Flexjet is mulling entering joint ventures and partnerships to expand service to Mexico, Canada and Europe, according to President Fred Reid, but no final decisions have been made. “We also hope to finally set course on our fleet diversification,” he added.
Learjet Model 55, 55B and 55C airplanes — Inspect the installation of the forward light assembly in the aft lavatory to determine the location of the terminal connector. Also, inspect for damage to the light assembly terminals, wires and oxygen lines. Inspect to determine if the cable nipple is installed over the light assembly terminal and take corrective actions, if necessary. Pilatus PC-12/47E airplanes — Revise several operational procedures in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook to address anomalies in the aircraft’s primary flight displays.
The U.S. Federal Reserve’s San Francisco district office revised its outlook for the commercial and business aerospace industries. In its latest report the Fed noted “reductions in airline capacity have weakened the outlook for new orders going forward, and orders for small corporate jets have dropped significantly of late.” The San Francisco office added that despite this downturn “aerospace manufacturers continued to produce commercial aircraft at a brisk clip.”
Want King Air 200GT cruise speed plus VLJ fuel efficiency for the price of a late model Bonanza? The Mitsubishi MU-2B short-body series may be the only aircraft that fills these three requirements. It’s one of the best buys in a used aircraft market chock-full of bargains. Eight models were produced from 1967 through 1981, including the first-generation MU-2B, D, DP, F, K and M, plus the second-generation P and MU-2B-40 Solitaire.
Hawker Beechcraft CEO Jim Schuster, in a March 4 conference call with analysts, said the company will “keep our research and development plans intact” this year despite the recession, aiming to come out on the other side with desirable new products. Schuster said Hawker invested $110.2 million in R&D in 2008. The company has a $7.6 billion backlog and is working with customers individually to work out financing in a tight credit market. “We’ll get through,” Schuster stated.
April 1-4: Aircraft Electronics Association 52nd Annual Convention & Trade Show, Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Dallas. (816) 373-6565. www.aea.net/convention April 21-23: Flight Safety Foundation and NBAA 54th Annual Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar (CASS), Hilton Walt Disney World, Orlando. www.flightsafety.org or nbaa.org April 21-26: Sun ’n Fun 35th Annual Fly-in, Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, Lakeland, Fla. (863) 644-2431. www.sun-n-fun.org
Moline, Ill.-based Elliott Aviation has added an Astra 1125SP jet aircraft to its charter certificate. The aircraft is based at Forest City, Iowa (FXY). Elliott Aviation operates a fleet of 15 jet and turboprop aircraft at its four full-service locations: its headquarters at Quad Cities International Airport (MLI) in Moline, Ill.; Epply Airfield (OMA) at Omaha, Neb.; Des Moines International Airport (DSM), Iowa; and Flying Cloud Regional Airport (FCM) in Eden Prairie, Minn.
Price indices recently released by Vref Publishing — the Shawnee Mission, Kan.-based business aircraft market research firm — reflect how precipitously values for older, previously owned, turbine-powered business aircraft have declined in recent months. First quarter 2009 composite prices for benchmark used business turboprops and the three classes of used corporate jets have declined roughly 20 percent during the last year, the forecaster said.
ExecuJet announced in January a plan to expand in Mexico with services to Latin America and the Caribbean and two new aircraft under charter management — a Global Express and Falcon 900B. The company has already been operating a fleet of Pilatus PC-12s, a Falcon 7X, a CL300 and a DA2000, but will now have two bases at Del Norte and Mariano Escobedo International in Monterrey.
Dassault Falcon announced Feb.25 that the Falcon 7X recently received approval for arrivals and departures at London City Airport (LCY) in London, England and can now link the heart of one of the world’s largest financial centers nonstop with the United States, Europe and the Middle East. “Flying into London City was a goal from the early development of the Falcon 7X program,” said John Rosanvallon, president and CEO of Dassault Falcon.
The Aero Club of New England announced that Rudy Frasca, founder and CEO of Frasca International, is the 2009 recipient of the Godfrey L. Cabot Award. Frasca will receive the award in recognition of his lifelong, innovative developments in flight simulation that have enhanced world aviation by safety through training. In 1958, he built his first flight simulator in his garage and founded Frasca Aviation, later Frasca International. Today there are over 2,000 Frasca flight-training devices in 70 countries, training pilots worldwide.
