FAA plans to divvy up to 1,721 flight “allocations” among Grand Canyon air tour operators that incorporate quiet aircraft technologies. In a Feb. 3 notice in the Federal Register, FAA outlines a plan to use the first six months of 2014 to establish a baseline for dividing the allocations among qualified operators that fly in the restricted Grand Canyon airspace.
FAA is calling “implausible, if not simply preposterous,” the city of Santa Monica, Calif.’s arguments on why its lawsuit over control of Santa Monica Airport (SMO) should continue. The city on Oct. 31 filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California seeking to control the fate of SMO, saying it has “unencumbered title to the airport property and its availability ... to use the airport property as it chooses.” If successful, the city would have the option to close the airport after July 2015.
Blackhawk Modifications Inc. of Waco Texas, working with St. Paul, Minn.-based Wipaire, received FAA certification of the Blackhawk XP42A engine upgrade for Cessna Model 208 and 208A Caravans equipped with Wipline floats. The Blackhawk upgrade replaces the standard 600-hp PT6A-114 or 675-hp PT6A-114A turboprop engines with the new 850-hp PT6A-42A engines on the Caravan. Blackhawk says the increased horsepower will provide more versatility to float-equipped Caravans.
Air Greenland has canceled an order for two Airbus Helicopters EC225s because the offshore market around the island has not developed as expected. The company ordered the aircraft as part of a DKK380 million ($69 million) deal announced in December 2011. It planned to use them on search-and-rescue missions and passenger-carrying duties with an expected influx of oil and gas companies exploring for oil around the huge country. But on Feb. 3 the company confirmed that its board had unanimously decided to cancel the Airbus Helicopters contract.
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is urging FAA to rethink its approach to aircraft weight and balance requirements, saying the new approach is better suited for scheduled carriers.
The Transportation Department watchdog is criticizing FAA’s policy on aircraft registration, saying the agency still does not have the information it needs on non-U.S. citizen trusts (NCTs). FAA in June released a policy clarification that culminated a multiyear effort to tighten the use of NCTs to improve the accuracy, transparency and timeliness of aircraft registration information.
Business jet operations topped 4 million for the first time since 2008 last year, according to preliminary FAA data. FAA reports operations reached 4.072 million in 2013, a 2.26% increase over 2012. Since the data is preliminary, this is likely to increase slightly once FAA finalizes December operations. Business jet operations peaked at 4.825 million in 2007 before falling 11% in 2008 to 4.291 million. Operations plunged almost 20% the following year to a decade-low 3.449 million. They have been on the rise every year since, but recovery has been slow.
CHRIS HANCOCK was appointed sales manager for Dassault Falcon Jet covering the Northeastern U.S. Hancock has held business aircraft sales positions for more than a decade. He formerly served with Bombardier and Hawker Beechcraft.
Honeywell and Inmarsat have completed the critical design review of the GX aircraft avionics that will accommodate Inmarsat’s high-speed, inflight connectivity service that will provide data rates of up to 50 mbps. Initial product certifications are expected later this year with products entering the market in the first half of 2015. The critical design review marked the final development evaluation, keeping the program on schedule, the companies say. Inmarsat recently launched the first of three Ka-band satellites to provide the service.
Beechcraft is approaching initial deliveries of the Hawker 400XPR-upgraded aircraft, with the first three undergoing final airframe modifications. The upgrades involve new avionics, engines and/or winglets, among other improvements of the original Hawker/Beechjet 400 aircraft. The first of the three aircraft already had a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite installed last year. That aircraft recently returned for installation of the Hawker winglets and the Williams International FJ44-4A-32 engines.
CHRIS CANNADY was named OEM sales manager for Universal Avionics. Cannady will develop and maintain sales of the company’s products to original equipment manufacturers in the U.S. Cannady has more than 24 years of industry experience, previously holding engineering, management and technical sales positions with Boeing Military Aircraft, Cessna Aircraft, Bombardier Learjet and Gulfstream Aerospace.
FAA’s limited resources and cumbersome approval processes are costing small businesses thousands and hamstringing growth of the general aviation industry, general aviation business leaders tell lawmakers.
