House and Senate leaders are laying the groundwork to begin a much-anticipated conference on long-term FAA reauthorization legislation, but a move to add a provision barring U.S. operators from participating in the European Union’s emission trading system (ETS) could imperil passage. In the interim though, the House and Senate last week each approved the 23rd short-term extension of FAA’s operating authority.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-400 airplanes [Docket No. FAA–2012–0036; Directorate Identifier 2011–NM–142–AD] – proposes to require a detailed inspection for defects and damage of the retract port flexible hose on the left and right MLG retraction actuator, and replacement of the flexible hose if needed. This proposed AD was prompted by test reports showing that failure of a retract port flexible hose of a main landing gear (MLG) retraction actuator could cause excessive hydraulic fluid leakage.
Used aircraft account for more than half of recent accidents involving the experimental amateur-built category, according to data released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). NTSB collected data and studied 222 accidents that occurred in 2011 as part of a study the agency is conducting on experimental amateur-built aircraft safety. The study, to be released this spring, will evaluate issues unique to experimental-built aircraft.
The Central European Private Aviation (CEPA) plans to name a new chairman early next month when current Chairman Jiri Matousek completes his contract. “We feel it is important to continue bringing fresh ideas to CEPA, and for 2012 we have decided to recruit our chairman from another key area of aviation to ensure the association continues to develop its full potential,” says Dagmar Grossmann, who founded CEPA three years ago. Matousek will remain with the association and assist during a transition period.
The European Commission’s proposed changes to airport slot allocations would lead to job losses in Europe and curb regional air service availability, says a new study conducted for European regional airlines and business aircraft operators.
Dassault Falcon has begun operating a new satellite service station at West Palm Beach Airport (KPBI) in Florida. The station is authorized to perform “A” inspections up to the “4A+” inspection on Falcon 50, 2000 and 900 aircraft, along with the Falcon 7X. Dassault expects European Aviation Safety Agency approval to follow within the next 30 days. “Dassault Falcon has been aggressively expanding our ‘footprint of service’ and this is a critical piece to our strategy,” says Bob Sundin, senior vice president of Dassault Aircraft Services.
Phillips 66 Aviation has launched a mobile application for its WingPoints Rewards With Altitude program, providing pilots access to their WingPoints accounts and an airport dealer locator. The WingPoints Reward Card was launched in 2008, providing reward points for fuel purchases. The app is available at the iTunes store.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2C10 (Regional Jet Series 700, 701, & 702);CL-600-2D15 (Regional Jet Series 705); CL-600-2D24 (Regional Jet Series 900); and CL-600-2E25 (Regional Jet Series 1000) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-1416; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-156-AD] – proposes to require an inspection to determine if certain oxygen pressure regulators are installed, and replacement of oxygen cylinder and regulator assemblies containing pressure regulators that do not meet required material properties.
Phillips 66 Aviation is expanding its network of branded dealers with the addition of 85 fixed-base operators formerly with Exxon. ExxonMobil last year announced it was exiting the general aviation fuels market in North America, leaving close to 100 FBOs to find a new brand.
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) is holding a new FBO Managers Workshop that will cover issues specific to running a fixed-base operation. The workshop, which starts one day before the FBO Leadership Conference and runs March 27-28, will cover the airport manager perspective on airport/FBO Relations, nationwide trends affecting FBOs and airport relationships, communicating the value of aviation businesses and capital investment strategies. For more information, visit http://www.nata.aero/events.
FAA has issued special conditions for the use of rechargeable lithium batteries and battery systems on Gulfstream’s Model GVI (G650) business jet. FAA says current regulations do not contain adequate safety standards for the use of the lithium batteries, and the special conditions provide an appropriate safety standard. Gulfstream’s proposed use of the rechargeable lithium batteries prompted an FAA review of the existing regulations.
Proponents of a new airport for the southeast of England that would address a worsening capacity bottleneck are going to get a hearing for their controversial plan. The airport, to be built on reclaimed land in the Thames estuary, is billed by some as an alternative to adding runway capacity at existing London airports. The capital city’s mayor, Boris Johnson, has long championed the idea, which is expected to be released for a formal consultation process in March. The reaction to the government’s plan has been mixed.
Rockwell Collins is increasing its global regional trip support with the addition of several new European flight planning features to its Ascend Flight Manager online program. The additions enable European operators to select pre-approved Eurocontrol routes and create routes to submit for Eurocontrol validation. Rockwell Collins also is providing a message management service that monitors and alerts flight departments about any Eurocontrol message related to their flights.
