MXI Technologies won an agreement from Dassault Aviation to provide its Maintenix data system in-service support of Dassault business aircraft. The system will allow Dassault to better track utilization and reliability of the Falcon fleet. "Having a faster access to a complete data set of the performance of our aircraft fleet will help us as a manufacturer to provide the best level of customer support," said Jacques Pellas, Dassault Aviation Information System senior vice president.
A U.S. Industry Coalition that traveled to the United Kingdom last month to discuss issues surrounding fractional aircraft operators and related flight activities (BA, Sept. 29/133) left that meeting with a much clearer picture of what U.K. regulators might consider a commercial operation, one industry official said. The U.K. appeared to define a commercial operation as anything that involved a contract for the use of aeronautical services. Under that definition, the official said, the overwhelming majority of U.S.
VETERAN AVIATION EXECUTIVE BILL BOISTURE NAMED NETJETS PRESIDENT - NetJets, the world's largest provider of fractional aircraft transportation, named aviation veteran W.W. (Bill) Boisture president of the company last week.
October 7-9 - National Business Aviation Association 56th Annual Meeting and Convention, Orlando, Fla., (202) 783-9000 October 30-November 1 - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Expo 2003, Philadelphia, Pa., (301) 695-2000 November 4-9 - Korea Air Show 2003, Busan Exhibition & Convention Center, Busan, Korea. Visit www.seoulairshow.com. November 16-20 - Aviation Distributors & Manufacturers Association 121st Semi-Annual Meeting, Marriott Marco Beach Resort, Marco Island, Fla., (215) 564-3484
FAA PARTNERS WITH ACADEMIA, INDUSTRY TO RESEARCH AIRCRAFT NOISE - The Federal Aviation Administration established a new Air Transportation Center of Excellence for Aircraft Noise and Aviation Emissions Mitigation. The new COE, comprising academia, industry and government representatives, will research methods for minimizing the impact of aircraft noise and emissions. "Bringing the formidable resources of academia and industry together, the center is a force to make significant contributions in noise and emissions research," said FAA Administrator Marion Blakey.
Air Security International is warning that two years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, complacency is creeping into some aircraft operators' minds. "More and more flight departments today understand the risk of traveling internationally," said Charlie LeBlanc, vice president of operations for ASI. "On the negative side, we find there are still many folks out there in general aviation that simply don't care. There are many people who see Sept. 11th as an aberration, and that everything is back to normal.
JOHN C. CONTAS was named director of new business development at Aviation Management Systems, an aviation consulting company based in Portsmouth, N.H. In addition to handling new business, Contas will advise clients on financial issues related to aviation. Contas has more than 18 years of experience in finance and marketing and most recently managed his own consulting firm, Islington Advisors, LLC, which he founded in 1999.
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.
PILATUS SEES UPTICK IN SALES - Swiss plane-maker Pilatus Aircraft has sold out its PC-12 single-turboprop production for the year and expects to deliver 10 more planes this year than last at a time when most airframers have scaled back production. Pilatus centers booked 14 new PC-12 orders in the first two weeks of September, rounding out the company's planned delivery schedule of 55 for the year and building a backlog.
The Aviation Security Advisory Committee, an industry group tasked by the Transportation Security Administration with developing a series of recommendations for enhancing cargo and general aviation airport security, last week finished work on a series of measures that cargo carriers and airports could incorporate, but withheld adopting the less controversial GA airport recommendations until the group could review them further.
The National Association of State Aviation Officials named Washington as the "Most Innovative State" of 2003 for developing the Online Pilot Registration program. The award was presented to the Washington State Department of Transportation at NASAO's 72nd Annual Convention and Trade Show in Charlotte, N.C. last month. The WSDOT started the online program to make registration, payment of fees and personal information updates easier and more convenient for pilots.
AOPA CALLS FOR MORE GA REPRESENTATION ON FAA'S ADVISORY COUNCIL - The Department of Transportation is drawing fire from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for the newest appointments to FAA's Management Advisory Council, which, according to AOPA, does not adequately represent the general aviation sector.
Honeywell earned FAA supplemental type certification for a KFC 225 flight control system and KCS 55A compass system for the PA-31-350 Piper Chieftain. The system, which replaces the out-of-production Bendix/King KFC 200, improves cockpit functionality and reliability on the Chieftain, Honeywell said. The package includes a new compass sensor, horizontal situation indicator and flight director. Honeywell is offering four system configurations for the Chieftain.
Avcon Industries won FAA supplemental type certification for installing reduced vertical separation minimum-compliant equipment on a Learjet 25D aircraft. Avcon is seeking RVSM group approval for the Learjet 20 series of aircraft and called the most recent STC "an important first step." Avcon teamed with Bizjet International in Tulsa, Okla. on the program. The companies are sharing development risks and costs for a program that could potentially encompass 500 Lear 20 series aircraft. Avcon secured the STC through the Wichita Aircraft Certification Office.
BLAKEY: FLIGHT SERVICE STATIONS ONLY PRIVATIZATION FOCUS FOR FAA - The National Air Traffic Controllers Association and other union groups continue to claim that FAA wants to privatize the nation's entire air traffic control system but FAA Administrator Marion Blakey maintains that the agency's only effort along those lines is the potential privatization of Flight Service Stations (FSSs), the Administrator told BA in a recent interview.
Elliott Aviation struck an agreement with Cessna Aircraft to modify, refurbish and market certain late-model Citations in Cessna's used aircraft inventory. Operators will be given the opportunity to select paint and interior specifications, cabin amenities and avionics equipment on the Citations. Cessna will recognize Elliott as a service center for the aircraft it refurbishes and sells.
WICHITA AVIONICS FIRM INTRODUCING BATTERY-EQUIPPED ATTITUDE INDICATOR - Mid-Continent Instruments of Wichita, Kan. is introducing a new panel-mounted electric attitude indicator that includes a self-contained battery backup. Mid-Continent said its new 4300 Series electric attitude indicator, the Lifesaver Gyro, will continue to operate for up to one hour even if every other system in the aircraft's avionics panel goes dark. The unit, which is self-illuminating, is designed to prevent spatial disorientation if the aircraft loses electrical power.
The Transportation Department Inspector General will audit FAA's oversight of airport land acquisition and relocation assistance programs, the IG office told FAA acting Assistant Administrator John Hennigan in a memo late last month. The audit, which begins Oct. 20, will look at whether airport sponsors acquire property and relocate occupants in accordance with laws and regulations and are reimbursed only for AIP-eligible costs.
Honeywell is expected to announce that the GROB Ranger G160 single-engine turboprop will be among the first aircraft models to use Honeywell's APEX integrated cockpit avionics system as standard equipment.
BAE SYSTEMS (Jetstream) Model 4101 airplanes (Docket No. 2002-NM-58-AD) - proposes to adopt a new AD that would require repetitive inspection of the seat rails in the passenger cabin for evidence of damage and corrosion, repair of any damage or corrosion, and replacement of any floor panels found to be "soft" due to ingress of moisture.
Flight Safety Technologies won a $4 million contract extension from the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center at the Department of Transportation for the development of the SOCRATES wake vortex sensor. Phase III SOCRATES is a joint venture between Flight Safety Technologies and Lockheed Martin. The new funds will be used to further develop the sensor from its four-beam configuration to eight or more beams.
Aviall received a 10-year agreement that expands its aftermarket representation of Honeywell Lighting and Electronics products. Under the agreement, Aviall will be responsible for aftermarket parts sales - including marketing, order administration, warehousing and product distribution - for Honeywell general aviation and airline lighting products. Aviall estimated that sales over the contract life could exceed $500 million.
