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.
A preliminary report of the facts involved in the July 7 Alaska crash of a TPE331-powered de Havilland Otter that killed the pilot and nine passengers was expected to be issued by the National Transportation Safety Board within weeks of the accident. However, no probable cause is likely to be determined for several months. The late morning crash of the DHC-3T occurred on takeoff from Runway 25 at Soldotna Municipal Airport. The aircraft (N93PC) was operated by Rediske Air, Inc., a long established charter firm and well regarded in the Kenai area.
FlightSafety International, LaGuardia Airport, N.Y., promoted Christopher Weinberg to chief Information officer responsible for all aspects of FlightSafety's Information Technology programs as well as FSI's Competitive Advantage, Continuous Improvement, and Business Systems teams.
With the recent addition of Apollo Jets to its roster, the Air Charter Safety Foundation has raised to 104 the number of companies that are members of the Alexandria, Va.- based organization. Meanwhile, the Jeff Baum, president and CEO of Wisconsin Aviation and David Hewitt, president of Hewitt & Company, were recently installed as ACSF chairman and vice-chairman, respectively. Baum succeeds Dennis Keith, president of Jet Solutions, LLC whose term expired June 30. Both Baum and Hewitt were founding members of the organization.
Raisbeck Engineering has earned Brazilian certification of its new swept-blade turbofan propellers for Beechcraft King Air 200 series aircraft. The higher-thrust props, which Seattle-based Raisbeck developed in cooperation with propeller manufacturer Hartzell, markedly improve takeoff performance without increasing cabin noise levels. Raisbeck says the new props especially enhance operations to and from higher-altitude airports on hot days and permit operators to carry greater payloads and fuel for more range.
A total support solution for Eurocopter helicopters in deployed operations was launched recently by Eurocopter, DAHER, DCI, Eurotradia and Vector Aerospace. Designated E-HOTS (Eurocopter Helicopter On Theatre Services), the consortium consolidates the five partners' expertise and pools their resources providing a turnkey support package that covers a range of services for rotorcraft in any deployed operation such as humanitarian and crisis relief missions, conflict zones and oil and gas exploration.
First it was Mexico denying operators overflight permits for alleged nonpayment of navigation fees. Now, it's Venezuela. Applying for overflight permits from the Venezuelan civil aviation authority Instituto Nacional de Aeronautica Civil (INAC), some international business aviation operators in the past year have been surprised when they subsequently received huge invoices for allegedly overdue navigation fees from previous trips. These can amount to tens of thousands of dollars, often charged for flights never made in Venezuelan airspace.
Signature Flight Support Dublin Ltd. acquired the assets of gategroup's aircraft deicing business at Dublin Airport (DUB/EIDW). This announcement follows BBA Aviation's acquisition of gategroup's deicing, washing and cabin cleaning business at London Heathrow and London Gatwick, which will be operated by Aircraft Service International Group (ASIG). Deicing services will be available to both business and general aviation as well as commercial airline customers, marking Signature's entrance into commercial ground handling services at Dublin Airport.
ICG (International Communications Group), Newport News, Va., appointed Carlos Monsalve vice president Sales, Commercial Aircraft Systems Air Transport Division, responsible for the CAS global sales team, alliance partners and distribution network, in addition to assisting in marketing concepts and developing sales and product strategies. He reports to Armin Jabs, ICG's president of CAS.
Cirrus is beginning initial production work of the first conforming Vision SF50 single jet, and is hoping to launch an 18-month certification program early next year. Patrick Waddick, who in March was named president of the Duluth, Minn., general aviation manufacturer, says the company is focused on completing the first certification aircraft, called C0, and kicking of the certification program late in the first quarter or early in the second quarter of next year.
Third-party revenue at Air France-KLM Group’s Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) unit is on the rise as the entity adjusts its focus to more profitable work and trims costs through streamlined operations. Revenues from outside the group are up 19.6% to €621 million ($824 million) for the first half of 2013, including a 20.4% increase in the second quarter, group executives explained during of the company’s first half earnings call.
