The Weekly of Business Aviation

Staff
Used retail jet and turboprop deliveries inside and outside North America for March 2002 Used Retail Deliveries MARCH '99 MARCH '00 MARCH '01 MARCH '02 L M H L M H L M H L M H Jet North 50 29 15 49 26 13 66 47 24 59 23 11 America Jet Outside 11 8 5 4 2 4 8 2 4 11 7 4 N. America

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BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE named Stephen McNally general manager of the company's Tucson, Ariz. Service Center. He will report to Bob Sundin, regional vice president. McNally, who has more than 20 years of aviation experience, was most recently director of the company's Dallas Service Center.

Staff
The Corporate Angel Network, which arranges free travel on corporate aircraft for cancer patients traveling to and from treatment centers, will receive a check for $101,000, the proceeds of last week's Greater Washington Aviation Open (GWAO) golf and tennis tournament. The May 6 event, held at the Indian Spring Country Club in Silver Spring, Md., was the 14th GWAO. Honorary chairman of last week's event was Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Staff
Honeywell Executives have been talking about making some acquisitions since Larry Bossidy returned from retirement and took over as chairman last year, but the company may finally be close to doing something besides talking. Steve Loranger, president and CEO of Honeywell's Engines, Systems and Services unit, told BA Wednesday "we are working on several" possible deals, adding that officials hope to be able to make some announcements within the next quarter or two.

Staff
Gulfstream Aerospace formally launched a new element in its product support program last week, saying it will use a dedicated Astra SPX to fly critical parts and/or technicians to help resolve Aircraft On Ground (AOG) situations for its warranty customers. Larry Flynn, senior vice president of Gulfstream and president of General Dynamics Aviation Services, said officials are always looking for ways to improve their product support program and became concerned about delays in moving parts and technical personnel because of reduced airline service to many points.

Staff
Model 650-15 and 651-54 turbofan engines (Docket No. 2001-NE-36-AD; Amendment 39-12735; AD 2002-09-02) - requires revisions to the Airworthiness Limitations Section of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness in the Time Limits Section of the Engine Manual for Rolls-Royce Model 650-15 and 651-54 series turbofan engines to include required enhanced inspection of selected critical life-limited parts at each piece-part exposure.

By Angela Kim ([email protected])
The Federal Aviation Administration received more than 2,000 comments in response to its light-sport aircraft proposal - a majority of which expressed support - but maintenance experts remained concerned about the possibility of relaxed safety standards in the proposed rule.

Staff
WHILE THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT moves to reopen Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to general aviation, agency officials still are deciding when to allow transient operations to resume at three small Maryland airports just outside Washington, D.C. The government allowed based aircraft to begin operating at College Park Airport, Potomac Airfield and Washington Executive/Hyde Field in February after a five-month shutdown (BA, Feb.18/87).

Staff
WHILE ADVOCATES continue lobbying to win support for the $5.5 billion general aviation relief bill, they face more challenges than just opposition from the Administration (BA, May 6/209).There appears to be confusion among some legislators, who believe that all of aviation has received help through the $15 billion Air Transportation and Stabilization Act adopted shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks. That bill was limited only to the airlines.

Staff
May 12-15 - Regional Airline Association Annual Convention, Nashville, Tenn., (202) 367-1170 May 28-30 - National Business Aviation Association/European Business Aviation Association European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition, Palexpo Convention Center, Geneva, Switzerland, (202) 783-9000 June 1 - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Fly-In and Open House, Frederick, Md., (301) 695-2000 June 14-15 - 7th Annual NBAA Flight Attendants Conference, Nashville, Tenn. (202) 783-9000

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HOUSE LEGISLATORS DEBATE TSA FUNDING, AIR CARRIER COMPENSATION - House legislators last week began debate on a sweeping funding bill that would provide some $4 billion in additional funding for the Transportation Security Administration and give the Federal Aviation Administration some flexibility to move a limited amount of funds around to help its depleted operations budget. The fiscal 2002 supplemental appropriations bill also would give the air carriers up to $100 million more to help them pay for required cockpit door modifications (BA, May 6/209).

Staff
House legislators last week began debate on a sweeping funding bill that would provide some $4 billion in additional funding for the Transportation Security Administration and give the Federal Aviation Administration some flexibility to move a limited amount of funds around to help its depleted operations budget. The fiscal 2002 supplemental appropriations bill also would give the air carriers up to $100 million more to help them pay for required cockpit door modifications (BA, May 6/209).