Kestrel Aircraft, the startup manufacturer led by Cirrus founder Alan Klapmeier, is moving operations from Brunswick Landing, Maine to Superior, Wis. The company originally planned to establish operations at the former NAS Brunswick in a 170,000-sq.-ft. hangar built in 2004. But officials from the city of Superior, the state of Wisconsin and Douglas County assembled an incentive package of nearly $116 million in financing, grants, loans, tax credits and future tax credit allocations.
Bombardier’s Flexjet fractional aircraft ownership operation expects to continue to slowly turn over its fleet this year, but a surge of sales late in the fourth quarter is causing company executives to begin to consider expansion for the first time since the economic downturn began. Through November, Flexjet’s fractional shares sales were up 105%, and December turned out to be the strongest month of the year, according to Bruce Peddle, senior vice president of marketing and sales.
The used retail business jet market is showing signs of rebounding, with the number of transactions on the upswing and inventories reaching post-downturn lows. Business turboprop transactions dipped slightly, but inventories also dropped, according to the latest “Market Update Report” from business aviation market analyst Amstat. Industry leaders have closely watched the used market since it is tied to improvements in new aircraft sales and a key indicator of the overall health of the industry.
MICHELE (MIKE) ARCAMONE was named president of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. Arcamone most recently held the position of president and CEO of GM Korea, based in Seoul, where he was responsible for a multibillion dollar organization with export sales to 150 customers. He joined General Motors in 1980.
An air traffic controller’s decision to clear a Cessna 172 and Embraer 145 for takeoff 16 sec. apart led to the aircraft coming within 300 ft. of each other laterally and 0 ft. vertically, the National Transportation Safety Board says. The safety board cites an operational error by the tower controller as the probable cause of the June 19, 2011 near-midair collision at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport (GPT) in Mississippi.
GLASFLUGEL Models Standard Libelle-201B, Club Libelle 205, Mosquito, and Kestrel gliders [Docket No. FAA-2012-0046; Directorate Identifier 2011-CE-040-AD] – proposes to require inspection, repair and replacement of the elevator control rod in the vertical fin. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) for the European Aviation Safety Agency that cites a report of a broken elevator control rod in the vertical fin on a Kestrel sailplane.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is bracing its members for a reintroduction of President Obama’s $100 per-flight user fee proposal when the administration releases its fiscal 2013 budget. “This fee would be a disaster for every pilot,” says AOPA President and CEO Craig Fuller. The White House showed no signs of backing off the proposal when it posted on Jan. 13 its response to a petition asking the White House to “Take Aviation User Fees off the Table” (BA, Jan. 16/1).
West Star Aviation has received FAA supplemental type certification to install Wi-Fi on the Gulfstream V. The certification includes connectivity via both or either Inmarsat Swift Broadband and the Aircell Gogo Biz networks using the Aircell CTR wireless router. West Star completed the installation on a Gulfstream V based on the West Coast and operated under Part 135.
The top executive at Cessna Aircraft’s parent company says the struggling business jet manufacturer needs to stay focused on its core market of small- and medium-sized aircraft and dismisses talk it could revive a project to develop a larger jet anytime soon.
LightSquared has rejected as rigged government testing of the potential for its L-band wireless network to interfere with GPS satellite signals, and vows to fight its case in court, if necessary. After a review of the latest round of tests of the GPS interference potential of LightSquared’s proposed wireless network, the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Executive Committee has found “both LightSquared’s original and modified [plans] would cause harmful interference to many GPS receivers.”
House and Senate leaders have reached an agreement on a labor provision that has been the key stumbling block to passing an FAA reauthorization bill, confirms a spokesman for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The current operating authority for the FAA expires Jan. 31, giving Congress just days to either temporarily extend FAA’s reauthorization, for the 23rd time, or come to an agreement on the long-term FAA reauthorization bill. Negotiations on passing the long-term bill have been stuck on an arcane labor matter.
The Flightstar Corp. in Savoy, Ill., has purchased the assets of Bloomington Avionics based in Bloomington, Ill. Flightstar is transferring the Bloomington staff and its services to the Flightstar fixed-base operation at Champaign-Urbana’s University of Illinois-Willard Airport (KCMI). A Class I and II avionics repair station, Bloomington has provided service and installation for more than 30 years. Flightstar, the sole FBO at KCMI, employs more than 120 people at a 10,000-sq.-ft. corporate terminal facility and 68,000-sq.-ft. maintenance facility.
