Sierra Nevada, with team member Embraer, has once again defeated Beechcraft for the U.S. Air Force’s Light Air Support aircraft contract for the fledgling Afghan defense forces. The winning team, offering a variant of Embraer’s A-29 Super Tucano, originally beat out Beechcraft’s AT-6 proposal in December 2011. But the Air Force was quickly forced to stop work on the contract after Beechcraft protested the source selection. Findings of government auditors prompted the Air Force to redo the competition, leading to the Feb. 27 announcement.
Diamond Aircraft continues to struggle with the ongoing general aviation market malaise, temporarily laying off the majority of its workforce at its London, Ontario-based operation and suspending development of the D-Jet single-jet program. The company cites “continuing low piston aircraft sales, especially in the North American market, and the significant burden of its cost-intensive D-Jet development program” for the latest actions.
Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have introduced a pair of climate-change bills that could significantly raise the cost of fuel. The bills are similar to legislation introduced by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Ore.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) in 2010 in that they would impose a carbon-dioxide tax on fuel and other substances whose use creates greenhouse gas emissions. The bills will next be considered by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which Boxer chairs.
Jet Aviation’s facility in Dubai obtained FAA approval to provide line and base maintenance for the Gulfstream 650 aircraft. Dubai is among the initial service centers authorized to service Gulfstream’s newest aircraft. The center was established in May 2005 as a joint venture with the Al Mulla Group.
DASSAULT Model Mystere-Falcon 50 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-1037; Directorate Identifier 2012-NM-008-AD; Amendment 39-17347; AD 2013-03-12] – requires revising the maintenance program to incorporate new or revised maintenance requirements and airworthiness limitations. This AD was prompted by a manufacturer revision to the airplane maintenance manual that introduces new or more restrictive maintenance requirements and airworthiness limitations. FAA is issuing this AD to prevent reduced structural integrity of the airplane.
AL PETERSON joined Landmark Aviation as general manager of its facility at Los Angeles International Airport. Peterson has nearly 10 years of aviation industry experience, most recently as airport and fixed-base operation manager at Nantucket Memorial Airport. Peterson also served on the boards of directors for the National Air Transportation Association and the American Association of Airport Executives, and is past president of the Massachusetts Airport Management Association.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is installing a Level D full-flight simulator at its Advanced Flight Simulation Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. The CRJ-200 simulator will be installed this summer in time for training in the fall. The university plans to use the simulator to help students meet the proposed Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certification training requirements. While 1,500 flight hours are required for an ATP, the proposal would enable students who attend a college or university to qualify for an ATP with 1,000 hr.
Piper Aircraft is upgrading the avionics on its twin-engine Seneca V from the Garmin G600 to a three-display G1000 suite. The Seneca is the latest model to receive the G1000 – the avionics are on all of the company’s M-Class aircraft, along with the Saratoga twin. The Seneca V suite will include Baro-VNAV approach (used for LNAV/VNAV vertical guidance, whenever SBAS is not available or not approved), Vertical Profile View, User-defined holding patterns and the GSR 56-Iridium Transceiver.
GULFSTREAM Model G150 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-0986; Directorate Identifier 2012-NM-077-AD; Amendment 39-17357; AD 2013-03-23] -- requires revising the performance section of the airplane flight manual (AFM) to include procedures to advise the flightcrew of certain runway slope and anti-ice corrections and take-off distance values. This AD was prompted by a review that determined that the runway slope and anti-ice corrections to V1 and take-off distances in the AFM were presented in a non-conservative manner.
PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA PW206B, PW206B2, PW206C, PW207C, PW207D, PW207D1, PW207D2, and PW207E turboshaft engines [Docket No. FAA-2012-0942; Directorate Identifier 2012-NE-24-AD; Amendment 39-17355; AD 2013-03-21] -- AD requires re-identification of the power turbine (PT) disk to a part number (P/N) with a lower life limit This AD was prompted by the discovery that certain PT disks were made to specific heat codes that may not achieve the maximum in-service life. FAA is issuing this AD to prevent possible uncontained PT disk failure and loss of helicopter control.
FAA has no plans to address Part 135 flight and duty time regulations any time soon, but when it does, the agency will draw upon recommendations of the industry/FAA Part 125/135 Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), a senior regulator reassured charter operator executives.
