Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) believes funding of the air transportation system “will be the next big issue in aviation.” He acknowledges the industry’s opposition to the Obama administration’s proposed $100-per-flight tax, and says the fee makes his $25 proposal made several years ago “look very, very good.” He warns that the user fee discussion is not going away. “I am afraid that it will become increasingly hard to sustain the current level of general fund revenues to pay for aviation.
NICOLE GOODSTEIN was named director of global total rewards for Gulfstream Aerospace. Goodstein oversees the strategy and design of Gulfstream’s global employee total reward programs, along with working with employees on compensation, benefits, wellness and international assignment programs and offerings. She formerly was director of global benefits at Cisco Systems. She also has worked in human resources for a number of other companies, including the Ayco Company, Johnson & Johnson and the Coca-Cola Company.
BAE SYSTEMS Model 4101 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0306; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-176-AD; Amendment 39-16829; AD 2011-21-06] – Implement new or more-restrictive maintenance requirements and/or airworthiness limitations as specified in Chapter 05 of the Airplane Maintenance Manual, Revision 33. This AD, which resulted from an MCAI originated by the European Aviation Safety Agency and supersedes an existing directive (AD 2009-10-02), is designed to prevent failure of certain structurally significant items, including the main landing gear and the nose landing gear.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) is expanding its membership with the addition of rotorcraft manufacturers. The association’s board of directors voted to include helicopter makers, marking the first significant change in the GAMA bylaws since the association agreed to accept non-U.S. manufacturers in 2002. The board made its decision during its recent annual meeting held near Dassault’s Merignac facility in Bordeaux, France, the first board meeting to be held outside the U.S.
CIRRUS SR22T airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-1212; Directorate Identifier 2011-CE-034-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to inspect and modify the air box flange welds and slots and install induction system air box seals, as applicable, per the instructions of Cirrus Design SR22T Service Bulletin SB 2X-71-17 R1 (dated Sept. 30, 2011). This proposal was prompted by reports of partial loss of engine power due to a dislodged rubber gasket/seal being ingested into the turbocharger. This condition, if not corrected, could result in engine failure.
RLC, the largest privately held helicopter operator in the Gulf of Mexico, has signed a four-year training contract with FlightSafety International, extending a relationship that has been in place since 2010. The agreement includes training for more than 100 RLC pilots at FlightSafety’s Lafayette, La. learning center as part of the company’s comprehensive helicopter training program.
Members of the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) are visiting various manufacturers as part of its overall investigation of the business jet industry in the U.S., Brazil, Canada, Europe and China. The visits follow a hearing the ITC held in late September, and the efforts are expected to culminate in a report that should be completed in April. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) and Reps. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) and Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) had requested the study last May.
AVIONS DE TRANSPORT RÉGIONAL ATR 42 and ATR 72 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0721; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-217-AD; Amendment 39-16861; AD 2011-23-10] – Inspect the inboard hinge fitting area and the lower stop angles of the inboard hinge fittings on both the left-hand and right-hand elevators. If any damaged angles are found, replace them with serviceable parts before further flight. Also, inspect adjacent areas to detect any damage and repair it before further flight.
Airbus is establishing a new structure for its Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ) business. The manufacturer is creating an internal organization that includes sales, customer support, engineering and other core functions for the corporate jets. According to John Leahy, chief operating officer-customers, the entity is to be ready by year-end and will mean “a new level of attentiveness” to the segment.
JetFlite International (JFI) has begun offering an aircraft refinishment program designed to repair and refinish existing components and materials with minimal replacement “The program really is an aircraft face-lift for a fraction of the price,” says JFI CEO Bill Cripe.
The U.S. Air Force has chosen to drop Hawker Beechcraft’s AT-6 from the Light Air Support (LAS) competition, in which it was vying with Embraer’s Super Tucano. The service informed the company in a letter. “The letter provides no basis for the exclusion,” Hawker Beechcraft said Friday.
Discussions are under way that could significantly change the prospects for passing the first FAA reauthorization bill since the last one expired in 2007. Lawmakers may remove a toxic labor provision from the FAA bill and offer an amended version as a standalone bill, confirms Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.), ranking Democrat of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s aviation subcommittee.
MATTHEW GREENE was named vice president of program management for Safe Flight Instrument Corp. Greene, who joined Safe Flight in 2003 and has been promoted to positions of increasing responsibility, most recently was vice president of marketing. In his new role, he will develop a program management department that will help improve new-product time to market and align the company’s growth objectives to meet customer and regulatory requirements.
