Cirrus Service Advisory Prompts Unleaded Fuel Warranty Debate
Cirrus Aircraft has advised its customers to not use GAMI G100UL in its aircraft because it can’t conclusively establish whether the fuel can affect materials in the fuel system. The company issued a service advisory saying that “at this time, Cirrus does not approve the use of GAMI G100UL fuel in Cirrus SR Series airplanes.” It also suggested use of the fuel might void the warranties of the Continental and Lycoming engines it uses. Lycoming later confirmed that G100UL is not on its published list of approved fuels and therefore its use is considered to be outside warranty conditions. However, there are other legal opinions saying that because the fuel is approved by the FAA through an STC then its use cannot void the warranty.
Icon Sold Off For $15.79 Million
A Delaware bankruptcy judge approved the sale of Icon Aircraft to SG Investment America for $15.79 million, a tiny fraction of the investor capital raised to establish the business and get the little amphib into production. When it declared bankruptcy earlier this year it said it was $170 million in debt. It’s not clear if the new owner intends to continue production or simply liquidate the assets. General Atomics CEO Linden Blue submitted a bid that was slightly lower than SG Investment and has agreed to stay on as a back-up in case the other deal doesn’t work out. Among the provisions of the sale is the termination of all employees with the option to hire any or all of them back at the new owner’s discretion.
Air Force Told To Sharpen Up Appearance
One of the first orders of business for the new head of the Air Force’s Air Combat Command is to get his troops looking sharp. Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach says some of his 157,000 personnel are tending toward scruffiness and he gave the whole division a month to trim and press and polish to established standards. “As an all-volunteer force, we willingly relinquish a portion of our individual freedoms in order to be part of an elite team. An essential element to being part of this elite team is the high standards we hold as an institution. Adherence to higher standards of conduct, dress, and appearance, physical fitness, and the observance of customs and courtesies are critical to our identity as military members,” Wilsbach said in a memo to commanders.
Hop-On Charter Changes Coming
The FAA is getting ready to issue rulemaking that will likely have a big impact on public charter operations, also known as “hop-on charters.” Under current rules, Part 135 operators can offer scheduled by-the-seat service as long as the aircraft used have no more than 30 seats. That means they can use the generally more liberal Part 135 training and maintenance requirements giving them a cost advantage over 121 carriers. The FAA says it’s concerned that the charters don’t offer the same level of safety as mainstream airlines and plans to address that, possibly with a new category of operations.
NTSB Renews Incursion Pleas
The NTSB has issued reports on three runway incursions involving airliners and has found the same root causes in each. The board said the lack of or breakdown of critical safety technology and errors by controllers is behind each of the incidents at Austin, JFK and Hollywood-Burbank. “We are once again calling on the FAA to use technology to prevent runway incursions—something we’ve been doing for decades—because we must back up the humans operating in our aviation system at every level. That is how we save lives,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy.
NOTAMs
MAX victim families want Boeing fined $24 billion … AOPA names Mike Ginter head of Air Safety Institute … FAA fines woman $81,950 for in-flight violence … Tesla planning flying car … Archer inks recharging deal with Signature … Alaskan politicians want unleaded-fuel mandate delayed … Right-of-way questions raised in plane-boat collision … Air Force to automate C-130s … YouTuber facing FAA charges for helicopter fireworks stunt … Find breaking news in general aviation at AVweb.com.
