The Federal Aviation Administration plans a 15-month implementation period for new regulations pertaining to fractional aircraft programs, and the agency indicated that nearly all the regulatory proposals developed by the 27-member industry panel Fractional Ownership Aviation Rulemaking Committee (FOARC) will be adopted with little change. The principal exception concerns flight and duty times for pilots, where FAA said it is considering several alternatives.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, which accepted substantially all of the recommendations of the Fractional Ownership Aviation Rulemaking Committee (FOARC) in drafting its own fractional proposal, hopes to build on the success of the FOARC by creating similar committees for other rulemaking issues.The latest such committee is one chartered to study the need for expanded hypoxia awareness training, including the use of altitude chambers. This committee will consider whether such training should be mandatory, which pilots must undergo hypoxia training and at what frequency.
Docket No.: FAA-2201-9445 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 135.143(c)(2) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Aurora Aviation to operate certain aircraft under Part 135 without a TSO-C112 (Mode S) transponder installed in the aircraft. Grant, 06/12/2001, Exemption No. 7544
ANGELA KIM, a recent graduate of the University of Maryland's Gemstone interdisciplinary program who also was a staffer on the school's award-winning Diamondback newspaper, has joined The Weekly of Business Aviation as assistant editor. In addition to reporting on industry, regulatory and legislative affairs for The Weekly, Ms. Kim also will work closely with BA Managing Editor Kerry Lynch on the Business Aviation channel of AviationNow.com.
PRATT&WHITNEY CANADA sold 20 PW207K engines to Kazan Helicopters for installation on the new Light-Twin engine ANSAT helicopters. The terms were not disclosed. The six-to-eight-passenger ANSAT is scheduled to receive certification from Russian regulatory authorities in the second half of 2002 and is designed to meet FAR-29 international standards.
Docket No.: FAA-2001-8745 Section 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 135.143(c)(2) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Caribou to operate certain aircraft under Part 135 without a TSO-C112 (Mode S) transponder installed in the aircraft. Grant, April 26, 2001, Exemption No. 7518
Docket No.: FAA-2001-9437 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 135.143(c)(2) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit QAI to operate certain aircraft under Part 135 without a TSO-C112 (Mode S) transponder installed in the aircraft. Grant, May 24, 2001, Exemption No. 7531
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley (D) released a $6.3 billion plan to expand Chicago O'Hare Airport that includes one new runway and the relocation of three others, a move to improve airfield efficiency and cut delays. The plan is one runway short of the number American and United, O'Hare's dominant carriers, wanted. But the airlines said they welcomed the move, which would give the airport a total of eight runways, some of which will be extended.
Docket No.: FAA-2001-9463 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 135.143(c)(2) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit FSL to operate certain aircraft under Part 135 without a TSO-C112 (Mode S) transponder installed in the aircraft. Grant, 06/12/2001, Exemption No. 7542
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has upheld a lower court ruling that validates widely used standards for determining how companies can deduct the costs associated with personal use of a company owned aircraft.
Docket No.: 30169 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 61.51(f)(2) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit CCAC pilots to log second-in-command flight time for cargo flights in certain multi-engine aircraft when more than one pilot is not required by either the aircraft type certificate or the regulations under which the flight is conducted. Denial, May 25, 2001, Exemption No. 7537
PAUL HAWTHORNE was appointed director of quality assurance at AirLiance Materials, a jointly owned company formed by United Airlines, Air Canada and Lufthansa Technik. Hawthorne will be responsible for the integrity of the inventory as well as ensuring proper documentation, traceability of the inventory, process improvement, and maintaining the company's ISO 9002 certification.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION named Al Ueltschi, founder, chairman and CEO of FlightSafety International, as the recipient of the 2001 NBAA American Spirit Award. Ueltschi started FSI in 1951 while still an active pilot with Pan American World Airways. Since then FSI has trained thousands of pilots and revolutionized business aircraft training programs through the use of full-motion flight simulators and visual systems. Ueltschi also has been an adviser and consultant to Project Orbis, an international non-profit aircraft-based teaching eye care hospital.
