Next year Northrop Grumman Corp. will begin flight testing an experimental airframe designed to produce quieter sonic booms, in support of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Quiet Supersonic Platform (QSP) program.
Bombardier Aerospace acquired its second online charter service in 13 months with the purchase of Air Charter Online in Mahwah, N.J. The company also bought charter broker Skyjet.com in July 2000.
EMBRAER Model EMB-135 and -145 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-248-AD; Amendment 39-12394; AD 2001-17-03) - requires repetitive inspections of the engine thrust reverser stow/transit switches, and corrective action, if necessary. This action is necessary to prevent erroneous signals in the Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System caused by internal corrosion of the thrust reverser stow/transit switches, which could result in uncommanded loss of engine power in flight, or unnecessary aborted takeoffs on the ground. The rule is effective Sept.
Docket No.: FAA-2001-9043 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 121.344(a)(14), (a)(29), (a)(33), (a)(40), (a)(44), and (a)(54) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Horizon and all similarly situated air carriers to operate the Bombardier CL-600-2C10 airplane without recording the parameters listed in Sec. 121.344(a)(14), (a)(29), (a)(33), (a)(40), (a)(44), and (a)(54) within the ranges, accuracies, resolutions, and recording intervals specified in Appen-dix M to Part 121. Denial, April 27, 2001, Exemption No. 7520
EXTEX has begun posting on-line Rolls-Royce/Allison A250 replacement part technical data, including inspection requirements, wear limits and repair procedures. EXTEX previously would send printed manuals quarterly, but is now providing up-to-date information free on the world wide web. Noting that some OEMs charge for their manuals, EXTEX President Larry Shiembob said, "We're not in the repair manual business. We want to make it easy and cost-effective to do business with EXTEX, and we believe this initiative is just another example of how we do that."
Federal Aviation Administration is exploring the possibility of allowing the nation's busiest airports to impose increased takeoff, landing and terminal fees to help combat congestion. The agency published a notice in the Aug. 21 Federal Register asking for public comment on the viability of peak-hour and other market-based pricing schemes and whether encouraging the use of large aircraft into certain airports would ease congestion.
DAC INTERNATIONAL, an aerospace marketing firm, will exclusively distribute DataMetrics Corporation's cockpit printer to airlines and corporate aircraft operators worldwide. The DataMetrics Model 4680 is type certified on Boeing's new production aircraft and has a supplemental type certificate for most commercial airline class aircraft.
A compliance deadline for a Federal Aviation Administration rule requiring upgraded digital flight data recorders (DFDRs), originally set for earlier this month, has been pushed back two years while regulators determine how to deal with planes delivered by Boeing and Dassault that don't meet the revised standards.
President Bush named six more members to the 12-member Presidential Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry, including Ed Bolen, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
Docket No.: FAA-2001-8811 (previously Docket No. 28884) Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 145.37(b) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Aero Sky to continue to hold an FAA repair station certificate (certificate No. KQ7R556N) without having suitable permanent housing facilities for at least one of the heaviest aircraft within the weight class of the rating it holds. Grant, May 10, 2001, Exemption No. 6673B
Proposals to preempt state laws requiring approval of airport development projects in the U.S. are gaining support at the congressional level and among the air transport community, but are stirring strong resistance among state government officials.
DORNIER Models 228-100, 228-101, 228-200, 228-201, 228-202, and 228-212 airplanes (Docket No. 2001-CE-19-AD) - proposes to require repetitive inspection of the horizontal stabilizer skin and ribs for damage and cracks and repair of any damaged skin or cracked ribs. The proposed AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Germany.
FAIRCHILD AIRCRAFT SA226 series airplanes equipped with Hydromotive Model V1-15-1000 brake master cylinders (Docket No. 2001-CE-17-AD) - proposes to require replacement of the brake master cylinders with new or overhauled units of the same design. The proposed AD is the result of reports of dragging brakes during taxi operations. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to correct and prevent future malfunctioning brake master cylinders.
