FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION will delay the effective date of a rule that amends the procedural regulations for certifying changes to type-certificated products. The agency originally set a Dec. 10, 2001 compliance date for transport category airplanes and a date of Dec. 9, 2002 for all other category aircraft. FAA has now decided to delay implementation until June 10, 2003 "for all categories of aircraft, engines and propellers" in order to ensure a uniform application of the rule, the agency said.
THE GENERAL AVIATION MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION board of directors elected Ray Siegfried chairman for 2002. Siegfried is the chairman and CEO of the NORDAM Group. Bill Boisture, president and COO of Gulfstream Aerospace, was elected vice chairman.
ISRAEL AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES LTD., Model 1124 and 1124A, and Model 1125 Westwind Astra series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-200-AD) - proposes to require a one-time inspection of the attachment bolts installed on the engine inlet cowl and aft nacelle attachment flanges to verify correct part numbers of the bolts, and replacement of any discrepant/incorrect bolt with a correct attachment bolt.
CONOCO, INC. AND PHILLIPS PETROLEUM CO. boards of directors approved "a merger of equals" and signed a definitive merger agreement. The new company, which would be known as ConocoPhillips, will be the third-largest integrated U.S. energy company based on market capitalization and oil and gas reserves and production. Worldwide it will be the sixth-largest energy company based on hydrocarbon reserves and the fifth-largest global refiner. Phillips has been a major player in the aviation fuels market for decades.
DPI LABS is entering the rapidly expanding aviation security market with Safe-Link. The voice and data distribution system protects communication within an aircraft and prevents interception of sensitive information before and after encryption, DPI said. Gulfstream currently uses Safe-Link in military and high security aircraft it manufactures, and the system is available for commercial use.
ROBIN BRIONES was named vice president and general manager of TransContinental Avionics' online pilot shop, www.tcapilotshop.com. Briones formerly owned and operated Continental Avionics in Santa Ana, Calif.
THE U.S. CENTENNIAL OF FLIGHT COMMISSION signed a memorandum of agreement with the First Flight Centennial Commission of North Carolina to jointly promote the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first powered flight in 2003. The agreement will allow North Carolina activities to receive the U.S. Commission's national outreach support. The FFCC of North Carolina, in turn, will help promote the national celebration, "Centennial of Flight: Born of Dreams. Inspired by Freedom."
HONEYWELL TFE731-2, -3, and -4 series turbofan engines - supersedes two existing airworthiness directives, applicable to Honeywell TFE731-2, -3, and 4 series turbofan engines. Those ADs currently require removing certain fan rotor discs from service in accordance with a draw-down schedule, and establishing new fan rotor disc life limits. This amendment requires stricter life limits for certain fan rotor discs.
Docket No.: FAA-2001-10229 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 145.47(b) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit GE Celma to use the calibration standards of the Instituto Nacional de Mertologia, Normalizacao Qualidade Industrial in lieu of the calibration standards of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology to test its inspection and test equipment. Grant, 10/02/2001, Exemption No. 6546C
Thales Avionics' Head-Up Flight Display System (HFDS) received FAA and Transport Canada certification for installation on Bombardier's Global Express business jet. HFDS, made up of a computer system, an optical projector unit and a combiner, displays data from several systems, such as the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System and the Electronic Flight Instrument System, in the cockpit to "provide guidance during all phases of flight such as takeoff, cruise and approach, and during recovery from unusual aircraft attitudes," said Bombardier.
EADS SOCATA delivered its first TBM 700B freighter to Quest Diagnostics. The manufacturer has a contract to deliver five more aircraft to Quest, a national laboratory network. The freighters will be used to transport perishable patient specimens between laboratory locations. "We are modernizing our fleet to improve patient care. We selected the TBM 700 Freighter after an extensive review process, based on its sturdiness and its low cost of operations," said Albert A. Murrer III, Quest Diagnostics director of flight operations.
Gulfstream Aerospace has consolidated some responsibilities among its senior executives as part of a force reduction by the Savannah, Ga.-based manufacturer.
