A general aviation jobs rally on May 18 drew more than 400 workers, state and local officials – including Senate GA Caucus Co-chairman Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) – to Duncan Aviation’s new paint hangar at Lincoln, Neb. During the event, Both Johanns and Nelson discussed the critical role that general aviation plays in the economy. Also speaking were Duncan Aviation Chairman Todd Duncan, Justin Keppy, vice president of manufacturing for Hamilton Sundstrand, and General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) President and CEO Pete Bunce.
CAE has received a long-term agreement to be the exclusive training provider of Masterjet Cessna Citation CJ3 and Dassault Falcon 7X, 900 and 900EX EASy pilots. CAE will train the pilots at the Emirates-CAE Flight Training center in Dubai, as well as at CAE training centers near London, New York and Dallas. Paris-based Masterjet provides charter, aircraft trading, aircraft management, auditing and consulting services.
Truman Arnold Companies reached agreement to buy a controlling stake in the Keystone Aviation fixed-base operations (FBO) in Utah. The Keystone FBOs in Salt Lake City and Provo will be rebranded TAC Air. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Keystone Aviation’s charter and management, sales and maintenance subsidiaries will remain under the Keystone brand. The addition expands TAC Air west of the Rockies and increases the number of its bases to 14.
EUROCOPTER DEUTSCHLAND Model MBB-BK117 C-2 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2012-0528; Directorate Identifier 2011-SW-068-AD] – proposes to require replacement of certain generator control units (GCUs). This proposed AD is prompted by reports of internal short circuits in certain GCUs. The proposed actions are intended to replace any affected GCUs to prevent a short circuit, which could result in a loss of electrical generating power, loss of systems required for continued safe flight and landing and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.
Rockwell Collins is making its Airshow 3D moving map available for the Apple iPad. Dassault will offer Airshow for iPads in cabins equipped with FalconCabin HD+. The Airshow app will be available later this year. Existing Rockwell Collins Airshow 4000 or Venue HD cabin management system users will be able to use the new app through a system upgrade. The app provides a panorama view that enables passengers to see a moving map of the outside world from any direction the iPad is pointed.
SAAB 2000 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-0184; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-118-AD; Amendment 39-17055; AD 2012-10-06] – requires performing, in certain locations, a detailed inspection for corrosion of the electrical and electronics installation, and if corrosion is found, repairing each affected harness braid or replacing each affected component and/or wiring harness. This AD was prompted by reports that environmentally friendly deicing agents used on certain electrical connectors and braids could cause corrosion damage.
GippsAero’s GA10 10-seat STOL turboprop is in flight test after completing its first flight on May 1. The GA10 is based on the Australian aircraft manufacturer’s GA8 Airvan and is the first single-engine turboprop designed and produced in Australia. GippsAero is a subsidiary of India’s Mahindra Group. The 20-min. first flight at GippsAero’s home base at Latrobe Regional Airport in eastern Victoria was flown by test pilot Tony Morris and GippsAero flight test engineer Gerhard Jordaan.
KEVIN BANG joined Dallas Airmotive as manager of its Phoenix regional turbine center (RTC). Bang will be responsible for day-to-day operations at the RTC, which provides Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce and Honeywell engine repair services. Bang previously served with Consolidated Turbine Support in Mesa, Ariz., where he was quality control manager for Part 145 programs.
FAA has scheduled a public meeting on May 30 to solicit input on incentives for commercial and general aviation operators to equip their aircraft with NextGen capabilities. In the most recent FAA reauthorization bill, Congress gave the secretary of Transportation authority to establish an equipage incentive program for U.S.-registered aircraft.
June 7—National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Regional Forum, Teterboro Airport (TEB), Teterboro, N.J., (202) 783-9000, www.nbaa.org June 11-13—National Air Transportation Association 2012 Air Charter Summit, Westfields Marriott, Chantilly/Dulles, Va., (703) 845-9000, www.nata.aero June 14–16—National Business Aviation Association 17th Annual Flight Attendants/Flight Technicians Conference, Chicago, Ill., (202) 783-9000, www.nbaa.org
The Gulfstream G280 flight test campaign, now at more than 2,000 hr., has completed all company and FAA certification flights, says Scott Neal, Gulfstream senior vice president for sales and marketing. The focus is now on completing the paperwork, and full certification is still anticipated in the third quarter. The first customer aircraft was also just delivered to begin its completion process, Neal says. The next production slot is available at the end of 2014. Gulfstream also is expecting full G650 approval in the third quarter.
