Bristow Group has taken over search-and-rescue helicopter operations in the North of Scotland. As of July 1, Bristow crews flying Sikorsky S-92s took over from CHC flying SAR missions on behalf of the U.K. Maritime and Coast Guard Agency (MCA) under its Gap SAR contract awarded in February 2012.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) in September will launch a second review of the interoperability of the Single European Sky ATM Research (Sesar) and FAA's NextGen air traffic management systems. The review comes at the request of the House aviation subcommittee. The first review, conducted in 2011, concluded that the FAA and European Union (EU) were “working collaboratively,” but that the U.S. agency must “better inform aviation stakeholders of efforts toward interoperability” and to improve the credibility of the effort.
A modified Diamond DA42 will be used for flights over Alaska later this year to measure greenhouse gas emissions from thawing permafrost. Aurora Flight Sciences has performed flights of its Centaur aircraft over the Chesapeake Bay to calibrate the specially developed measurement system. The twin-diesel Centaur was developed as an optionally piloted aircraft (OPA), but will be flown manned for the measurement flights over Alaska's Northern Slope, says Aurora. The research mission is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
The Canadian Business Aviation Association (CBAA) has appointed Rudy Toering president and CEO. Most recently he served as vice president, operations and business development for FlightPath International. Earlier in his career Toering worked for CAE Industries and FlightSafety International, and he also has experience with business aviation groups, including the European Business Aviation Association, the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations Board and the British Business and General Aviation Council.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) has changed reporting requirements and certain entry-airport restrictions for its Southern Border Overflight Exemption, a move that should ease cost and administrative burdens for companies that have southern border crossings. CBP is also no longer requiring operators to seek passenger clearances and will let operators depart from any foreign airport south of the U.S. border, not just those included in the operator's overflight exemption, according to the NBAA.
Safe Flight Instrument Corp. received an STC for its AutoPower (Automatic Throttle System on the Citation X. The system's advanced technology is tailored and manufactured specifically for Cessna and it is fully compatible with the existing Citation X avionics suite providing potential fuel savings for extended range.
The FAA and the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) have completed two safety enhancements to Logan Airport's longest runway. The new runway safety area includes a 300-ft.-wide concrete pier that extends 470 ft. into Boston Harbor. The crushable concrete area is installed on top of the pier and covers a 170 ft. by 500 ft. area. The Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS) bed is designed to quickly and safely stop an aircraft as large as a Boeing 747 in the event the plane moves past the end of the runway.
Cessna Aircraft Co., Wichita, named Kriya Shortt senior vice president Sales and will lead the company's global sales force. Tom Perry will assume the role of vice president of Sales for EMEA based in the U.K.
Constant Aviation, the Cleveland-based maintenance firm, has won a supplemental type certificate for installation of the SwiftBroadband Aviator 200 system in an Embraer Phenom 300. The Aviator 200 is a smaller and lighter Wi-Fi product used to provide global Internet access on small to midsize business aircraft. Separately, Constant Aviation recently completed the installation of Rockwell Collins' Ascend informational management server on three new Bombardier Challenger 605s.
Flight Displays, Alpharetta, Ga., announced that Reed Macdonald has joined the company as chief operating officer responsible for overseeing all aspects of company operations including oversight of research, product design, manufacturing, logistics, customer service, accounting and finance.
Musical chairs in Washington. In a rare 100-0 vote, the U.S. Senate in late June confirmed Anthony Foxx to become U.S. transportation secretary, succeeding Ray LaHood. The former mayor of Charlotte, N.C., assumes leadership of a Cabinet department that oversees the FAA, the Maritime Administration and numerous other related federal agencies. Two weeks later Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced she was resigning her Cabinet post and likely become president of the University of California system.
International Standards for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) has topped 700 registered operators. IS-BAO was launched by the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) 11 years ago to provide a series of standards and best practices that operators can voluntarily assimilate and document. The standard, which includes a safety management system program developed by the International Civil Aviation Safety Organization, has since become internationally accepted.
