In 2010, Piper Aircraft delivered more aircraft, stepped up development of its Altaire single jet and prepared for an unprecedented global push in 2011 as it continues to strengthen its position as a global airplane manufacturer, according to interim CEO Geoffrey Berger. “During 2010, the first full year since Imprimis acquired Piper, the company made memorable and notable progress in a number of important areas,” says Berger, who was named CEO in July 2010. Piper says it will announce a permanent CEO in “the near future.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has joined the hundreds of commenters expressing concern about a proposed FAA clarification of the term “actively engaged” as it applies to obtaining or renewing Inspection Authorizations (IA).
The team developing the Stratos 714 single-engine personal jet reported last week that the project had received enough third-party funding to conduct wind tunnel tests of a 1/8th scale model. Those tests are expected to take place in April, probably at the University of Washington.
Jeppesen, which conducted a joint study on fatigue with Boeing, has used those results to develop a fatigue risk management (FRM) tool. Jeppesen has integrated FRM into its Crew Management System used by scheduled airlines. The system is designed to prevent and mitigate fatigue risk in crew planning and operation. FRM considers crewmembers’ predicted levels of fatigue when generating and maintaining crew schedules. These predictions of crew alertness and fatigue risk are based on the Boeing Alertness Model (BAM), developed jointly by Boeing and Jeppesen.
BOMBARDIER BD-700-1A10 (Global Express) and BD-700-1A11 (Global Express XRS) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0959; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-119-AD; Amendment 39-16564; AD 2011-01-10] – Relocate the No. 2 and No. 3 hydraulic system lines in the wing auxiliary spar area on the left side of the aircraft. Also, modify the left wing rib and debris shield and right debris shield. This AD, which resulted from an MCAI originated by an aviation authority of another country, is designed to prevent damage to the hydraulic lines in the event of a main landing gear tire failure.
L.D. BUERGER was promoted to director, G650 initial phase operations for Gulfstream Aerospace. He is responsible for initial phase manufacturing, manufacturing engineering and planning, industrial engineering and tool design for the G650, which is scheduled to enter service in 2012. Buerger previously was senior manager of G650 production operations and, before that, worked as final phase team manager at the Savannah Completion Center in Georgia.
Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) is hoping to ward off the possibility of user fees resurfacing in President Obama’s Fiscal 2012 budget. Costello, a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the most recent aviation subcommittee chairman, has begun soliciting signatures from his colleagues on a draft letter that urges Obama to avoid user fees in the upcoming budget. Costello, who backs continuing the aviation fuel taxes, led a similar effort in October 2009.
Dassault Falcon has received FAA approval for using three-dimensional (3D) data for type design in the completions process of Falcon aircraft. The approval applies to completions of production aircraft, including the Falcon 900 and 2000 series, as well as the 7X. Dassault previously received approval for 3D data on the basic design of the Falcon 7X when it was jointly certified by FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency in 2007, making it the first aircraft to be fully approved for the use of 3D data throughout the entire manufacturing process.
Gulfstream recently obtained Transport Canada approval for Canadian-registered Gulfstream G450 and G350 aircraft to operate at their maximum cruise altitude of 45,000 ft. Transport Canada restricts flight to 41,000 ft. or below unless special conditions have been met to ensure against rapid depressurization of the aircraft cabin. Gulfstream says its automatic emergency descent mode (AEDM) was key in obtaining the approval. AEDM will turn the aircraft 90 deg. and lower it to 15,000 ft. altitude and 250 kt. airspeed if a pilot becomes incapacitated due to depressurization.
EMBRAER EMB-500 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-1023 Directorate Identifier 2010-CE-055-AD; Amendment 39-16557; AD 2011-01-04] – Install clamps and protection sleeves to wiring harness W101 within the cockpit area, and rework structures to eliminate the fretting spots of the harness with the main-door locking mechanism and an oxygen tube, per the instructions of Embraer Service Bulletin No. SB 500-24-0002 (dated March 8, 2010).
KEVIN DILLON was named vice president of operations for Constant Aviation’s Birmingham, Ala. facility. Dillon will oversee operations, including maintenance, avionics, customer service and sales support. He formerly was managing director at Avantair, where he oversaw the startup of three maintenance facilities. He also has served as sales and acquisitions maintenance manager for Flight Options.
An International Working Group (IWG) is planning to submit in early 2011 a series of recommendations to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on new classification and qualification standards for civil helicopter flight simulation training devices (FSTDs). ICAO is expected to publish a new volume of the Manual of Criteria for Qualification of FSTDs – Document 96265 focused on helicopters. The Helicopter IWG, working under the Royal Aeronautical Society, has spent four years developing the criteria.
