A Recent FAA memorandum authorizes operators to fly the Boeing Business Jet under Part 135 as long as the airplane is configured with no more than 30 passenger seats and has a payload of no more than 7,500 pounds. That memo, however, also notes that FAA plans to "initiate rulemaking efforts to determine if additional safety and operational requirements should be established for these large airplanes when operated under 14CFR Part 91 or Part 135."
Cass Anderson was named director of sales, Canada, for Dassault Falcon. He will be responsible for sales and marketing for new and used Falcon business jets in Canada. Anderson was most recently inside sales manager for the eastern U.S. at Dassault.
AERO COMMANDER CRASH CLAIMS NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS - All four people aboard a chartered Aero Commander 690 were killed Aug. 11 when the airplane crashed near Bishop, Calif. Authorities identified the dead as nature photographers Galen and Barbara Rowell, the pilot, Tom Reid, and another passenger, Carol McAfee. The Rowells were on the last leg of a return trip from the Arctic, where they had been participating in a photo workshop. They boarded the Aero Commander in Oakland, Calif. and were en route to their home near Bishop when the accident happened.
DELTA'S MAINTENANCE DIVISION WINS MAJOR REGIONAL CONTRACT - Delta plans to aggressively pursue regional jet aircraft maintenance after winning a $1 billion contract to maintain the GE CF34 engines that power Bombardier Canadair Regional Jets flown by the carrier's wholly owned subsidiaries Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) and Comair. "This is a springboard," said Basil Papawoti, director, sales and marketing for TechOps, Delta's maintenance division. "With the ASA and Comair orders we now have critical mass.
Engineers also have developed a fix for the perceived high noise levels in the cabin, reducing sound readings from 86.6 dB in early units of the Premier to 79.5 dB now. The sound-dampening package, which will be installed on the assembly line for 2003 deliveries, will be available in a retrofit kit for current Premier operators. The changes, which include minor modifications to the Williams FJ44-2A turbofan engines and reductions in aerodynamic noise, add only 30 pounds to the weight of the aircraft.
Don Burtis was named vice president of avionics and electronics at Eclipse Aviation, where he will lead development of electronic systems. Burtis was formerly the director of avionics and electronics.
The National Air Transportation Association called on the Federal Aviation Administration for a "comprehensive economic impact analysis" of the proposed rule for domestic reduced vertical separation minimums before the agency moves ahead with imposing the new standards by December 2004.
Honeywell signed an agreement with Huatian Electronics Industry Company Limited to distribute Honeywell aerospace hardware product lines including fasteners, seals and electrical products. The agreement names Huatian Electronics as Honeywell's exclusive distributor in China. Honeywell said the agreement would provide customers in China, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines and Singapore with faster access to aerospace parts and lower freight and logistics costs. The center is based in the Free Trade Zone of Shenzhen in China.
Raytheon has continued to build Premiers at a rate of 40 per year, but completions and deliveries have been slowed to give technicians time to develop improvements and have them installed on new aircraft before delivery. As a result, the company delivered only 13 Premiers in the first six months of the year. Bob Horowitz, RAC's chief operating officer, told reporters last week he expects November and December to be "very busy" delivery months as the company attempts to deliver 27 Premiers in the second half.
Charter Services (CSI) of Albuquerque, N.M. is working with the National Air Carrier Association to form a working committee to review operating standards, ethics and safety in the air charter management industry. "By establishing corporate and ethical standards for the industry, we will influence other air charter companies to operate reputably," said Brian Florence, CSI vice president of operations.
EMBRY-RIDDLE TO TRAIN USAF CADETS IN DA-20s - Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University won a contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide initial flight training for cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.
A Recent FAA memorandum authorizes operators to fly the Boeing Business Jet under Part 135 as long as the airplane is configured with no more than 30 passenger seats and has a payload of no more than 7,500 pounds.That memo, however, also notes that FAA plans to "initiate rulemaking efforts to determine if additional safety and operational requirements should be established for these large airplanes when operated under 14CFR Part 91 or Part 135."
An industry-based advisory group last week recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration overhaul its repair station classification system to provide more flexibility and reflect the latest and emerging technologies. But the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) also told FAA that it was unable to reach a consensus on the other major issue it was tasked to review, the need for mandated quality assurance programs.
