Cessna Aircraft, Wichita, has named Doug Oliver as communications director. Oliver has more than 16 years experience in aerospace communications, most recently at Embraer. Oliver also served in media relations at Fairchild Dornier and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co.
Dallas Airmotive, Dallas, named Dave Rassett as regional engine manager TFE731 for the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic regions. John Trull was named regional engine manager for Rolls-Royce programs in the Mid-Atlantic region. Denise Turner has been named director of field service and rental engine programs.
"We were the first company to install the Chelton EFIS equipment in a helicopter," states Max Lyons, president of Hillsboro Aviation. "In addition to providing quality Chelton EFIS installations to our customers, we have also upgraded one-third of our own turbine helicopter fleet to the FlightLogic system. We have found that the additional safety factor far outweighs the investment.
The Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA) held its annual group meeting at February's Asian Aerospace event in Singapore. The association has some 30 members and is working to expand that number. Jason Liao, Beijing-based chairman of AsBAA and Raytheon's regional sales director North Asia, says that the association has gained a higher profile thanks to the Hong Kong business aviation gathering held in 2004, and the first NBAA-run ABACE at Shanghai in 2005. The latter event "showed everyone that we were serious," said Liao.
James Gilbert, aviator, journalist and gentleman, who prized the freedom of the skies and loved confronting officialdom, died of cancer on Feb., 14; he was 70. Admired for his aviation passion, sparkling intellect and lively good humor, Gilbert was editor and publisher of Pilot, a British monthly, which he purchased as a basket case in 1972 and developed into a popular, profitable and award-winning periodical that he sold five years ago when he began his fight against his terminal illness.
Raisbeck Engineering of Seattle launched an upgraded Web site for researching myriad performance systems and modifications (www.raisbeck.com). Users can search by aircraft model - or by broad categories such as commercial or government products. The site also contains a listing of qualified sales and installation facilities. There a lots of pictures, technical information and lots and lots of King Air and Learjet stuff.
Aerospace Industries Association (AIS), Washington, D.C., elected Ronald Sugar of Northrop Grumman the new chairman for 2006. He succeeds Robert Johnson of Honeywell Aerospace.
George Galanopoulos, managing director of London Executive Aviation, says he expects the DOCs for the Citation Mustang to be around $400 per hour, a calculation of some import since LEA has seven of the VLJs on order. With Mustang's fuel-efficient engines and easier maintenance, DOCs should be 20- to 30-percent lower than the Citation II/Bravo or their equivalent, he believes, and will therefore revolutionize the air charter business in Europe and put middle managers in business jets. He says the Mustang should be capable of delivering 700 to 1,000 flight hours per year.
Jet Source Inc. has been awarded an airframe and avionics completion contract for the San Diego Police Department's four new American Eurocopter AS350B-3s, which are scheduled for delivery this year. The A-Stars will replace a 38-year-old Bell 206, the nation's oldest police helicopter, along with a 33-year-old helicopter and two that go back 12 years.
Lee County Port Authority, Fort Myers, Fla., has named Adam Nguyen senior manager of engineering and construction for Southwest Florida International Airport and Page Field General Aviation Airport.
Embraer announced on Feb. 15 that the Embraer 170 received CAT IIIa certification from Brazilian aviation authority Centro Técnico Aeroespacial (CTA) and from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Category IIIa Autolanding requires an autopilot system to safely land the airplane at low visibility (600 feet or 200 meters RVR) and in adverse weather conditions. The autolanding function was also certified for CAT I and CAT II operational conditions. FAA certification is expected shortly.
The DOT has sent letters to the House and Senate Appropriations committees outlining the FAA's proposed $57.8 million investment in the Gary/Chicago Airport (GCA) over a 10-year period. The committees now have 30 days to review the letters, after which Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta is expected to make the formal offer to the city of Gary. Long-term funding means that the GCA will no longer be dependent on yearly appropriations from Congress and instead will be able to move forward with long-term efforts outlined in its 20-year Master Plan.
