating at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey unless the Secretary of Transportation determines that it is in the public interest
Garrett Aviation Services unveiled a marketing program to generate more business at its Los Angeles facility that offers customers quadruple AVTRIP points each time they refuel. The company is refurbishing the facility, merging capabilities of the former Jet Center at Van Nuys into the Los Angeles fixed-base operation. "We're excited about the bold new changes at our LAX location and want to show our customers how much we've appreciated their business over the years," said Harvey Ticlo, vice president and general manager.
Air Security International teamed with the National Business Aviation Association to conduct one-day security training seminars and help business aircraft operators develop and document security procedures deemed acceptable by the Transportation Security Administration. The Train-the-Trainer seminars are scheduled in Atlanta, May 11; Chicago, June 8; Denver, June 10; Philadelphia, Aug. 24; and Las Vegas, Oct. 15. Eric Ramsdell, manager, safety and operations for NBAA, and Darlene Radloff, director, security training and education for ASI, will host the sessions.
Cessna Aircraft opened the Experimental Aircraft Association's Sun 'N' Fun Fly-In this month with the signing of contracts for 50 new single-engine aircraft. Cessna Sales Team Authorized Representatives Air Orlando Sales and Executive Aircraft Sales ordered a mix of Cessna Skyhawks, Skylanes and Stationairs. The Skylanes and Stationairs will be delivered with Cessna's Nav III, Garmin G1000 avionics package. The aircraft are slated for delivery in 2005.
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is studying the links between cabin air quality and health. This month the Atlanta-based association began the research with a survey on air quality of passengers and flight crew on four flights out of Cincinnati, Salt Lake City, Chicago and Seattle. The study will be expanded to many more flights and include measurements of chemicals in cabin air and other factors, including temperature, humidity, noise, light levels and motion.
DANIELLE BOUDREAU joined Bombardier Aerospace as media relations coordinator. Boudreau has served with Bombardier for seven years at the Montreal Completion Center and Business Aircraft marketing department. She earned a bachelor of arts degree and a public relations certificate from McGill University.
While little movement is seen in the House on the JOBS bill, at least a few representatives are supporting extending bonus depreciation in separate legislation. Rep. Jerry Weller (R-Ill.) this month introduced a bill, H.R.4128, that would permanently extend the 50 percent bonus depreciation benefit. The bill has four co-sponsors - Reps. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), Phil English (R-Pa.), Richard Neal (D-Mass.) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.). The bill was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee, but no hearings have been scheduled.
GULFSTREAM EARNINGS UP IN FIRST QUARTER - General Dynamics Corp. said revenues and operating earnings for its Gulfstream Aerospace business jet manufacturing business rose in the quarter ended March 31.
Raisbeck Engineering has completed development and flight testing of the company's ZR Technology Drag Reduction and Takeoff Performance Program on the Learjet 35/36 fleet. The company currently is conducting a final market assessment before it makes a decision on production of the technology, which Raisbeck said would provide better balanced field lengths, better airport performance under high-altitude, hot-day conditions, higher initial cruise altitude, faster cruise speed, increased range and improved lift capabilities.
AVCON Industries earned FAA group approval for a reduced vertical separation minimum package on Learjet 20 series airplanes. AVCON secured the supplemental type certificate following a test program that began in March 2003. AVCON modified and flight-tested six different Learjet 20 series airplanes equipped with the company's RVSM package and the JET FC-110 autopilot. AVCON has completed 11 installations and booked more than 50 orders for the retrofit.
William C. (Bill) Sanderson, director of heliports and technical programs for the Helicopter Association International, died April 20 after a long battle with cancer. Sanderson, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, held an airline transport pilot certificate. He joined HAI in June 1997.
Business Aviation advocates are hopeful that the Senate within the next few weeks will vote on a bill that includes an extension of certain bonus depreciation benefits for business aircraft purchases. The bonus depreciation measure, included in the Jumpstart Our Business Strength (JOBS) Act, S.1637, would extend the "placed-into-service" deadline for newly purchased business aircraft from Dec. 31, 2004 to Dec. 31, 2005 (BA, March 29/139). While the Senate may act on the JOBS bill soon, a timeline on House action is less clear.
Bombardier's latest reorganization is claiming a number of management jobs at the company's Learjet facility in Wichita, Kan., including that of James L. Ziegler, vice president and general manager of Bombardier Business Aviation Services, where he was in charge of combined worldwide customer support and company-owned service center networks, which provide technical information, maintenance and overhaul services.
BAE Model Avro 146-RJ series airplanes (Docket No. 2003-NM-92-AD) - proposes to require replacing the existing digital flight guidance computer(s)(DFGC) with a new flight computer(s). This action is necessary to prevent a premature flare due to an erroneous reading by the DFGC(s) occurring at any point on the approach after 1,500 feet plus 10 seconds once Category III landing status has been achieved, and subsequent reduced controllability of the airplane. FAA estimates that 36 airplanes on the U.S.
April 27-29 - Flight Safety Foundation/National Business Aviation Association Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar, Tucson, Ariz., (202) 783-9000 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
Bombardier this month delivered the first Challenger 300 slated for corporate service to Dean Phillips Inc. The aircraft, S/N 20010, was the fifth Challenger 300 to enter service. Bombardier's Flexjet fractional ownership program took delivery of the first four Challenger 300s, and by the end of March, the fleet had accrued more than 1,000 flight hours. Positioned between Bombardier's Learjet 60 and Challenger 604, the Challenger 300 can fly up to Mach 0.82 with a maximum non-stop range of 3,100 nautical miles with eight passengers.
