A House Homeland Security Committee delegation will be making road trips in the near future to various airports to look into strengthening airport perimeter security. Rep. William Keating (D-Mass.) is spearheading these trips. The Government Accountability Office on July 13 released a report finding that the Transportation Security Administration needs to do more to ensure access controls at airports.
GAL Aviation was awarded AS9100B Quality Management Systems certification by ANAB’s / National Quality Assurance Canada. GAL produces aircraft interior parts from its 40,000-sq.-ft. facility in St. Joseph de Beauce, near Quebec City. The company specializes in customized woodwork, monuments and concepts for large-cabin business and commercial aircraft.
KETAN DESAI was promoted to vice president of sales and marketing for Precision Aviation Group (PAG). Desai joined PAG subsidiary Precision Accessories & Instruments in 2005, and most recently was director of sales and marketing. He previously was director of sales and marketing for PAG.
The issue of a single audit standard heated up recently after Joe Moeggenberg, head of one of the largest, most established audit companies, issued an “Open Letter” disputing the need for the Air Charter Safety Foundation’s (ACSF) Industry Audit Standard (IAS) as the single standard.
FlightSafety International is expanding its simulator-based night vision goggle training through a collaborative agreement with Aviation Specialties Unlimited (ASU), a company that specializes in night vision systems. The instruction—which is being added to FlightSafety’s initial, recurrent, specialty and enhancement courses designed specifically for helicopter operators— is available at FlightSafety’s learning center in Tucson, Ariz. using the new FAA Level 7-qualified AS350 Flight Training Device.
TOM LIESER was named manager of Duncan Aviation-St. Paul, the company’s avionics satellite facility in St. Paul, Minn. Lieser joined Duncan in 2003 as an avionics technician in St. Paul, and transferred to the company’s avionics satellite shop in Chicago in 2010.
July 25-31—Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture Oshkosh 2011, Oshkosh, Wis., www.eaa.org July 26-27—American Association of Airline Executives’ Seventh Annual Aviation Air Quality Conference, Embassy Suites Portland (Ore.) Downtown, www.aaae.org July 31-Aug. 2—Northeast Chapter Winter Operations & Deicing Conference and Exhibition, Renaissance Hotel, Seattle, www.aaae.org Aug. 11-13—Eighth Annual Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition, Congonhas Airport, Sao Paulo, www.abag.org.br/labace2011/
As the so-called “Gang of Six” U.S. senators continued to hammer out a compromise agreement on the debt ceiling last week in Washington, general aviation groups escalated their fight against the possibility that aviation user fees would become part of that agreement. Aviation user fees surfaced this month as possible revenue raisers to help reduce the nation’s debt, but details of what fees are under consideration remain sketchy (BA, July 18/1).
Increases in its aftermarket business, along with improved deliveries of its larger aircraft, helped Cessna Aircraft earn a $5 million profit in the second quarter, a turnaround from the $38 million loss reported in the first quarter, Cessna parent Textron said last week. But a drop off in Mustang deliveries caused the number of jet deliveries overall to fall from 43 in the second quarter of 2010 to 38 in the most recent quarter.
Raisbeck Engineering delivered 245 performance systems for installation on 123 Beechcraft King Airs during the first six months of 2011, the company reports. Raisbeck averaged shipping more than 20 King Air units per month. U.S. sales increased to 68% of total sales during the first half.
Business aircraft flights were up slightly in June from May, as well as from June 2010, but the trends varied by aircraft and operational segments. Argus, which monitors business aircraft flight activity by operation and aircraft type through its TRAQPak program, finds that flights overall were up 0.4% in June over May, and increased by 1.1% compared with June 2010.
ROBERT HANG has joined Freestream Aircraft Limited as technical services/pre-purchase maintenance supervisor. In his new role, Hang will be responsible for pre-purchase inspections for the company’s clients. He worked at Ford Motor Company for 38 years, most recently as the maintenance and facilities manager.
JEFF ROSE was promoted to assistant manager of FlightSafety International’s learning center in Savannah, Ga. Rose has served with FlightSafety since 2001, beginning as an instructor for the Cessna Citation 500 series of aircraft at the Detroit Metro/Toledo learning center. He also has been program manager of Citation Ultra aircraft, program manager of Hawker 400XP aircraft, director of standards, and most recently director of training.
