Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) praised the decision of a French appellate court to overturn manslaughter charges against Continental Airlines, saying prosecutorial and judicial interference not only harms the accident victims but can hurt safety efforts by hampering accident investigations. The court’s decision ends a long-running battle over culpability in the 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde near Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport. A lower court had fined Continental €200,000 and ordered the U.S. carrier to pay Air France €1 million for the crash.
National Air Transportation Association is switching the manager of its Workers’ Compensation Insurance Program beginning Jan. 1 to Beacon Aviation Insurance Services, Inc. (BAIS). The change ends a more than 35-year partnership between NATA and the US Aircraft Insurance Group (USAIG), which helped launch the program with NATA in 1975. NATA says the switch will enable the organization to reduce member operating costs and help expand its safety programs.
For the second time this year, the Hawthorne Global Aviation Services fixed-base operation facility at New Orleans Lakefront Airport (KNEW) is reopening following extensive repairs of damages caused by a hurricane. Hawthorne had owned the facility – formerly called AeroPremier Jet Center – for just a month when Hurricane Isaac struck in late August, causing significant damage.
BELL Model 412, 412EP and 412CF helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2012-0530; Directorate Identifier 2011-SW-075-AD; Amendment 39-17247; AD 2012-22-11] – requires a repetitive inspection of the collective lever for a crack, and if there is a crack, before further flight, replacement of the collective lever with an airworthy collective lever. This AD was prompted by a reported failure of a collective lever. The actions are intended to detect a crack in the collective lever, which could lead to failure of the collective lever and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.
Swiss-based VistaJet, already one of the fastest growing operators worldwide, took a step to significantly accelerate that growth with last week’s announced order for up to 142 Bombardier Global aircraft that have a potential value of $7.8 billion. The contract includes firm orders for a mix of 56 Global business jets valued at $3.1 billion, marking the largest single firm order that Bombardier has received for its business jet line to date.
Embraer on Nov. 27 successfully completed the first flight of its Legacy 500 midsize business jet, but delays in the launch of the flight-test program have pushed the anticipated entry into service into 2014.
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] – proposes to require re-identification of the power turbine (PT) disk to a part number with a lower life limit. This proposed 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 proposing this AD to prevent possible uncontained PT disk failure and loss of helicopter control.
Cessna Aircraft firmed up its agreement with Avic’s China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Company (Caiga) to produce Caravans in China and opened the possibility to jointly design and develop new utility turboprop models there in the future. Cessna’s newly signed joint-venture contract with Caiga builds on an initial agreement that the two entities announced in May.
PIAGGIO Model P-180 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-1181; Directorate Identifier 2003-CE-030-AD; Amendment 39-17249; AD 2003-17-03 R1] – revises an existing AD that currently requires replacement of any firewall shutoff or crossfeed valve with a serial number in a certain range even if it has been previously modified. The way the applicability was written includes valves that should not be affected and are not included in the referenced service information.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy believes FAA has significantly understated the costs associated with its proposed changes in the Part 145 rewrite and is suggesting that the agency conduct a supplemental regulatory analysis that includes less costly alternatives. The SBA Office of Advocacy, which hosted a meeting earlier this month on FAA ’s Part 145 notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), expressed industry groups’ concerns that FAA ’s proposal omits a number of costs in its cost-benefit analysis .
Fadec International, a BAE Systems and Sagem engine control joint venture, has formed a new company with General Electric called Fadec Alliance to develop digital controllers for the CFM Leap and GE Passport engines. The Fadec Alliance will supply all the controllers for the Leap family which is in development for the Airbus A320NEO, Boeing 737 MAX and Comac C919, as well as the GE Passport, which is being developed for Bombardier’s Global 7000 and 8000 business jets. The company will be responsible for the design, manufacture and aftermarket support of the system.
SIKORSKY Model S-76C helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2012-0340; Directorate Identifier 2011-SW-073-AD; Amendment 39-17250; AD 2012-22-13] – requires installing an improved throttle stop and a wider trigger on the engine control levers (ECL). This AD was prompted by a bird-strike to the windshield that resulted in unintended movement of the engine control levers from the forward position and toward the flight-idle position, which reduced power on both engines.