Al Bateen Executive Airport has signed a letter of intent with Switzerland-based gategroup to provide catering and aircraft provisioning services to business aircraft using the facility. Under the long-term deal, gategroup unit Gate Gourmet will establish an on-site kitchen staffed around the clock with chefs producing gourmet meals, among other hospitality related services.
Toulouse, France-based Airbus Corporate Jet Centre (ACJC) has delivered its sixth cabin to an undisclosed customer in the Middle East. ACJC’s latest delivery is an A320 Prestige with a VIP cabin that features a forward lounge with club seats and a divan, a bedroom with a large en suite bathroom, and two VIP guest areas.
DASSAULT Falcon 7X airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-1207; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-140-AD] – This proposed AD would require installation of dedicated fuses on the weight-on-wheels (WOW) proximity sensors, per the instructions of Dassault Mandatory Service Bulletin 7X-065 (dated July 24, 2009). This proposal, which resulted from an MCAI originated by the European Aviation Safety Agency, is designed to prevent short circuits in the WOW proximity sensor wiring, which could cause simultaneous loss of power to WOW proximity sensors.
Business aircraft were involved in one more accident last year than in 2009, but that slight increase comes as the number of flight hr. steadily climbed in 2010. According to the latest statistics released by Robert E. Breiling Associates, business aircraft were involved in a total of 45 accidents in 2010, compared with 44 in 2009.
As fuel prices edged upward this month, David Wyndham, VP and co-owner of Conklin & de Decker, warns that prices “will rise considerably in 2011.” He notes that crude oil is approaching $100 per barrel, and some experts have forecast that it may reach $150 per barrel this year. “Regardless of the size [of the price rise], increasing fuel prices will have negative effects on business aviation if operators’ budgets are not also slated to increase,” Wyndham says.
FAA is proposing to require software upgrades on about 9,000 aircraft equipped with certain Aviation Communication & Surveillance Systems (ACSS) traffic alert and collision avoidance systems (TCAS). FAA issued a proposed airworthiness directive (AD), saying the agency had received reports of anomalies with the ACSS TCAS units during flights over a high-density airport.
The Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) Board of Governors has elected three new members: Paolo Pettinaroli, Cameron Ross and Antonio Victorazzo. Pettinaroli is president of Foundation October 8, which worked with FSF to host the 63rd annual International Air Safety Seminar in Milan, Italy in 2010. Ross is the manager of aviation safety at BHP Billiton, one of the founding members of FSF’s Basic Aviation Risk Standard (BARS program). Victorazzo is VP of product integrity at Embraer, which FSF says has long been involved in foundation activities.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the Aug. 9, 2010 de Havilland DHC-3T Otter crash that killed former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and four others prompted the agency to call on FAA to require detailed inspections of all emergency locator transmitters (ELT) on general aviation aircraft. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), however, says that such action is unnecessary since current regulations already accommodate those inspections.
Changes in business aviation operations in China, a booming Asian economy and commitments from original equipment manufacturers make National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) President and CEO Ed Bolen optimistic that the relaunched Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE) will be successful. ABACE will be held Feb. 28-March 1, 2012 in Shanghai. NBAA canceled ABACE 2009 in Hong Kong, citing the bad economy.
EMBRAER EMB-135BJ airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-1080; Directorate Identifier 2008-NM-118-AD; Amendment 39-16554; AD 2011-01-01] – Revise the “Airworthiness Limitations” section of the “Instructions for Continued Airworthiness” to incorporate new limitations for fuel tank systems. This AD, which resulted from an MCAI originated by the aviation authority of Brazil, was prompted by an airplane fuel tank systems review that indicated that additional maintenance and inspections are necessary to preclude the development of ignition sources within the fuel tanks.
The new House transportation chief is wasting no time in diving back into the FAA reauthorization issue. Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), the incoming chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, wants to hold two hearings on reauthorization toward the end of this month, industry and congressional sources say. Mica has vowed to make FAA reauthorization one of his top priorities.
Royal Jet in Dubai has been named the official private jet partner for the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation’s Abu Dhabi Festival. Festival events include a performance by the World Orchestra for Peace, composed of 76 artists from 63 internationally acclaimed orchestras from 31 countries.
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] – Conduct 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. Repair or replace any cracked spar. This AD, which is a revision of an existing airworthiness directive (AD 2010-17-18), reduces the applicability to airplanes Serial No. 0001 through 0269.