ERICKSON AIR-CRANE S-64F helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2010-0909; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-026-AD; Amendment 39-16835; AD 2011-21-12] – Repetitively inspect the rotating swashplate assembly for cracks. If any cracks are found, replace the swashplate with an airworthy one before further flight. This AD is intended to prevent loss of a swashplate due to fatigue cracking, loss of control of the main-rotor system and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. FAA estimates that this directive will affect seven helicopters on the U.S. Registry and cost U.S.
JEFFREY WOOD was appointed senior vice president of StandardAero’s airlines and fleets business. Wood has 24 years of experience with companies including General Electric, Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines and Teleflex. He also served as president of Airfoil Technologies International. Most recently, he was a senior advisor for Irving Place Capital.
A Citation Mustang named the American Patriot has flown the first mission in support of a Veterans Airlift Command (VAC) program to provide free transportation for injured veterans. The flight, which was conducted on Nov. 10, involved carrying two veterans from San Antonio to VAC’s annual fundraiser in Pinehurst, N.C., where they were honored on Veterans’ Day. VAC is a nonprofit organization that focuses on helping veterans of Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) through a national network of aircraft owners and pilots.
President Obama signed into law on Friday a measure designed to restore the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program – at least through fiscal 2012.
Bristow Group has signed a contract for six AgustaWestland AW189 helicopters, plus options for additional units of the new 16-passenger rotorcraft. Bristow, the first large fleet operator to order the AW189, will fly offshore energ-support missions with these new helicopters. Mark Duncan, Bristow’s senior vice president – commercial, says, the AW189 will fill a key position within the company’s fleet, “particularly given the planned retirement of the AS332 Super Puma over the next few years and the continuing growth of deepwater developments in our key future markets.”
A Piaggio P.180 Avanti II, N168SL, operated by fractional ownership provider Avantair, was destroyed after it skidded off the runway during an emergency landing and flipped over on Nov. 16. The aircraft was on a flight from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Wisconsin’s West Bend Municipal Airport when the crew reported engine problems and diverted to Flint-Bishop International Airport in Michigan. The aircraft landed on Runway 18/36, but went off the runway and came to rest upside down.
A new FBO in Riyadh will be operated by ExecuJet and NasJet, the private aviation arm of Saudi Arabia’s National Air Services (NAS) Holding. The 1,500-sq.-meter (16,146 sq. ft.) facility at King Khalid International Airport will be located within the airport’s new private aviation terminal. Maintenance line service on most aircraft types and models will be available through a partnership with Lufthansa Technik. FBO clients also will have access to aircraft management services upon request. NasJet has a fleet of 18 aircraft and 60 more under management.
SOCATA TBM 700 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0868; Directorate Identifier 2011-CE-027-AD; Amendment 39-16854; AD 2011-23-03] – Install a protection fuse on the wire at the standby compass connector, per the instructions of Daher-Socata TBM Aircraft Mandatory Service Bulletin SB 70-192-34 (dated April 2011). This AD, which resulted from an MCAI issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency, is intended to increase the electrical protection of some airplanes to allow inflight handling of the standby compass lighting cover when energized.
The city of Mesquite, Nev., has asked FAA to suspend work on an environmental impact statement for a proposed replacement general aviation airport in Clark County, Nev. The city asked for the suspension because of economic conditions in Mesquite and other local fiscal and budgetary constraints. The replacement airport, which would have featured a 7,500-ft. runway, was to be located south of Interstate Highway 15 between Exit 108 and 109 on the Mormon Mesa, about 15 mi. west of the existing Mesquite Municipal Airport.
DAVID UFEN has joined J.A. Air Center as director of avionics. Ufen will manage avionics sales, installation and program development. He has 13 years of aviation experience, beginning as a line crew technician at Indianapolis Aviation in 1993. He also has served with Bloomington Avionics and Elliott Aviation.
Nov. 28-30—Airports Council International Europe/Asia’s 2011 Airport Exchange, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, United Arab Emirates, www.airport-exchange.com Dec. 1-2—Airports Council International-NA International Aviation Issues Seminar, Washington, D.C., www.aci-na.org/conferences/ Dec. 5-7—University of Westminster Air Transport Short Courses: Introduction to Air Transport Business & Management, London, +44 (207) 911-5000 ext. 3220, www.westminster.ac.uk/schools/architecture/transport/Aviation-Short-Cou…
The National Transportation Safety Board is assisting in the investigation of the Nov. 11 crash of a Eurocopter AS 332L Super Puma, XC-UHM, operated by Fuerza Aerea Mexicana for presidential use, that killed eight passengers and crewmembers, including Francisco Blake Mora, Mexico’s second highest ranking government official. The helicopter crashed in a rural area south of Mexico City on a flight that was en route from Camp Marte, Mexico to Cuernavaca, Mexico. Initial reports were that the helicopter crashed into the side of a hill, Cerro Ayaqueme, at a height of 8,500 ft.
