PETER LEWIS was appointed senior manager of Jet Aviation Abu Dhabi’s new operations at Al Bateen Executive Airport. Lewis will oversee operations at the facility. He is a 30-year business aviation veteran with experience in maintenance, project management and quality.
Avions De Transport Régional has sold a total of seven ATR 42-600s to Russia’s NordStar Airlines. The carrier, which had placed two orders and two options for the twin turboprops earlier this year, has purchased another three -600s. NordStar, which will be the first operator of the -600 series in the Russian Federation, already flies four ATR 42-500s in the Krasnoyarsk region and Russia’s Far North. A total of 38 ATR aircraft are in service in Russia and the affiliated CIS countries.
CAE will place a new full-flight simulator near Melbourne, Australia during the first half of 2012. The unit will provide pilot and maintenance technician training for operators of Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350i aircraft equipped with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics. The CAE 5000 series simulator, which will be qualified to Level D by the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority, will be used by both business and military operators in the region. Melbourne will become one of 10 CAE locations worldwide for business aviation training.
Safety investigators are looking into another incident involving a lithium battery overheating aboard an aircraft, this time involving an iPhone 4 carried aboard an Australian Regional Express Airline (Rex) Saab 340B. The most recent incident occurred Nov. 25 aboard Rex Flight ZL319 shortly after the aircraft landed in Sydney, following a flight from Lismore. The airline reported that an iPhone “started emitting a significant amount of dense smoke, accompanied by a red glow, and was dropped to the cabin floor.”
FAA has rescinded its controversial policy that essentially dismantled the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program. In a statement released Dec. 2, FAA says that, effective immediately, general aviation and charter operators will be able to request that their aircraft registration numbers be withheld from near real-time flight tracking programs without submitting a certified security concern.
The Hawker 200 is the latest victim of the prolonged economic downturn in the business jet industry. On Friday, Hawker Beechcraft Chairman and CEO Bill Boisture informed employees that the firm has decided “to slow the pace of completion of the Hawker 200 certification program” until the economy improves and the light-jet market segment improves. The announcement follows communiqués to vendors last month telling them to cease deliveries of parts for the Hawker 200.
Saudia Private Aviation, the private aviation arm of Saudi Arabian Airlines, will become the world’s largest owner of the Dassault Falcon 7X business jet when it takes delivery of its fourth 7X shortly. Saudi Arabian Airlines already is a Dassault authorized service center.
U.S. groups are concerned about a new European Commission regulation that harmonizes pilot qualification and medical requirements for member states, but imposes a series of requirements for pilots who train and obtain licenses outside the European Union (EU). But general aviation groups are hoping to address those concerns through ongoing bilateral discussions between the U.S. and Europe.
Teal Group VP Richard Aboulafia notes that the business aircraft market is completely “torn in half.” The cyclical market, he says, once was valued at more than $26 billion, more than one-third the size of air transport. Now, Aboulafia said during the Dec. 1 National Aeronautic Association lunch, the top half of the market is growing while the bottom half is suffering its worst downturn in decades. Companies are making profits but not spending, he adds.
Dec. 15—The Wings Club Luncheon featuring Gary Kelly, Chairman, President & CEO, Southwest Airlines, The Yale Club, New York, (212) 867-1770, [email protected] Jan. 11-13, 2012—Airports Council International-NA Insurance & Risk Management Conference, New Orleans, www.aci-na.org/conferences/ Jan. 19, 2012—The Wings Club Luncheon featuring Louis Chenevert, Chairman & CEO, United Technologies Corp., The Yale Club, New York, (212) 867-1770, [email protected]
PATS Aircraft Systems has completed a financial restructuring that formally establishes the Georgetown, Del. supplier and services company as a fully capitalized, stand-alone company with a reduced debt-load, the company says. Under the restructuring, holders of PATS’ senior debt received 100% of the available equity in exchange for reducing their debt amount.
The largest trade organization for U.S. airlines is changing its name from Air Transport Association of America to Airlines For America, a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office shows. The association held an event on Nov. 30 to unveil and explain the change. It filed its application for the trademark on Sept. 28. It also has registered the domain name airlinesforamerica.org, according to Godaddy.com, which shows the creation date as Sept. 6. The association came under new leadership this year, with Nick Calio succeeding James May as president and CEO on Jan. 1.
Landmark Aviation added its first location in the San Francisco Bay area and its 12th facility this year with the grand opening of its fixed-base operation (FBO) at Oakland International Airport. As part of a multi-million-dollar renovation, Landmark has upgraded the FBO terminal and is beginning hangar and property improvements. “The last 12 months have been busy for Landmark, with investments nearing $100 million to acquire, expand, upgrade and transition FBO facilities,” says Landmark President and CEO Dan Bucaro.