An industry-based general aviation (GA) security working group is hoping to present a series of initial recommendations to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) early next year that will update airport and operational guidelines that are now almost 10 years old.
The Bristol Flying Center (BFC) Group, based in Southwest England, is on pace for significant growth with the ongoing expansion of its fixed-base operation and the award of two large handling contracts. The group, which includes aircraft operator Centrelineair based at Bristol Airport, recently signed a deal with bmi regional, along with another brand. Bristol estimates the two handling contracts will result in an exponential increase of passenger business. In addition, the company is doubling its facilities, including a 6,500- sq.-ft.
Hangar8 is expanding its international charter and management business with the acquisition of International JetClub for 1.1 million pounds (U.K.) ($1.76 million) and the issue of 500,000 ordinary shares. The acquisition increases Hangar8’s managed fleet from 40 to 50 aircraft, including four helicopters. Nearly half of the fleet are large-cabin, long-range jets. International JetClub founder and Chairman Murray Law will serve as vice chairman of the new combined company, responsible for management development systems and integration.
ROLLS-ROYCE BR700-710A1-10 and BR700-710A2-20 turbofan engines, and certain BR700-710C4-11 model engines [Docket No. FAA-2012-1055; Directorate Identifier 2012-NE-33-AD] – proposes to require reducing the life limits for certain high-pressure turbine (HPT) stage 1 and stage 2 discs. This proposed AD was prompted by RRD performing an evaluation that determined that certain HPT stage 1 and stage 2 discs from a specific supplier may contain steel inclusions that may cause the discs to fail before they reach their current life limits.
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) lifted his objection to Michael Huerta’s elevation to the top spot at the FAA just weeks before a year-end deadline to confirm the acting administrator’s position. DeMint’s objection initially stemmed from concerns about the FAA’s labor policy. DeMint will lead Republicans on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in the Democrat-controlled Senate next year.
A jury is set to begin hearing testimony in a 7-year-old patent infringement lawsuit between rival avionics vendors L-3 and Avidyne in a U.S. District Court starting in February. According to Avidyne, the court case centers on sales of Avidyne’s Entegra integrated avionics system between 2004 and mid-2005, when the system was the primary avionics suite for the Cirrus SR20 and SR22 single-engine general aviation aircraft.
Embraer continued to expand its work outside of Brazil with the groundbreaking of a new engineering center in Melbourne, Fla., and the beginning of deliveries from its new factory in Portugal. Embraer last week began construction of its 67,000-sq.-ft. Embraer Engineering and Technology Center USA. The center, located on 13 acres at Melbourne International Airport, will house capabilities including three-dimensional, computer-aided design, computational fluid dynamics, finite element modeling and virtual reality.
Gulfstream Aerospace’s new aircraft service center in Beijing, Gulfstream Beijing, has secured Part 145 approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and has officially opened. The center is one of only a few business aviation services facilities in China to have achieved CAAC 145 approval. The certification authorizes the center to work on aircraft registered in China. The facility is a joint venture between Gulfstream and Hainan Airlines Group subsidiaries Hainan Aviation Technik (HNAT) and Deer Jet.
A government-industry rulemaking committee is recommending that FAA create a single master electronic database encompassing all guidance documents to help improve the agency’s consistency in interpreting regulations. The Consistency of Regulation Interpretation Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), established in April to address issues surrounding FAA’s lack of standardization, presented its findings and recommendations to the agency last week. FAA will review the recommendations and forward them to Congress early next year.
NetJets took delivery of its first Bombardier aircraft, a “Signature Series” Global 6000, marking the beginning of a new fleet of the large cabin class that could include hundreds of Global and Challenger aircraft. The aircraft will help expand NetJets’ fleet, and also replace Gulfstreams and Dassault business jets that have traditionally filled the large-cabin role.
Dassault and Gulfstream are continuing to build up their infrastructure in the Asia Pacific, hoping to capitalize on what they see as one of the fastest growing, yet largely untapped markets in the world. Dassault is establishing a wholly owned subsidiary, Dassault Falcon Business Services (Beijing) Co. Ltd., in Beijing to provide support services to customers in the region. The Dassault facility will be headed by Jean Michel Jacob as general manager and Jean Rosanvallon as chairman.
