Hawker 4000 Type Certified
Yesterday, the FAA awarded Raytheon full Part 25 type certification for the Hawker 4000, some 10 years after the super-midsize jet was announced, five years later than originally planned and three months after the company received FAA exemptions to certain regulatory conditions that it will have to meet down the road. By year-end Raytheon hopes to receive approval for flight into known icing. The company plans to deliver 24 of the $19.5 million jets next year, starting in the first quarter. At press time, Raytheon said it had orders for 74 Hawker 4000s.

Brazil Midair: ATC Shift Change Reported
A spokesperson for the Brazilian military testified in Brazil’s Congress and admitted that the collision occurred during a shift change and that the controller who was finishing his shift gave incorrect information to the controller who was taking over. Meanwhile, NBAA and the Allied Pilots Association, the union representing 13,000 American Airlines pilots, have added their voices to the growing international call to bring home the two U.S. pilots who continue to be detained in Brazil after the September 29 midair between their Legacy 600 and a Gol Airlines 737. On November 20, NBAA sent a letter to the president of Brazil calling for the immediate return of the two pilots. “It is clear there was no intentional wrongdoing in this case,” the letter states. “Preventing the pilots from returning to the U.S. is neither appropriate nor beneficial to the investigation.” The Allied Pilots Association is asking the “U.S. government to express to Brazilian authorities the need to permit the two pilots to return to their homes, as well as the importance of conducting the accident investigation in accordance with ICAO Annex 13,” rather than as a criminal case.