Eclipse Aerospace formally returned the Eclipse very light jet to market with the first delivery of the new Eclipse 550 on March 12. Eclipse handed over the first Eclipse 550 to a Louisiana-based businessman in the energy business after receiving the last of the requisite FAA approvals on Feb. 28. The second 550 was set for delivery March 13 to a customer based in South America.
Beechcraft Corp., hoping to capitalize on a growing market for its flagship King Air 350i turboprop in India, is expanding its presence there with a new office, additional staff and a new sales representative. Beechcraft last month opened an office in New Delhi and appointed John Williams to the new position of India county director. Reghu Raman was further named field service representative. In addition, the company recently appointed Arrow Aircraft Sales and Charters Private Limited as its exclusive sales representative for India.
ALPHA AVIATION Model 2160 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2014-0130; Directorate Identifier 2014-CE-005-AD] – proposes to require a one-time inspection of the ignition switch to determine if a metal screen shield is installed, and depending on findings, to modify or replace the ignition switch with a serviceable part. The AD further prohibits the installation of a metal screen shield ignition switch on any aircraft. The AD stems from an investigation of a accident involving the affected model.
Gama Aviation received U.K. Civil Aviation Authority clearance for its flight crewmembers of G-registered aircraft to use iPads for flight planning. Gama Aviation has moved 12 of its airplanes to electronic flight bag technology and trained 22 pilots for its use. The iPads provide access to Airwatch Secure Content Locker, a cloud-based library publication system, and the Jeppesen Mobile FliteDeck e-chart application.
While the vast majority of all aircraft accidents still occur in the landing phase, research shows that nearly all pilots who fly professionally ignore company policies regarding go-around procedures. Why pilots ignore the policies and decide to land is lesser known. But William Curtis of Canadian research firm Presage says, “No other single decision can have such an impact on the industry accident rate.”
SCOTT TUCKER was named business development manager for Keystone Aviation. Tucker will be based in Salt Lake City, working with local and national prospects for the charter and management business. He has more than 10 years of business-to-business relationship experience working in the telecommunications and petroleum industries.
The National Transportation Safety Board will lose one of its longest-sitting members with the departure of Chairman Deborah Hersman on April 25. Hersman announced March 11 that she is leaving to become president of the National Safety Council. Hersman was appointed to the safety board as a member in 2004, filling the slot vacated by John Goglia, and became chairman in 2009. In a low-profile agency that in the past frequently grappled with board vacancies, fewer than a handful of people have served a decade or longer.
Landmark Aviation recently acquired Sterling Aviation at General Mitchell International Airport (MKE) in Milwaukee, a move that adds 12 aircraft to its charter and management fleet. The acquisition helps grow Landmark’s Midwest fleet, including a Challenger 604, Hawker 850XP and Citation Sovereign, among others. The acquisition followed the company’s recent purchase of Galvin Flying Services at King County International Airport/Boeing Field in Seattle.
Textron Inc. today announced it has closed its acquisition of Beech Holdings, LLC, the parent of Beechcraft Corporation, and that it will bring together its Cessna business and Beechcraft to form a new segment called Textron Aviation.
Eclipse Aerospace, has delivered its first Eclipse 550 twin-engine very light jet from its headquarters in Albuquerque following Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification.
Citing concerns of the potential ramifications on the safety of the national airspace system, FAA is appealing a National Transportation Safety Board administrative law judge’s decision to dismiss a proposed civil penalty for unauthorized use of an unmanned aircraft system. The law judge’s determination puts the penalty on hold while the agency appeals the case to the full NTSB.
Despite substantial opposition from Capitol Hill and industry alike, the White House is continuing its push for the $100 per flight air traffic control user fee. Widely expected, the proposal is one of two significant tax changes directed at business aircraft operations that the administration included in the fiscal 2015 budget request. The second, also widely expected, was a change in depreciation on “general aviation passenger aircraft.”
Bombardier Aerospace dedicated a Learjet 45 to its Customer Response Team (CRT) to be dispatched for aircraft on ground/unscheduled maintenance events in the U.S. The aircraft will be based at Chicago Executive Airport (PWK) in Palwaukee, Ill., close to its parts hub and Chicago CRT truck.
GKN Aerospace’s new business jet engine integration facility in Phoenix recently completed its first delivery, Honeywell HTF7250 engines integrated into GKN Aerospace nacelle systems for the Gulfstream G280. Based next to Honeywell’s factory, the 24,000-sq.-ft. facility will pod HTF7000 series engines for the Bombardier CL350 and Embraer Legacy 450/500, in addition to the G280. The facility currently employs 30, but will expand to 50 workers. GKN expects that at capacity, the facility will assemble 28 complete power systems per month.
JOAN POMPA was appointed interior/paint project manager for West Star Aviation’s facility in East Alton, Ill. Pompa joined West Star in 2013 as interior/paint project manager at the Grand Junction, Colo. facility. She will continue to support that work at Grand Junction while she transitions to the East Alton facility. She joins West Star with 13 years of sales experience in interior, paint and refurbishment projects.
DASSAULT Model Falcon 2000 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2013-0466; Directorate Identifier 2012-NM-156-AD; Amendment 39-17749; AD 2014-03-12] – supersedes AD 2002-23-19, which required repetitive operational tests, repetitive measurements, and repetitive replacement of certain jackscrews. This new AD requires revising the maintenance program to incorporate new or revised maintenance requirements and airworthiness limitations. This AD was prompted by the manufacturer revising the airplane maintenance manual (AMM) maintenance requirements and airworthiness limitations.
FAA will soon launch the contract process for a major tower-based air traffic management initiative that has been delayed significantly in the past. The tower flight data manager (TFDM) program will upgrade the backbone operating system for the agency’s control towers nationwide. It is the equivalent of high-profile automation upgrades that have previously been launched in the terminal and en route environments. Most of the major manufacturers active in the ATM field are expected to compete in various teams. TFDM has been under discussion for years.
DIAMOND Models DA 42 NG and DA 42 M-NG airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2013-0937; Directorate Identifier 2013-CE-029-AD; Amendment 39-17762; AD 2014-04-04] – requires installation of an additional independent alternator fail caution trigger. This AD was promoted by reports that during maintenance troubleshooting, a DA 42 NG alternator indication system did not give a warning indication when one alternator was inoperative.
FAA is banning more than 4,200 older Cessna twin pistons from flight into known icing, a move the agency says is necessary because the aircraft were not certified for such operations and have exhibited unusual flight characteristics when encountering icing.
