FAA has published a notice of proposed rulemaking that would add steps to the inspection procedures specified in a 1987 airworthiness directive designed to prevent seats from slipping or roller housings from departing seat rails.
KELLY ALLENDER was promoted to assistant manager of FlightSafety International’s Cessna learning center in Wichita, Kan. Allender joined FlightSafety in 2001 and most recently was director of programs at the Wichita center. He also has served as program manager for the Cessna Citation Mustang training program, as well as a ground and simulator instructor. He also served with the U.S. Marines for nine years.
Hawker Beechcraft Chairman and CEO Bill Boisture is enthusiastic that the NBAA convention in October was “a success and a fine showcase for our products.” Hawker Beechcraft sold five new airplanes, booked $18.5 million in new business for Hawker Beechcraft Services and “generated a substantial number of hard leads,” Boisture told analysts Friday. Despite the positive returns, the “depressed” market has prompted the Wichita plane-maker to shelve the Hawker 400XP. See article on Page 3.
Taiwan-based Win Air opened the first charter and aircraft management service in the country on Oct. 29. The charter company flies an all-Gulfstream fleet. “This new service will provide increased mobility for Taiwanese executives and for others in the region and around the world,” says Win Air President David Fei. “Our airplanes will carry them to all continents, most of them nonstop. We will provide this service from the most convenient location for business in Taiwan.”
MIKE MADSEN was named president of Honeywell Aerospace’s Defense & Space business. Madsen previously was vice president of the Airlines Customer Business team within the Air Transport & Regional (AT&R) business, and before that was vice president for AT&R’s Regional Aircraft and Aero Component business. Madsen has 20 years of experience with Honeywell, beginning as a performance engineer in the Systems Analysis and Performance group supporting the TFE731, ATF3 and CFE738 engines.
Montreal-based business charter operator Zenith Jet is predicting that 2010 will be the trough year – instead of the widely reported consensus of 2011 – and the industry will see a disciplined recovery between 2010-2019.
BOMBARDIER BD-700-1A10 and BD-700-1A11 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0548; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-041-AD; Amendment 39-16497; AD 2010-23-08] – Replace the balance washer screws on certain ram air turbines (RATs) with new balance washer screws, per the instructions of Bombardier Service Bulletin 700-1A11-24-014, Rev. 02 or 700-24-075, Rev. 02 (both dated March 15, 2010). This AD, which resulted from an MCAI originated by Transport Canada, was prompted by five reports of balance washer screw failures caused by nonconforming screws.
The Global Aerospace Center for Icing and Environmental Research (GLACIER) Inc., a joint venture of Pratt & Whitney Canada and Rolls-Royce Canada, has opened its new, state-of-the-art cold-weather testing and research facility for aircraft engines in northern Canada.
In a sign of gradual recovery for European business aviation, traffic for the past six months has outpaced activity seen for the same period last year. Although activity (departures, arrivals, internals and overflights) in October was below September levels, year-on-year the activity last month was up 3.6%. But monthly traffic remains below what was seen in the same period two years ago, although since June that gap has come down significantly.
Innotech Aviation has received FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) approval for a Ku-band satellite connectivity system in the Bombardier Global Express. Branded I-Ku, the installation centers on VMT-1500 avionics and an antenna from California-based ViaSat, which also operates the worldwide Yonder satellite service with which the equipment will work. Users will have simultaneous access to high-speed Internet, VoIP and voice over Wi-Fi via personal wireless devices such as laptops, Blackberries, iPhones and iPads.
Citation X operators soon will be able to install Safe Flight’s AutoPower system on their airplanes. The automatic throttle system will be offered on new production aircraft, as well as for retrofit on in-service airplanes, through the Cessna Service Center in Wichita. Development hardware has been qualified and delivered, and first flight of an installed system is to take place by yearend. Supplemental type certification is anticipated early next year.
Gulfstream Aerospace has received FAA approval to retrofit Gulfstream IV, GIV-SP and GV aircraft cockpits with light-emitting diode (LED) lamps. Gulfstream engineers developed the LED lamps to replace up to 700 incandescent bulbs in the cockpit. LED lights have greater lifespan, reduce maintenance and material costs, are more vibrant and operate at temperatures that are about 80 degrees cooler, Gulfstream says.
While many manufacturers have made cuts, Pratt & Whitney Canada has put out a notice that it is seeking experienced engineers to support key aircraft engine development programs for business, regional and helicopter applications. The company is hoping to fill more than 200 positions at its facilities in Longueuil, Quebec, and Mississauga, Ontario.