The FAA is proposing a series of regulations to permit greater use of enhanced flight vision systems (EFVS) and facilitate installation without the need for special conditions. Under the proposal, operators would be permitted to rely on EFVS from 100 ft. above the touchdown zone to the runway on certain straight-in IFR instrument approaches, including Category II and Category III approaches. The proposal would also permit the dispatch and approach when the destination airport is below minimums.
Business jets may be pummeled by pols in Washington, but they're certainly valued in Vegas. The annual National Business Aviation Association convention, set for Oct. 22-24, is now the fifth-largest trade show in the U.S. This year it will feature more than 1,000 exhibits displayed across 1 million sq. ft. of floor space, as well as the two static aircraft displays — 100 larger aircraft will gather out at Henderson Executive Airport, and another 10-15 piston singles, light turboprops and helicopters will be inside the Las Vegas Convention Center itself.
David James (Director Swift Flite Pty Ltd. Lanseria, South Africa)
From the bottom end of Africa — Johannesburg to be precise — I would like to say how much I particularly enjoy your monthly Viewpoint editorial. Always informative, interesting and amusing! BCA is such a superb product — all of us in our small aircraft management and air charter business appreciate the hard work that goes into the well-presented articles. Great work. Director Swift Flite Pty Ltd. Lanseria, South Africa
As of Aug. 1, new first officer (FO) qualification rules for first officers on scheduled U.S. airliners take effect. The rules require that every FO have an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificates and 1,500 total flight hours — with some exceptions — and require a type rating on the aircraft being operated. A restricted ATP certificate will have a 750-flight-hour minimum for military pilots, or at least 1,000 hr. of time as a pilot, plus an aviation degree. The rules also set a minimum of 1,000 hr.
Evidently, I'm a helicopter highbrow, or a rotary-wing wimp. Or both. This realization came just recently. By way of background, our middle son is training to fly the AH-64 and was keen to have his parents share in the learning experience. Accordingly, and quite unexpectedly, he gifted us both with helicopter flight lessons. (No, not in an Apache.)
Eurocopter, Marignane, France, appointed Matthieu Louvot head of Support and Services reporting to Dominique Maudet, head of Global business and Service.
ExecuJet, Zurich, appointed Paul Desgrosseilliers general manager of the company's Haite Aviation Services, the company's joint venture with the Sichuan Haite Group, based in Tianjin, China.
A resurgence of interest in the updated Dornier 228 NG from commuter airlines has prompted RUAG Aviation to consider producing another batch of the twin-turboprop multirole aircraft. “We want to pre-sell the next batch before we go ahead with it, but then keep on selling for another batch afterward,” says RUAG. Airframe structures for the 19-seat Dornier 228 NG are made by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) in India and shipped to RUAG in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, for outfitting and completion as airliners or special-mission aircraft.
Tarrant County, Tex., College is taking over Bell Helicopter's former military programs facility at Fort Worth Alliance Airport. The college plans to use the 161,000-sq.-ft. facility for an expansion of its successful aircraft maintenance programs, which are currently offered at the college's Northwest Campus. The college plans to occupy the facility in June 2014.
Rennes, France-based charter operator Voldirect SAS and Daher-Socata announced the French civil aviation authority has granted Voldirect and Air operator's Certificate (AOC) that enables the airline to fly commercial passengers on the TBM 850 in IFR conditions. The company is operating its first TBM 850 from Rennes Airport serving customers in western France. EASA is currently working on the development of its rules in order to add this type of operation.
Capt. Edward A. Sarkisian (B757/767 — United Airlines Via email )
I read Ross Detwiler's “Two Tiers of Training” (June 2013, page 40) with great interest. I agree that we must leave the technology aside and “fly the plane” with basics when in a critical phase of flight. Let's not get distracted by the technology. Use it in its proper modes, and if idiosyncrasies occur, put it aside if in a critical phase of flight. I recognize Ross's name from TEB from decades back when I flew for several charter operations there, followed by a few different corporate flight departments.
