Singapore has established a program for pilots, air traffic controllers, mechanics and others to report aviation safety incidents confidentially and without fear of prosecution for inadvertent regulatory violations. Called Sincair (for Singapore confidential aviation incident reporting), the program is similar to the NASA-operated Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) in the U.S. and programs op more

Effective last month, the FAA lifted its long-time prohibition against most flight operations to and from Libya, as well as overflight restrictions. These limitations have been in effect in varying degrees since 1986 as part of U.S. sanctions against Libya after it was blamed for the bombing of a Berlin disco that killed two U.S. servicemen and wounded 79 Americans. The U.S. recently lifted the sa more

Phoenix, Ariz.-based Amsafe Aviation has been selected to provide inflatable restraint systems for the pilot and copilot seats in the Adam A700 twin-engine very light jet currently in initial (non-conforming) flight-test and scheduled for certification next year. The restraints, installed as an integral part of each pilot’s lapbelt, are designed to inflate within milliseconds of a crash to prote more

By mid-October, NTSB chairman Ellen Engleman Conners had not yet invited Board members Carol Carmody, Richard Healing and Deborah Hersman to a meeting to discuss their grievances, which they articulated in a late-August letter to the Board chairman. However, Engleman Conners’ motion to the White House to dismiss Healing for an alleged ethics violation has been dropped, after NTSB staff discovere more

Boutsen Aviation is offering dry leases on a Cessna Citation II/SP based at Cannes-Mandelieu Airport in the south of France. The Monaco-based aircraft sales agent has purchased the pre-owned aircraft in partnership with a private individual who wants to log only about 100 flight hours per year. Thierry Boutsen, owner of the company, said he has been receiving an increasing number of inquiries abou more

AvCard, a fuel contract credit card company with about 30,000 cardholders, is branching into the international handling and flight-planning market. In addition to basic trip planning, AvCard will offer ATC and ICAO flight-plan filing, overflight and landing permits, weather reports, notams, flight following, hotel arrangements and security services. The company will continue to arrange for fueling more

Third-quarter results show that Gulfstream is on its way to ending this year with significantly improved numbers in deliveries, earnings and sales. According to figures released by parent company General Dynamics, Gulfstream delivered a total of 57 green aircraft in the first nine months of this year, compared with 53 in the same period last year. Earnings and margin rates more than doubled. The m more

Reporting on its third-quarter results, Textron said its Cessna Aircraft unit received orders for 71 Citations, including 22 for the new CJ2+, and 13 more for CitationShares. With these orders, Textron said Cessna is totally sold out for this year. In addition, “We added 25 new orders for delivery next year, bringing the total orders at this time to 185 for next year,” or about 82 percent of n more

The NTSB wants the FAA to emphasize the need for pilots, particularly those in single-pilot Part 135 operations, to provide “timely emergency briefings.” The Safety Board’s recommendation follows its investigation into the July 13, 2003, fatal ditching of a scheduled Part 135 Cessna 402 in the water off the Bahamas after one engine failed at 3,500 feet msl. Of the nine passengers, two died, more

By March 1, the Department of Homeland Security, in conjunction with the Transportation Security Administration and Secret Service, must provide a report to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations on the status of restoring access to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The order is part of the FY 2005 DHS appropriations measure Congress approved last month. “This action sh more