Raytheon relocated the production and service of FIRSTplus, its expanded air traffic control simulator product line, from its United Kingdom facility to its Richmond, British Columbia, Canada facility, making it now a part of the Air Traffic Control business unit, headquartered in Marlboro, Mass. FIRSTplus supports radar, visual and procedural air traffic control training for area, approach, tower and ground environments.
Boeing Business Jets delivered a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) to the South African Air Force last week. The jet, purchased by the Armaments Corporation of South Africa, Ltd. on behalf of the military, will be used for intercontinental VIP transport in the South African Air Force fleet.
A LEARJET OPERATOR won a significant ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals, which upheld an earlier Tax Court decision that the company had correctly accounted for personal use of the company aircraft using the Standard Industry Fare Level. The Internal Revenue Service had attempted to collect additional taxes from the firm, charging that it had claimed excessive deductions. See article below.
Docket No.: FAA-2001-9442 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 135.143(c)(2) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Greenwood Aviation to operate certain aircraft under Part 135 without a TSO-C112 (Mode S) transponder installed in the aircraft. Grant, 06/12/2001, Exemption No. 7541
Docket No.: FAA-2001-9353 (previously Docket No. 25052) Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 135.203(a)(1) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit certain certificate holders conducting operations under Part 135 to operate seaplanes inside the Ketchikan, Alaska, Class E airspace under Special Visual Flight Rules below 500 feet above the surface. Grant, May 24, 2001, Exemption No. 4760I
Docket No.: FAA-2001-8944 (previously Docket No. 29481) Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 135.143(c)(2) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit RHI to operate certain aircraft under Part 135 without a TSO-C112 (Mode S) transponder installed in the aircraft. Grant, May 29, 2001, Exemption No. 6912A
Docket No.: FAA-2001-9679 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 25.785(j) Description of Relief Sought: To provide relief from that portion of 14 CFR 25.785(j) which requires a firm handhold along each aisle to enable persons to steady themselves while using the aisles in moderately rough air. The petitioner requests this exemption for the Boeing Model 737-700IGW, equipped with an executive interior, to be used in a private, not for hire, operation.
CHICAGO MAYOR Richard Daley, who has gotten heat from aviation users for his plans to close Meigs Field, the city's downtown lakefront airport, is getting the same message from the state's business community (BA, June 18/281).The Illinois Chamber of Commerce issued a Policy Position on Air Service Capacity, which states that the Chamber "opposes the closing of Meigs Field in February 2002." The Chamber said "Meigs provides a unique travel option for business travelers needing to reach the Chicago Loop area.
A BOMBARDIER CRJ900 regional airliner, powered by GE's CF34-8C5 engines, is continuing a 15-month flight test program that started May 23. The two CF34-8C5 engines have since logged about 75 cumulative flight hours. The CRJ900 is an 86-passenger derivative of Bombardier's 70-passenger CRJ regional airliner, which entered service in January. The CRJ900 is scheduled for FAA certification by the third quarter of 2002, with entry into service with launch customer Mesa Airlines scheduled for 2003.
VOUGHT AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES recently delivered the 150th shipset of integrated wings for the Gulfstream V ultra-long range business jet. Under a 1993 revenue-sharing agreement with Gulfstream, Vought designed and produces the wings for the Gulfstream V, including integration of the electrical, hydraulic and fuel systems.
AEROMECH signed an agreement with Piaggio America to provide warranty support, maintenance and service for Piaggio Avanti aircraft to operators in the U.S. from its FBO at the Lakeland, Fla. Regional Airport (LAL). Aeromech joins Stevens Aviation (Greenville, S.C. and Denver, Colo.) and Jetworks (Dallas, Texas) as service centers partnering with Piaggio America in providing Avanti maintenance and support in the U.S.
THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS involving business operators of jet and turboprop aircraft was up sharply in the first six months of the year, compared with the same period in 2000. See article below.
