Sikorsky Aircraft is working to expand its penetration of the Asian market, and while its primary focus is on its military product line, including Black Hawks and Sea Hawks, its commercial helicopters are finding buyers as well.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) says a new study by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) showing a steady increase in fatally injured pilots with drugs in their systems should be “regarded with caution,” while the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) noted that the board’s own researchers considered the findings inconclusive. The study, released Sept. 9, looked at toxicology tests from 6,677 U.S.
Embraer’s U.S. footprint expanded considerably last month when it opened it’s a new $26 million Engineering and Technology Center adjacent to its Phenom assembly and customer center at Melbourne Airport in Florida. The 75,000-sq.-ft.
Robert A. (Bob) Hoover and R.W. (Bill) de Decker were selected to receive the National Business Aviation Association’s Meritorious Service to Aviation Award and John P. “Jack” Doswell Award, respectively. NBAA will present its top honors in October during its Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Orlando, Florida.
Cessna Aircraft’s M2 entry-level jet was granted approval from the civil aviation authorities of Brazil and Argentina, clearing the way for deliveries to those countries. The approvals follow U.S. FAA certification in December and European Aviation Safety Agency validation in June.
Honda Aircraft President and CEO Michimasa Fujino continues to collect recognitions for his contributions to the novel over-the-wing engine mount configuration for the HondaJet light business jet.
The Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank of the U. S., which became a controversial subject recently — a fact that took aerospace manufacturers and other exporters by surprise — may have secured at least a short term future by now. By late September the Congress was expected to pass a continuing resolution to keep the federal government in business.
Bell Helicopter received orders from the first two customers to take delivery of Bell 429s in Poland. The orders were taken through JB Investments, Bell’s independent representative in Poland. Bell previously had sold three Bell 407GX to customers in Poland.
FAA has declared the Griffiss International Airport unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) test site in Rome, N.Y., as operational, making it the fifth of six sites to reach that status. In addition to the traditional UAS studies, the Giffiss site will also evaluate means of scouting agricultural fields through different types of sensors, including visual, thermal and multispectral equipment. “We are accomplishing two important missions with the launch of this test site,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx says.
The reorganization at Bombardier saw additional departures in September as Ralph Acs, head of the Learjet line, Stephane Leblanc, his counterpart for Challenger programs, and Marie-Helene Pelletier head of the business aircraft unit’s supply chain, cleared out their desks.
Mountain Aviation, a Broomfield, Colo.-based charter and management firm, has come under new ownership by a private investment firm, a move the company says will help it expand its core markets in the Rocky Mountain region along with looking at new opportunities in the oil and gas and government markets. The company notes that it has extensive experience operating in rugged environments, giving it “a strong foundation for expanded capabilities” in the oil and gas and government markets.
A Frasca Citation CJ1+ full flight simulator (FFS) recently delivered to Nanshan International Flight Academy in Longkou, China, has received CAAC Level D approval. With the notification, academy head Li Fang said, “We look forward to continuing our relationship with Frasca and to ensuring the highest quality flight t
Textron’s Lycoming Engines report work underway on as many as 25 aircraft engine integration projects for general aviation, most of which are outside of the U.S.
Light plane and business jet shipments increased across all categories in the second quarter of 2014, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). A total of 592 aircraft were delivered by GAMA members in the period, up 5% from the 567 shipped in the same period last year. As a result, billings inched up from $5.723 billion in second quarter 2013 to $5.739 billion in the most recent quarter.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association named Jonathan Archer director of engineering and airworthiness. Archer brings 24 years of aviation industry experience to his new role, formerly serving as an associate with Booz Allen Hamilton where he provided support to both the FAA and Joint Planning and Development Office. There he helped facilitate a pilot study involving safety management systems for FAR Part 21 design and manufacturing organizations as well as on NextGen air traffic management initiatives.
