A Brazilian federal judge last week convicted two ExcelAire pilots and one of two controllers on trial for the Sept. 29, 2006, midair collision of an Embraer Legacy 600 with a GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes Boeing 737. On May 16, Judge Murilo Mendes, from the state of Mato Grasso, sentenced the two ExcelAire pilots, Joe Lepore and Jan Paladino, to four years and four months of community service after finding them guilty on one charge stemming from the crash.
Dassault Aviation has unveiled the Falcon 2000S, a replacement for the Falcon 2000DX. Announced during last week’s European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in Geneva, the new model is being developed to compete directly against other super-midsize business aircraft, including the Bombardier Challenger 300, Gulfstream G250 and Hawker 4000.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has appointed Chris Ward to the newly created position of VP of new product development and interactive marketing. He will be responsible for online information, products and services. Ward joins the association with a background in e-commerce, most recently as senior director of e-commerce for the Bradford Exchange. He also has served as VP and general manger of e-commerce for Hanley Wood e-Media, VP of e-commerce for Time Life and director of National Geographic Online.
MATT DAVIS was named director of business development for TAC Air. Davis will be responsible for expanding the TAC Air network through acquisition opportunities, new product/services development and assistance with base operations. Davis previously was VP of aviation marketing for Flightaware and has experience as an FBO general manager, and sales and marketing manager. He also has held various operational roles.
EMBRAER ERJ 170 and ERJ 190-100 STD, ERJ 190-100 LR, ERJ 190-100 IGW, ERJ 190-200 STD, ERJ 190-200 LR, and ERJ 190-200 IGW airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0038; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-153-AD; Amendment 39-16684; AD 2011-10-03] – Conduct a detailed inspection for drill marks at the left and right lower-ring region of the rear pressure bulkhead between the circumferential splice joint and rear skin between Stringers 12 and 13, per the instructions of Embraer Service Bulletin 170-53-0082 or 190-53-0042 (both Rev. 01 and dated April 28, 2010).
CHRISTOPHER SUGDEN was appointed manager of Ocean Sky’s engineering base at London Luton Airport, where he will oversee all business aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul services at the facility. The Luton facility provides authorized maintenance services for Bombardier business jets and supports aircraft from other manufacturers, including Dassault.
Universal Weather & Aviation is expanding its range of service offerings with the acquisition of inflight catering and concierge specialist Air Chef Holdings. The acquisition includes Air Chef’s divisions: Air Culinaire, Air Culinaire International and CaterLink Worldwide.
Cessna’s recent analysts day in Wichita gave confidence that the company “is a second-half story” tied to expected announcements at the National Business Aviation Association’s convention this fall, says Morgan Stanley analyst Heidi Wood. While Cessna has been on pace for one new plane/major refreshment per year, “we believe the next 2+ years will be more ambitious.” She believes that a new plane and two refreshments could be on deck.
DASSAULT Falcon 7X airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-1306; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-112-AD; Amendment 39-16682; AD 2011-10-01] – Conduct repetitive functional tests of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) heater. This AD, which resulted from an MCAI originated by the European Aviation Safety Agency, is designed to prevent a potential dormant failure of the RAT heater, which could lead to the freezing of the RAT mechanism. This could, in turn, result in insufficient electrical power to operate the fly-by-wire system and subsequent loss of airplane control.
Despite environmental issues and continuing economic difficulties, business aviation flight activity is up 5%, according to the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA).
Eurocopter has broken ground on a new development center at its location in Donauworth, Germany. The center is part of Eurocopter’s Systemhaus project, under which the company concentrates all resources, skills and equipment required to develop, manufacture, certify and maintain helicopters in one location. The facility, which will span nearly 323,000 sq. ft. (30,000 sq. meters), will be completed in 2012.
Williams International secured FAA Part 33 type approval for its FJ44-3AP model engine that has been selected to power the PiperJet Altaire, Hawker 200 and Nextant 400XT, the company announced Friday. A follow-on to the FJ44-3A, the FJ44-3AP engine was designed to provide improved thrust-to-weight ratio and fuel economy, Williams says. The engine produces 8% more thrust (to more than 3,000 lb. of thrust), while weight was reduced 3%.