SIKORSKY S-92A helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2011-1115; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-011-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to revise the “Operating Limitations” section of the Rotorcraft Flight Manual. This proposal was prompted by the discovery that engine data was inaccurate in dealing with available above-specification engine-power margin. This proposed AD is intended to prevent the use of inaccurate engine-performance data in calculating maximum gross weight. FAA estimates that this proposal would affect 37 helicopters on the U.S. Registry and cost U.S.
Indonesia is close to making the big leap forward to performance-based navigation (PBN). The country is on air safety blacklists, but is hoping PBN will improve safety, particularly at terrain-constrained airports, as well as ease airport congestion and provide fuel savings for airlines, thanks to more precise and efficient flight paths.
Public aircraft operators, working with the aviation industry, must nurture a strong safety culture and rely on each other to do the right thing because, “frankly…most of the time nobody is watching,” National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah Hersman says. Speaking during a two-day forum on public aircraft safety, she notes oversight of public aircraft operations have lacked clarity. “Public aircraft operations have been the orphan of aviation safety, and there is a compelling need to foster [improved safety for] this key segment of the industry,” she says.
The Transportation Security Administration is pushing to release the long-awaited final repair station security rule in the next couple of weeks. The rule still has not undergone formal Office of Management and Budget review, so the release would require coordination between the two agencies. The movement on the rule, which had appeared stalled for a number of months and has been in the works for seven years, follows a letter sent late last month by 22 aviation companies and associations urging Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to clear it by yearend.
TURBOMECA Arriel 2B and 2B1 engines [Docket No. FAA-2009-0889; Directorate Identifier 2009-NE-35-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to check the transmissible torque between the low-pressure (LP) fuel pump impeller and the high-pressure (HP) fuel pump shaft on HP/LP pump hydromechanical metering units (HMUs). If the HMU does not pass the torque check, then replace it.
Battle Creek, Michigan’s proposed noise compatibility program for W.M. Kellogg Airport will be approved or disapproved by April 28, says FAA. The agency recently determined that the noise exposure maps submitted by the city comply with FAR Part 150 requirements. The public comment period on the noise compatibility plan ends Dec. 30. For more information, contact Katherine S. Delaney, 11677 S. Wayne Road, Suite 107, Romulus, Mich. 48174. Phone: (734) 229-2900. E-mail: [email protected].
National Air Transportation Association President and CEO James Coyne is appealing to the Department of Transportation to intervene in a lawsuit filed by environmentalists against fixed-base operations (FBOs) that sell aviation gasoline in California. “These few FBOs are tasked with defending the use of an FAA-approved aviation fuel by federally certificated aircraft at federally funded airports and in federally controlled airspace,” Coyne wrote to DOT General Counsel Robert S. Rivkin.
Piper has delivered the first six of 18 Piper Warrior trainers to Sekolah Tinggi Penerbang Indonesia (STPI), the government flight school at Budiarto Airport in Curug, Indonesia. STPI offers private pilot, commercial pilot, instrument and multi-engine training, as well as degrees in aviation, under the auspices of Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation. The four-place, single-piston Warriors join a number of other training aircraft in STPI’s fleet, including the Beech Sundowner, Piper Dakota, Socata Tobago and Beech Baron.
Robert Sumwalt was sworn in last week for his second five-year term as a board member of the National Transportation Safety Board. The new term runs through Dec. 31, 2016. Sumwalt first joined the board in August 2006, and the original term was set to expire at the end of this month. During his time on the board, he spent two years as vice chairman.
JESSICA KUNEY was named shows and expositions coordinator for Helicopter Association International. Kuney has a background in meeting planning with a variety of associations and small organizations, including Georgetown University Law Center, the American Bankruptcy Institute, the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries, and the American Composites Manufacturers Association.
SIKORSKY S-92A helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2011-1113; Directorate Identifier 2009-SW-53-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to inspect each tail-rotor blade for mislocated aluminum wire mesh in the blade skin. This proposal is intended to detect mislocated blade wire mesh and prevent spar delamination, loss of the blade tip cap during a lightning strike, blade imbalance, loss of a blade and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. FAA estimates that this proposed AD would affect 44 helicopters on the U.S. Registry and cost U.S.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is falling short in its efforts to share security information with stakeholders, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says. In a recent report to Congress, GAO finds that TSA needs to improve the quality of the security information it provides, as well as better communicate the availability of the information to affected parties.
