Piaggio Aero Industries has signed an agreement with Pratt & Whitney Canada to acquire 25 percent of the share capital of P&WC Turbo Engines Corp., which produces the PW206 and PW207 helicopter engines. With its 25-percent acquisition of P&WC Turbo Engines Corp., Piaggio Aero is adding to its business by participating in a new series of engines in the world helicopter market. Piaggio Aero's investment of almost $60 million is aimed at developing both technological and industrial contents. Expected returns over the next 20 years exceed $600 million.
Many college students have part-time jobs, working in the library or the bookstore, waiting tables, and such. Kenny Dichter worked at "Bucky's," a specialty clothing and gift store at the University of Wisconsin-Madison while a student there. But he didn't simply fetch things from the storage room. He co-owned the place.
Aviation Professionals Sharing Information (APSI), White Plains, N.Y., announced the appointment of Ronald Muller, director of Charter Sales for Infinity Aviation Group, to the post of president of APSI for a two-year term. APSI's mission is to promote education for business aviation professionals in the Northeast United States.
Some have found inspiration in a smile, in adversity, in a deadline. Matt Weisman found his in a government document, one of those tables-laden tomes. Then a third-year law student conducting research for some accident litigation, Weisman actually studied the industry forecast published by the FAA and fixed on a projection that showed a new category of aircraft called business jets growing rapidly in the near years. That got the University of Pennsylvania student to thinking.
Deep in the catacombs of the FAA, there's a nascent airport mapping project intended to build the most accurate airport siting and terrain database ever compiled plus lofting data for 3-D for over 4,000 U.S. airports -- but it's presently slated for internal government use only. The survey work is paid for by the airports using AIP grant money, with the overall effort dubbed the Airport -- GIS (Graphical Information System) initiative for use in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems and the FAA's Office of Safety and Standards.
TAG Aviation Holdings, Geneva, Switzerland, announced that President and CEO Roger N. McMullin will retire at year-end. He will relocate to San Francisco where he will serve as chairman of the board.
Nakanihon Air Service of Nagoya, Japan, and Infinity Aviation Group of Nashua N.H., have teamed up to introduce and manage preowned midsize corporate jets to the Japanese market. Nakanihon will lead the Japanese marketing and customer relations efforts and provide office, maintenance and hangar space as well as ground handling at its Nagoya facility. Infinity will acquire and outfit the aircraft in the United States and provide maintenance and operational control at Nagoya, utilizing Nakanihon's infrastructure, in accordance with "FAA guidelines."
Alan Stiley, Rolls-Royce vice president for Marketing, Corporate and Regional Aircraft, said at October's NBAA Convention, "The market is recognizing the increasing value and utility of the new generation of medium and large business jets. While very light jets are getting a great deal of attention and will see large numbers of deliveries, it's the larger aircraft that will have the delivered aircraft and engine value.
For $10 million less than the price of a Falcon 50, you can buy a Falcon 200 capable of flying up to 2,500 nm with nine passengers aboard in the same size cabin, operating out of a 5,200-foot runway on a standard day and always looking great on the ramp or in the air.
Among the resources available to small flight departments are products and services the NBAA makes available to member companies. The advocacy group's Connie Penne, who oversees membership services, provided this abbreviated list:
Pinnacle Aviation Charter of Scottsdale, Ariz., added an Embraer Legacy to its charter fleet; the aircraft will be based in Las Vegas. The company also operates four Citation Excels, a Citation III, a Gulfstream III and a Falcon 2000.
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is seeking bids from companies interested in running the FBO there. In a notice issued Oct. 4, SFO said those responding to the RFP must have at least 10 years "of continuous experience in the operation of a fixed-base operation in at least five different airports;" must sell/dispense a combined total of at least three million gallons of aviation gasoline/jet fuel a month; and must have annual gross sales of at least $10 million.
Increasing the FAA's budget by $1 billion a year for a next-generation ATM system would be difficult under today's budget rules -- even if aviation trust fund revenues grew enough to cover the extra spending, House aviation subcommittee Chair John Mica (R-Fla.) told our affiliate newsletter, Aviation Daily. Trust fund revenues are spent under discretionary spending rules and are subject to discretionary spending limits.
Two days after its Eclipse 500 received type certification, Eclipse Aviation won 14 CFR Part 145 Repair Station certification for its Albuquerque headquarters maintenance facility allowing it to repair and maintain any Eclipse 500 with a standard airworthiness certificate. And two days after receiving the 145 certification, the company broke ground for an Eclipse Service Center at Albany International Airport, N.Y.
Mooney Aerospace Group, Ltd., Kerrville, Texas, announced that Gretchen L. Jahn has resigned as CEO of Mooney Airplane Co. and president of the parent company, Mooney Aerospace Group, Ltd. Dennis E. Ferguson was appointed CEO following Jahn's resignation.
Axis Jet, Sacramento, Calif., announced the addition of Jay Share to the company's aircraft sales division. He will manage sales for Axis Jet's Shared Ownership Program, as well as acquisitions and brokerage of piston and turbine aircraft.
Raytheon Aircraft recently broke ground for a major expansion of the company's business jet completion facilities in Little Rock, Ark. The $16.3 million project will provide additional space needed to install and finish Hawker 4000 interiors and to paint the aircraft's composite fuselage. The project will add 112,000 square feet to the existing structure, and enable the facility to double the number of aircraft completed there by 2008. Raytheon expects to add up to 150 employees at the facility over the next two years.
The Congressional Budget Office is using its own newly developed model to project aviation trust fund revenue rather than relying on the FAA forecasts that critics say have been inaccurate in recent years. The latest CBO revenue forecast is similar to the FAA's, although slightly lower, says CBO Acting Director Donald Marron.
Bombardier is establishing a spare parts depot in Japan to support business and regional aircraft customers. Scheduled to open in 2007, the facility will be located near Narita International Airport near Tokyo.
About 1,100 unionized production and assembly workers at Bombardier's Learjet plant in Wichita, shocked the company by walking off the job in October, rejecting a contract negotiated and endorsed by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. It was the first strike in Learjet's 46-year history. About 1,200 non-unionized workers remained on the job. Union members, whose pay was frozen in the last three-year pact, say Bombardier's offer of a 10-percent raise over the next three years is insufficient.
Boeing has completed its purchase of aviation parts supplier Aviall, which will now operate as a wholly owned subsidiary in Boeing's Commercial Aviation Services unit. Boeing paid $1.7 billion for Aviall, plus assumed $448 million in debt payments. The acquisition was first announced in May, when Boeing said it planned to complete the purchase in the third quarter. At the time, Boeing expected to assume $350 million in debt.
-Nov. 6-9: Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Aviation Committee, Annual Aviation LIghting Seminar, Williamsburg Lodge and Convention Center, Williamsburg, VA. (845) 856-5375. www.iesalc.org -Nov. 9-11: Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Expo 2006, Palm Springs, CA. (301) 695-2375. www.aopa.org -Nov. 14-16: IATA Aviation Fuel Forum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. www.iata.org/events -Nov. 16: NBAA Regional Forum, Long Beach, CA. www.nbaa.org 2007