AeroVironment’s Puma AE unmanned aircraft system (UAS) is to be used for commercial missions in the Arctic following receipt of restricted-category type certification from the FAA. Insitu’s ScanEagle also received type certification and operational approval for Arctic flights. AeroVironment expects the 13-lb., hand-launched Puma AE to be deployed later this summer to support oil-spill monitoring and wildlife observation in the Beaufort Sea off the coast of Alaska’s North Slope inside the Arctic Circle.
Tying a potential repair station safety management system (SMS) mandate to specific criteria, such as work performed on transport category aircraft, could be an acceptable alternative to a broad rule covering all FAA-certified facilities, a survey of MRO executives suggests. The survey, conducted by St. Louis University’s Center for Aviation Safety Research (CASR), generated about 440 responses from repair stations of all sizes, including some foreign facilities.
Dassault Falcon has launched a new customer service app for mobile and tablet users that puts the global resources of the Falcon customer service network at users' fingertips.
LONDON — SonAir of Angola has become the first oil and gas operator to return its EC225s back to flight operations over hostile environments, following the certification of interim fixes to a crucial component of the helicopter’s gearbox. The company conducted a series of flights to offshore platforms in the Atlantic Ocean from Luanda, following the restoration of two of its EC225s, from a fleet of 11, back to flight status. The aircraft have been fitted with the interim fixes developed by Eurocopter and approved by EASA on July 9.
AeroVironment’s Puma AE unmanned aircraft system (UAS) is to be used for commercial missions in the Arctic following receipt of restricted-category type certification from the FAA. Insitu’s ScanEagle also received type certification and operational approval for Arctic flights (Aerospace DAILY, July 26). AeroVironment expects the 13-lb., hand-launched Puma AE to be deployed later this summer to support oil-spill monitoring and wildlife observation in the Beaufort Sea off the coast of Alaska’s North Slope inside the Arctic Circle.
Insitu is planning to launch the first U.S. commercial unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operation following receipt of FAA type certification for its ScanEagle UAS on July 19. No details are available yet, but the operation is expected to be in the Arctic. Restricted-category type certifications for the 44-lb., gasoline-powered ScanEagle and the 13.4-lb., battery-powered AeroVironment Puma AE are the first to be issued by the FAA under Part 21.25 of the federal aviation regulations.
Beechcraft is weighing bids for the sale or sales of its Hawker 4000 and Premier aircraft programs, along with tooling and associated facilities, as the reshaped company looks to downsize its footprint and focus on its core lines of businesses.
Cessna has begun offering a new “Sovereign Shield” program for model year 2013 Citation Sovereign aircraft that covers scheduled maintenance and parts costs for the first five years or 1,500 hr. The program is offered as Cessna is in the transition from the original Sovereign to the updated model due to enter service later this year.
Gulfstream, with the help of affiliated company Jet Aviation, combined for its strongest quarter in the past six quarters thanks to an even spool up of both green and completed deliveries. But executives expect that performance to cool slightly in the third quarter as supplier costs increase and the mix of deliveries shifts.
Industry officials are hopeful that a rule to permit commercial operations involving single-engine turbine aircraft in instrument meteorological conditions will be cleared by late 2015 or early 2016 in Europe. A government/industry committee charged to look into the issue held its third meeting this month and is hoping to have recommendations for a European Aviation Safety Agency notice of proposed amendment by early next year, says Jens Hennig, vice president of operations for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
FAA on July 26 released the final recommendations of the Part 23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking Committee, with the highest levels of both the Department of Transportation and FAA signing off on them as holding the potential of improving safety and reducing certification costs.
Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is working with Aerocet to bring floats for the Quest Kodiak to market. Aerocet donated floats, which were fitted on a MAF Kodiak that rolled off the assembly line in June. Testing is expected to take place in Renton, Wash. over the next few months. Once testing is complete, the aircraft will be outfitted with wheels to travel to Papua, Indonesia, where it will be used for missions in remote mountain villages.
JASON JOHNSON has joined Bell Helicopter as director, sales and customer support. Johnson was previously vice president, customer support and contract administration for Heli-One CHC, where he was responsible for the financial and operational success of the Canadian division of Heli-One. He has also held positions with Safran and Honeywell Aerospace.
