Because of the holiday schedule, The Weekly of Business Aviation will not publish a Dec. 31 edition. The next issue will be dated Jan. 7. Please refer to the Aviation Week Intelligence Network (subscribers only) or AviationWeek.com for additional coverage. And, please accept our best wishes for a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year.
The prospects for confirmation this year of Michael Huerta to become FAA administrator continued to dim in as the lame-duck session of Congress enters its final days. If not confirmed by the end of this week, President Obama would need to re-nominate Huerta to the role in the new Congress beginning in January. Whether Obama would hold off until he selects a new transportation secretary is unknown. General aviation groups have urged Congress to confirm the nomination, saying the agency needs a permanent administrator for long-term stability.
GULFSTREAM Model GIV-X airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-1225; Directorate Identifier 2012-NM-219-D; Amendment 39-17288; AD 2012-25-07] – requires performing a modified system power-on self test (SPOST) of the flap/stabilizer electronic control unit (FSECU), and revising the airplane flight manual to incorporate these test procedures into the daily preflight check.
LANCE LAJARA has joined Constant Aviation as large fleet account manager. Lajara has more than 15 years of aviation industry experience, most recently serving as the customer care manager with Honeywell. During his 15 years with Honeywell, he held roles involving quality, operations, logistics and customer service.
Raisbeck Engineering and Hartzell Propeller have developed and certified the first swept-blade propellers incorporating swept-wing aerodynamics, similar to those on the Airbus A400M and Lockheed Martin C-130J, in a civilian application, specifically for the Beechcraft King Air 200 family. The Raisbeck/Hartzell 96-in., 4-blade, Swept Turbofan Power Props will be available March 1 as a stand-alone installation or as part of the Raisbeck Epic Performance package for Beechcraft King Air 200/B200/B200GT aircraft. The standard King Air 200 props have a 93-in. diameter.
Sequestration would have a “significant impact” on the nation’s airspace system, possibly leading to the closure of air traffic control (ATC) towers at smaller airports, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) concludes in a report on the effects of a nearly $1 trillion across-the-board budget cut set to take place in January.
The number of general aviation accidents in the first two months of the government’s fiscal year, beginning Oct. 1, has spiked, causing FAA to voice some concern, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) says. EAA notes that FAA has reached out to the association for help in alerting the public that “the accident rate is heading very much the wrong way.” But EAA adds that the agency has not called for specific safety measures.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) is teaming with the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) to promote and help develop business aviation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Rep. Rick Larsen ( D-Wash.) is likely to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Costello ( D-Ill.) as the top Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure aviation subcommittee next year. Larsen is lining up a number of focus areas that he says will “set the table” for the next FAA reauthorization bill. Larsen says he has talked to other Democratic members about committee leadership positions and is preparing for the new role. Larsen’s congressional district includes Everett, Wash., the home of Boeing’s major manufacturing facility.
DAVID BEACH has joined Jet Advisors as vice president of contracts. Beach formerly served as senior vice president of contracts at NetJets, where he managed contract drafting and negotiations, aircraft deliveries from manufacturers, aircraft sales positioning, FAA filings, and owner asset/liability insurance. He also has served as manager of contract administration at the then-Raytheon Corporate Jets (now Hawker Beechcraft).
CESSNA Model 525 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-0880; Directorate Identifier 2012-CE-004-AD] – revises an earlier proposal that applies to certain aircraft equipped with certain part number (P/N) air conditioning (A/C) compressor motors.
Signature Flight Support is continuing to expand its brand in Canada under its second licensing agreement with an established fixed-base operator (FBO). Signature last summer signed an agreement with Airside FBO Operations at Edmonton International Airport (CYEG) to become a fully licensed Signature Flight Support location. The FBO has now rebranded as Signature Edmonton and is participating in a range of Signature services, including the Signature TailWins pilot rewards program. Signature Edmonton, which includes four 20,000-sq.-ft. hangars and nearly 40,000-sq.-ft.
