BOMBARDIER DHC-8-400 Series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0043; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-192-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to visually inspect for the presence of red anodized threads on the outlet fitting of the motive flow check valve (MFCV) installed in the left- and right-wing fuel tanks, per the instructions of Bombardier Service Bulletin 84-28-08 (dated March 11, 2010). If a red anodized check valve outlet fitting is found, then operators would need to replace it with an MFCV that has a chemical film coating (gold color) fitting.
KLAUS TRITSCHLER was hired as VP of design for LSA manufacturer Icon Aircraft. He will be responsible for Icon’s design direction across all consumer touch points, from the details of the A5 aircraft’s production interior to the implementation of the company’s brand in its marketing efforts. He came from BMW Group DesignworksUSA, where he was the creative director and oversaw projects including the Embraer Phenom 100 and 300 jets.
McCreery Aviation Company in McAllen, Texas, has joined the Avfuel network of branded distributors. Based at McAllen Miller International Airport, McCreery provides a range of general aviation services, including maintenance, aircraft sales, parts, avionics and charter. The fixed-base operation also houses a flight academy.
Jet Aviation Zurich was named as the JetBed distributor for the European, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia regions. Based in the U.S., JetBed produces a line of lightweight, portable beds for Bombardier, Cessna, Dassault, Gulfstream and Learjet aircraft.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) renewed an agreement designating Cessna as its exclusive supplier of single-engine non-complex aircraft. The agreement extends the designation through 2017. ERAU signed an exclusive supplier agreement with Cessna in 1997 and has since purchased 196 Skyhawks. Cessna expects the latest agreement could result in orders for 50 more Skyhawks.
Embraer has signed a contract to sell a Phenom 300 jet to Brazilian medical company Amil Assistência Médica. The delivery will be the first medevac version of the Phenom 300 and is scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year. The jet will be operated by Aeromil, which will manage the aircraft on behalf of Amil Resgate Saúde, an air and land rescue organization.
AIR TRACTOR AT-802 and AT-802A airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0827; Directorate Identifier 2010-CE-029-AD; Amendment 39-16552; AD 2010-17-18 R1] – This revised directive still requires operators to perform repetitive eddy-current inspections for cracks in the two outboard fastener holes in both of the wing main-spar lower caps at the center splice joint. The revised AD also requires operators to repair or replace any cracked spar.
LEARJET 45 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0951; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-107-AD; Amendment 39-16608; AD 2011-04-08] – Visually inspect for chafing, pinched or exposed wires and correct routing of wires in the left and right circuit breaker panels, per the instructions of Bombardier Alert Service Bulletin A40-24-11 or A45-24-16 (both dated Nov. 16, 2009). Except if arcing damage is found on the forward mounting bracket of the circuit breaker panel, repair any damage before further flight.
The Air Charter Safety Foundation’s (ACSF) International Audit Standard Registry (IAS) continues to expand with the additions of Dominion Aviation Services of Richmond, Va., and DB Aviation of Waukegan, Ill. They join 23 other operators that have completed the IAS audit and have achieved registered status. The IAS is designed for Part 135 and 91K operators and calls for a thorough review of an operator’s processes and procedures, regulatory compliance and safety management systems.
New aircraft registration rules are expected to dramatically change the number of aircraft on the registry, which also will significantly alter FAA’s aircraft operations estimates, notes Peg Krecker with Tetra Tech, FAA’s consultant that tracks General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey data. FAA is estimating that at least one-third of the aircraft currently on the registry will be removed. Krecker notes that the decline in the registry should occur over the next three years. GA activity, meanwhile, is estimated to decline by about 15%, she adds.
The Virginia Department of Aviation sees general aviation airports as a key to creating jobs and economic development in the state, Director Randall Burdette says. “We remind the public that we provide more than just air service. We provide business access, law enforcement, emergency operations,” Burdette said at the recent FAA Forecast Conference.
THOMAS ACCARDI was named standards manager for the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC). He will be responsible for International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations, starting in mid-April. He has held management positions at FAA and has been a corporate and an airline pilot, an air traffic controller and aviation safety inspector.
BOMBARDIER Regional Jet Series 100 and 440 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-1039; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-002-AD; Amendment 39-16612; AD 2011-05-03] – Incorporate into the Maintenance Manual a new task for checking wear in the throttle control gearbox. This new AD, which supersedes an existing directive (AD 2005-06-04) and resulted from an MCAI originated by Transport Canada, is designed to prevent excessive wear within the throttle control gearbox from altering the rigging position or causing the throttle to jam.
