QUINN HAMON was named director of safety for regional fractional operator Executive AirShare. Hamon previously served as chief pilot for AirNet Systems in Columbus, Ohio. He also has served as a flight instructor with Pan Am International Flight Academy.
Garmin International has developed a GRA 5500 all-digital radar altimeter for transport, business and general aviation aircraft, as well as helicopters. Garmin says the new unit enables consistent and accurate altitude tracking, even over challenging environments such as rough terrain, tree canopies, sand and choppy water. “The GRA 5500 meets the highest altitude accuracy standards only previously seen in products for transport and military aircraft,” says Carl Wolf, vice president of aviation sales and marketing for Garmin.
FAA is working with airport, state and industry groups to better define general aviation airports that do not fit into any clear category. The agency last spring issued a study, General Aviation Airports: A National Asset, to further define the role of GA airports, that highlighted the diverse roles of nearly 3,000 general aviation airports. The initial study pinpointed may functions of GA airports, from medical, search and rescue, disaster relief, firefighting, law enforcement, remote community access, cargo, commercial activity and industrial.
HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND 14SF-7, 14SF-15 and 14SF-23 series propellers [Docket No. FAA-2013-0056; Directorate Identifier 2012-NE-48-AD] – proposes to require, for propellers using certain Hamilton Sundstrand auxiliary pumps and motors (auxiliary feathering pumps), removing certain serial numbers (S/Ns) of auxiliary feathering pumps from service. This proposed AD was prompted by a report of a propeller not moving into the feathering position after an engine inflight shutdown.
Feb. 28, 2013—NABA Business Aviation Regional Forums, AirFlite, Long Beach Airport (Daugherty Field) Long Beach, Calif., www.nbaa.org/events/forums/20130228/ Feb. 26-28, 2013—Air Charter Safety Foundation 2013 Air Charter Safety Symposium, NTSB Training Center, Ashburn, Va., (888) 723-3135, www.acsf.aero March 5-7, 2013—Airports Council International-North America, 2013 Operations & Technical Affairs Conference, St. Petersburg, Fla., www.aci-na.org/event/2412/
The Department of Transportation is warning that sequestration would cut $619 million from FAA’s fiscal 2013 budget and that the cuts could result in the furlough of more than 40,000 FAA employees and delay elements of the NextGen air traffic modernization program. DOT outlined the potential ramifications of the automatic spending cuts that would come with sequestration in a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
ROSCOE ARMSTRONG was appointed chief operating officer for StarPort. Armstrong will oversee the day-to-day operations of StarPort, including aircraft maintenance, avionics, paint, interior and fixed-base operation services. Armstrong has more than 30 years experience working for and with aviation services companies, holding positions with the U.S. Department of Justice/Drug Enforcement Agency, L-3 Communications, TXI Aviation and FAA.
The European Parliament expects the world’s airlines to commit to a draft emissions trading plan in September to avoid having the European Union restart the clock on its own system, the chairman of the legislative body’s Transportation Committee says. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly is scheduled to meet in September.
Air Works in India plans to expand into cabin refurbishment for business jets over the next two years, adding to its maintenance, repair and overhaul expertise on numerous types of business aircraft. The activity will be based at its Mumbai hangar in Chembur. It will, the company says, be the first of its kind interiors facility in India. Last year it unveiled a prototype midsized aircraft interior in conjunction with auto icon Dilip Chhabria Design.
Jet Aviation, which recently realigned and downsized its European operations, is expanding in other regions. Jet Aviation’s Dubai operation opened a fixed-base operation at Al Maktoum International Airport. The FBO is the company’s second base in Dubai, complementing the existing facility at Dubai International Airport. The new facility will provide 24/7 handling service, along with a range of aircraft services.
Aircare Solutions Group, an Olympia, Wash.-based group of companies that provide emergency procedures training, medical assistance and crew staffing, has joined the Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF), bringing ACSF’s membership to more 100 companies.