Southbound from Indianapolis to Marco Island, Fla., the Beechjet 400A was cleared to descend from FL 380 to FL 330. As they started coming down, the pilots heard a loud pop from the right engine followed about 10 seconds later by a loud pop from the left and then the engine indicators quickly rolled back. Donning their oxygen masks, the pilots declared an emergency with a double engine failure. ATC then advised the distances to Gainesville and to Jacksonville and they elected to divert to the latter where the weather was better and the runways longer.
Comments on the FAA's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding new standards for fuel tank flammability are due March 23. The proposed rule, which could require the retrofit of approximately 3,200 Boeing and Airbus aircraft over a seven-year period, is aimed at reducing the risk of explosion from the buildup of fuel vapor in aircraft tanks.
CJ Systems Aviation Group opened a new base in Bonifay, Fla., supplementing two other AirMedic sites in Quincy and Perry to serve the panhandle of Florida. The Quincy facility received a new EC 135 aircraft, replacing a BK 117 that has been transferred to Bonifay. The BK 117 will be used at Bonifay until a new EC 135 arrives there this spring, which will bring the number of EC 135s in the AirMedic fleet to three. CJ Systems will place the BK 117 into its backup fleet at that time. The EC 135 aircraft features highly reliable technology and a superior maintenance record.
AeroMech Inc. has earned an FAA STC for its Hawker 400 and 600 RVSM retrofit. This approval is the 50th RVSM group certification that the Everett, Wash.-based company has won.
All international flights pose challenges -- of procedures, customs, language, currency, distance, time changes and more. And even though the United States shares a long southern border with it, for American operators Mexico very much qualifies as an international destination with all the caveats that description entails. And more.
Rockwell Collins, which recently began work on upgrading six government-owned, special-use King Air 300s with the Pro Line 21 integrated avionics system, is planning to offer a similar retrofit to private operators of the Beech twin turboprop by year-end.
The Slow Starter (Common Bus System) Problem: With the left generator already online, the right generator fails to come online after right engine start. Failure may be caused by uneven wear between the generators, a GCU-to-GCU "hand shaking" malfunction related to load balancing, or an inability to produce enough voltage under load to overcome the reverse current protection function. Solution:
Embraer has launched a Chinese-language version of its Web site, www.embraer.com.cn, which reflects the company's strategy for strengthening its presence in Asia by providing corporate information, as well as specific data about Embraer's activities performed in China. Embraer, whose Web site is also viewable in English and Portuguese, is one of the first major Brazilian exporters to offer complete Web site information in Chinese.
Bombardier Flexjet announced February 17, that a new Flexjet Canada service with three Canadian-registered aircraft will enable Flexjet to offer for the first time, point-to-point travel within Canada. Flexjet will initially launch the service with two Learjet 45 aircraft and a Challenger 604 widebody business jet, all of which will be based in Montreal, along with 10 Flexjet Canada. Flexjet will also use the new capacity to more efficiently serve existing owners who travel between Canada and the United States.
I'VE YEARNED FOR JOBS I never got: fighter pilot, treasure hunter, Sophia Loren's boy toy. And I've turned down some I didn't want: pest control executive, junior banker and office supply journalist -- I still see the interviewer, his fists upraised, earnestly explaining, "Bill, what we do is take the eraser people [he jiggles his right fist] and the pencil people [he jiggles the left] and [now fist touching fist] put them together." Just shoot me. Then there was the job I never knew was mine.
WELL-CONSIDERED management practices are hallmarks of America's leading corporations. Consider, for example, personnel issues. Companies have documented policies for hiring, firing and succession planning in order to support core activities during periods of transition. Too often, however, flight departments somehow fall outside the scope of such sensible practices.
British charter operator Club328 has launched a new flexible flying program aimed at clients wishing to purchase more than 10 hours flying per year. Customers purchase a set number of hours that can be applied to a variety of aircraft, including a 12-seat Dornier 328 turboprop, the 15-seat Dornier 328 "SpaceJet" and the company's Hawker and Premier I jets. Prices start at $52,500 for 10 flight hours in a six-seat Premier I.
