National Transportation Safety Board is looking at a leaky hydraulic unit in its investigation of a gear-up landing of a BAe 125-600A business jet Aug. 17 at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport. The aircraft, N454DP, owned by DP Air LLC of Cherry Hill, N.J., sustained extensive damaged after landing with the gear retracted at 1817 hours Pacific Daylight Time. None of the eight people aboard - two crew and six passengers - were injured.
PAUL CECALA was named vice president of charter sales for Atlantic Aviation Corp. in Teterboro, N.J. Cecala formerly was director of management for AvJet Corporation's charter sales group in Teterboro. He also has been involved in aircraft management with Jet Aviation Business Jets and served as regional sales representative with FlightSafety International.
Initial tests on a reconditioned Continental O-200 recip of a new, NASA-sponsored magneto-less ignition system demonstrated increased power, reduced noise and vibration, increased lean limits and the ability to maintain engine power without any electrical power, developers claim.
ELLIOTT AVIATION added a 1996 Beechjet 400A and a 1989 King Air 300 to its Part 135 certificate for charter service. The aircraft are based at Elliott's facility in Minneapolis, Minn. Elliott operates a fleet of 25 jet, turboprop and piston aircraft from its facilities in Moline, Ill., Des Moines, Iowa, Omaha, Neb. and Minneapolis.
BARBARA BRICCOLA was appointed marketing manager of flight support for Atlantic Aviation's facility in Teterboro, N.J. She formerly was manager of customer service for Signature Flight Support. She also has served with Teterboro Aircraft Services.
Dassault Falcon Jet's 900C business jet, the successor to the 900B, Thursday won type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration. Dassault has shipped the initial 900Cs to its completion center in Little Rock, Ark. and expects deliveries later this year. FAA certification follows similar approval from the French Direction Generale de l'Aviation Civile in June.
Ralph (Bud) Francis, long-time business aviation pilot and chief test pilot for Sino Swearingen, died Tuesday in San Antonio, Texas following an extended illness. He was 61. Francis joined Sino Swearingen in July 1997 after serving with the former Beech Aircraft and then Raytheon Aircraft for 32 years. He was involved in the development and certification of Sino Swearingen's SJ30-2 entry-level business jet. "We were fortunate to have Bud Francis on our team at a critical time in the SJ30-2's development," said Sino Swearingen President and CEO Jack Braly.
WHITE HOUSE interest in general aviation safety has sharpened in the aftermath of the July 16 fatal crash of John F. Kennedy Jr.'s Piper Saratoga with the Clinton Administration asking NASA to give higher priority to its GA research.NASA, involved in a number of GA research efforts, such as the Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE) and the General Aviation Propulsion (GAP) programs, is pulling together its research and hopes to present a report to the White House in the next few weeks.
RTI INTERNATIONAL METALS elected Timothy Rupert president and chief executive. Rupert, who joined RTI in 1991, has been executive vice president and chief financial officer. Lawrence Jacobs, RTI vice president and treasurer, assumed the duties of chief financial officer. John Odle, executive vice president for RTI, also increased his responsibilities in marketing and technology.
Docket No.: 29593 Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 25.783(f) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To exempt Embraer from pressurization prevention requirements of Sec. 25.783(f) for the rear electronic compartment access hatch of the Embraer Model 135 airplane. Partial Grant, July 13, 1999, Exemption No. 6919
Supersedes an existing AD that currently limits the number of operations at increased cabin pressure differential, and requires repetitive structural inspections for cracking of the fuselage, and repair or replacement of parts, if necessary. This amendment requires additional repetitive inspections for fuselage cracking.
Eurocontrol will change procedures and radio frequency spacing in an effort to avoid the type of massive delays next year that occurred this summer. Reducing the space between VHF channels from 25 kHz to 8.33 will create additional frequencies for voice communications between air traffic control and aircraft, Andy Moreton, a member of the 8.33 management team, told BA affiliate Aviation Daily. Oct. 7 is the deadline for operators to use 8.33 kHz airspace above 24,500 feet.
