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The Weekly of Business Aviation, June 22, 2015 is published in The Weekly of Business Aviation, an Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) Market Briefing and is included with your AWIN membership.

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Magazine Issue

The Weekly of Business Aviation, June 22, 2015

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Suppliers

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UTC CEO: Robust Sikorsky Bids 'Surprising'

Jun 22, 2015
Over the next two months, the Connecticut-based aerospace and industrial giant will evaluate whether to sell the helicopter business that has been part of UTC since 1929 or spin it off.
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Machinists: Onex And AIT Jointly Bidding On Spirit AeroSystems' Fabrication Work

Jun 22, 2015
The union is ready to sit down with Onex and Advanced Integration Technologies regarding their plans, Molina told union members. “We are always willing to explore opportunities to create and maintain union jobs in Kansas."
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Deliveries of Icon A5 Aircraft To Begin Next Month

Jun 22, 2015
FAA officials issued the first S-LSA airworthiness certificate to ICON A5 serial number 1, or ASN-001.
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Thales Introduces TopMax Head-Worn Display For Business Jet Use

Jun 22, 2015
Less than three years after acquiring an innovative line of helmet-mounted displays (HMD) from U.S. helmet-maker Gentex, Thales is offering the same technology for applications ranging from civil helicopters and business jets to the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor stealth fighter, including an a entirely new head-worn display called TopMax.
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Cirrus Delivers 6,000th Aircraft

Jun 22, 2015
Cirrus introduced the Cirrus SR20 in 1999, followed by the SR 22 in 2001, and the turbocharged SR22T in 2010.
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First E-Jet 2 Engine Starts Up As Wing Skins Arrive in Brazil

Jun 19, 2015
LE BOURGET, France—Pratt & Whitney planned to fire up the first PW1900G geared turbofan for the Embraer E190-E2 at its West Palm Beach, Florida, test site on June 15, marking the start of the fourth major new PW1000G family development program.

Intelligence

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House To Introduce Bill To Split FAA In July

Jun 19, 2015
WASHINGTON—House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster says his committee soon will produce an FAA Reauthorization bill that will split the agency’s safety and air traffic control (ATC) and modernization roles. The bill could be on the House Floor in July, Shuster said in an Aero Club of Washington speech June 15. The move comes as the FAA’s most-recent four-year authorization expires at the end of September.

OEMs/Suppliers

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Boeing Launches BBJ MAX 9 Business Jet

Jun 22, 2015
Boeing announced the launch at the Paris air show on June 17. It’s the fifth firm order for a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) MAX aircraft.
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Ex-Embraer Executive Leads Superjet Commercial Revamp

Jun 19, 2015
LE BOURGET, France—Eduardo Munhos de Campos, who was vice president for sales at Embraer until October last year, is heading efforts to establish a single, unified worldwide commercial structure for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100).

Forecasts

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Embraer Projects 20-Year Demand For 6,350 Jets in 70-130-Seat Category

Jun 22, 2015
In its just-released market outlook, Embraer predicts deliveries of 6,350 jets in the 70-to-130 seat category over the next 20 years. Demand from 2015-2034 is expected to total 2,250 units in the 70 to 90-seat segment and 4,100 units in the 90 to 130-seat segment, Embraer said. The total is valued at $300 billion during that period. Embraer released its 2015-2034 Market Outlook June 15.

Safety/Training

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Growth Seen For Textron’s Tru Simulation

Jun 22, 2015
But, in a little over a year, Tru Simulation + Training—the amalgamation of Mectronix Inc. of Montreal and Opinicus Corp. of Lutz, Florida—has expanded well beyond Charleston, South Carolina, where those two companies joined Textron’s local subsidiary AAI Corp. to form a three-tiered training hardware and solutions provider.

Services/FBOs

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Ace Aviation Constructing Facility At Renton Airport

Jun 22, 2015
The facility is expected to be completed this summer and will allow Ace to expand to accommodate general aviation and turboprop customers, it said.

Regulatory/Legislative

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Droning On: The Commercial UAS Market

Jun 22, 2015
Business continues for U.S.-based drone manufacturers and their suppliers with an established base of military and government customers.

Services

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Embraer Wins Orders For Both The E-Jet E1 And E2

Jun 22, 2015
Aircastle signed a firm order for 25 E-Jet E2s, consisting of 15 E190-E2s and 10 E195-E2s with an additional 25 purchase rights for 15 E190-E2s and 10 E195-E2s.
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C&L Aviation Opens Miami Branch

Jun 22, 2015
The operations will focus on corporate aircraft sales and management and will allow C&L Aviation to expand its aircraft charter business, it said.

Brokers

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VistaJet’s Fleet Grows To 50 Aircraft As Business Expands

Jun 22, 2015
VistaJet has increased its in-service business-jet fleet to 50 aircraft. All are Bombardier business jets. The milestone will be achieved in June when VistaJet takes delivery of a Global 6000 ultra-long-range aircraft, the company said. The growing fleet reflects VistaJet’s increasing global expansion, said Thomas Flohr, VistaJet founder and chairman. "As worldwide growth continues, we look forward to adding more Bombardier business aircraft to our fleet."

Airworthiness Directives

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Airworthiness Directives

Jun 22, 2015
AGUSTA S.p.A. (Agusta) Model AB139 and AW139 helicopters.[Docket No. FAA-2015-1935; Directorate Identifier 2014-SW-008-AD]—proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) requiring inspection of certain subfloor frames for a crack. FAA is proposing to adopt this new AD after the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an AD alerting of cracks found on in-service helicopters. FAA considers this an unsafe condition that could cause failure of the pilot and co- pilot pedal support frame and subsequent loss of helicopter control.