Eurocopter is planning to retrofit the worldwide AS350B3e fleet with a modification to solve a tail rotor issue by August. The manufacturer, owned by EADS, says the retrofit, which involves the removal of chin weights fitted to the tail rotor assembly and the installation of a load compensator, will fix issues suffered by operators of the B3e variant of the Ecureuil single-engined light helicopter that was launched by the manufacturer at the 2011 Heli-Expo event.
Hawker Beechcraft is developing both short- and long-term plans to address a recurring landing gear part fatigue cracking problem highlighted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). An NTSB investigation focused on cracked nose landing gear (NLG) hydraulic actuator end caps that came to light when the gear collapsed on a Great Lakes Airlines Beech 1900D just after landing at Denver International Airport on May 17, 2011. That incident was traced to insufficient hydraulic pressure caused by a cracked cap.
The long-delayed solicitation for proposals to host six unmanned aircraft system (UAS) test sites across the U.S. has been issued by the FAA, along with the agency’s proposed approach to addressing public concerns over privacy.
EUROCOPTER Model AS350 and AS355 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2013-0119; Directorate Identifier 2011-SW-034-AD] – proposes to require inspecting for a crack in the control lever attachment yokes, and if needed, replacing the tail rotor gearbox (TGB). This proposed AD is prompted by improper casting of TGB casing assemblies, which may lead to cracking. A crack in the control lever attachment yokes could cause a loss of tail rotor pitch control, and consequently, loss of control of the helicopter. FAA estimates that this proposed AD would affect 693 helicopters on the U.S.
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT Model 400A aircraft [Docket No. FAA-2012-1111; Directorate Identifier 2012-NM-114-AD; Amendment 39-17342; AD 2013-03-07] – requires installing an inline fuse in the 5-volt DC system for each of the five instrument lighting control power supplies. This AD was prompted by a report that the wiring for the 5-volt direct current (DC) system is undersized and does not have adequate circuit protection for the smaller gauge wire.
The business and general aviation market continues its sluggishness as billings dipped slightly overall and business jet and piston aircraft deliveries faltered in 2012, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s (GAMA) annual shipment report released last week. And, whether that market improves at all this year – at least in North America – could hinge upon the high-level debate on how to avoid sequestration and tackle the national debt, GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce says.
RYAN ISAACS was promoted to assistant chief pilot for Executive AirShare. Isaac, who became an Executive AirShare pilot last year, has more than 6,800 flight hours and is rated in the Embraer Legacy and Phenom 100 and 300. Before joining the company, he was a captain with Miami-based Leon Aviation and a first officer for American Eagle Airlines.
GippsAERO/ Mahindra Aerospace achieved numerous milestones in 2012 that will underpin its expansion into larger aircraft. The year marked the first flight of its Rolls-Royce turboprop-powered GA10 evolution of the GA8, and the opening of the manufacturing hangar in Traralgon, Australia, for the GA18TP development of the twin-engined GAF Nomad. In addition, the 175th GA8 Airvan rolled off the production line, taking the record for the most Australian-produced civil certified aircraft.
President Barack Obama did not specify corporate jets during his Feb. 12 State of the Union speech, but the continued discussion about eliminating “tax loopholes and deductions for the well-off and well-connected” leaves industry leaders and Republican lawmakers wary about the continued push to change business aircraft depreciation schedules.
Bangalore-based Empire Aviation, set up last year after Indian MRO specialist Air Works made a $30 million strategic investment in Empire’s parent company in Dubai, has taken its first business jet under management—a Challenger 300 that flies from HAL Airport. It is in discussions for three more aircraft, and plans to have five under management in India by the middle of this year. Challenges facing the development of private aviation in India include tough regulations on aircraft importation and ownership, says Paras Dhamecha, executive director of Empire Aviation.
Part 135 operators are concerned that FAA’s proposed contract maintenance rulemaking will impose a series of costly new mandates, goes beyond the scope intended by Congress and does not take into account the differences between Part 121 and 123 operations. FAA issued the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in November 2012 calling for operators to keep an updated list of maintenance contractors, create more contractor-centric maintenance instructions and include them in their maintenance manuals.