EMBRAER Model EMB-120 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-262-AD; Amendment 39-12392; AD 2001-17-01) - requires measuring the gap between the bellcrank and the body of the rotary variable inductive transducers (RVITs) of the aileron and elevator, performing corrective action if necessary, and torquing the bolt that attaches the bellcrank to the RVIT shaft. This action is necessary to prevent restricted movement of the aileron or elevator, which could result in reduced controllability of the airplane. The AD is effective Aug.
Docket No.: FAA-2000-8514 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 25.857(e)(4) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To provide AAS with relief from 14 CFR 25.857(e)(4) pertaining to the exclusion of hazardous quantities of smoke, flames, and noxious gases from the flight crew compartment to permit supplemental type certification of the Learjet Model 25 series airplanes modified for the carriage of cargo. Grant, April 11, 2001, Exemption No. 7507
AIR TRAVEL NETWORK, the reservation and on-line auction site for air charter operations, added Hop-A-Jet to its portfolio of Part 135 providers. Hop-A-Jet flies a fleet of Learjet and Challenger aircraft from its base in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "Joining the ATN network expands our marketing presence to areas that we couldn't do on our own," said Sam Gordon, director of charter services for Hop-A-Jet.
FAA EXPECTS to complete a comprehensive study of the Part 135 air charter industry next month that industry executives hope will provide the agency better information for use in rulemaking. Congress directed the agency to conduct a study of air taxi operators that would analyze the size and type of aircraft fleet, relevant aircraft equipment, hours flown, utilization rates, safety record by various categories of use and aircraft type, and airports served.
CIRRUS DESIGN CORP. is planning to boost production rates from one aircraft per day to two early next year now that it has secured the necessary funding for such a move.The company agreed to turn over a majority interest to Crescent Capital Investments in return for the $100 million financial package.
Docket No.: FAA-2001-9579 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 135.251, 135.255, 135.353, and appendixes I and J to Part 121 Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Ashland County Airport and Johnston Aviation to conduct local sightseeing flights at the Ashland County Airport for the Fall Foliage flights in October 2001 for compensation or hire, without complying with certain anti-drug and alcohol misuse prevention requirements of Part 135. Grant, May 9, 2001, Exemption No. 7528
A LEARJET 25 cargo aircraft crashed early Friday morning on a flight from Lansing, N.Y. to Rochester, N.Y., FAA reported. The aircraft, N153TW, is registered to Wilmington, Del.-based Sierra American Corp. with Ameristar Jet Charter as the operator. The aircraft crashed into the woods near the end of the runway shortly after takeoff, killing one crewmember and seriously injuring the other, according to preliminary FAA data.
Raytheon Aircraft signed a letter of intent with Mesa Air Group to clear up the remaining financing issues surrounding the regional carrier's 1900D fleet. Under the letter of intent, Raytheon agreed to help lower Mesa's expenses to operate its fleet of 1900D aircraft. Mesa subsidiary Air Midwest operates 55 of the 19-passenger 1900D aircraft, 47 of which are financed by Raytheon.
Docket No.: FAA-2001-8750 (previously Docket No. 27429) Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 147.31(c)(2)(iii) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit U.S. Air Force aviation maintenance technicians who have completed military aviation maintenance training courses to be evaluated using the same criteria that are used for the civilian sector. Grant, May 3, 2001, Exemption No. 6094C
Docket No.: FAA-2001-9458 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 25.785(h)(2), 25.807(d)(7), 25.813(e), and 25.853(d) Description of Relief Sought: To permit business jet interiors to be designed for "private, not-for-hire use" on Boeing Model 737-800 airplanes.
Docket No.: FAA-2001-8805 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 145.45(f) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit EJS to place and maintain its inspection procedures manual (IPM) in a number of fixed locations within its repair station facility rather than giving a copy of its IPM to each of its supervisory and inspection personnel. Grant, May 4, 2001, Exemption No. 7530
A strong showing in its Aerospace unit helped drive Bombardier to a 44 percent leap in revenues for the second fiscal quarter ended July 31, the company said last week. Bombardier Tuesday reported revenues of $4.9 billion in the three months ended July 31, compared with $3.4 billion in the same period a year ago.