August 31-September 2 - The Cleveland National Air Show, 1501 North Marginal Road, Burke Lakefront Airport, Cleveland, Ohio. For more information call Kim Dell at (216) 781-0747 or visit www.clevelandairshow.com September 8 - National Aircraft Resale Association Fall Meeting, Peabody Hotel, Orlando, Fla. September 10-12 - National Business Aviation Association 55th Annual Meeting and Convention, Orlando, Fla., (202) 783-9000
FlightSafety International opened a new center in Savannah to train Gulfstream maintenance technicians. The 18,000-square-foot building expands FlightSafety's training facilities next to the Gulfstream production plant and maintenance and aircraft service centers. The new building includes nine multi-media classrooms and a 4,000-square-foot high-bay workspace configured for hands-on training.
Jet Aviation London Biggin Hill expanded the space at its paint division to 10,760 square feet. New track-mounted curtain assemblies were installed in the facility to allow for one larger or two smaller aircraft to be painted at the same time.
Pratt&Whitney Canada's customer service center in Europe won an eight-year fleet management plan agreement from Norwegian carrier Wideroe. The agreement covers Wideroe's fleet of 58 PW121 and PW123 engines. The plan was tailored to Wideroe's operations and includes a guaranteed operating cost per hour.
All four people aboard a chartered Aero Commander 690 were killed Aug. 11 when the airplane crashed near Bishop, Calif. Authorities identified the dead as nature photographers Galen and Barbara Rowell, the pilot, Tom Reid, and another passenger, Carol McAfee. The Rowells were on the last leg of a return trip from the Arctic, where they had been participating in a photo workshop. They boarded the Aero Commander in Oakland, Calif. and were en route to their home near Bishop when the accident happened.
As Charter operators grapple with implementing the Transportation Security Administration's "Twelve-Five" rule, some of those operators have the additional worry of the TSA's security mandate covering chartered aircraft weighing at least 95,000 pounds. That rule, which calls for charter operators to screen passengers before they board an aircraft weighing 95,000 pounds or more, takes effect today (Aug. 19). But like the Twelve-Five rule, the TSA has not given operators clear guidance before the effective date on how to implement it, industry sources say.
FAA will make airport visibility data available to all National Airspace System (NAS) users over the world wide web, a step the agency says will give airline dispatchers, business aviation companies and general aviation pilots better decision-making tools. The runway visual range (RVR) information that represents the distance a pilot is able to see down a runway during approach. Pilots and flight operations centers use RVR in determining whether to land an aircraft at an airport.
Continuing its quest to build an international private jet carrier, Nimbus Group, Inc. reached an agreement to merge with Florida-based Horizons Aviation, which offers fractional aircraft ownership, charter services and aircraft maintenance. Under the deal, which is subject to regulatory as well as each company's board approval, Nimbus would acquire all of Horizons Aviation's stock in exchange for its unregistered stock.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) wrote a letter to Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta last week asking for his decision on United Airline's request to put Tasers in the cockpit. "Although I am not endorsing any particular technology and have no opinion on the merits of the United application, flight-deck security is a matter of some urgency, and it concerns me that eight months have elapsed without a final decision on United's application," Daschle said.
The Transportation Security Administration's approach to security for charter operators of large aircraft is discriminatory and unworkable and should be shelved, industry associations, operators and manufacturers told the agency. The groups were commenting on the TSA's rule that requires passenger screening before enplanement on a charter aircraft weighing at least 95,000 pounds. While aimed at larger aircraft that typically are flown under Part 121, the rule also affects operators of the Boeing Business Jet as well as the Global Express.
Raytheon has continued to build Premiers at a rate of 40 per year, but completions and deliveries have been slowed to give technicians time to develop improvements and have them installed on new aircraft before delivery. As a result, the company delivered only 13 Premiers in the first six months of the year. Bob Horowitz, RAC's chief operating officer, told reporters last week he expects November and December to be "very busy" delivery months as the company attempts to deliver 27 Premiers in the second half.
Cessna appointed Jim Mercer vice president, Textron Six Sigma. Mercer previously held a number of positions during his seven-year tenure at Cessna, including industrial engineer, production superintendent, product manager, director of components manufacturing and most recently director of assembly support. In his new role he will be responsible for leading all Six Sigma-related improvements at Cessna.