Bell Helicopter received a contract from the New York Police Department (NYPD) for four Bell 429 helicopters. The NYPD will use the helicopters for airborne law enforcement patrol over New York City and surrounding jurisdictions. The helicopters will join a fleet that also includes three Bell 412EPs. Those helicopters are used in a range of missions, including search and rescue at sea, intelligence gathering and anti-terrorism efforts. Delivery of the new 429s is expected to be completed in 2015.
Epic Aircraft has begun production of its first conforming Epic E1000 six-place single turboprop aircraft and hopes to begin certification flight trials this summer, keeping it on pace for certification by mid-2015.
DARREL DAVIES was appointed regional representative for Canada for Southeast Aerospace (SEA). Davies will help expand SEA’s services in the Canadian helicopter market. He has more than 25 years of aircraft parts distribution experience in the Canadian market, previously serving with Pacific Avionics, Van Isle Avionics, and Acro Aerospace.
KRISTEN KRUEGER was named sales manager in the Pacific Northwestern U.S. for Dassault Falcon Jet. Krueger previously served as Dassault Falcon Jet’s inside sales manager for the Western U.S. and Western Canada. She has 13 years of industry experience, including as regional vice president of fractional aircraft sales for NetJets.
FAA, which has faced substantial criticism over its lengthy certification processes, released guidance to simplify approvals for a key safety instrument for general aviation aircraft. The new streamlined procedures for angle of attack (AOA) indicators are part of a multi-faceted effort by FAA and the general aviation community to improve general aviation safety. The units, which are not required equipment on general aviation aircraft, measure the angle between the wing and oncoming air, providing a warning of low airspeed and potential for stall.
EUROCOPTER DEUTSCHLAND Model EC135P1, EC135P2, EC135P2+, EC135T1, EC135T2, and EC135T2+ helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2014-0034; Directorate Identifier 2013-SW-006-AD] – proposes to supersede AD 2012-10-53, which currently requires, before further flight and at specified intervals, checking and inspecting the upper and lower main rotor hub (MRH) shaft flanges for a crack, and inspecting the lower hub-shaft flange bolt attachment areas for a crack.
Associated Air Center (AAC) in Dallas recently expanded its facilities to accommodate its contracts to complete 747-8 and 787-8 wide-body aircraft. The expansions included the addition of a 7,200-sq.-ft. mobile tail enclosure that is 120 ft. wide, 60 ft. deep and nearly 76 ft. tall. Designed to be moved with existing aircraft tugs, the enclosure structure is equipped with fire protection system, fire alarm system, high bay lighting and low-volt electrical connections.
Lawmakers are heading toward the next significant budget debate as the Feb. 7 deadline for addressing the debt ceiling passed, forcing the Treasury Department to implement “extraordinary measures” to avoid a federal default. But, unlike most of the budget battles that have occurred over the past two years, it appears that discussions about raising taxes on business aircraft have been set aside, at least for now.
EUROCOPTER FRANCE Model AS350B, AS350BA, AS350B1, AS350B2, AS350B3, AS350C, AS350D, and AS350D1 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2013-0679; Directorate Identifier 2009-SW-015-AD; Amendment 39-17733; AD 2014-02-05] – requires measuring the distance between the end of the main rotor collective pitch lever, locking stud and the locking strip and repairing the locking stud if the clearance is insufficient.
LEARJET Model 60 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2013-0691; Directorate Identifier 2012-NM-170-AD; Amendment 39-17678; AD 2013-24-04] – supersedes AD 2003-19-11, which required determining if a certain fuel crossflow tube is installed, and follow-on/corrective actions, as applicable. This new AD requires retaining all actions in AD 2003-19-11, and it also requires determining if a certain fuel crossflow tube is installed, performing repetitive measurements of the fuel crossflow tube and surrounding valves and cables, and doing corrective actions if necessary.
In a move that comes as Airbus puts a sharper focus on gaining market share in its Airbus Corporate Jets unit, the manufacturer has appointed Benoit Defforge as the unit’s new managing director. Defforge, who has headed the Airbus Corporate Jet Centre (ACJC), succeeds Habib Fekih, who helped establish the corporate jets unit and has led it as president since 2011. Airbus credited Fekih with consolidating ACJ activities in recent years. He is moving on to new responsibilities within Airbus, the company says.
