The former Embraer Legacy 600 involved in the Sept. 29, 2006, midair collision over the Amazon in Brazil finally has reached the U.S. after remaining out of service in the Brazilian jungle for four years. Cleveland-based Constant Aviation has begun a major inspection and renovation of the Legacy, work that culminates months of advance planning, several trips to Brazil and weeks of preparations at the remote military base in the Brazilian jungle where the Legacy landed after the midair accident.
SIMON WHEATLEY was promoted to U.K. manager of Air Partner’s Private Jets Division. Wheatley has served with the company since 1998, originally as part of the ServicePlus support team in the Commercial Jet division. In 2002, he moved to the Private Jets division.
Piper Aircraft has received a contract for six Piper Seminole training aircraft valued at $3.9 million from Airline Transport Professionals (ATP), a nationwide firm that specializes in airline pilot training and pilot career development. The airplanes will be delivered to ATP this year. ATP will use the aircraft for flight training it provides under Mountain State University’s ATP pilot operations degree program. The aircraft will increase ATP’s training fleet to 87 Piper Seminoles. ATP also operates 50 Cessna 172s, five Diamond DA40s and a CitationJet.
BOMBARDIER Regional Jet Series 100, 440, 700, 701, 702, 705 and 900 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0223; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-105-AD; Amendment 39-16503; AD 2010-23-14] – Conduct a visual inspection for corrosion and related damage to the lower inner section of the passenger door. If necessary, repair any damage found and apply corrosion inhibitor compound. This AD, which resulted from an MCAI originated by an aviation authority of another country, was prompted by several cases of corrosion in lower structural members of passenger doors.
Dec. 15—The Wings Club Luncheon Featuring Gary Kelly, Chairman, President & CEO of Southwest Airlines, The Yale Club, New York, (212) 867-1770, [email protected] Dec. 15—Future of Aviation Advisory Committee meetings, Washington, http://www.dot.gov/faac Jan. 20-21, 2011—European Business Aviation Association Regional Forum “One Europe: A Roadmap for Aligning East and West,” Hilton Vienna, Austria, www.ebaa.org
Eurocopter AS 350 B2 helicopters operated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) will be fitted with Cobham’s synthetic vision electronic flight instrument systems (EFIS). The 14 LASD rotorcraft, which are being completed by Hangar One in Carlsbad, Calif., will have two screens (a primary flight display and a multi-function display), a WAAS Beta III GPS receiver, an integral TSO C-194 helicopter terrain awareness and warning system, an integral flight management system and an analog interface unit.
The Chicago Department of Aviation is seeking a Deputy Commissioner - Facilities to manage all physical plant facilities at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The City of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. For full details and to apply go to: http://flychicago.com/BusinessInformation/Jobs/Default.aspx Click here to view the pdf
SCOTT WELLS was appointed as a field service representative in the China and North Asian markets for Hawker Beechcraft. Wells, who has a base at the company’s regional sales office in Beijing, has more than 25 years of aviation industry experience. He has served as a crew lead for several Part 145 repair stations, director of maintenance for Part 91 and 135 operations, and as a crew chief, instructor and quality manager for the U.S. Air Force.
Avfuel Corp. has a new branding alliance with Reeder Flying Service of Twin Falls, Idaho. Reeder will serve as an Avfuel-branded fuel dealer and participate in the AVTRIP and Avfuel Contract Fuel programs. In operation since 1941, Reeder provides a range of fixed-base operation services and amenities, along with helicopter charter and maintenance, aircraft sales and aircraft parts sales.
Tanis Aircraft Products, a Glenwood, Minn., specialist in custom-designed aircraft engine preheater systems, was recently acquired by company President Bob Krueger. Kreuger had been a majority shareholder since 2006 and acquired the remaining shares from Linda Cole, who is retiring after 30 years with the company. Founded in 1973, Tanis has a number of FAA parts manufacturing approvals on aircraft preheat products, including oil sump and battery heaters and custom-fitted insulated covers.
FOKKER F.28 Mark 0070 and 0100 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0516; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-251-AD; Amendment 39-16484; AD 2010-22-05] – Inspect the hydraulic lines associated with the parking brake shutoff valve (PBSOV), remove any contamination from the hydraulic system and replace each unmodified PBSOV with a modified unit.
40 Years Ago Nov. 16, 1970 – Edward W. Stimpson is elected president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. 30 Years Ago Nov. 3, 1980 – Mitsubishi Aircraft International continues development of the Diamond I business jet, predicts that manufacturer would deliver 130 of the aircraft by the end of 1982. 20 Years Ago
Anticipating a heavy influx of business jets for February’s Super Bowl, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is moving business aviation operations to a refurbished airline passenger terminal. The switch is to occur on Dec. 9. “It was time to improve our facilities as a regional operation,” a DFW spokesman says.