Planning, conceptual design, preliminary design, systems integration, wind tunnel model, testing (2 entries) and loads analysis done around 2 Williams FJ33. Work has been completed by leading FAA Designated Engineering Representatives in Wichita, KS USA. Next step is detailed structure design. (303) 859-4618 or [email protected] Click here to view the pdf
The departure this month of Brian Delauter, the Transportation Security Administration’s general manager of its general aviation branch, is raising questions about the fate of some key TSA initiatives affecting GA, such as the rewrite of the proposed Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP) and expansion of gateways at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Delauter is expected to leave the agency May 23 to take a corporate security position in the private sector in Nashville.
Precision Castparts is acquiring PB Fasteners, a California-based maker of fasteners with clients in the commercial, defense and space industries. The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of next year. Financial terms of the deal are not being disclosed. However, Webush analyst Kenneth Herbert estimates PB Fasteners had revenues of about $50 million per year. Assuming PB Fasteners has 20% margins before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, Precision Castparts may have paid between $70 million and $100 million for the company.
Hanger8 has increased its charter operator and jet management business with 28 aircraft now under management. The U.K. company has 13 different aircraft types available for charter, including the Bombardier Challenger, Embraer Phenom 100 and Lineage, Hawker and Falcon 2000. The company’s charter fleet has grown 50% since November 2010.
Three new directors have been elected to the National Air Transportation Association’s board: S. Michael Scheeringa, president of Signature Flight Support; Marian Epps, chief financial officer of Epps Aviation; and Ed Kilkeary, Sr., founder and CEO of L.J. Aviation. Separately, NATA recognized Pat Epps, president of Epps Aviation, and James Christiansen, Hawker Beechcraft’s vice president of sales for the Central U.S., at the association’s recent annual Industry Excellence Awards dinner.
With four big issues still awaiting resolution, House leaders introduced another extension to the FAA reauthorization bill on May 13. This one, the 19th, will last just a month, however, giving Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) and Sen.
Guardian Mobility plans to acquire Alakai Technologies, the company that provides flight data monitoring (FDM) and engine trend monitoring (ETM). Alakai has served corporate flight departments and air taxi firms and introduced FDM and ETM into the pilot training market. Guardian Mobility has provided regional airline and utility helicopter operators with real-time flight tracking and communication.
May 16-17—“Introduction to Jet Engines, A Practical Perspective,” Ohio Aerospace Institute, Cleveland, (970) 887-3155, www.practicalaero.com May 16-19—Regional Airline Association Annual Convention, Nashville Convention Center, www.raa.org/AnnualConvention/tabid/171/Default.aspx May 17–19—11th Annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, Geneva, www.ebace.aero
Sikorsky Innovations, the helicopter maker’s new-technology arm, has successfully completed wind tunnel testing of an active rotor system, thereby demonstrating the functionality of using a trailing-edge flap and closed-loop control system on rotorcraft. The system performed well under a variety of forward-flight conditions at speeds up to 140 kt., Sikorsky says. “We have validated the concept of properly controlled, high-authority flaps to favorably impact external rotor noise and vibration,” notes Jim Kagdis, program manager for Sikorsky Advanced Programs.
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has launched its 2011 “May Is Membership Month” drive, including a Benefit of the Day. The association is using the event to not only bring in new members, but also to tell existing members about membership benefits they may not know about, says Aimee Kaufman, the association’s director of marketing for membership. Last year, NBAA launched its first May Is Membership Month, says Kaufman.
CitationAir is recalling all 85 pilots it placed on furlough in 2009, the company says. The company blamed the economic downturn for the furloughs, saying it needed to right-size the business and be in line with customer demand during the recession. Of the 85 pilots on furlough, 53 have returned to CitationAir, bringing its workforce from 307 to 334.
Rockwell Collins and Bombardier Aerospace recently conducted flight tests designed to validate the use of synthetic vision (SV) on a head-up display (HUD) to achieve operational credit for lower landing minima during Special Authorization (SA) CAT I ILS and Wide Area Augmentation System Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance (WAAS LPV) approaches.