The Piaggio Avanti fleet has reached a milestone, having amassed more than 500,000 flight hours of time aloft since being certificated in 1990. The worldwide P.180 fleet is composed of more than 200 aircraft, with the highest time twin turboprop (serial number 1007) accruing more than 8,650 flight hours. Fractional ownership company Avantair is the largest operator, with 55 aircraft that have flown more than 225,500 flight hours.
Mexico’s first Embraer authorized service center is Transpais Aereo, which will begin working on Phenom 100 and 300 light jets in the first quarter of next year. Transpais Aereo is a subsidiary of the Lomex Group Aeronautics Division, which has been Embraer’s sales representative in Mexico since March 2008. Transpais, which has two hangars at the Aeropuerto Internacional del Norte (ADN) in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, has been servicing corporate aircraft since 1974. Separately, Embraer has named Aerocardal Ltda. as its authorized sales representative for executive jets in Chile.
CESSNA Model 750 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-1107; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-263-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to replace certain Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) generators with new or serviceable generators before further flight, per the instructions of Cessna Service Letter SL750-24-08 (dated Aug. 13, 2009). In addition, operators would need to revise the “Operating Limitations” of the Airplane Flight Manual to include a temporary change regarding procedures for resetting the APU generator.
Inflight TV access for China is now available for users of Tailwind 500 and 550 multi-region Direct Broadcast Satellite TV systems. The Rockwell Collins airborne TV systems provide business aircraft passengers with more than 475 channels of satellite video and audio programming in multiple geographic regions, including the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, India, Russia, and now China. Rockwell Collins anticipates expanding regional coverage to include Brazil next year.
ELIGIO TROMBETTA was appointed general manager of Piaggio Aero. Trombetta previously served as deputy general manager for Alenia Aermacchi, where he most recently was deputy general manager. He initially joined Alenia Aermacchi in 1979 after graduating in aeronautical engineering at Milan Polytechnic. He became head of the flight test department in 1987 and subsequently held project manager roles on the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System program. He later was named head of procurement and then of systems engineering for the M346 business unit.
Hawker Beechcraft recently rolled out the 2,000th Beechcraft King Air 90 series aircraft at its final assembly site in Wichita, Kan. The aircraft, a King Air C90GTx, will be delivered to a customer later this year. The King Air 90 entered service more than 45 years ago, beginning a series that includes the 90, A90, B90 and C90. The C90GTx includes a number of enhancements, such as an increase in gross weight and the addition of composite winglets.
CAE and Flight Options have signed a five-year contract renewal for pilot training on aircraft operated by the Cleveland-based fractional ownership provider. The $15 million agreement covers six aircraft types — the Beechjet 400A, Cessna Citation X, Hawker Beechcraft 800XP and 800 XPi, Embraer Legacy and Phenom 300. Most training will be conducted at CAE SimuFlite in Dallas and CAE North East Training Center in Morristown, N.J. Embraer CAE Training Services, a joint venture of Embraer and CAE, will provide the Phenom 300 training in Dallas.
Progress has slowed, however, on TSA’s proposed Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP). TSA Administrator John Pistole had hoped to come to last month’s National Business Aviation Association Annual Meeting and Convention in Atlanta with a LASP proposal in hand (BA, Oct. 25/1). He conceded at the time, “The stark reality is we’re not quite there yet.” TSA subsequently has placed a substantial amount of resources into cargo security in light of the recent bomb plots involving cargo aircraft.
Cessna Aircraft has added five more flight training schools to its Cessna Pilot Center (CPCs) network. The latest additions are: Alliance International Aviation in Chino, Calif.; Genesis Flight Academy in Georgetown, Texas; JacksonAir in Thermal, Calif.; North Florida Flight Training in West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Tailwind Flight Center in Appleton, Wis. The network comprises more than 270 CPCs.
The sluggish general aviation market has forced Hawker Beechcraft to make further product-line changes, including moth-balling its Hawker 400XP for two years, even as the company is unveiling several product enhancements that will position it for the future. Bill Boisture, chairman and CEO of the Wichita, Kan. airframer, acknowledged Friday that the company has decided to put Hawker 400XP production and sales on hold for 2011 and 2012.
BOMBARDIER DHC-8-400 Series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-1041; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-198-AD; Amendment 39-16493; AD 2010-23-04] – Conduct a conductivity check and repetitive detailed visual inspections of the nacelle attachment fittings for cracks. If cracks are found, replace the fitting; if the fittings do not pass the conductivity check, repeat the detailed inspections each day until the fitting is replaced, per the instructions of Bombardier Service Bulletin 84-54-14, Rev. J (dated Sept. 17, 2010).
