Mission impossible? Nope, mission accomplished, thanks to business aircraft. That's because the same qualities of flexibility, autonomy and performance that have traditionally endeared turbine-powered corporate aircraft to the business community are making them increasingly popular among governments, their agencies, research organizations and the military for "special missions."
Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services (LBAS) opened a new hangar dedicated to Learjet service and maintenance at its Berlin-Schönefeld Airport facility. The new addition increases the total useable maintenance area to approximately 64,584 square feet, and increases the center's capacity and flexibility in servicing the growing number of Bombardier Learjet, Challenger and Global Express customers in the region.
Due to business growth, TAG Aviation USA has relocated some of its Eastern Support Center personnel from Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains, N.Y., to larger facilities in nearby Rye Brook, N.Y. "Critical safety and service-related communications require that flight and maintenance standards, flight coordination and charter sales personnel work together under one roof," said J.W.P. (Jake) Cartwright, president and CEO of TAG Aviation USA.
Simplex Manufacturing delivered its first Javelin Water Lance Powerline Insulator Washing System to ESKOM of South Africa. The unit, which was displayed for the first time at Heli-Expo 2006, was received by ESKOM in April, and the CAA in South Africa has authorized its use on Eurocopter AS350s there. Simplex President and CEO Steven P. Daniels said the ESKOM crew has been cleaning up to 60 towers per day.
Aerion is in the final stages of fabricating a partial wing cross-section test article, scheduled for testing on a rocket sled this month or in August. The company, which is developing a supersonic business jet, is still in discussions with airframe manufacturers about a teaming arrangement under which the selected OEM would act as the aircraft integrator. Vice Chairman Brian Barents said there is "a lot of enthusiasm" about the project, adding that officials have had "some modest success" in getting potential partners interested.
Garmin, Olathe, Kan., has promoted Phil Straub to director of engineering, aviation. In this newly created position Straub will help shape and lead all of Garmin's aviation programs.
Blackhawk Modifications, Inc. has won an STC to replace the King Air 200's original Pratt & Whitney PT6A-41 engines, which have a 3,000-hour TBO, with new PT6A-42 engines, which have a 3,600-hour TBO. According to officials of the Waco, Texas-based company, the new -42 engines will enable older King Air 200s to achieve the same performance as the current-production King Air B200, while lowering powerplant overhaul costs of the earlier airplanes.
In the February B&CA, Fred George wrote a piece entitled "What's Wrong With the MU-2?" (page 40). The writer's opinion is pretty clear, not just from the tone of the article, but also from his comments to me during a telephone conversation.
The National Air Transportation Association urged DOT Secretary Norman Mineta to carefully scrutinize attempts by airports to obtain federal grant dollars for public-run ground-handling services that compete with the private sector. Some airports have applied for funds through the DOT's Small Community Air Service Development grant program to provide ground-handling services.
British Columbia-based General Hydrogen Corp. has been selected for a project to test fuel cell packs to power airport tractors that tow baggage for Air Canada at Vancouver Airport. The Canadian government's Transportation Fuel Cell Alliance is providing $867,000 for the project. "Airports worldwide are looking for a variety of ways to reduce emissions and improve productivity," General Hydrogen President and CEO Frank Totter said. "Most baggage tuggers have diesel engines and are required to go in and out of terminals and service buildings.
In July 2002, DayJet placed a firm order for 239 Eclipse 500 jets, with options for 70 more. Eclipse CEO Vern Raburn and DayJet CEO Ed Iacobucci are both veterans of the technology industry and knew one another before either got into aviation to the extent they are involved now.
The NTSB is investigating a particularly spectacular uncontained engine failure on an American Airlines Boeing 767 that was undergoing testing on June 2 at Los Angeles International Airport. At 12:27 PST, during a ground maintenance test run, the high-pressure turbine stage-one disk on the number-one engine (General Electric CF6-80A2) broke into several pieces that were found embedded in the fuselage, the number-two engine, and scattered as far 3,000 feet from the airplane.
Million Air Teterboro has renamed itself Meridian as part of an ongoing effort to consolidate its operations at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. In addition to the FBO's name change, the operation's aircraft maintenance division became Meridian Jet Center. The company also is adding new logos and signage. The rebranding comes as the company moves into its new 33,000-square-foot headquarters and FBO facility. A new 40,000-square-foot hangar and maintenance shop are slated for completion in October.
Embraer cut the first metal for the Phenom 100 program on June 7. The first part manufactured, a fuselage component that connects to an engine pylon, was milled from a block of aluminum alloy by a five-axis, high-performance machining center and will be assembled into the first Phenom 100 pre-series-production aircraft.
After "two spectacular years of recovery," the market for previously owned aircraft "seems to be taking a short breather," according to the summer 2006 edition of the Aircraft Bluebook Price Digest.
The Lineage 1000 should be based on the EMB-190AR, the heavy weight version, an aircraft that's fitted with CF34-10E5A1 engines. I don't have the -190AR AFM, but according to FAA TDCS E00070EN awarded to GE Aircraft Engines, the -10E5A1 is rated at 18,820 lbf for both maximum and normal takeoff thrust. I assume Embraer rates the engine at 18,500 lbf for EMB-190AR due to installation losses. The -10E5 engine, in contrast, is fitted to the STD and LR models. It's rated at 17,100 lbf for normal takeoff and 18,500 for maximum or APR takeoff.
Academics of Flight Sunnyside, NY (718) 937-5716 NYC-FSDO www.flywithaof.com Academics of Flight International Miami Springs, FL (305) 874-6643 MIA-FSDO Academy College Bloomington, MN (952) 851-0066 MSP-FSDO www.academycollege.edu Airline Academy, The Daytona Beach, FL (904) 258-0703 ORL-FSDO Airline Ground Schools Inc. Florence, KY (800) 824-4170 SDF-FSDO www.agschools.com Anoka Technical College Anoka, MN (763) 785-5940 MSP-FSDO www.ank.tec.mn.us/aviation
Raytheon Aircraft appointed Canadian services company Skyservice as an authorized service center for Bonanza, Baron and King Air aircraft. The authorization covers Skyservice's facilities in Montreal and Toronto. Raytheon Aircraft also named General Dynamics Aviation Services in Westfield, Mass., as a Hawker 800-series authorized service center.
ExecuJet Europe started its FBO service at Berlin's Schönefeld Airport in June, operating from the Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services (LBAS) complex. LBAS is 50 percent owned by Lufthansa Technik, 30 percent by Bombardier and 20 percent by ExecuJet, a global aviation sales, charter and executive air transport company. FBO services will be gradually phased in during the coming months and will be fully functional by the fourth quarter of this year. LBAS is a full Bombardier and Learjet service center.
Aviareto, Dublin, Ireland. Niall Greene has been appointed a managing director. Rob Cowan was named head of operations responsible for systems and security.
A DAYLONG SEMINAR entitled "America's Aviation Crisis: Delayed, Not Canceled" was held recently at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce headquarters in Washington, D.C. The theme and its implications clearly resonated with people within government, the aviation industry and beyond. The turnout was impressive.
