Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group (Marshall ADG) has purchased the European MRO business, for Hawker Beechcraft and will be serving the Middle East.
LONDON — A U.K. helicopter operator has received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval to begin flying air ambulance operations using night vision goggles (NVG).
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.'s G280 aircraft received type certification today from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The certification recognizes that the super mid-sized aircraft demonstrates compliance with EASA airworthiness and environmental requirements. It is one of the final steps required for the G280 to be registered in a European Union country.
LONDON — Eurocopter is sending its new twin-engine medium helicopter, the EC175, on a short sales tour of the U.S. The move, which follows the successful exhibitions of its X3 technology demonstrator in 2012, will see the aircraft arrive in the U.S. later this month. It will make its first port of call to Bristow Group in Louisiana on Feb. 25-26. The aircraft will also visit Heli-Expo in Las Vegas before returning to the Gulf of Mexico, where it will be demonstrated to oil and gas operators PHi and Era Helicopters.
Embraer expects its 2013 delivery schedule to remain at about the same level as in 2012, albeit with a greater emphasis on its regional jet portfolio. With an outlook for 195-215 deliveries this year, the Brazilian manufacturer expects rates to roughly match the 205 deliveries for 2012 reported in January. However, in contrast to last year, business jet deliveries in 2013 will exceed those of commercial jets.
Dubai's Empire Aviation Group has launched a new sister company Empire Aviation (EA), along with a comprehensive range of business aviation services for private aircraft owners in India.
An Embraer Lineage 1000 has been on display at Jeddah and Riyadh airports this week as the Brazilian manufacturer makes a sales push in the Kingdom, for the business jet which is longer than the BBJ and ACJ Embraer.
Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), the operator of Al Bateen Executive Airport, and gategroup of Switzerland, have officially opened the 'Executive Gourmet' catering facility at Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi.
Two years ago, Boeing, Cessna and Gulfstream were the leading edge for introducing lithium-ion main-ship batteries into new aircraft in the civil aviation market. But by late 2011, evidence had emerged that the technology was not yet mature, spurring business aircraft makers Gulfstream and Cessna to return to more traditional, lower-performance and heavier batteries for the G650 and CJ4, respectively.
The FAA could begin asking for unmanned aerial system test site proposals as early as Monday, industry officials tell Aviation Week. The FAA was charged with selecting the six sites by the end of 2012, but the process has been delayed by privacy concerns.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is taking a look at crew rest regulations for on-demand carriers in a step that the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) says could ultimately separate the requirements for charter operators from scheduled airlines for the first time.
EUROCOPTER DEUTSCHLAND Model MBB-BK 117 C-2 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2013-0021; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-040-AD] – proposes to require changing the direction of the bolt connecting the upper clevis bolt of a specific bellcrank in the main rotor assembly, repetitively inspecting the bearings in the bellcrank assemblies for correct staking, and replacing a bellcrank if a bearing is staked incorrectly. This proposed AD is prompted by improperly staked bellcrank bearings, which may cause the bellcrank to shift in the axial direction and cause chafing.
The Transportation Security Administration ostensibly is targeting August as a potential release date for the long-shelved Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP) proposal for larger business aircraft. But industry groups are skeptical of that target, noting TSA’s track record for delays in releasing rulemakings. In fact, TSA Administrator John Pistole, when asked a few weeks ago, would not provide an updated possible time for the release of another long overdue rule, for repair station security.
AgustaWestland is pushing ahead with the flight-test program of its AW169 twin-engine helicopter , with the first flight of the fourth prototype. AC4 flew Jan. 31 at the company’s facilities at Vergiate, Italy, and will join the other three prototypes. The first three AW169 prototypes, which first flew last year in May, July and November, have completed more than 150 flight hours. AgustaWestland hopes to achieve certification in 2014.
Embraer, which launched certification flight trials of its new Legacy 500 mid-size business jet on Nov. 27, expects to add a second aircraft to the flight program in early February and a third to follow soon after that.
The Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) released a new study finding U.S. airports will need $71.3 billion in capital development investment by 2017, or $14.3 billion per year. But this is 11% less than ACI-NA estimated in its last Airport Capital Development Needs study in 2011, which found that airports would need $80.1 billion in the five-year period between 2011 and 2015. Much of this decrease is attributable to the continued weakness of the U.S. economy and airline industry consolidation that has led to cutbacks by U.S.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is hoping to develop data on light aircraft that will trace major causes of general aviation accidents. In its recently released European Aviation Safety Plan 2013-2016, the vast majority of fatal accidents involve aircraft weighing less than 2,250 kg (4,960 lb.), EASA notes, adding that in 2011, 253 people were killed as a result of small aircraft crashes. EASA plans to establish main accident categories and work to identify the scenarios leading to those accidents.
The National Air Transportation Association has released an online version for its line service supervision and training management program. The Supervisor Online program provides training for fixed-base operator (FBO) line supervisors and managers. The program covers lesson planning, supervising staff, motivating others, communicating and coaching a team. Additional modules will cover a range of other topics, including fuel servicing, personal protective equipment, hazard communication and fire safety.
BELL Model 407 helicopters with certain tailboom assemblies [Docket No. FAA-2013-0019; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-051-AD] – proposes to require at specified intervals, inspecting the tailboom assembly for a crack, loose rivet, or other damage. This proposed AD is prompted by a stress analysis of the tailboom skin that revealed high-stress-concentration areas are susceptible to skin cracking. This condition, if not detected, could result in a crack in the tailboom assembly, failure of the tailboom, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.
Gulfstream’s facility in Lincoln, Calif., was named an authorized service station for Howell Instruments, a Fort Worth-based manufacturer of instrumentation, engine monitoring systems and ground support equipment for civilian and military aircraft. Gulfstream Lincoln was authorized to test and repair Howell interstage turbine temperature indicators, Autotemp indicators, Autotak indicators, engine pressure ratio indicators, fuel flow indicators, fan speed indicators, fan speed amplifiers and tachometers.
The National Transportation Safety Board is calling for establishing new duty-time regulations covering maintenance workers involved in on-demand, fractional and all repair station operations, along with those involved with scheduled carriers.
ANDREW HAUPRICHT joined TWC Aviation’s Private Jet Charter Services group as director of business development. Haupricht will work with TWC clients on developing charter programs for them. Before joining TWC, he held a business development role with NetJets, and has also served in the Air National Guard as an aircraft engineer on the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
BAE Systems Model BAe 146 and Avro 146-RJ series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-1040; Directorate Identifier 2012-NM-029-AD; Amendment 39-17330; AD 2013-02-09] – requires a detailed inspection of the end caps on the anti-icing piccolo tube for lost or loose end caps, and replacing or repairing the end caps if necessary. This AD was prompted by a report of loss of the end caps on the anti-icing piccolo tube of the wing leading edge.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the first Republican appointee in President Barack Obama’s cabinet, says he will not serve a second term, providing grist for the Washington rumor mill on a possible successor. “It has been an honor and a privilege to lead the department [of Transportation], and I am grateful to President Obama for giving me such an extraordinary opportunity,” LaHood says in a statement announcing his departure. He will remain at the department until a replacement can be found.
The used market continues to strengthen, with a record number of sales in 2012 and a continued decline in percentage of fleet on the market, industry analyst Jetnet reports. The 2,240 total transactions in 2012 marked a record, and were up from the low of 1,539 transactions in 2009. The previous record was 2,181 in 2007. The number of business jets for sale inched down by 0.4% in 2012 to 13.4% of the total fleet, and the number of turboprops for sale shrunk 1.3% to 8.3%. The turbine helicopter-for-sale inventory was down 0.5% to 6.1%.
