Gordon Gilbert
Contributor - Accidents and Regulations

Contributor - Accidents and Regulations

Latest from Gordon Gilbert

Safety

Part 135 Oversight Concerns NTSB

NTSB recommendations issued last month call on the FAA to step up its oversight of Part 135 operators to ensure that improper record-keeping practices are
Aircraft

EASA Approves Gulfstream G350

The Gulfstream G350, FAA certified in November, has received validation by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), enabling operators to register the b

Bombardier To Pay Fired Jet Salesman

A veteran jet salesman who claimed in a lawsuit filed in August 2003 that he was fired from Bombardier Aerospace in 2002 because he refused to drink and sm
ATC

Canada Says No Fee Increases in Near Term

Nav Canada, the company that runs Canada’s ATC system, reports that because of favorable financial results in its most recent quarter and the preliminary o

Business Turbine Airplane Fatalities Double in First Quarter

The first three months of this year saw a significant increase in fatalities involving business jets and turboprops compared with the same period last year
Aircraft

Learjet 20 Series Subject of Proposed AD

Until Bombardier develops a fix and it is FAA approved, operators of about 255 U.S.-registered Learjet 23s through 25s will be required to disable the thru
Regulations and Government

Passport: Don’t Leave Home Without It

Flight crews and their passengers will be affected by a proposal from the Departments of State and Homeland Security to require a U.S.
Charter & Fractional

Sentient Jet Acquires Charter Operator

Corporate jet-card services company Sentient Jet has acquired charter operator Atlantic Aviation Flight Services of Teterboro, N.J., from Voyager Group, a
Aircraft

Citation Sovereign Receives European Ticket

Cessna received certification for its Citation Sovereign from both the European Aviation Safety Agency and the JAA, enabling the twinjet to be certified an

Corporate Angels Sign on First Airline

Independence Air, a Washington Dulles-based low-fare carrier, last month became the first scheduled airline to join the Corporate Angel Network and provide
Maintenance and Modifications

Former Employees of Parts Firm Plead Guilty

Joseph Patrick Smith III and Thomas Edward Smith, formerly employed at Smyth Aerospace Manufacturing, recently pleaded guilty in U.S.
Engines

Now More Places To Get GE CF34 Service

All six General Dynamics Service Centers have joined General Electric’s CF34 service center network.

NASA Demos Five-year GA Research Project

Want to see your tax dollars at work in aviation? Then attend SATS 2005: A Transformation in Air Travel, scheduled for June 5 to 7 at Danville Airpo
Regulations and Government

Stage 4 noise standards to take effect Jan. 1

All jet and transport-category airplanes with an mtow of 12,500 pounds or more for which application of a new type design is submitted on or after Jan.
Charter & Fractional

Air-taxi Hopeful Pogo Co-founder Quits

Donald Burr recently left air-taxi hopeful Pogo to “pursue other opportunities,” according to a company statement.
ATC

LAX Class B Shoreline Route Reinstated

The configuration of Los Angeles (LAX) Class B airspace is set to change on December 22 to ensure that STAR routes are contained within the protected airsp
Maintenance and Modifications

Raisbeck Modified C90 Gets Mtow Boost

Raisbeck Engineering received approval of an mtow increase, to 10,350 pounds, for King Air C90s and C90Bs that have been modified with four-blade Hartzell/
Aircraft

Piaggio: Avanti Announcement Premature

Although Piaggio named two new completion centers for the Avanti at the NBAA Convention last month, Tom Appleton, president and CEO of Piaggio America, tol
Charter & Fractional

…and Charter Broker, DOT Reach Settlement

New York charter broker Blue Star Jets and the DOT reached a compromise settlement regarding alleged regulatory violations in connection with the same cras
Charter & Fractional

Platinum Jet, FAA Postpone Meeting…

An “informal” meeting between Platinum Jet Management and the FAA was postponed from November 1.
Charter & Fractional

Flexjet Frax Claims Small Profit

Bombardier’s fractional operation, Flexjet, said last month that after a decade it has turned the corner and is making money.
Rotorcraft

e-STMP Reservation Changes Effective

Effective December 8, all operators requesting a special traffic management program (STMP) reservation electronically will be required to update their regi
Aircraft

ICAO Concerned about A380 Wake Vortices

The horizontal distance currently required between lighter and heavier aircraft to avoid wake turbulence might have to be doubled for smaller aircraft flyi
Airports

FAA Reviewing Airport Noise Proposal

The FAA is reviewing a proposed noise-compatibility program for Collin County Regional Airport in McKinney, Texas.
Regulations and Government

St. Louis Class B Revisions Proposed

The FAA’s proposal to modify St.
Safety

Cessna Wins Caravan Crash Lawsuit

A jury decided in favor of Cessna in a lawsuit arising from the Oct.
Rotorcraft

Bell Sells Its Interest in AB139

AgustaWestland is acquiring Bell Helicopter’s 25-percent interest in the AB139 twin-turbine helicopter and increasing its stake in the Bell/Agusta BA609 ti
Aircraft

Business aircraft shipments soar in ’05

Manufacturers delivered 738 general aviation turbine airplanes in the first nine months of this year, some 28 percent more than the 577 delivered in the sa
Charter & Fractional

TAG Aviation Introduces Jet Card

Charter sales firm TAG Aviation USA launched its JetCard at the NBAA Convention last month.
Aircraft

Matheson Buys Twin Commander Aircraft

Twin Commander Aircraft, the Arlington, Wash.