The Transportation Security Administration could issue foreign repair station certification rules early next year, a senior official says. The rules are “hopefully on track to be out in January,” Ann Zipser, director-global programs and engagement in TSA’s Office of Global Strategies, said last week at an American Association of Airport Executives aviation security summit.
PACIFIC AEROSPACE Models FU240-954 and FU24A-954 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-1251; Directorate Identifier 2012-CE-044-AD] – proposes to supersede an existing AD calling for operating limits. That AD stems from mandatory continuing airworthiness information from the aviation authority of New Zealand, which cites reports of aircraft operating outside the aircraft aft center of gravity (C of G) limits during parachute-drop operations. Exceeding C of G limits could result in loss of control of the aircraft.
Piper Aircraft is pledging to maintain an employment base of at least 650 workers under an amended agreement with the state of Florida that will enable the company to keep incentive money it received as part of its original contract with the state.
The National Transportation Safety Board last week was participating in the investigation of the crash of a Learjet 25 jet, N345MC, operated by Starwood Management under Part 135, that killed all seven people on board, including Latin singer Jenni Rivera. The aircraft, which had departed Monterrey, Mexico around 3:30 a.m. Dec. 9 on a flight to Toluca, was operating at FL280 when it entered a tailspin, plummeting at a high speed and crashed into mountains at 9,000 ft. above sea level about 70 mi. south of Monterrey.
The Middle East business aviation market, which has more than doubled over the past five years, is expected to remain on that trajectory and reach $1 billion in the next five years, industry executives predict. The region took 246 business aircraft deliveries between 2006-2011, accounting for nearly 40% of the fleet in the Middle East, according to Hawker Beechcraft. This is a 132% increase from the 106 business aircraft deliveries that occurred between 2002-2006, the Wichita airframer says.
ERICKSON AIR-CRANE Model S-64F helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2008-1243; Directorate Identifier 2007-SW-03-AD; Amendment 39-17267; AD 2012-23-11] – requires inspecting for cracking or working rivets in each left and right splice fitting, the pylon bulkhead assembly-canted, and the pylon steel strap. This AD was prompted by several reports of cracking in the transition fittings, the bulkhead assembly, and the pylon.
Eurocopter is delaying the certification of its EC175 medium-lift helicopter by six months, citing issues with the aircraft’s avionics system. First deliveries of the aircraft will now occur in September 2013, nine months later than planned. Deliveries will follow certification, expected in the summer of 2013. The announcement comes as the first production standard aircraft, S01, made its first flight from the company’s facilities at Marignane, near Marseille, France. S01 will act as a third trials aircraft and is fully fitted out with instrumentation.
The U.S. government is throwing its support behind the high-level working group on market-based measures to combat aviation greenhouse gas emissions that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) convened last week in Montreal. The high-level group brings together delegations from 17 ICAO member states. The group, which met for the first time last week, is expected to present its findings to the ICAO Council in March and June next year.
Cessna Aircraft is hoping to have a $27.4 million arbitration panel award thrown out, saying the ruling ignored years of material breaches and imposed contractual terms that did not exist. Canadian supplier Avcorp in June 2011 sought the arbitration award after Cessna had moved to end its long-standing supplier agreement and said it would seek parts from other suppliers. An arbitration panel last month directed Cessna to pay Avcorp $27.4 million for lost profits as a result of a breach of contract.
Boeing now plans to announce its choice of a medium-sized business jet airframe for its new Maritime Surveillance Aircraft early next year, according to a company official. Boeing had hoped to announce the new partnership during the summer’s Farnborough air show and then pushed it back to year’s end. But final negotiations with the supplier are taking longer than planned, forcing the company to once again slip its unveiling. Onlookers suggest it is likely to be an Embraer platform, possibly the ERJ145.
EMBRAER Model ERJ 170 and ERJ 190 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-1223; Directorate Identifier 2012-NM-154-AD] – proposes to require 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 proposed AD was prompted by reports of the cockpit door falling off the hinges when it is being open or closed. FAA is proposing this AD to prevent the cockpit door from falling off the hinges, which could cause injury to airplane occupants.