The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) presented the 2012 European Business Aviation Awards to David McMillan, director general of Eurocontrol, and Don Spruston, director general of the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC). McMillan and Spruston, who received the awards May 14 during the 12th Annual European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition, were recognized for their service to the business aviation industry.
Joe Lombardo, executive vice president of the General Dynamics Aerospace Group, was selected to receive the National Aeronautic Association’s 2012 Cliff Henderson Trophy.
CESSNA Models 210G, T210G, 210H, T210H, 210J, T210J, 210K, T210K, 210L, T210L, 210M, T210M, 210N, T210N, P210N, 210R, T210R, and P210R airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-0534; Directorate Identifier 2012-CE-015-AD; Amendment 39-17053; AD 2012-10-04] – requires an inspection(s) of the left- and right-wing lower main spar caps for cracks and either replacing cracked wing lower main spar caps, wing spars, or wings (as applicable) with serviceable spar caps, spars, or wings that are found free of cracks or incorporating an FAA-approved modification.
Seven California lawmakers are pushing for Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to address helicopter noise issues in Los Angeles County. In a May 23 letter to LaHood, the lawmakers ask the FAA to formally solicit local stakeholder views on helicopter noise to “more quickly develop solutions to this ongoing problem.” A study should be the “first step in efforts to enact helicopter flight restrictions,” says Rep. Howard Berman (D), among those signing the letter.
FAA is creating a new classification system for general aviation airports to position them better for local, regional and federal support. This system, which is detailed in a report “General Aviation Airports: A National Asset,” is the culmination of an 18-month study conducted with industry that is intended as a “strategic tool” to help FAA, state agencies and airport sponsors make planning decisions, the agency says. The report also is designed to educate the public of the benefits of local airports and other landing facilities.
Airbus wants to grow the charter market for its corporate jet line and has gained recent approvals from FAA, European Aviation Safety Agency and General Authority of Civil Aviation of Saudi Arabia for Part 135 operations of its ACJ318 and ACJ319, as well as Civil Aviation Administration of China backing for the ACJ319.
The relaunch of the U.S. Air Force’s Light Air Support aircraft competition is getting a mixed response from Super Tucano-maker Embraer. There is some measure of disappointment that the flyoff that was part of the previous competition — won by a Sierra Nevada/Embraer team over the Hawker Beechcraft AT-6 entry — was dropped. But on the other hand, there appears to be greater emphasis on having a system with strong past performance in counterinsurgency operations, says Embraer CEO Frederico Fleury Curado. “That should favor us,” he notes.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2C10 (Regional Jet Series 700, 701 & 702), CL-600-2D15 (Regional Jet Series 705), and CL-600-2D24 (Regional Jet Series 900) airplanes [Docket No.
The Pennsylvania House last week passed a measure to exempt aircraft purchases and maintenance from the state’s 6% sales tax, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association says. AOPA worked with the Aviation Council in Pennsylvania on the measure, House Bill 1100, which was introduced in April 2011. The bill, which passed 179-19, now heads to the state Senate for consideration. AOPA says the bill is “a vitally important jobs measure” that will increase the competitiveness of the state aviation industry.
FOKKER Model F.28 Mark 0070 and 0100 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-0141; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-092-AD; Amendment 39-17054; AD 2012-10-05] – requires implementing new abnormal procedures for hydraulics in the airplane flight manual (AFM).
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SIKORSKY Model S-92A helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2012-0216; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-025-AD] – proposes to require inspecting the tail rotor (T/R) pylon for a loose or missing fastener, a crack, damage, or corrosion and adding an internal doubler to the aft shear deck tunnel assembly. This proposed AD is prompted by the discovery of cracks in T/R pylons.
As the market remains weak in Europe, so are flight operations. Business aircraft flights within Europe have been down year-over-year every month since September, with April’s flights marking the greatest drop (down 5.4%). In the past 12 months, business aircraft flights are down 0.8% within Europe. However, including international departures and/or arrivals, traffic is up overall for the past 12 months (1.4% for arrivals and 1.5% for departures). See related charts on Pgs. 1, 11 and 12.
