Embraer posted first-quarter 2011 earnings higher than the same quarter last year, reporting a net income of $105.1 million, up from $24.1 million in the first quarter of 2010. The rise largely is attributable to tax credits from the appreciation of Brazil's real. The appreciation of the real is a “real challenge,” the company says, and Embraer's response has been to increase productivity at its manufacturing facilities. Embraer delivered two large business jets and six light jets in the first quarter, which the company said was in line with expectations.
Max-Viz, Inc. shipped its 1,000th Enhanced Vision System to the AgustaWestland factory in Italy. It was expected to be installed on an AW139 helicopter.
I strapped on my first airplane, a 90-hp Aeronca Champ 7EC, in the summer of 1960 and since then my interest in aviation has never wavered. Two years later I was aboard a United Airlines Boeing 720 on the way from my home in New Jersey to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the start of an aviation career.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt has appointed three veteran managers to key positions as part of the agency's ongoing review of how the United States oversees its air traffic control system. “I am confident our top-to-bottom review is making our air traffic system even safer,” said Babbitt. That review includes an independent panel to evaluate the agency's air traffic control training curriculum, qualifications and placement process.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has developed a new computer-generated forecast model that is designed to provide pilots with information on the likelihood of encountering dangerous inflight icing conditions. Developed with funding from an FAA grant, the Forecast Icing Product with Severity, or FIP-Severity, provides 12-hr. icing forecasts that are updated hourly for pilots, air traffic controllers and other users of aviation weather information.
Cessna's management changes followed the release of Textron's first quarter 2011 earnings, disclosing that Cessna posted a $38 million loss during the first three months of the year as compared to the $24 million lost in first quarter 2010 — which was then believed to be the trough of the market. Textron Chairman and CEO Scott Donnelly had called the financial results “disappointing” and stated, “We are taking necessary actions to restore our profitability.”
Empire Aviation Group (EAG) in Dubai announced plans to begin operations in India, with a new branch office opening in Mumbai by mid-year. The new branch will eventually offer the full range of EAG services on the subcontinent, but will initiallly focus on aircraft sales and management.
A time long ago, but not so far away, I was paging through a favorite magazine when my eyes fixed on a gorgeous photo that filled me with desire. No, not Penthouse, nor Playboy. Not even Sports IIlustrated's bikinied babes issue. I was poring over Boy's Life, the official publication of the Boy Scouts of America, and was simply transfixed by a hatchet.
GAMA plans to continue to work with FAA on improving the Organization Delegation Authority (ODA) and other designee processes. GAMA met with FAA in April and has had an ongoing dialog about making the designee processes more efficient. Both FAA and industry officials believe this is particularly important as the agency grapples with resource limitations, which have created a backlog in certification processing. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt continues to warn that tight budgets could exacerbate the situation.
Gulfstream Aerospace has expanded its Airborne Product Support (APS) program with the addition of a backup G100 aircraft to provide aircraft-on-ground support. In addition to two aircraft, Gulfstream has dedicated four flight crews, a full-time manager and nine technicians to APS.
The Legacy 650's engines are the latest variants of the Rolls-Royce (nee Allison Engine) AE 3007 family. Rated at 9,020 lb. thrust for takeoff up to ISA+15C, the A2 features a 38.5-in., 22-blade wide-chord, compound swept fan that has the same outer diameter as the 24-blade fan of the A1E that powers the Legacy 600, but it has more surface area because it has a slimmer hub.
AMSTAT, the Tinton Falls, N.J., provider of corporate aviation data, reported that 2.4% of the worldwide active fleet of business jets changed hands via resale retail transactions during the first quarter. While 2.4% is low by historical standards (the 20-yr. average is 3.3%), it is the same level as in fourth quarter 2010. “Thus, for the first time in many years, the business jet market did not experience a significant drop in transaction activity in the first quarter of the year,” said AMSTAT.
The NATA has released its new fact book, “General Aviation in the United States,” which provides an in-depth review of NATA membership segments and other significant components of the general aviation and airline services industry. The fact book is free and can be viewed and downloaded at www.nata.aero/factbook.
In 2009, the DOT ordered CSI Aviation Services Inc. to cease and desist from acting as a broker of air charter services for the federal government. The company appealed, and on April 1, 2011, the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals granted CSI's petition for review, finding that the DOT failed to justify its authority to issue the contested order.
Sikorsky Aerospace Services (SAS) in Coatesville, Penn., completed modifying a Sikorsky S-76B helicopter for export to Germany's Heliservice International GmbH. Originally designed for VIP transport missions, the aircraft has been reconfigured and equipped for specialty maintenance operations on windmill farms throughout Germany.
Hawker Beechcraft Acquisition Co. (HBAC) said business and general aviation aircraft deliveries were 45 aircraft in first quarter 2011 versus 34 in first quarter 2010. Backlog increased by $122 million versus fourth quarter 2010 with new orders of $714 million and cancellations of $33 million. The company reported net sales for the three months ended March 31, 2011, of $558.4 million, a modest decrease of $9.8 million compared to the same period of 2010.
When people who know me learn that I'm writing about computers, they smile, shake their heads and say, “This should be cute.” Those who don't know me would surmise that anyone this old and beat up can't have much to teach about the technology. A big "Thank You" to both groups.
StandardAero Business Aviation has upgraded the cockpit of a Dassault Falcon 50EX from Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 to Pro Line 21 avionics, and says it is the first maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organization to successfully complete such a retrofit.
Eurocopter's 1,000th helicopter from its Dauphin family was delivered April 20 to India's Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd., which operates the world's largest civilian fleet of this twin-engine, medium weight rotary-wing aircraft. Pawan Hans' milestone helicopter is an AS365 N3 version, configured for offshore oil and gas drilling missions, and it brings the Indian operator's fleet to a total of 35 Dauphins.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt dismissed calls to allow controllers to sleep during shifts to mitigate the effects of fatigue. The agency is currently reviewing 12 recommendations to offset fatigue proposed by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association that include breaks of up to 2.5 hr., reduced work hours on certain rotations and increased training on the effects of sleep deprivation and disorders.
Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion, the company's newest and most advanced integrated avionics system, has reached a major milestone by receiving its final FAA Technical Standard Order (TSO). Certification of the avionics hardware and software sets the stage for supplemental type certification on Rockwell Collins' Challenger 601 test aircraft and on Bombardier's Global Express XRS.
Rizon Jet has opened a two-level FBO and VIP lounge at London Biggin Hill Airport. The FBO will cater to an international clientele, including Middle Eastern families and business travelers. The ground floor includes five open and semi-private seating areas, and the mezzanine floor offers semi-enclosed lounge areas, as well as meeting facilities, including a boardroom with videoconferencing, and a children's corner.
Remember all the “slow-tation” jokes that taunted Cessna decades ago? Company Chairman Russ Meyer II put an end to those when he announced the Citation X program at the 1990 NBAA convention. The CE750 would be able to cruise as fast as Mach 0.90, making it possible to fly six passengers from New York to Los Angeles in just over four and one-half hours.
A new coalition designed to focus on issues affecting general aviation airports has been formed by a group of GA airport operators. The General Aviation Airport Coalition was formed to “preserve and promote our nation's general aviation airports,” according to the mission statement. The coalition began meeting late last year, but recently officially launched as a formal group.