Staff
CAE won $35 million (Canadian) in training contracts from Horizon Air, Aerolineas Argentinas and the U.S. Navy Reserve. CAE will provide pilot training for Horizon Air's CRJ700 pilots for the next 14 years. The training will take place at Alaska Airlines' training center in Seattle, Wash. Naval Reserve C-40 pilots will begin training this month at CAE's Dallas, Texas facility on a Boeing 737NG simulator. CAE also will provide Airbus 340 simulator training for the Argentine carrier.

Staff
Model AS350B, AS350BA, AS350B1, AS350B2, AS350B3, AS350C, AS350D, AS350D1, AS355E, AS355F, AS355F1, AS355F2, AS355N, and EC130 B4 helicopters; correction (Docket No. 2002-SW-09-AD; Amendment 39-12681; AD 2002-03-52) - corrects AD 2002-03-52 for the specified helicopters that was published in the Federal Register on March 20, 2002. The AD contains a misspelled word and incomplete effective dates. In all other respects, the original document remains the same.

Staff
Despite difficulties and slower than expected growth in its NetJets operations in Europe, NetJets Chairman and CEO Richard Santulli maintains that it was "absolutely not" a mistake to expand the fractional aircraft program to Europe.

Staff
Bombardier, which has become a major international aerospace manufacturer through the acquisition of companies that had fallen on tough times, has a team of engineers in Germany to assess insolvent regional aircraft maker Fairchild Dornier in what could be the beginning of a takeover of the 728/928 programs. Bombardier apparently is one of three potential investors interested in taking over parts of the German regional manufacturer, but discussions with the other potential buyers are supposedly not as far advanced as those with Bombardier.

Staff
Officials are investigating the circumstances surrounding an accident involving a NetJets Model 560 Cessna Citation Ultra, N397QS, May 2 in Texas. FAA said the aircraft, with two pilots and four passengers, departed Houston for a flight to a small airport in Leakey, Texas. The aircraft ran off the end of the runway and caught fire, but all aboard managed to escape without injury.

Staff
Boeing Air Traffic Management signed a $750,000 contract with NASA to participate in the agency's Virtual Airspace Modeling and Simulation (VAMS) project, which is designed to increase the capacity of the U.S. airspace system. The contract covers work on the first phase of a four-phase project over a five-year period, but it does not guarantee participation in future phases of the project. Boeing ATM said it teamed with Metron Aviation, Inc., which "offers capabilities in traffic flow management, simulations and cost/benefit tools."

Staff
THE CORPORATE ANGEL NETWORK, which arranges free travel on corporate aircraft for cancer patients traveling to and from treatment centers, will receive a check for $101,000, the proceeds of last week's Greater Washington Aviation Open (GWAO) golf and tennis tournament. The May 6 event, held at the Indian Spring Country Club in Silver Spring, Md., was the 14th GWAO. Honorary chairman of last week's event was Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Staff
GULFSTREAM DEDICATES AIRCRAFT TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL AND PARTS SUPPORT - Gulfstream Aerospace formally launched a new element in its product support program last week, saying it will use a dedicated Astra SPX to fly critical parts and/or technicians to help resolve Aircraft On Ground (AOG) situations for its warranty customers.

Staff
FAA DRAFT RULE SETS PLANS FOR DOMESTIC RVSM BY END OF 2004 - Despite general aviation opposition, FAA has published a draft rule proposing a one-step transition to domestic reduced vertical separation minimums (DRVSM) in December 2004. The notice of proposed rulemaking has a 90-day comment period.

Staff
BRIAN BRANDEWIE was named president, avionics systems at Goodrich. He has worked for Goodrich for 21 years and was most recently vice president and general manager of the company's regional, business and military aircraft wheel and brake business.

Staff
Model EMB-135 and -145 series airplanes (Docket No. 2002-NM-68-AD; Amendment 39-12730; AD 2002-08-18) - requires repetitive inspections of the actuator clutches of the primary and backup pitch trim systems of the horizontal stabilizer for proper pitch trim indications, and replacement of the actuator, if necessary.

Staff
Following additional analysis of Gulfstream V wing tests done for the Joint Aviation Authorities, Gulfstream Aerospace is going to make a minor wing modification to the first 16 GVs that were built. Following up on an earlier conversation (BA, May 6/218), Gulfstream President Bill Boisture told BA Friday that analysis of the just completed wing tests revealed "a non-compliance issue" with FAA certification requirements. Under FAA certification procedures, Boisture said some parameters are satisfied by actual tests, while others are accomplished by data analysis.

Staff
The Air Group added a Canadair Global Express business jet to its East Coast charter fleet. The 6,500-nautical-mile aircraft will be based in Windsor Locks, Conn.