It might be a while before Barack Obama announces nominees for key transportation posts since dealing with the nation’s myriad financial problems will be his No. 1 priority. There is little in Obama’s brief Senate record to provide much insight about his aviation views — the committees on which he served simply were not involved in aviation matters.
Gulfstream Aerospace parent General Dynamics conducted a conference call with analysts to discuss the company’s third-quarter results. The telegraphic message to investors in this nervous economy was its financial health. GD reported Oct. 22 that 2008 third-quarter earnings from continuing operations were $634 million, or $1.59 per share on a fully diluted basis, compared to 2007 third-quarter earnings from continuing operations of $544 million, or $1.34 per share.
— At 0857 MDT, a Cessna 180 (N3389D) registered to and operated by Meil Del Rio Grande, Inc., Monte Vista, Colo., and a Cessna P210N (N731NX), registered to and operated by Mesa County, Grand Junction, Colo., collided in mid-air approximately 14 miles south of Grand Junction. N3389D was substantially damaged; N731NX sustained minor damage. The two occupants aboard N3389D and the four occupants aboard N731NX escaped injury. It was VFR at the time of the accident.
A husband and wife are the first Phenom 100 customers to have completed training and passed their FAA check ride at Alliance Airport outside Fort Worth. James Frost, the first Phenom 100 customer rated in the aircraft, along with his wife, Elizabeth, completed training conducted by Embraer CAE Training Services (ECTS), a joint venture of Embraer and CAE. Frost is a real estate and mineral executive. The Phenom 100 is certified for single-pilot operation and both Frost and his wife are rated to fly the aircraft without a copilot.
Stanley Proto has introduced two new utility carts that expand on the company’s Proto 440 and 450 series tool storage programs. The heavy duty model measures 46 inches high by 39 inches long by 23 inches wide. It is a cart, rolling toolbox and workstation. It includes a lift lid with a rigid vinyl top that serves as a 900-square-inch work surface when closed. The lid is attached to ball-bearing slides and can slide backward to reveal a two-tier tool storage compartment.
Despite strong order backlogs, new orders for business jets fell in the third quarter as the global credit crisis curtailed the availability of financing. While total orders held up at Gulfstream, sales of its midsize jets are slowing and it may have to cut production. Cessna, meanwhile, booked fewer Citation orders than expected in the quarter. The sudden absence of credit “has seized up demand,” says Nicholas Chabraja, chairman and CEO of Gulfstream’s parent company General Dynamics.
At the 2006 NBAA Convention in Orlando, Stevens Aviation announced a program it calls “Lear4Ever,” aiming to do for Learjet 20 and 30 series aircraft what it does for Beech King Airs. The sheer size of the Learjet 20/30 fleet, roughly 1,725 aircraft, makes the market extremely attractive, and Stevens rolled out the first delivery in fall 2008, just before the Wall Street crash that created a new interest in modernizing older aircraft.
Avidyne Corp. , Lincoln, Mass., selected Jeremy Cunningham as its regional sales manager for the Northeastern United States. Leslie Fischer was named regional sales manager for the Western United States.
CIRCOR Aerospace, Inc. , Corona, Calif., announced that Anthony (Tony) Grant has joined the CIRCOR Aerospace Products Group as Global Transition product manager reporting to the director of Continuous Improvement. Michael Stradiot is the sales manager for Motor Technology.
Cessna Conquest II operators are all aware of the halving of the airplane’s original forecast service life to 22,500 hours, and reports indicate only three airplanes operating in Australia were grounded by the action, which was taken by Cessna and not the FAA. In Australia, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) determined that an airplane manufacturer’s withdrawal of support after a service life limit was sufficient reason to ground the aircraft and did so.
Sullivan Higdon & Sink , McLean, Va., announced the promotion of Adam Konowe to vice president of Public Relations and Angel Bennett to director of Client Services.
THE INCIDENT INVESTIGATION WE’RE EXPLORING this month comes from the U.K.’s Air Accident Branch (AAB). No lives were lost, and damage to the aircraft was minor, but the accident turned out to be the last straw for the air carrier — Emerald Airways Ltd. Its circumstances demonstrate the importance of adhering to approach SOPs, particularly when a mismatch in crew experience exists.
CitationShares , Greenwich, Conn., appointed William B. “Woody” Harford as senior vice president, chief revenue officer responsible for the Sales and Marketing departments.
As economists like to say, the only constant is change, and that applies equally to aviation and to medicine, particularly aerospace medicine, which is the specialty practiced within the FAA flight surgeon’s offices.
ARINC Direct has expanded its SKYLink broadband satellite communications network to include coverage of most of the Caribbean and Central America as well as northern South America. SKYLink provides Ku-band communications to business jets equipped with the Rockwell Collins eXchange product line.
In late September, Eclipse Aviation CEO Roel Pieper announced that European Technology and Investment Research Center (ETIRC) Aviation will assemble Eclipse 500s in a factory to be built at the Ulyanovsk-Vostochny International Airport in Ulyanovsk, Russia. Ultimately, the Russian facility is expected to assemble up to 800 EA500s per year. Pieper is also the chairman of ETIRC Aviation. The company said that Eclipse 500 manufacturing will continue “in full” at Eclipse’s Albuquerque facility, before and after the new factory opens in 2010.
Jet Republic, a new European operator offering charter, fractional ownership and jet card programs, opened for business Sept. 24 with 25-hour jet card offerings. In June, the start-up quietly placed a firm order for 25 Learjet 60 XRs worth some $340 million, and a conditional order for another 85. The buyer was unidentified until JetBird’s recent announcement. If all aircraft are confirmed, the total value would be approximately $1.5 billion, and would make it the largest such transaction in European history.
Under a recently concluded agreement, clients of Pro Airways, LLC — an aircraft management, charter, maintenance and leasing firm located in Plymouth, Mass. — can obtain preferred financing terms if they finance their aircraft through Bank of America and take advantage of the business aircraft management services of Pro Airways.
