President Obama last month announced his intent to nominate Erroll Southers as Assistant Secretary, Department of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration). If nominated and confirmed, he will become the fifth administrator of the TSA. A former FBI agent, Southers is currently an assistant chief for the Los Angeles World Airports Police Department’s Office of Homeland Security and Intelligence.
Aviation International News » October 2009
September 29, 2009 - 11:44am
NBAA has partnered with Arinc Direct to offer a new online tool to help members comply with U.S. Customs’ electronic Advance Passenger Information System (eApis) requirements. Customs requires aircraft operators to electronically submit passenger manifest and aircraft information before departure for all international flights to or from the U.S.
September 29, 2009 - 11:40am
A story on general aviation airports in the September 17 issue of USA Today, and a companion video news segment broadcast that same day on NBC’s Today show, drew intense fire from the aviation alphabet groups representing general and business aviation.
September 29, 2009 - 11:39am
LoPresti Aviation received FAA STC approval for BoomBeam high-intensity discharge (HID) lights on the Cessna Citation Excel/XLS. The company’s metal halide-xenon bulbs contain no filament and, as such, come with a 5,000-hour/five-year warranty, LoPresti said. Further, the HID light system draws less power than conventional incandescent bulbs, while at the same time offering five times the brightness of a 100-Watt sealed beam light.
September 29, 2009 - 11:06am
Business aircraft flight activity for Part 91 operators appears to have bottomed, according to data from Aviation Research Group/U.S. (ARG/US), while a similar recovery for Part 91K fractional and Part 135 charter operators appears not far behind. ARG/US’s TraqPak data shows business aircraft activity in August tracking “very closely” to July levels, though down slightly by 1 percent.
September 29, 2009 - 11:04am
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is developing a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) for the Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP) that will incorporate feedback received from pilots, airport officials and others during the program’s initial public comment period.
September 29, 2009 - 11:02am
Market conditions for pre-owned rotorcraft are “below normal levels and falling,” according to a monthly rotorcraft survey from UBS Investment Research in early September.
The firm’s latest rotorcraft composite index, which measures overall business conditions, came in at 40, about 5 percent higher than the previous UBS survey. But it remained 10 points below conditions indicative of growth.
September 29, 2009 - 10:45am
There are still white tails sitting on the ramps, but the numbers are dwindling. The inventory of used aircraft for sale remains staggering, but it too is shrinking. The skies aren’t filled with business jets, but as of July–the last month for the which data is available–the number of takeoffs and landings was rising.
September 29, 2009 - 7:22am
Aviation Communications & Surveillance Systems (ACSS) is readying a software update for the Phoenix company’s TCAS II and TCAS 2000 traffic alert and collision avoidance systems to fix two potentially serious problems in the way the technology warns pilots of traffic threats.
September 29, 2009 - 7:20am
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA), responding to recent member requests, issued a statement that clarifies FAA regulations that apply to updates of navigational databases used on modern avionics. The FAA changed the Part 43 Appendix A regulations in 1996, according to NATA, and classified database updates as preventive maintenance instead of maintenance.