The new general aviation terminal at the east end of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport opened for business on July 11. The new facility replaces an older building currently located south of the airport’s east apron, about 500 meters away. The terminal will be able to handle almost 20,000 aircraft a year and planes carrying no more than 19 passengers. The terminal, designed by VMX Architects, has a gross floor area of 6,500 sq. meters (70,000 sq. ft.), including a 1,000-sq.-meter (10,780-sq.-ft.) terminal and lounge and 3,500 sq. meters (30,670 sq. ft.) of office space.
The number of proposed civil penalties continues to grow this year with the FAA’s latest announcement that it was proposing fines against eight operators for violations of the Federal Aviation Regulations. That announcement, which calls for civil penalties ranging from $66,000-$133,950, came the same day the agency announced it has revoked Bimini Island Air’s (BIA) air operating certificate.
Special conditions for the PW210S, Pratt & Whitney Canada’s newest turboshaft engine, have been issued by FAA. Because applicable certification standards do not cover an unusual design feature of the powerplant—a 30-min. all-engine operating (AEO) power rating—the special conditions were issued by the agency. The AEO rating was requested by the engine maker to support rotorcraft search and rescue missions that require extensive operations at high power. The effective date of these special conditions is Aug. 10.
A Daher-Socata TBM 700 single-turboprop flew 1,200-nm from Hong Kong to Beijing this month, in a trip that the French plane maker says marks the first single-engine general aviation aircraft authorized to fly between the two destinations. The aircraft was flown by pilot-owner Wei Chen, a Chinese citizen living in Memphis, Tenn., who is flying a 10-week trip around the world in his TBM 700. The trip will include stopovers in 40 cities and 21 countries. “Wei Chen’s flight is truly historic,” says Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice president of Daher-Socata’s Airplane division.
Mylène Scholnick, a founder of Metrojet in Hong Kong and former NetJets and TAG Asia veteran, has opened a consultancy, Lenoma LLC, specializing in business aviation and commercial strategy and financing, particularly in the international arena.
SHEILA KISSANE was appointed airport infrastructure director for Cambridge Airport in the U.K. Kissane will be responsible for helping to increase business, regional and general aviation activity at the airfield, including running feasibility studies for planned infrastructure developments, generating proposals and upgrading the environmental focus. Kissane formerly has worked with Gatwick, Standsted and Dublin airports.
Jet Aviation is adding an Embraer Phenom 300 to its fleet of managed aircraft, making it the first Phenom 300 available for charter services in central Europe. The company is working in close cooperation with Swiss FOCA to obtain Swiss type certification. With delivery expected in November, the Phenom 300 will be managed by Jet Aviation and available for charter services as soon as certification for commercial transport is secured.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has increasingly used security directives to change policy, but should use them in cases of immediate risk and on a temporary basis, Mark Van Tine, president and CEO of Jeppesen and chairman of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, told lawmakers last week.
Al Bateen Executive Airport posted a significant increase in business aviation traffic during the first half of the year, with almost 40% growth in private jet movements compared with the same period last year. The news follows the recent addition of Al Bateen’s fifth operator, Rotana Jet, which launched operations with a Gulfstream G450 jet earlier this year. Commercial movements at the Abu Dhabi airport rose 12% in the first half of the year versus the same period in 2010.
Thrush Aircraft has opened a full-service company in Brazil as part of a global expansion plan, the company says. Thrush Aircraft Brazil is based in Anapolis in the agricultural state of Goias. The facility will support Thrush owners and operators across Brazil, providing aircraft sales, service, training and support. The facility also will house final assembly of Thrush 510P models to be delivered to the Brazilian market. The company also is establishing a network of factory-authorized service centers across Brazil, with the first to open in August.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) cites a series of operational errors made by the pilot as the probable cause of the 2009 crash of a Pilatus PC-12 in Butte, Mont. that killed 14 people. “The pilot’s pattern of poor decision-making set in motion a series of events that culminated in the deadly crash,” says NTSB Chairman Deborah A. P. Hersman. “Humans will make mistakes, but that is why following procedures, using checklists and always ensuring that a safety margin exists are so essential.”
