CP Aviation co-owner Judy Phelps was named Certified Flight Instructor of the Year for 2011 by the General Aviation Awards program. Phelps is a member of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators, the Ninety-Nines, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Experimental Aircraft Association, International Aerobatic Club and Women in Aviation. She currently is president of the Aviation Museum of Santa Paula, Calif. Santa Paula-based CP Aviation is a Cessna Pilot Center (CPC).
Steve Taylor was appointed as a jet card sales director for Flexjet. Taylor will be responsible for jet card sales in the north central region, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana and Michigan. A former naval aviator, he was most recently senior VP of business development at Pentastar Aviation.
BOMBARDIER Regional Jet Series 100, 440, 700, 701, 702, 705 and 900 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0703; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-040-AD; Amendment 39-16633; AD 2011-06-08] – Modify the Air-Driven Generator (ADG), including replacing the power-feeder wire harness assembly with tin-plated electrical wires, per the instructions of Bombardier Service Bulletin 601R-24-128, Rev. C (dated May 14, 2010). Also, replace the backshell and reorient the ADG cannon plug to reduce wire-bending stress.
An aviation consultant announced plans last week to form a group that will look into buying Duluth, Minn.-based Cirrus Industries to counter an offer currently on the table from China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA). Earlier this month, CAIGA announced plans to buy the single-engine plane maker, with plans to close the deal by mid-2011. The transaction’s terms were not released. Last April, CAIGA bought the assets of Bend, Ore.-based Epic Aircraft, a manufacturer of the high-performance, single-engine LT aircraft.
Five people were killed and another seriously injured when their aircraft, a Super King Air 200, crashed on takeoff March 16 from Long Beach Municipal Airport in California. Owned by Carde Equipment Sales, the aircraft, N849BM, was on a Part 91 flight to Salt Lake City International Airport. The aircraft departed Runway 30, turned left, plunged to the ground, caught fire and slid about 200 to 300 yd. on the northern area of the airport, according to initial reports.
MICHAEL COX has joined Duncan Aviation as VP of human resources. Cox previously spent 28 years in aviation insurance, holding leadership roles in marketing, public affairs, education and training, strategic planning, finance, sales administration, recruiting, change management and insurance claims. At Duncan, he will be responsible for the human resources and professional development departments, as well as for wellness and safety programs for all Duncan Aviation locations.
GIL JACKSON was appointed technical business development manager, aftermarket services for Sargent Aerospace & Defense, a supplier of precision engineered components and aftermarket services. Jackson will be responsible for expanding Sargent’s landing gear component business, as well as powerplant exhaust and flight controls services. He has a 24-year landing gear background with companies including Goodrich Aerospace, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines.
Aviation associations and avionics manufacturers have joined other transportation sectors in launching a coalition to tackle a jamming threat to GPS. Aviation industry people say the system could be compromised by plans to expand wireless broadband coverage of the U.S. using a satellite spectrum adjacent to that of GPS. The navigation system is a key component of the NextGen satellite-based air traffic control.
FlightSafety International has developed a crew resource management training course designed specifically for helicopter operations. The scenario-based training program covers human factors, teamwork, communication, situational awareness, aeronautical decision-making, leadership and safety.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) last week cited poor pilot decision-making, fatigue and inadequate crew resource management (CRM) as factors in the July 31, 2008, crash of an East Coast Jets Hawker Beechcraft 125-800 at Owatonna Degner Regional Airport in Minnesota, and the board’s report on the crash includes 14 recommendations.
The U.S. and the European Union (EU) signed an aviation safety agreement last week that the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) calls “vitally important” to the long-term health of the industry. The bilateral aviation safety accord, expected to go into effect on May 1, creates a “one-stop shop” by reducing redundant certification activities in the U.S. and Europe, GAMA says.
