BARR OPPOSITION
More than 30 US politicians from the House of Representatives have expressed "serious concerns" over the government's proposal to severely curtail the Block Aircraft Registration Request programme. In a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, they stated: "There are security concerns for business leaders and individuals that use private aircraft, and the BARR programme prevents unknown parties and potential threats from tracking their movements."
SIGNATURE EXPANSION
Fixed-base operations network Signature Flight Support has expanded its footprint in the Caribbean following the acquisition of Tropical Aviation in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The facility is located in the capital's business and general aviation airport Isla Grande and comprises 2,695m² (29,000ft²) of hangarage and 640m executive terminal. "As an important gateway between Latin America and the US mainland, Puerto Rico is perfectly positioned for technical stops and provides the opportunity to clear US Customs and border protection before continuing on to any point in the continental United States," Michael Scheeringa, Signature Flight Support president, said.
FINALE FOR X2
Sikorsky completed the last flight of the X2 demonstrator on 14 July nearly one year after shattering the speed record for helicopters. However, the central sail fairing Sikorsky planned to install for the final sortie was absent. The airframer says it was sacrificed to apply more resources to meeting a "fairly aggressive" schedule for flying the first two S-97 prototypes within three years. The fairing is designed to smooth the airflow between the coaxial rotors, enabling the X2 to achieve even faster speeds. The X2 set the speed record without the sail fairing for a helicopter on 15 September last year by reaching 253kt (468km/h) in level flight.
Source: Flight International
