Piper Aircraft recently convened an Altaire Supplier Symposium with 50 attendees as the manufacturer moves toward the first flights of conforming test articles in 2012.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is calling for regulators to increase standards to ensure Sikorsky S-92A helicopters used in offshore operations are able to fly for at least 30 min. after a catastrophic oil loss.
Hampson Aerospace won a contract to supply ailerons for the HondaJet. Hampson Aerospace’s Aerostructures and Composites Division will produce the wing components at its facility in Wigan, U.K. “This builds upon and strengthens the relationship between Hampson Aerospace and the Honda Aircraft Company,” says Hampson Aerospace CEO Norman Jordan, who adds the company also manufactures and supplies the HondaJet empennage.
President Obama last week signed the 20th extension of FAA’s authorization, providing lawmakers until July 22 to reach agreement on a long-term FAA reauthorization bill or face the prospect of needing to pass a 21st short-term extension. The House passed the extension on June 24 (BA, June 27/1) and the Senate followed on June 27. Obama signed the bill— titled “Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2011, Part III”—on June 29, a day before the 19th extension was set to expire.
BOMBARDIER DHC-8-400 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0036; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-230-AD; Amendment 39-16729; AD 2011-13-06] – Perform a series of fuel tank modifications to mitigate unsafe conditions that could result in potential ignition sources within the fuel system. This AD resulted from an MCAI originated by Transport Canada. FAA estimates that this directive will affect 67 aircraft on the U.S. Registry and cost U.S. operators a total of $5.5 million, or $82,406 per airplane. This AD becomes effective Aug. 1.
MICHAEL DOW was named chief of production for Piper Aircraft’s new single-engine business jet, the PiperJet Altaire. Dow was most recently group manager of manufacturing engineering and tooling at Aurora Flight Sciences. Before that, he worked at Bell Helicopter for 11 years, holding leadership positions of increasing responsibility. He reports to Piper Vice President of Operations Simon Caldecott.
Hawker Beechcraft is planning to build and operate a company-owned aircraft maintenance facility at New Castle Airport in Wilmington, Del. The company recently finalized agreements with the Delaware River & Bay Authority and the Delaware Economic Office, clearing the way for the opening of the 60,000-sq.-ft. facility, the company announced last week. The facility, expected to open in the second quarter of 2012, will become Hawker Beechcraft’s Northeast service center.
The Atlanta Aero Club has launched a program designed to encourage pilots to fly in July and help stimulate the recovery of the aviation market. Under the program, called the “Georgia Air Challenge,” pilots who fly at least 3 hr. during July and visit at least three of 104 airports in Georgia will be eligible to win prizes such as a multi-engine pilot rating, 50 gal. of fuel, a set of aviation tires and/or an airline transport pilot rating. To qualify, pilots must register at www.georgiachallenge.com before flying the minimum required hours.
Cleveland-based Flight Options has developed a hybrid program that combines traditional fractional ownership with the flexibility of a jet card for its fleet of Embraer Phenom 300s.
AgustaWestland expects its new AW189 twin helicopter—a civilian stretch of the military AW149—will tap into a broad market, ranging from offshore support, search-and-rescue and other parapublic uses to passenger transport. AgustaWestland CEO Bruno Spagnolini unveiled a mockup of the new AW189 twin helicopter during the recent Paris air show.
Austria’s Diamond Aircraft is exploring possibilities for electric-powered aircraft, unveiling concepts for two such aircraft during the recent Paris air show. The aircraft were among four electric-powered aircraft that made their international debuts at Paris. The largest was the Solar Impulse green-energy concept aircraft, with its 208-ft. wingspan. EADS also showed its Cri-Cri single-seater, powered by four electric motors.
KEVIN BREEDEN has joined Elliott Aviation as regional sales manager for the central U.S. Breeden formerly was with Excel Aviation, where he served as director of sales. He has more than 20 years’ experience in business aviation, working at companies including JetCorp, Amerijet International, Midcoast Aviation, Wing Aviation, StandardAero and Sabreliner Corporation.
