Federal Aviation Administration, noting that Congress approved a series of exemptions for operation of large Stage 2 aircraft past Jan. 1, 2000 (BA, Nov. 22/233), last month published procedures for operators to follow to get authorization for such operations. Congress provided a blanket exemption for Stage 2 aircraft weighing more than 75,000 pounds that are operated either under an experimental certificate or from Hawaii to the contiguous U.S. for maintenance or major alterations.
Docket No.: 29819 Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 25.813(e) Description of Relief Sought: To permit doors between passenger compartments on BD700-1A10 airplanes used for corporate transportation.
PRIESTER AVIATION added its fifth Gulfstream II to its charter fleet. The GII, S/N68, will undergo refurbishment with new paint and a 16-seat interior. Priester additionally plans to convert the Stage II aircraft to Stage III this year. The acquisition of the G-II follows the addition of three midsize aircraft - a Citation VII and two Hawkers - to its Part 135 certificate.
Model EMB-135 and EMB-145 series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-340-AD; Amdt. 39-11437; AD 99-24-13) - requires a revision to the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) to prohibit in-flight operations of the autopilot coupled to flight director #2 during certain conditions; and installation of an associated warning placard. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
Federal Aviation Administration last month started controlling arrivals and departures in a Texas air traffic control facility by using the new air traffic controller workstations of its Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) as part of an effort to debug the system before nationwide installation. FAA Administrator Jane Garvey hailed the event as the first major milestone in the agency's modernization program.
Docket No.: 29146 Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 145.45(f) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To allow BFGoodrich to make its inspection procedures manual (IPM) available to its supervisory and inspection personnel in lieu of giving a copy of the IPM to each if its supervisory and inspection personnel. Grant, Oct. 4, 1999, Exemption No. 7024
Docket No.: 29800 Section of the FAR Affected: 25.813(e) Description of Petition: To allow doors between passenger compartments on Boeing Model 757-23A and 757-2J4 airplanes.
Docket No.: 29406 Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 135.299(a) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit FSG pilots to accomplish a line operational evaluation in a Level C or Level D flight simulator in lieu of a line check in an aircraft. Denial, Oct. 5, 1999, Exemption No. 7021
EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY scheduled a series of courses as part of its aviation safety certificate program in Dallas, Daytona Beach, Fla. and Prescott, Ariz. The courses cover Human Performance in Aviation, Accident Investigation and Management, Aviation Safety Program Management and Advanced Accident Investigation. The courses will be held between March 13-25 in Dallas, May 8-20 in Daytona Beach and June 9-22 and October 9-21 in Prescott. For more information, contact Embry-Riddle's Division of Continuing Education at (904) 226-6816.
VISIONAIRE CORPORATION appointed Daniel Mickelson president and chief operating officer. Mickelson, who had a 30-year career with Monsanto Company, most recently served as chairman, president and chief executive officer at Aerofil Technology, a Sullivan, Mo.-based contract packager of aerosol, liquid, dust and granular products. He also has served as senior vice president-engineering and operations services of Rhone Poulence.
KARIN TENNSTEDT joined Midcoast-Little Rock as manager, interior design. Tennstedt will assist Midcoast customers in selecting all elements of aircraft interior design, from basic configuration, cabinetry and carpeting. She has six years of aircraft interior design experience, most recently with Dassault Falcon Jet.
Docket No.: 28559 Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 21.327(a) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Rockwell to use a printout from its Order Management System for Class II products instead of the Application for Export Certificate of Airworthiness (Form 8130-1). Grant, Oct. 1, 1999, Exemption No. 6604B
FLIGHT SERVICES GROUP added seven new jet aircraft to its Part 135 charter certificate. The new aircraft include: a Challenger 600 and Learjet 55 in St. Petersburg, Fla.; a Hawker 125-400/731 based in Nashua, N.H.; a Citation II in Binghamton, N.Y; a Citation II in Stratford, Conn.; and a Citation SII and Citation Ultra, in West Palm Beach, Fla. FSG manages 38 aircraft, including 11 Citations.
Model BAe.125 Series 1000A and 1000B, and Model Hawker 1000 series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-176-AD; Amdt. 39-11444; AD 99-25-01) - requires inspection of P1 pitot pipes for chafing or damage, and various follow-on actions. This amendment is prompted by reports of P1 pitot pipes chafing against adjacent flight control cables. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent a hole in the P1 pitot pipes, which would lead to erroneous input to the instrumentation and warning systems associated with the pilot's instruments.
MICHAEL MOORE was named vice president-aircraft sales for TAG Aviation. Moore will report to Jake Cartwright, TAG Aviation USA president and chief executive officer and be based in San Francisco. He has held a number of management, sales and marketing positions with FlightSafety International, Duncan Aviation, Executive Air Fleet, Learjet and Airwork.
Docket No.: 29827 Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 25.815 Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To allow movement of passenger seats into the required aisle space under certain circumstances on Gulfstream Model G-V airplanes, serial numbers 554 through 583. Partial Grant, Oct. 26, 1999, Exemption No. 7055
Bombardier signed separate agreements with U.S. and British completion facilities to boost the number of Global Express aircraft the company can complete and deliver to customers. The Canadian manufacturer said The Jet Center of Van Nuys, Calif., and Marshall Aerospace of Cambridge Aerospace Ltd. in the United Kingdom - working under subcontracts to Bombardier - will each design, build and install interior completions for four of the very long range Global Express business jets next year.
Docket No.: 29436 Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 145.37(b) Description of Relief Sought: To permit Airport Services to apply for an FAA repair station certificate without having suitable permanent housing for at least one of the heaviest aircraft within the weight class of the rating it seeks.
ERIC JENSEN was named vice president-operations for Raytheon Aircraft Parts Inventory&Distribution Co. Jensen previously was director of continuous improvement for Raytheon Aircraft Montek. Before serving with Montek, he held positions of manager of customer support for Vickers Inc. and program manager and customer support engineer for Parker Hannifin.
In a bid to tackle the continuing ATC delay situation in Europe, European Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio called for the abolition of what she describes as "frontiers in the sky" and a move toward collective management of Europe's airspace. In a communication presented by the commissioner to try to avoid "a fresh crisis next summer," de Palacio offered a set of 23 technical, operational and institutional proposals aimed at relieving the situation (BA, Dec. 6/261).
FAA, already struggling with a tight fiscal 2000 budget that Congress adopted this fall, is facing another grim budget in fiscal 2001, if the Office of Management and Budget gets its way. OMB apparently squeezed the Transportation Department budget request for fiscal 2001, with FAA and the Coast Guard taking the biggest hits.
B/E Aerospace, Inc., a major manufacturer of aircraft seating that warned last month of sharply lower earnings (BA, Nov. 29/247), last week confirmed heavy losses for the three- and nine-month periods ended Nov. 27.
AMERICAN HELICOPTER SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL scheduled its 56th Annual Forum and Technology Display May 2-4 at the Virginia Beach Pavilion in Virginia Beach, Va. For more information, contact AHS at (703) 684-6777.
A QUEBEC SUPERIOR COURT this month ordered 15 InterCanadian turboprops and regional jets seized to cover the carrier's overdue bills. InterCanadian owes Nav Canada, three Maritime airports and the Toronto Airport Authority a total of about C$1.7 million. The airline had 23 planes, three of which were seized earlier by airports in Montreal and Ottawa. InterCanadian, a feeder for Canadian Airlines, shut down operations Nov. 27.
FlightSafety International received type rating training organization (TRTO) approval from Europe's Joint Aviation Authorities, allowing the company to offer type rating training to European pilots at the company's facilities in North America.