FAR Part 23 rewrite? General Aviation Manufacturers Association President and CEO Pete Bunce says the industry hopes to work with FAA on a potential rewrite of Part 23 regulations governing the certification of light aircraft. “We have not looked at those rules in 40 years,” Bunce said during last week’s “State of the Industry” press conference in Washington. Updating the regulations could help spur the production of new light piston aircraft, which in turn could help encourage new student pilots, he says.
Japan’s Narita International Airport Corporation (NIAC) is planning to build a dedicated business aviation facility as part of an overall expansion, the organization says. NIAC drafted plans for the facility after consulting reports from the Growth Strategy Panel at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and holding discussions with the Committee on Business Aviation Promotion, NIAC says.
The economic downturn has forced a number of general aviation manufacturers to carefully examine how – and where – they build aircraft, says Tom Aniello, VP-marketing for Cessna Aircraft. The dramatic shift in the economy “really exposed a lot of structure that’s not competitive,” Aniello said during FAA’s recent annual Forecast Conference, predicting that the shift of production to lower-cost regions likely will continue. Mexico has become a key region, with many OEMs moving thousands of jobs there. (see article on Page 2).
Bombardier recently delivered its 300th Challenger 300 business jet to an undisclosed customer in North America. The delivery comes 12 years after the program was announced and seven years after the super-midsize aircraft first entered service. Bombardier celebrated the delivery Feb. 17 at its headquarters in Dorval near Montreal with customer representatives, company leaders and employees.
The Senate’s two-year version of the fiscal 2011 FAA reauthorization bill (S.223), which at this point is essentially a six-month funding bill, sailed through to passage in a way that will not be seen in House and conference debate, congressional staffers predict (BA, Feb. 21/3).
General Aviation Manufacturers Association President and CEO Pete Bunce is calling for close collaboration between government and industry, saying partnerships will be crucial to industry growth in an increasing global market. During the economic downturn of the past few years, general aviation manufacturers have continued to innovate and invest in new products to prepare to address global market opportunities as the recession ends.
RICK STINE was named senior VP for StandardAero’s newly formed components sector in Cincinnati. Stine formerly was senior VP-technical operations with Heico Corp. and, before that, spent 12 years with GE Aircraft Engines. While serving with GE, he led a NASA-industry team consisting of members from Pratt and Whitney, Boeing, NASA and GE Aircraft Engines.
Embraer last week officially opened its Florida assembly plant and customer delivery center, a welcome source of jobs on the soon-to-be space shuttle-less Space Coast that drew the Brazilian company’s CEO a standing ovation. The new $50 million complex at Melbourne International Airport is expected to begin turning out Phenom 100 light jets later this year. Ultimately, it could employ 200 workers and produce eight Phenom 100 and 300 business jets a month. Eventually other models could be assembled there, but there is no schedule for doing so.
THIELERT TAE 125-02-99 and TAE 125-02-114 engines [Docket No. FAA-2010-0892; Directorate Identifier 2010-NE-32-AD; Amendment 39-16615; AD 2011-05-06] – Replace the timing chain within 600-910 flight hr. since new. Thereafter, replace the timing chain within every additional 910 flight hr. This AD, which resulted from an MCAI issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency, is designed to prevent wear from causing the timing chain to fracture, which could lead to an inflight engine shutdown and loss of control of the airplane.
Bob Blouin has returned to Washington in the newly created position of VP of government and industry relations for Hawker Beechcraft. Blouin, who formerly had spent seven years as senior VP-operations for the National Business Aviation Association, joined Hawker Beechcraft in early 2008 as VP of flight operations. The move establishes a presence in Washington for Hawker Beechcraft, which has been stepping up its efforts in the trainer and special-mission arena. Blouin says the Wichita airframer also wants to expand its industry relations in Washington.
RICK RANDALL has shifted responsibilities with Duncan Aviation to become regional manager of the south-central U.S. Randall formerly was the company’s regional manager for the Great Lakes. His new territory includes Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Randall joined Duncan in 1999.
The EADS shareholder structure was debated in a high-level German government meeting, but officials failed to resolve the question of how to deal with a request by Daimler to reduce its stake in the European aerospace and defense giant. Daimler wants to trim its shareholding, which now stands at 15%, but such a move would upset the careful Franco-German balance in EADS unless a new German stakeholder can be found to maintain national parity. There have been discussions as to whether the German government would take the shareholding directly.