Federal Aviation Administration is seeing a growing movement within its employee ranks toward unionization as the agency moves to a new "core compensation" program. FAA's attorneys in the Office of Chief Counsel in June voted to organize with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), citing concerns over a June 7 announcement by FAA Administrator Jane Garvey that the agency would adopt a new core compensation system for all "non-bargaining unit " workers (BA, June 14/270).
Docket No.: 29655. Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 34.7(c) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To exempt Rolls-Royce from the emissions standards of Sec. 34.7(c) for 150 new RB211-535E4/E4B engines.
SUZANNE FINNEY was promoted to account manager, Air Transport Group for BFGoodrich Avionics System. Finney will oversee sales to regional and major airlines. She previously served as Western region account manager for the Business&General Aviation Group.
PEARL BACCHUS was named charter sales representative for Atlantic Aviation Corp. She previously was vice president of operations for IdealAire's Corporate Aircraft Charter Division. She also was vice president of finance and operations for Aeroleasing Charter Inc.
BREEZE-EASTERN received Federal Aviation Administration approval to operate as a Part 145 repair station. The approval allows Breeze-Eastern to repair certain equipment and return it to service. Breeze-Eastern, a division of TransTechnology Corporation, manufactures helicopter rescue hoists and cargo hooks as well as actuators and motion control devices for aerospace applications.
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, leery of efforts on Capitol Hill to require new 406 MHz transmitters on general aviation aircraft, appealed to the Senate and key House legislators to ignore such attempts. AOPA President Phil Boyer in a letter to the legislators said, "All ELTs, including 406 MHz models, may be obsolete in just a few years." Boyer noted that FAA is testing Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology under its Safe Flight 21 program and added that such technology could be more effective in locating aircraft.
National Air Transportation Association expressed concern that a recent Clinton Administration proposal to change the definition of public aircraft could lead to lost business for private operators. The proposal, which NATA said "is not likely to be viewed favorably" by Congress this fall, would allow government agencies to be reimbursed for a number of missions traditionally performed by commercial operators. These include firefighting, transport of "mission-related" cargo and equipment development and demonstration.
Petitions for Exemption Docket No.: 29468 Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 145.37(b) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit CASL to qualify for a Part 145 repair station certificate without meeting the special housing and facility requirements of Sec. 145.37(b).
Docket No.: 29572 Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 25.562 and 25.785(b) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit certification of medical stretchers for transport of persons whose medical condition dictates such accommodation. This exemption is for an installation on Gulfstream Model G-V model series airplanes. Grant, July 1, 1999, Exemption No. 6911
SEN. CONRAD BURNS (R-Mont.), concerned that rural communities may continue to lose commercial air services as a result of a pilot shortage, asked the Senate aviation subcommittee to hold a hearing next month in Montana on the forecast shortage. Burns fears that looming pilot shortage "may be exacerbated by flight and duty time regulations, age limitations on pilots, military drawdown and other factors." The hearing is slated for Sept. 10 in Kalispell, Mont.
FRED KIRBY, senior manager, technical services for the National Business Aviation Association, resigned effective Friday to take a position with Executive Jet in Columbus, Ohio. Kirby joined NBAA nearly six years ago following a 28-year career in the U.S. Army. While with NBAA, Kirby oversaw aircraft certification, maintenance and other technical issues. Kirby joins Executive Jet Services Sept. 13 as senior operations auditor.
Reopens the comment period of an earlier proposal to supersede AD 98-05-04, which requires repetitively inspecting the front and rear wood spars for damage, including installing any necessary inspection holes, on certain American Champion Model 8GCBC airplanes; and repairing or replacing any damaged wood spars. Damage is defined as cracks; compression cracks; longitudinal cracks through the bolt holes or nail holes; or loose or missing nails.
MESABA AVIATION formed a "Bridge Hiring" program with Western Michigan University. Under the program, WMU graduates who meet certain criteria are guaranteed flight officer interviews at Mesaba. Mesaba, a Northwest Airlink affiliate, serves 101 cities in 26 states and Canada from hubs at Minneapolis/St. Paul, Detroit Metro and Memphis International airports.
