November 12, 2008

Dassault Falcon To Open Reno Service Center in March

By by Matt Thurber

On March 30 next year Dassault Falcon will open its newest factory-owned service center at Nevada’s Reno-Tahoe International Airport. The service center will be housed in a 38,000-sq-ft former American Airlines hangar, which will be remodeled with administrative and customer office space and amenities and freshly painted hangar floor and walls. Dassault will hire and train 18 mechanics for the ope more

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FAA’s Ballough and Sabatini Heading for Retirement

By by Matt Thurber

James Ballough, the FAA’s long-time director of the Flight Standards Service, has announced that he will retire at the end of the year. Deputy director John Allen will take over after Ballough retires. During his tenure at Flight Standards, Ballough has been involved in such issues as Part 135 operational control; continued airworthiness (maintenance); the re-examination of mechanics who were give more

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In Memoriam: William F. O’Brien

By Matt Thurber

The aviation maintenance industry lost a key friend on Sunday, November 9, when retired FAA national resource specialist Bill O’Brien passed away. O’Brien was a familiar and much appreciated presence at inspection authorization renewal seminars, gently but firmly and often humorously admonishing mechanics not to cut regulatory corners and afterwards always taking time to answer detailed questions more

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