Honeywell last month filed a second patent infringement law-
suit, this time against Phoenix-based Aviation Communications & Surveillance Systems (ACSS), alleging that the company’s forthcoming terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS) uses technology protected under patents filed by Honeywell in 1996 with the introduction of the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS).
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Less than two weeks after the July 16 crash of a Bristow Sikorsky S-76A+ (G-BJVX) that killed all 11 passengers and crew when the helicopter apparently lost a main rotor blade and plummeted into the waters of the North Sea, the FAA issued an emergency AD covering all S-76As, -Bs, and -Cs. Preliminary investigations using data from the helicopter’s HUMS (health and usage monitoring) system traced more

Nimbus Group, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. company that recently failed to obtain sufficient financing to complete its proposed purchase of 1,000 Eclipse 500 entry-level twinjets, has signed a letter of intent to swap shares of stock with Miami-based Horizons Aviation. If the agreement is approved, the controlling shareholders of Horizons will own a controlling share of Nimbus. Horizons, a privately more

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) and the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA) have sold their interests in the annual Aviation Services and Suppliers SuperShow, known as AS3, to Cygnus Business Media. The buyer is a diversified holding company that publishes trade magazines, including those for FBOs and maintenance technicians, and operates other trade shows. In f more

The FAA has installed nearly 30 Webcams in Alaskan mountain passes, rocky coasts and remote villages to supplement the agency’s aviation weather reports. Each of
the sites includes the direction being viewed plus a “loop” feature that permits a nearly 360-degree view. Images can be viewed at http://akweathercams.faa.gov. more

A former marketing executive at fractional aircraft provider Bombardier Flexjet has established Fractional Insider, a company that he promises will provide current and prospective share owners with objective information about the fractional industry. Initially, all services, except for a bi-monthly newsletter, will be fee-based, according to president and CEO Mike Riegel. The newsletter, as well a more

Aircraft Completion Management, a new company established by completion and refurb veterans Mike Herchick and Ron Gero, opened for business in July to offer “precise and comprehensive guidance of aircraft through the completion and refurbishment process.” The company is based in Richmond Heights, Ohio. Before setting up Aircraft Completion Management, Herchick managed large aircraft completion more

New aviation regulations in China that aim to ease foreign investment in the civil aviation infrastructure and loosen government controls should encourage more business aircraft operations in the country, according to Uniworld, a corporate aviation handling and marketing facility in China. Uniworld says there are about 400 general aviation aircraft in China, with agricultural use accounting for ab more

Rolls-Royce received FAA certification of the AE3007A-1E turbofan, the powerplant for the Embraer ERJ-145XR. The XR, which is scheduled to enter service later this year, features a 2,000-nm range, or an increase of about 450 nm over the standard ERJ-145. The -1E provides 8,110 lb of thrust, some 686 lb more than the -1 on the standard ERJ-145.
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US Airways’ decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month officially placed the courts at the center of a restructuring exercise in which the development of the airline’s regional network has emerged as perhaps the most crucial component.

Filed August 11 on behalf of US Airways and its four regional airline subsidiaries in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of V more