40 Years Ago March 1, 1971 — The Soviet Union requests negotiations with the U.S. for a bilateral airworthiness agreement to market the Yak 40 commuter/business trijet. 30 Years Ago March 23, 1981 — The Reagan Administration calls for a 65-cent tax on jet fuel and a 36-cent tax on aviation gasoline. 20 Years Ago March 4, 1991 — FAA proposes to exempt aircraft weighing less than 75,000 lb. from the Stage 2 aircraft phaseout.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt warns that proposals on Capitol Hill for across-the-board funding cuts “would not be without consequence.” Speaking to reporters last week, Babbitt cited a slowing of certification activity. FAA has a backlog of about 2,200 certification applications, he says, and these applications typically will improve safety and/or prepare aircraft for the next generation air transportation system. He also notes there are plans for three new aviation factories, the largest of which should employ 4,000 workers.
APEX AIRCRAFT CAP 10 B airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-1296; Directorate Identifier 2010-CE-063-AD; Amendment 39-16625; AD 2011-06-01] – Conduct repetitive inspections to verify the correct installation of the turnbuckles of the flight control cables. If the turnbuckles are not correctly installed, restore the locking clip and the safety wire. This AD, which resulted from an MCAI issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency, is designed to prevent another fatal accident attributed to improper locking of a flight control cable turnbuckle.
Robert E. Breiling Associates, the Boca Raton, Fla. aviation safety expert, is releasing the 2010 Business Turbine Accident Review, which contains more than 500 pages of detailed narrative accounts of more than 355 turbine airplane and helicopter accidents and incidents reported worldwide last year. The review provides a summary of each accident, including model, operator type, phase of operations, conditions and a description of reported circumstances. The review also includes comparisons of accident rates, causal factors, phases of flights and aircraft performance.
J. Bruce Peddle joined Flexjet as VP of sales and marketing. He will be responsible for leading the company’s sales organization and overseeing marketing initiatives. Peddle previously spent 14 years with Embraer, most recently as VP of North America’s airline market. He also has served with Canadian Helicopter Corp., (formerly Sealand Helicopters) and Air Canada Jazz (formerly Air Nova).
Universal Jet Aviation recently added two Gulfstream IVs to its fleet. The jets will be based out of Miami and Carlsbad, Calif. Universal Jet’s charter fleet now has 14 aircraft, including four Gulfstream IVs, seven Gulfstream IIIs and a Legacy 600.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is calling for a study on control tower staffing levels after two aircraft landed at Washington National Airport in the early hours of March 23 without being able to contact the lone controller on duty. The incident happened the week before the House was scheduled to take floor action on the FAA reauthorization bill, which has already passed the Senate. In the Senate version, a controller staffing study also is mandated, notes Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.).
Herndon, Va.-based CFI Tools has unveiled CFI Tools Nearest 1.0.1, the latest in a line of iPhone and iPad apps for the aviation industry. The app gives pilots the bearing and distance to the 100 nearest airports and navaids.
Jay Brentzel was promoted to president of Jet Source, a Carlsbad, Calif., aviation services company. Brentzel, who will continue as director of operations, also will be responsible for overall strategic planning, fiscal management, business development and day-to-day activities. Brentzel, who has a bachelor of science degree in aviation from Utah Valley State College, has more than 6,000 hr. of flight time as a professional pilot. He is rated in a number of corporate aircraft, including the Falcon 50 and Gulfstream 400.
Cessna Aircraft has restructured its sales efforts, merging Cessna propeller and Citation teams into new teams focused on either domestic or international sales. Cessna says the reorganization will enable its sales staff to represent the company’s spectrum of products, including new propeller aircraft, new and used Citation aircraft, and CitationAir on-demand offerings.
B-N GROUP BN-2 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-1255 Directorate Identifier 2010-CE-059-AD; Amendment 39-16618; AD 2011-05-09] – Before further flight and subsequently every 50 flight hr., visually inspect the elevator tip assemblies to see if they are deformed or concave, per the instructions of Britten-Norman Aircraft Limited Service Bulletin Number BN-2/SB 313, Issue 3 (dated Feb. 24, 2009). If the elevator tip assemblies are deformed or concave, inspect for delamination of the elevator tips before further flight.
The Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA) elected Jean-Noel Robert, Airbus area sales director for North Asia, as its new chairman. The board also named two vice chairmen: David Dixon, Bombardier Business Aircraft regional VP of sales for Asia-Pacific, and Lee Li, Embraer VP of sales in the greater China region. All three were elected during AsBAA’s annual general meeting earlier this month in Hong Kong.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, speaking before a rally of more than 2,000 general aviation workers in Wichita on March 21, vowed to “do everything I can” to persuade President Obama to visit the city to show his support for the industry and its contributions to the economy.