March 21-24—National Business Aviation Association 38th Annual International Operators Conference, San Diego, (202) 783-9000, www.nbaa.org/events/ioc/2011/ March 22-25—Aircraft Electronics Association, 54th Annual International Trade Show and Convention, Reno, Nev., www.aea.net March 29-31—JEC Composites Show 2011: Joint stand for lightweight design from North Rhine-Westphalia, Porte de Versailles, Paris, [email protected]
TURBOMECA Arriel 1E2, 1S and 1S1 engines [Docket No. FAA-2011-0141; Directorate Identifier 2011-NE-06-AD; Amendment 39-16617; AD 2011-05-08] – Inspect the fuel ejector in the body of the fuel ejector assembly for proper installation by checking that the circlip is properly seated in its groove. If a fuel ejector is improperly installed, replace the fuel ejector assembly before further flight.
With the price of oil topping $100 a barrel, Utah-based Fuel Managers is hoping to draw aircraft operators to its web-based service that is designed to lower fuel costs.
BOMBARDIER DHC-8-400 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0154; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-016-AD; Amendment 39-16624; AD 2011-05-14] – Check to ensure proper operation of the main landing gear alternate extension system cam mechanism. Repair or replace the cam assembly with a new or serviceable assembly, as needed. This AD, which resulted from an MCAI originated by Transport Canada, is designed to prevent failure of the cam on one side, which could lead to an unsafe asymmetrical landing configuration and possible loss of control during landing.
The Regional Jet Center at Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in Bentonville renewed its fuel contract as a branded Phillips 66 Aviation fixed-base operator. The renewal covers five years. Regional Jet Center participates in the Phillips WingPoints Reward Card program and serves as a Phillips Partners-Into-Plane participant, handling fuel for direct commercial flights.
DASSAULT Falcon 7X airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0222; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-056-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to revise their maintenance programs to incorporate a new reduced maximum Time Between Overhaul (TBO) for the DC generator of 650 flight hr. (versus the previous 1,000 hr.). This proposal, which resulted from an MCAI originated by the European Aviation Safety Agency, was issued after service experience has shown that the current bearing design cannot sustain the 1,000-hr. TBO.
A number of external factors are having a strong influence on regional charter demand, Avinode Business Intelligence says. “North Africa, for example, is still experiencing an atypical increase in requests as a result of prolonged political unrest in the region,” Avinode says.
With a second prototype joining the flight test program in December, Eurocopter’s 16-passenger, EC175 twin has logged more than 100 hr. and is on track for certification at year’s end, with deliveries to follow in 2012.
Cessna Aircraft appointed MJETS of Thailand as an authorized service facility for Citation business jets. Based at Don Muaung Airport in Bangkok, MJETS provides a range of business and general aviation services, including charter, management, sales, line services, flight planning and ground handling. MJETS invested $10 million in new facilities as part of an expansion into maintenance. “We see maintenance services provided through our new hangar complex at Don Muaung as a logical next step for our business,” says Jaiyavat Navaraj, executive chairman of MJETS.
Airbus has appointed Taikoo (Xiamen) Aircraft Engineering Company (TAECO) as its first approved corporate jet cabin-outfitter in the Asia-Pacific region. A subsidiary of Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company, TAECO provides heavy and line maintenance, freighter conversion, component overhaul, engineering design, parts manufacturing and training in Xiamen, China. Outfitting business jet cabins is a new venture for TAECO, Airbus says, but adds the facility underwent an audit and already has built a cabin mock-up.
CAE Global Academy received contracts to train European Institute of Aviation and Business (EIAB) and Omni Aviation Training Center pilots. Based in Saarlouis, Germany, EIAB renewed a long-term contract with CAE for ab initio training. CAE further received a new contract from Omni in Tires, Portugal to train ab initio pilot cadets in visual flight rules operations. Pilots from both EIAB and Omni will train at CAE’s center in Mesa, Ariz.
Australian aircraft manufacturer GippsAero is adding floats as an option for its eight-seat passenger aircraft, the GA8, and has moved ahead with development of a stretched version known as the GA10. GippsAero says U.S. company Wipaire is developing floats for the GA8, with testing to start in October and deliveries to customers in 2012. “The GA8’s large square-section cabin, impressive payload and very docile handling characteristics make it a very attractive float/amphibious aircraft,” it says.
