Mooney announced the termination of about two-thirds of its workforce, including all production workers, leading to questions about the company’s future in the current challenging economic environment. Company officials notified the Texas Workforce Commission that it was getting rid of 229 employees, more than 70 percent of the total, and terminated all new aircraft production activities.
At a family reunion one Sunday afternoon in 1927, Clyde V. Cessna offered rides in his OX-5 Swallow to all comers. When the line formed, it was headed by Cessna’s 10-year-old nephew, Dwane Wallace. That airplane ride set the course of Wallace’s future career.
The FAA has opened a new safety Web site featuring lessons learned from airline/air transport aircraft accidents that happened as long as 40 years ago. The agency believes many of the lessons learned from these tragedies are timeless, and are relevant to today’s aviation community. By learning from the past, aviation professionals can use that knowledge to recognize key factors, and potentially prevent another accident from occurring under similar circumstances, or for similar reasons, in the future.
— About 0815 EDT, a Sikorsky S-76C (N552J) registered to and operated by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., experienced a hard landing at West 30th Street Heliport (JRA), New York, N.Y. It was VFR and an IFR flight plan was filed for the FAR Part 91 executive/corporate flight from Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN), New Haven, Conn., to JRA. The helicopter was substantially damaged and there were no injuries to the pilots or the four passengers. The flight originated about 0715 from HVN.
Back in the mid-1980s, an outbreak of counterfeit aircraft parts rocked the aviation industry. Fake aircraft components disguised as legitimate parts were installed and several fatal accidents were attributed to the substandard parts. Time-expired parts were given new paperwork and sold as serviceable, look-alikes that even trained technicians could not tell apart from the real thing were being stamped out from overseas factories hidden in shadows, and criminals were reaping millions while the flying public was at risk.
Hawker Beechcraft revealed Nov. 4 plans to lay off 5 percent of its workforce as it cuts production rates in the face of reduced demand for business and general aviation aircraft. The announcement coincided with the release of its third-quarter financial results. The manufacturer employs more than 9,700 people, the majority in Wichita. Hit by a four-week strike in August that slowed aircraft deliveries, the company saw third-quarter net sales decline 10 percent from a year earlier, to $783 million, and operating income drop 75 percent to just $15.3 million.
Think flying at 0.80 Mach is genuine jet fast? Falcon 10 and 100 operators might wonder if they left their gear down at that speed. They routinely blast past lesser marques while cruising at 480 to 490 KTAS. Only the potent Citation X flies faster. Dassault’s second business jet, the Mystère 10 or “Mini Falcon,” was designed in the late 1960s as a smaller, less expensive derivative of the Falcon 20.
Eastern Region Helicopter Council , Yardley, Pa., announced that Jeffery Smith has been elected chairman and president replacing David Nuss, who will become a director.
It was late November 1978, and I had been cropdusting in the Sudan for about three months. While our dirt strip at El Managil, about 100 miles south of Khartoum, was the middle of nowhere, the 600-hp Thrush Commanders were rugged and well maintained, the flying non-stop VMC, the camaraderie great and the flight rules non-existent — a perfect half-year gig for a 30-year-old bachelor building hours.
Financial analysts at JPMorgan noted in the November edition of their Business Jet Monthly research report that the outlook for business jets “continues to deteriorate based on recent data.”
Northern Jet Management , Grand Rapids, Mich., has named Rhonda Young executive assistant to the president, and Melanie Huntoon has joined the accounting department as payroll clerk. Anthony Shupe and Donald Jaeger III have been promoted to captains, and Rick Hansen has been promoted to chief pilot.
Cessna achieved Organizational Delegation Authority (ODA) status from the FAA in November after a two-year development process covering FAA-approved processes, quality standards, audits and detailed process documentation that gives the company FAA-equivalent authority to approve type designs and produce and license aircraft under FAA Part 23 and Part 25.
Cessna’s Caravan 208 single-engine turboprop utility hauler is also the subject of a new powerplant retrofit with the announcement this fall that StandardAero would offer a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135A exchange in place of the popular high-wing’s -114 engine.
Patrick Veillette’s article “Helicopter EMS: Urgent Compassion” (October, page 42) hits the nail on the head. Unfortunately, it’s a nail that the NTSB, the FAA and Flight Safety Foundation don’t seem to see.
Banyan Air Service , Fort Lauderdale, Fla., announced that its senior vice president, Michael O’Keeffe, has been appointed chairman of the National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA).
Third quarter 2008 retail sales numbers collected by Amstat and distributed by the National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA) reflect the continuing slide of the used aircraft market. For the three-month period ending Sept. 30, jet resale transactions dropped 10.4 percent to 456, while the number of jets available for sale grew 14 percent to 2,136 aircraft. The number of months required to turn over the inventory climbed from 11 months as of the end of the second quarter to 14 months at the end of the third quarter.
The FAA convened its new Runway Safety Council, Oct. 29, a joint government-industry body whose purpose is to take a deep, systemic approach to improving runway safety and move toward a proactive management strategy that involves different segments of the aviation industry.
Lockheed ordered the JetStar into immediate production at its Marietta, Ga., plant — without waiting any longer for the U.S. Air Force order expected eventually. Buyers can choose between two Bristol Orpheus engines, or four Pratt & Whitney JT-12s or GE J-85s.
— At1518 MST, an Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZ DPS) paramedic was killed after coming into contact with the main rotor blades of a Bell 407, N42AZ, while performing a mountain rescue on Doe Mountain near Sedona, Ariz. The helicopter was operated by the AZ DPS as a public-use search and rescue (SAR) flight. The pilot and two hikers were not injured and the helicopter was not damaged. The flight had departed on the SAR mission from Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG), Flagstaff, Ariz., at 1440, to aid in the search and rescue of two stranded hikers.
Million Air Lafayette announced that its new state-of-the-art FBO complex opened in late October. The facility features an atrium lobby with leather furniture and flat-screen televisions. It also offers multiple weather briefing and flight planning computers located in plain sight of the passengers’ arrival area. Million AIR LFT preserved the historic turtle water park (or pond to some) from the previous facility due to popular demand.
— At 1358 UCT, a Cirrus SR22 (N467BD), was destroyed when it impacted terrain 100 meters short of Runway 14 at Zurich Airport, Zurich, Switzerland. It was IFR at the time of the accident. The pilot and one passenger were fatally injured, and two passengers sustained serious injuries. The flight originated from Geneva, Switzerland, and was en route to Berlin, Germany. The Swiss investigators reported that the airplane was diverting to Zurich due to a reported system failure. The accident investigation is under the jurisdiction and control of the Swiss government.
AirPlus International , Alexandria, Va., has announced that Colleen Black is the new vice president, Key Account Sales and John Callahan is regional sales director for the Northern Midwest United States.
— At around 1900 PDT, a Cessna P206 (N2570X) was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain while maneuvering near the Valley View Airport, Estacada, Ore. It was night VFR and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from the Lexington Airport (9S9), Lexington, Ore., about 1745. According to a witness located at Valley View Airport, the pilot called him using a cell phone about 1845 stating that the airplane had lost all electrical power. The pilot asked the witness to turn on the runway lights so he could locate the airport and land.