Pilatus Aircraft has tapped Quilque S.A. of Buenos Aires, Argentina, as its newest sales center in South America. Established in 1997, Quilque is the aeronautical arm of Estancias y Cabana Las Lilas, one of Argentina’s most renowned farming operations. Quilque will be responsible for sales and marketing of the PC-12 NG in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The U.K. is proposing to extend its Air Passenger Duty (APD) tax to business and general aviation. The U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, on March 23 unveiled the government’s new budget blueprint, including the expansion of APD to cover private jet operations.
FlightSafety International was selected as Pratt & Whitney Canada’s training provider for helicopter engines, and the first students have already graduated. “Classes are running full,” says Mike Lee, FlightSafety director of maintenance training business development. Training covers six different engine series for a total of 28 models, powering 26 different helicopters from 12 manufacturers. Primary training locations are Montreal, Dallas-Fort Worth, West Palm Beach, Fla., and Paris. FlightSafety has procured numerous training assets from P&WC.
Canadian-based aviation services company Flying Colours Corp. is preparing to deliver its second 14-seat executive configured Bombardier Challenger 850. This aircraft was acquired by a private Chinese individual and will be delivered by the end of March.
FAA is prohibiting new residential through-the-fence agreements (RTTF) at public airports under an interim policy released March 18. RTTF agreements provide rights for owners of residential properties next to airports to access the airfields with their aircraft.
The Regional Airline Association has joined the growing coalition of stakeholders that comprise the “Save Our GPS” group. The stakeholders have organized to express their concern about a proposal from LightSquared to build a high-speed wireless network that would transmit on a portion of the spectrum adjacent to GPS (BA, March 21/8). RAA notes the new signals are expected to be at least 1 billion times more powerful than GPS satellite signals and is concerned about potential disruptions the transmissions will cause to the satellite navigation system.
Cleveland-based Constant Aviation has completed installation of its first supplemental type certificate (STC) for a Wi-Fi system, along with Aircell’s Gogo Biz Inflight Internet, in a Gulfstream IV. The company also is completing its STC for installation of Aircell’s Gogo Biz Inflight and Wi-Fi in the Citation X, Hawker 800A/XP, Beechjet and Phenom 300.
The Chinese could soon be owners of another U.S. aviation entity — the SJ30 business jet program. Serious negotiations are under way to acquire the light business jet program, now stalled by Emivest’s bankruptcy, and the deal could close this year, sources say. Even though Ed Swearingen started development in the mid-1980s, and the aircraft received its FAA certification in 2005, the program has been bedeviled throughout by development, funding and production delays. Only four SJ30s have been delivered to date.
JDA Aviation Technology Solutions (JDA), an aviation consultant that provides certification and technology support services, has partnered with Western Avionics to offer a new means to communicate and control aircraft using VOIP (voice-over-Internet protocol) from a base located anywhere worldwide. The system, VRCom, was designed by Western Avionics to facilitate remote communications for emergency medical services, law enforcement, airborne firefighting, agriculture survey and other operations.
Jay Shaw was named managing director for Seacor Capital (Asia). Based in Hong Kong, Shaw will be responsible for overseeing the company’s Asia Pacific aviation investments and business development activity. He co-founded Business Aviation Asia (BAA) in Hong Kong and Asia United Business Aviation, a business aircraft services company handling consulting, sales, management, charter, maintenance and FBO development in China.
Honeywell is teaming with upstart avionics producer Aspen Avionics to develop a “NextGen-ready” multifunction touch screen cockpit display for general aviation aircraft, the companies announced last week at the Aircraft Electronics Association annual convention in Reno, Nev. The partnership will strengthen Honeywell’s competition against Garmin, Avidyne and others at the lower general aviation price points, while providing Aspen a venue to expand its reach in the market.
BRITISH AEROSPACE HP.137 Jetstream Mk.1, Jetstream 200, Jetstream 3101 and Jetstream 3201 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0230; Directorate Identifier 2011-CE-004-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to conduct repetitive eddy-current inspections of certain Main Landing Gear (MLG) fittings and replace or repair any cracked fitting, per the instructions of British Aerospace Jetstream Series 3100 & 3200 Service Bulletin 32-JA090240, Rev.1 (dated Jan. 18, 2010).
