Liebherr-Aerospace Saline is set to increase its support in the rotary-wing market. The North American branch of the 57-year-old German company is based in Saline, Mich., and provides technical support, inventory and service that caters particularly to the growing fleet of European-designed aircraft.
Aerospace engineering
September 28, 2006 - 11:30am
FPT Industries, a division of GKN Aerospace, has finalized design of the emergency extended flotation system that will maintain stability in extreme conditions on the Sikorsky S-92, the company announced.
According to GKN, the requirement for additional buoyancy has been stimulated by increased offshore operations, particularly in the ever-growing North Sea market.
September 28, 2006 - 11:02am
Vancouver Island Helicopters has signed up for Aviall’s Logistics and Inventory Flight Team (Lift) helicopter support program, which the operator said is already proving its worth by helping reduce inventory and operating costs. Aviall (Booth No. 3721) created Lift exclusively for the helicopter market as a way of offering inventory services customized for individual operators.
September 27, 2006 - 4:41am
The FAA has issued an Airworthiness Directive that mandates replacement of certain Shadin ADC-2000 air-data computers (ADCs) installed in about 450 aircraft, including a handful of Citation 501s, King Airs and Conquests. Effective January 26, the AD was prompted by the discovery of potential errors in some units that could cause them to display incorrect altitude information on their Chelton FlightLogic EFIS displays.
September 26, 2006 - 10:44am
Ibis Aerospace’s Ae270 turboprop single completed EASA certification, and FAA certification is expected shortly. However, the current version of the Ae270 has not met performance targets and the Czech manufacturer intends to develop an improved Ae270 to go into production. Ibis said it will receive additional financing this year to fund development through to the point that series production can begin.
September 26, 2006 - 9:17am
Eurocopter AS 350-B2, Scottsdale, Ariz., July 1, 2004–The NTSB determined that the accident was the result of “the inadvertent in-flight engagement of the collective down lock, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and ground impact.
September 26, 2006 - 7:30am
The UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is investigating the Nov. 11, 2005, incident in which a Bahamas-registered Bombardier Challenger 604 lost its autopilot. According to a UK AAIB bulletin, VP-BJM was cruising at FL400 for 4.5 hours on a flight from Lagos, Nigeria, to Farnborough, England, when the crew received an “autopilot pitch trim” caution.
September 26, 2006 - 6:01am
Premier/West Star of Grand Junction, Colo., has been named a factory-authorized Hawker service center. The company has a nine-year track record on the aircraft, during which it invested heavily in the form of tooling, equipment training and personnel. All Hawker technical personnel are FlightSafety and SimuFlite trained.
September 25, 2006 - 1:14pm
Inmarsat announced it has been selected to manage the company that will look after Galileo’s global network operations, including performance monitoring and operations security.
September 25, 2006 - 1:06pm
Autopilot maker S-Tec announced that it is now offering factory installations of its Magic 2100 digital autopilot and single-side EFIS in the King Air 90, Conquest I and Cheyenne I and II. Operators purchasing the autopilot will receive a “free glass cockpit” with no installation fees through the offer from S-Tec and its parent company, Meggitt.