Docket No.: FAA-2001-10356 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 91.177(a)(2) and 91.179(b)(1) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit properly equipped USASOC aircraft to conduct low-level operations without complying with en route minimum altitudes for flight under instrument flight rules (IFR) or direction of flight requirements for IFR en route segment in uncontrolled airspace. Grant, 09/29/2001, Exemption No. 7631
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association President Phil Boyer last week admonished the Radiological Society of North American for perpetuating "fear mongering" about the safety of Meigs Field after the organization asked city planners to close the airport during its Nov. 25-30 convention. The society said it has received calls from attendees of its meeting who were concerned about the proximity of Chicago's McCormick Place to Meigs Field, according to a Chicago Sun-Times article.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2B19 series airplanes (Docket No. 2000-NM-68-AD; Amendment 39-12488; AD 2001-22-09) - requires repetitive eddy current inspections for cracking of the main landing gear (MLG) main fittings, and replacement with a new or serviceable MLG, if necessary. This action also requires servicing the MLG shock struts; inspecting the MLG shock struts for nitrogen pressure, visible chrome distortion, and oil leakage; and performing corrective actions, if necessary.
SEAN O'KEEFE was nominated as NASA administrator by President Bush. O'Keefe is the deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget and is known for his efforts to control spending on the International Space Station. If confirmed by the Senate, he would replace outgoing NASA Administrator Dan Goldin, who stepped down last week after a 10-year term. O'Keefe is a former secretary of the Navy and chief financial officer of the Department of Defense.
BOEING AND AIRBUS achieved international technical specification status with their co-developed industry guidelines for bar code parts identification, the two companies announced last week. "Achieving international status supports our vision to deploy an ISO standard that meets the needs of both the commercial and military aviation industries around the world," said Kenneth Porad, program manager of the Permanent Bar Code on Parts Identification Program at Boeing.
THE APPARENT FAILURE of primary composite structure on the A300 Airbus that crashed in New York Monday is raising new questions throughout the aviation industry about the use of such materials in aircraft. National Transportation Safety Board investigators found that the composite brackets that attached the vertical stabilizer to the top of the fuselage snapped, causing the stabilizer to separate and making it impossible for the crew to control the aircraft.
Docket No.: FAA-2001-10169 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 145.45(f) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Boeing to give copies of its Inspection Procedures Manual (IPM) to key individuals and make the IPM available electronically to all other employees, rather than giving a paper copy to each of its supervisory and inspection personnel. Grant, 09/21/2001, Exemption No. 7065A
JACQUES BLONDEAU was appointed general manager at Cessna's Greensboro, N.C. Citation Service Center located at Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO). He was most recently manager, business aircraft and military engines customer solutions, for Pratt&Whitney Canada.
The National Air Transportation Association, working with high-tech companies including Lockheed Martin and Microsoft, is developing biometrically encoded identification cards for both passengers and employees of aviation businesses. The new cards, equipped with specific biometric information - such as finger print or retinal scan data - are designed to be quickly checked or scanned to verify the identity of the holder.
MEMBERS of the Fractional Ownership Aviation Rulemaking Committee (FOARC) prided themselves on using a consensus approach in developing a rulemaking proposal that would govern fractional aircraft providers, a proposal that was accepted with very little change by FAA officials and published in a formal notice of proposed rulemaking. That does not mean, however, that everyone likes the proposed rule, as evidenced by some outspoken comments sent to the rulemaking docket. See article below.
FOKKER Model F.28 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-208-AD; Amendment 39-12487; AD 2001-22-08) - requires replacing the main landing gear (MLG) torque link dampers with modified and re-identified dampers. This action is necessary to prevent degradation of the dampers, which could result in MLG high amplitude oscillation in a lateral torsional mode, and consequent MLG damage or separation of the MLG from the airplane. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe condition. FAA estimates that this AD will affect 147 Model F.28 series airplanes on the U.S.
DASSAULT Model Mystere-Falcon 50, Mystere-Falcon 900, and Falcon 900EX series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-10-AD; Amendment 39-12489; AD 2001-22-10) - requires revising the Emergency Procedures and Abnormal Procedures sections of the airplane flight manual to advise the flight crew to immediately don oxygen masks in the event of significant pressurization or oxygen level changes. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent incapacitation of the flight crew due to lack of oxygen, which could result in their inability to continue to control the airplane.
SPORTY'S PILOT SHOP now offers its Complete Instrument Rating Course on interactive DVD disks. Sporty's said the DVD course breaks down the material into small, easily understood segments, most of which are followed by an interactive quiz using actual FAA test questions with answers and explanations. Each disc also includes a review exam, which combines all of the quizzes from that volume into one test. The DVD discs may be played on a television, portable DVD player or a DVD-equipped computer. The complete DVD instrument flying course is priced at $199.