London-based business aviation consultancy Oriens Advisors has partnered with Barcelona, Spain-based architecture firm Cesar Martinell & Associates to create “Flexible Based Operations,” temporary structures for new and existing fixed-based operators. The original Flexible Based Operations structure was designed by Martinell’s team for an air taxi operation based close to Barcelona that wanted an “instant” FBO while the operator developed its business, says a company spokeswoman.
FAA is proposing to harmonize four additional standards for Part 25 transport category airplanes. The proposal would harmonize requirements for takeoff speeds, static lateral-directional stability, speed increase and recovery characteristics, and the stall warning margin for the landing configuration in icing conditions. The Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee’s Flight Test Harmonization Working Group recommended most of the changes to eliminate differences between U.S. and European performance and handling characteristics standards.
Rockwell Collins recently won a supplemental type certificate to install Pro Line 21 integrated display systems (IDS) in the King Air 350. The avionics maker recently won a supplemental type certificate to install IDS in the twin turboprop while retaining the aircraft’s existing APS-65 autopilot and Pro Line II radios and sensors. The IDS system features three 10-in. by 8-in.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) has asked for a formal investigation into the practice of some states attempting to use federal disaster relief and emergency development assistance to attract companies such as Hawker Beechcraft from other states. The IAM wrote Attorney General Eric Holder that such use of funds “is a waste and misuse of federal dollars to finance deals that strip established businesses out of communities only to put them somewhere else.”
CHRISTOPHER FORSHIER was appointed director of business development for global airline operations for Metron Aviation, a developer of air traffic management capabilities, including Air Traffic Flow Management and Collaborative Decision Making. Forshier has 18 years of commercial aviation experience, including operations analysis and planning, customer service, ground operations and technical program management. Most recently, he was manager of operations strategy and implementation for Continental Airlines.
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA Model 206L, L-1 and L-3 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2008-1242; Directorate Identifier 96-SW-13-AD; Amendment 39-16511; AD 96-18-05 R1] – Per the instructions of Bell Helicopter Textron Alert Service Bulletin No. 206L-87-47, Rev. C (dated Oct. 23, 1989), perform repetitive visual inspections for cracks and corrosion of the tailboom skin around the nutplates and the tailboom driveshaft cover retention clips until the tailboom is replaced with an airworthy tailboom.
The Kansas City Aviation Department has completed a five-year, $70-million refurbishment of Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport (MKC). The refurbishment program included a $28 million project to raze and resurface both airport runways and add runway safety materials, a $20-million hangar project, $17 million for runway safety projects and construction of a $1-million general aviation terminal.
Dassault Falcon has recently made two moves to bolster its presence in China. The company has added Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Service Center (a joint venture between Shanghai Airport Authority and Hawker Pacific) to the manufacturer’s authorized service center network. In addition, the French airframe maker has established in Beijing a sales and marketing office that will be led by Jean-Michel Jacob, vice president of international sales.
KEVIN HUTTON , the founder, CEO and chairman of Golden Hour Data Systems, was re-elected to a fifth one-year term as chairman of MedEvac Foundation International. Golden Hour is a San Diego-based information system and revenue management company that supports emergency medical transport operations. Hutton also is a practicing attending emergency physician at two level-one trauma centers in San Diego.
FOKKER F.28 Mark 0070 and 0100 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0479; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-220-AD; Amendment 39-16472; AD 2010-21-12] – Conduct detailed inspections for wear of the brake quick-disconnect couplings, per the instructions of Fokker Service Bulletin SBF100-32-156, Rev. 1 (dated June 29, 2009). Before further flight, replace any worn coupling with an improved unit. Eventually, replace all existing couplings with improved ones, an action that terminates the requirement for repetitive inspections of the couplings.
The National Air Transportation Association’s recently concluded 2010 Aviation Business Roundtable drew more than 70 aviation business leaders, who discussed a range of issues affecting the aviation community. The event included discussions with NetJets Chairman and CEO David Sokol, Hawker Beechcraft Chairman and CEO Bill Boisture, TSA Administrator John Pistole and retiring Senate aviation subcommittee Chairman Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), among others.
FAA has begun to outline a template for the future of safety management system (SMS) requirements, but that template comes as the Nov. 18 international deadline for SMS was missed. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) had set a Nov. 18 deadline for non-commercial operators and certain aviation organizations to have an SMS program in place. ICAO previously set a Jan. 1, 2009, deadline for member states to adopt SMS requirements for commercial operators.