Business Aviation Briefs

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Audit Of FAA Air Traffic Controllers Hiring Process To Begin In June

Jun 19, 2015
The Office of Inspector General has initiated an audit of FAA policies and procedures for hiring new air traffic controllers. The audit was requested by the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, its Subcommittee on Aviation and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL). In 2014, the FAA made several changes to its hiring process for controllers. The FAA employs about 14,000 air traffic controllers.
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South Carolina Passes Law Removing 6% Sales Tax On Aircraft Maintenance

Jun 19, 2015
South Carolina’s governor has signed a bill removing a 6% sales tax on maintenance performed on general aviation aircraft. Gov. Nikki Haley signed the bill on June 15. The tax exemption takes effect on Jan. 1, 2016. South Carolina has 37 certified repair stations, but many of the businesses had been losing out on work as aircraft owners took their aircraft to Georgia, Florida or Arkansas to avoid the tax, supporters said. The bill was backed by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
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Beechcraft Delivers Four T-6D Aircraft To U.S. Army

Jun 19, 2015
Beechcraft Defense Co., a division of Textron Aviation, recently delivered four Beechcraft T-6D military aircraft to the U.S. Army. The aircraft, part of the Joint Primary Aircraft Training Systems, or JPATs, program, will be stationed at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. They will replace Beechjet T-34 aircraft in use at the facility. The T-6D aircraft will be used in a variety of training and mission-support operations. Beechcraft has delivered more than 850 T-6 trainers.
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Corporate Angel Network Flies 48,000th Cancer Patient

Jun 19, 2015
Corporate Angel Network has arranged its 48,000th cancer patient flight, with a flight on June 11. The patient was a 48-year-old with colon cancer. Patient James Etherton was accompanied by his wife, Tammy. Blue Beacon International donated its Cessna Citation for the flight, which flew them from their home in Mechnicsburg, Illinois, to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Etherton needs to fly to New York for treatment once a month. Blue Beacon has participated in the Corporate Cancer Network since 1992.
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Yellowstone Aviation Selects Avfuel As Fuel Supplier

Jun 19, 2015
Yellowstone Aviation has chosen Avfuel as its branding partner and fuel supplier. The fixed base operator is minutes from the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park. The partnership with Avfuel gives Yellowstone a myriad of resources, including competitive fuel pricing through Avfuels’ contract fuel program; participation in a pilot rewards program’ and access to fuel-handling training assistance.
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Spirit AeroSystems Marks 10 Years As A Company

Jun 19, 2015
Spirit AeroSystems is celebrating its 10th anniversary as a company. Spirit was formed in 2005, after Onex Corp. bought Boeing’s commercial aircraft division in Wichita, and operations in Oklahoma. The company went public in 2006. In the past decade, Spirit has grown in revenue, sites, customers, products and build rates, it said. Spirit began with $9 billion in backlog. At the end of first-quarter 2015, its backlog totaled $46 billion. The company is the largest private employer in Kansas.
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NBAA: Texas Bill Passage Improves State’s Business Climate For General Aviation

Jun 19, 2015
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a bill that provides sales and use-tax reforms for general aviation aircraft based in or visiting Texas, according to the National Business Aircraft Association. For the past several years, general aviation aircraft owners and operators had been subjected to confusing and contradictory interpretations during the state’s tax-audit process.
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Aequs Aerospace Acquires Texas-based T&K Machine

Jun 19, 2015
Aequs Aerospace has acquired the operations of T&K Machine, based in Paris, Texas. T&K Machine manufactures parts for the aerospace industry. Customers include Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems, Triumph’s Vought Aerostructures, UTC Aerospace Systems and others. The acquisition is Aeques Aerospace’s first presence in the U.S. T&K operates in a 27,000-sq.-ft. facility and employs 65. The company will be renamed Aequs Aero Machine. Aequs Aerospace is based in Belagavi, Karnataka, India.
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Phillips 66 Adds Volo Aviation To FBO Network

Jun 19, 2015
Phillips 66 Aviation has added Volo Aviation, based at the Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, Connecticut, to its fixed base operation network, the company said. The location includes 40,000 sq. ft. of hangar space and manages about 30 flights per day.
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Jet Aviation Geneva Receives DGCA Approval For Gulfstream and Bombardier Aircraft

Jun 19, 2015
Phillips 66 Aviation has added Volo Aviation, based at the Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, Connecticut, to its fixed base operation network, the company said. The location includes 40,000 sq. ft. of hangar space and manages about 30 flights per day.

Appointments

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Appointments

Jun 22, 2015
Rich Bean has been appointed vice president of Global Jet Services, based in Avon, Connecticut. He joined the company in 2012 as its director of operations. Bean has been involved in aviation maintenance, training and program management for 28 years.

Obituary

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Obituary

Jun 19, 2015
Otto Pobanz, a former National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) director and leader of the Federated Department Stores flight department for 30 years, died June 12. He was 93. Pobanz was a leading aircraft-cabin acoustics consultant. During his career, Pobanz amassed more than 20,000 flight hours. He also helped design one of the first computer programs for dispatch, maintenance and flight department recordkeeping.

Calendar of Events

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Upcoming Events

Jun 19, 2015
Jun. 22-25—SAE 2015 International Conference on Icing of Aircraft, Engines, and Structures, Hotel International Prague, Prague, Czech Republic, www.sae.org/events/icing Jun. 22-26—Aviation Forum 2015, Dallas, Texas, www.aiaa-aviation.org/