PILATUS Models PC-12, PC-12/45, PC-12/47, and PC-12/47E airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-0732; Directorate Identifier 2012-CE-022-AD; Amendment 39-17311; AD 2012-26-16] – requires implementing more restrictive maintenance instructions and/or airworthiness limitations. The AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information from the European Aviation Safety Agency, which cites a need to incorporate new revisions into the limitations section of the FAA-approved maintenance program.
March 5-7, 2013—Airports Council International-North America, 2013 Operations & Technical Affairs Conference, St. Petersburg, Fla., www.aci-na.org/event/2412/ March 5-6, 2013—Airports Council International-North America, 2013 Public Safety & Security Spring Conference, St. Petersburg, Fla., www.aci-na.org/event/2411/ March 10-12, 2013—Airports Council International-North America, 2013 Air Cargo Conference, Las Vegas, Nev., www.aci-na.org/event/2631/
PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA PT6C-67C turboshaft engines [Docket No. FAA-2012-1005; Directorate Identifier 2012-NE-27-AD; Amendment 39-17349; AD 2013-03-14] -- requires initial and repetitive borescope inspections to verify the presence of a retaining ring securing the power turbine (PT) baffle located near the second stage PT disk. If the engine fails the inspection, this AD also requires removing the engine from service before further flight. This AD was prompted by five reported incidents of second stage PT disk damage.
While acknowledging that the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) investigation is still ongoing into the Feb. 20 crash of a Beech Premier 1A in Thomson, Ga., the Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) is advising operators to review FAA guidance on stabilized approaches. ACSF issued a notice to operators, citing the accident and recommending that as a precautionary measure, flight crews review FAA’s Advisory Circular 91-79, Runway Overrun Prevention, addressing landing performance and stabilized approaches.
Duncan Aviation received FAA supplemental type certification for installation of an L-3 GH-3900.2 electronic standby instrument system on Dassault Falcon 2000 and 2000EX aircraft. The multi-use STC also includes a Securaplane standby instruments backup battery. Duncan Aviation completed the installation in a little more than eight weeks in conjunction with an upgrade from the Pro Line 4 avionics system to the Pro Line 21. The work was accomplished at Duncan’s Battle Creek, Mich., facility.
A High Level Working Group (HLG) charged by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to evaluate market-based measures for aviation greenhouse gas emissions has yet to reach a consensus just weeks before it is expected to produce a proposal, several industry sources tell Aviation Week. The HLG is scheduled to meet March 25-27 in Montreal to produce an emissions reduction package for the ICAO Council to consider in June. The Council is then scheduled for a proposal to the full ICAO General Assembly in September.
Astronics Corporation’s Max-Viz-1500 enhanced vision system was approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for retrofit on Bell B206B/206L-4 and 407 helicopters. Astronics sees strong growth potential for its system, noting Bell’s forecast of a need for 2,000 helicopters in China over the next decade. “We also expect that there will be a tremendous need for enhanced situational awareness and improved safety in the country,” says Astronics Executive Vice President Elliott Troutman.
EMBRAER Model ERJ 170 and ERJ 190 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-1223; Directorate Identifier 2012-NM-154-AD; Amendment 39-17348; AD 2013-03-13] –requires replacing the striker and quick-release pin of the passive lock of the cockpit door, and replacing the upper and lower hinges of the cockpit door. This AD was prompted by reports of the cockpit door falling off the hinges when it is being opened or closed. FAA is issuing this AD to prevent the cockpit door from falling off the hinges, which could cause injury to airplane occupants.
Gulfstream’s G650 aircraft recently established four city-pair speed records in five days involving flights in the U.S., Middle East and Russia. City pairs, set in January, included a 9-hr., 33.-min. flight on Jan. 28 from Moscow Vnukovo Airport to Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Georgia. The aircraft cruised between Mach 0.90-0.91 for the 4,774-nm trip.
As the budget penalty known as sequestration rolled in March 1, FAA officials began laying the ground work for carving $600 million out of the remainder of its fiscal 2013 budget. But with so much of its budget cordoned off, the agency has little choice but to concentrate the cuts on the operations accounts – primarily small airport towers and staff, the officials told stakeholders in a Feb. 26 meeting.