Business aircraft activity continued to decline in January, down 22.2 percent from December 2008, according to statistics from Aviation Research Group/US. ARG/US estimated flight activity dropped an average of 3.58 percent per month for the last 12 months, with total flight activity declining 19.07 percent year over year. In general, a combination of economic factors and unfavorable media coverage of the business aviation industry have negatively impacted overall flight activity, ARG/US said. Benet Wilson
— At about 1500 EST, a Piper PA-18-150 (N2424A), registered to Flightline Group, Inc., collided with a vehicle during takeoff from Ayavalla Airstrip (a private airstrip), near Tallahassee, Fla. It was VFR and there was no flight plan filed for the local flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial-certificated pilot and one passenger in the airplane were not injured while the two occupants of the vehicle were killed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
Eurocopter announced that two EC135s were ordered by the Japanese Ministry of Defence for delivery before year-end to the Kanoya Naval Training School on the island of Kyushu. Eurocopter expects a follow-on order for three additional EC135s in 2010 to bring the Maritime Self Defense Forces training helicopter fleet to a total of 15 aircraft.
The TSA says it will revise its classified “playbook” for airport Federal Security Directors (FSDs) after unspecified current guidance in the document led two of them to attempt to conduct unauthorized surprise general aviation passenger and pilot screenings at FBOs at Bradley International Airport in Conn. and at Nashville. The plan to conduct passenger, pilot and hangar screenings at Bradley was nipped in the bud when NBAA contacted TSA headquarters, which aborted the attempt.
At 16, Brandon Gordon is into gaming with his XBox 360, likes hanging with his buddies in his hometown of DeWitt, Mich., and is an unabashed hockey fanatic — he not only talks the game nonstop, but he’s a whiz on blades. In fact, he was the St. John Area Skating Association’s star goalie, and wears his #22 jersey with pride, but not aboard the company jet, which he rides often.
EADS Socata has appointed Executive Airlines Pty. Ltd. as its sales representative for TBM 850 turboprops in Australia and New Zealand. Executive Airlines, which is based at Mel-bourne-Essendon Airport, also will manage an inventory of TBM spare parts to support the authorized TBM service centers in Australia. Executive Airlines has more than 27 years of business aviation experience. The company provides charter, aircraft management, maintenance, FBO support and consultant services.
A Feb. 5 letter to Gale Rossides, acting administrator of the TSA, signed by the presidents of the AOPA, Experimental Aircraft Association, GAMA and the NBAA, said, “. . .
The New Year ushered in unprecedented turbulence for the business aviation industry. The market disintegrated in a fashion not experienced since the Great Depression, and National Air Transportation Association President James Coyne contends that the industry has entered a depression. Textron Chairman Lewis Campbell believes that 2009 is staged to become the most challenging year ever for manufacturers.
Bombardier has delivered the first of two CL 415MP Maritime Patrol aircraft to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA). Ordered in June 2008, the 415MP is a variant of Bombardier’s amphibious fire-fighting water bomber. Malaysia’s aircraft remain equipped for that mission, but also carry two side-looking airborne radars, a forward-looking infrared radar and an airborne maritime surveillance system. The second 415MP is to be delivered by June 2010.
Vociferously unfavorable feedback to the LASP proposal seems to have captured the attention of new Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. In one of her first meetings with TSA officials, Napolitano reportedly mentioned the LASP rulemaking and said the department must balance the need for a secure transportation system with “the legitimate impact on consumers.” She stressed that the department must “continue to work and improve.” Stay tuned.
Jet Aviation , Zurich, announced the restructuring of its U.S. executive management. Jim Ziegler, who had been chief operating officer of U.S. operations, has left the company and will become an advisor to Jet Aviation. Gary Dempsey, Jet Aviation’s president of flight services for the Americas, and Kurt Sutterer, president, MRO and completions of Midcoast Aviation, will be responsible for U.S. operations. They will report to Peter G. Edwards, president of the Jet Aviation Group.
Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. has chosen ABS Jets to serve as the new Universal preferred ground handling provider in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. ABS Jets is the first business aviation FBO at Prague Ruzyne Airport. It is also a Bratislava- and Slovakia-based business jet operator, and maintenance and repair center. ABS Jets’ local expertise and capabilities will provide Universal customers traveling in Eastern Europe with a wider range of services. Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. www.universalweather.com
After months of negotiations, Michael Jaffe, the insolvency administrator for Grob Aerospace, has named H3 Aerospace as the buyer of the company’s training aircraft and support businesses. Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany-based H-3 Aerospace is making the purchase through Fortius Mittelstandskapital. Around 100 employees were expected to resume work at Grob’s Tussenhausen-Mattsies, Germany, facility in February. The insolvency administrator said he expects further growth, with the initial 100 returnees just a starting point. The SPn program is expected to survive separately.