ELOI DUFOUR was appointed director of customer relations and field service for Dassault Aviation. Dufour will lead the Eastern Hemisphere front-line customer support organization, including customer support managers, customer support engineers at the tech center and oversight of Dassault’s Authorized Service Center Network. He continues to report to Pierre Thiélin, vice president of customer support. He joined Dassault Aviation in 2008 as director of the authorized service center network.
More than two dozen senators have urged Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to scrap a plan to dismantle the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program, saying the change to lift privacy protections “sets a dangerous precedent.” In a letter spearheaded by Senate General Aviation Caucus co-chair Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and co-signed by 24 additional senators, the legislators say the new limits on use of BARR “is a troubling reversal of a decade-old policy put in place to uphold the privacy rights of thousands of Americans.”
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) has developed a new Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) science degree program. The program, to be offered beginning in the fall semester at the university’s Daytona Beach, Fla., campus, is designed to help meet the growing demand for skilled UAS pilots and operators, ERAU says. Unmanned aircraft are becoming more prevalent in firefighting, disaster relief, law enforcement and military applications, among others, the university adds.
LEARJET 45 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0802; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-256-AD; Amendment 39-16733; AD 2011-13-10] – Replace the left-hand engine’s fuel and hydraulic tubing and install a tubing support channel. This AD, which supersedes an existing airworthiness directive (AD 2009-11-13), is designed to prevent chafing of hydraulic tubes in the left-hand engine, which could lead to tube failure and uncontrolled loss of flammable fluid within the engine cowling. FAA estimates that this new directive will affect 358 airplanes on the U.S. Registry and cost U.S.
With time running out on the 19th extension of FAA reauthorization, lawmakers last week unanimously passed a 20th extension. The legislators are looking at just a few weeks for the next extension – anywhere between 15 to 30 days – giving hope that they may be close to an agreement on a comprehensive long-term deal. But the remaining sticking points loom large, including significant funding differences between the House and Senate, along with a contentious labor measure in the House-passed version of the long-term bill. The 19th extension expires this week.
Fixed-base operators aired concerns about their ability to secure long-term leases during a recent roundtable with key House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee members. Participants, including Signature Flight Support President Michael Scheeringa and TAC Air President Greg Arnold, discussed difficulties in making significant investments in facilities at airports where the sponsor is reluctant to enter longer-term lease agreements. They estimate that millions in investments are being withheld as a result.
Embraer-CAE Training Services (ECTS) will expand its training programs for Embraer Phenom 100 and 300 pilots and maintenance technicians in Brazil. The joint venture will install a CAE 5000 Series Level D full-flight simulator in the São Paulo area. The unit will be ready for training in 2012. ECTS currently operates training programs for the Phenom 100 in Burgess Hill, U.K., near London, and for both the Phenom 100 and 300 in Dallas.
The Bell 407GX and 407AH made their international debuts at last week’s Paris Air Show. Following the Paris exhibition, the two new models, which were formally introduced earlier this year at Heli-Expo, are to embark upon international demonstration tours that will last several months. The 407GX will demo throughout Europe, while the 407AH will be shown throughout the Middle East.
VALERIE ARMSTRONG was named human resources specialist for Mid-Continent Instruments. Armstrong, who recently received her professional human resources certification, will focus on payroll and benefit administration.
GULFSTREAM GV and GV-SP airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0572; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-009-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to determine whether a third Halon fire-extinguisher bottle is installed in the auxiliary power unit (APU) fragment-impact zone. The third bottle would need to be removed from certain airplanes. Operators of other airplanes with a third bottle would need to revise the “Limitations” section of the Airplane Flight Manual to add restrictions on APU usage.
General aviation (GA) safety has made the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) top 10 most-wanted list for 2011. Two GA advocacy groups took exception to the board’s findings, noting that safety is the industry’s number one priority.
Hawker Beechcraft is developing a King Air 350 upgrade package that boosts electrical power for special-mission applications. The package includes two 400-amp starter-generators with paralleled output of 760 amps, an additional mission electrical bus with cockpit control and automatic load shedding. The upgrade will add another 190 amps of 28-VDC power for special-mission King Air 350s. The package will be offered for late-model King Airs 350s (serial number FL-500 and on) as an aftermarket kit, but also on new-production special-mission King Air 350s.
