Latest News

FAA Repair Station Oversight Needs Work, Says IG
May 13, 2013, 2:17 PM
May 13, 2013

The Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General (IG) released a report last week on FAA efforts to assume a more risk-based approach in overseeing nearly 4,800 repair stations used around the world by U.S. air carriers. “While the FAA developed a risk assessment process to aid repair station inspectors in identifying areas of greatest concern,” the report said, “its oversight continues to emphasize completing mandatory inspections instead of targeting resources where they are needed based on risk.”

Pilot Convicted of Flying Under the Influence
May 13, 2013, 2:10 PM
May 13, 2013

A U.S. District Court jury in Spokane, Wash., convicted commercial pilot Paul Roessler of flying an aircraft while under the influence of alcohol. Roessler was arrested following an April 2012 flight when air traffic controllers in the Seattle Air Route Traffic Control Center and Spokane Tower reported the pilot demonstrated some questionable behavior. In one incident, he failed to contact the center via radio during his flight and upon arrival in the terminal area lined up with the wrong runway.

Drive Shaft AD Issued For Some Eurocopters
May 13, 2013, 2:05 PM
May 13, 2013

The FAA adopted an airworthiness directive for Eurocopter Deutschland MBB-Kawasaki BK117C2 helicopters requiring inspection of the long tail-rotor drive shaft assembly for blind rivets. If any blind rivets are located, the shaft assembly must be replaced. The AD was prompted by the discovery that some helicopters have blind rivets installed in place of solid rivets, which could lead to failure of the tail rotor drive shaft and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

Runway Safety Team To Meet at Washington Dulles
May 13, 2013, 2:00 PM
May 13, 2013

The Washington Dulles Airport Runway Action Safety Team is inviting potential new members to attend its next meeting, to be held on May 23 at 1 p.m. in Terminal B’s In-Transit lounge. Airport tenants, FBO employees, pilots and airport operations and maintenance personnel are invited to help develop new procedures to enhance airside surface safety. The FAA’s Rick Pope would appreciate an RSVP.

American Airlines and FAA Settle on Maintenance Penalty
May 13, 2013, 1:55 PM
May 13, 2013

Last summer the FAA demanded American Airlines pay $162.4 million for a number of maintenance violations at both American and its regional affiliate, American Eagle. On Thursday, the agency agreed to settle with American for $24.9 million to wipe the slate clean, based on the efforts the airline made to resolve the outstanding maintenance issues.

GAO Speaks to Condition of FAA Facilities
May 13, 2013, 1:50 PM
May 13, 2013

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is pushing for clearer information on the state of FAA facilities. To set the stage for a new study of FAA facilities, the GAO said, “Our preliminary analyses indicate that as of February [this year] FAA-staffed facilities are generally in fair to good condition based on their facility condition indices.

Capital Market Cash Flows into Airliner Financing
May 13, 2013, 11:20 AM
May 13, 2013

Airlines are benefitting from growing capital market support for new aircraft financing, with this source of funding expected to account for as much as 15 percent of all transactions this year, according to Boeing Capital. A few years ago, capital markets accounted for barely 2 to 3 percent of aircraft financing.

SITA Expands Datalink Service in Indonesian Airspace
May 13, 2013, 11:15 AM
May 13, 2013

Sita is supporting the launch of datalink ATC service in Indonesian airspace. The Geneva-based company has an agreement with Indonesia’s air navigation service provider to provide an air-to-ground datalink infrastructure that will enable pilots and controllers to communicate in the Jakarta flight information region.

SAS Agrees To Sale of Norwegian Regional Subsidiary
May 13, 2013, 11:05 AM
May 13, 2013

Struggling Scandinavian flag carrier SAS has signed an agreement to sell its regional subsidiary Widerøe as part of an ongoing restructuring program to achieve financial stability. SAS will sell 80 percent of Widerøe to Norwegian companies Torghatten ASA, Fjord1 AS and Nordland Fylkeskommune. The sales will include seven Bombardier Q400 turboprops that SAS currently leases to the regional carrier. The transaction must be approved by Norwegian authorities, and is expected to close in September.

US Airways Certifies NextGen SafeRoute
May 13, 2013, 11:00 AM
May 13, 2013

Last month US Airways became the first airline to receive FAA certification approval of the SafeRoute suite of NextGen avionics applications in the Airbus A330. The airline claims SafeRoute will “enhance operational safety and efficiency during various phases of flight.”

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