And Epic Aircraft Investors Resources LLC said it joined forces with Tam-Air of Georgia in Eastern Europe to develop a seven-place composite VLJ (see ``Oshkosh Debutantes: The VLJs,'' page 54).
Raytheon Aircraft Co. (RAC) has received an STC from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) that certifies the Hawker 400XP for steep approaches into London City Airport (LCY). The company says it will pursue a bilateral agreement for FAA certification through EASA. RAC's Hawker Aircraft Services facility will install the STC at the Hawker Service Center in Chester, England. A total of 21 aircraft from the NetJets Europe Fleet are slated to receive the upgrade in the coming months.
Raytheon Aircraft Co. reported sharply higher sales for the second quarter, but new aircraft bookings were down from 2004's peak. The Wichita manufacturer had sales of $687 million, up 21 percent from the same period a year ago. RAC posted operating income of $33 million, compared with $23 million in same quarter a year ago, with the increase attributed to higher sales volume and aircraft mix. The company delivered 79 commercial aircraft in the quarter, compared with 75 a year ago.
Cessna Aircraft is poised to more than triple the size of its single-engine piston fleet in China. The Civil Aviation Flight University of China (CAFUC) ordered 42 Model 172 Skyhawks for ab initio training. Twenty of the aircraft are to be equipped with the all-glass Garmin G1000 avionics package and the remainder fitted with analog flight instruments. Delivery is slated to begin in early 2006. The new aircraft will increase CAFUC's training capacity from 600 students a year to more than 1,000 students.
BBA Group has acquired International Governor Services, of Broomfield, Colo. Under terms of the acquisition, the British conglomerate made an initial payment of $18 million, with further payments of up to $10 million possible, subject to business performance over a three-year period. IGS specializes in overhaul and repair of small turbine engine controls including fuel controls and governors used on a wide range of popular business jet and turboprop engines.
The Aircraft Product Support Division of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America (MHIA) has selected Aircraft Components Co. (ACC) to provide overhaul services for many Mitsubishi MU-2 components. The agreement between Addison, Texas-based MHIA and the Tulsa-based FAA-approved repair station, covers the repair and overhaul of struts, actuators, motors and other similar parts.
Made of composite materials, the new Ready Ratchet is a unique tool that exceeds national specifications for torque, yet is lightweight and easy to use. When not in use, sockets store in a slide-out tray within the ratchet's handle. Available in three-eighths-inch or one-quarter-inch standard or metric sizes, Ready Ratchet can be found at independent hardware stores or purchased online. Price: $19.95 Ready Products, Inc. 5855 Olympia Fields Ct. West Chester, OH 45069 (866) 942-9230 www.ready-tools.com
Despite concerns about a new Internal Revenue Service rules interpretation that severely limits deductions for aircraft expenses when aircraft are used for ``entertainment,'' the IRS provision is not hurting Cessna's sales. Although Cessna Chairman and CEO Jack Pelton calls the requirements of the IRS ruling ``an undue burden'' on aircraft operators, he said most big public companies that are used to complying with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation should have no problem meeting the new IRS requirements.
TAX LAW SHIFTS LIKE the weather, and those shifts are rarely logical, but there are a handful of guiding principles that don't change. Principle one: The IRS is insatiable. Principle two: Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. Principle three: Simple rules yield rough justice.
Summit Jet Corp. has joined the National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA) as a regular member. The company's Summit Aviation unit, which is based at Republic Airport on Long Island, N.Y., is a leading jet and helicopter management and charter company. NARA also has added five new associate members to its roster: Aerius Aviation Capital Partners Inc.; Center Capital Corp.; Edwards & Angell LLP; Enterprise National Bank; and Vedder, Price, Kaufman & Kammholz P.C.
Heliport Amsterdam went operational Aug. 3. The first official Dutch heliport is a 10-minute drive from the Amsterdam city center. The new terminal offers administrative office space and a VIP lounge with the comforts of a modern airport facility. The heliport can accommodate helicopters as large as the Sikorsky S-76. Helicopters with an overall length of more than 16 meters (52.5 feet) must request parking in advance. Jet-A is available and there is limited indoor overnight parking.
TAG's $18 million passenger terminal at Farnborough will open in January 2006. The three-story, 45,000-square-foot building is distinctive for its boomerang shape and VIP appointments. Len Rayment, who heads TAG's Farnborough FBO operation, said, ``There will be three or four private lounge areas, a secure lounge, a small bistro, a presentation room for up to 40 people with audio visual facilities and smaller private meeting rooms.
CMC Electronics has started delivering its SureSight M-Series enhanced vision system (EVS) sensors to Pilatus Aircraft for use in the company's PC-12. Proof-of-concept flying of the EVS has been completed, and FAA certification flight testing of the system on the single-engine turboprop was to begin in August, according to Tom Aniello, vice president and chief marketing officer of Pilatus Business Aircraft Ltd.
Jeppesen is offering U.S. Precision Lightning Network data as separate maps that are updated every 10 to 15 minutes; the maps also include lightning data with infrared and visible satellite images. The display software allows Jeppesen to show past lightning strikes as well as current strikes, so users can see trends in the activity. This is helpful in determining if a thunderstorm is growing or decaying and showing the movement of the active cells. The data maps include both cloud-to-ground lightning as well as lightning within clouds.
Used by U.S. Air Force and Navy pilots, these kneeboards are constructed of injection-molded nylon with a non-glare finish, making them lightweight and durable. Features include a wide elastic strap, contoured bottom with non-slip foam strips, and rounded corners for comfortable use, plus two full-width clips, two pencil holders and a built-in pencil sharpener. The clips are designed to hold single sheets up to the thickest bound NACO approach book.
Pentastar Aviation has promoted Thomas Seeber to president and CEO. Seeber has been with the Waterford, Mich.-based FBO since 2000, Before joining Pentastar Seeber worked for Coopers & Lybrand and subsequently ran his own company, the Aspen Group.
Banyan Air Service recently completed a 12,000-hour inspection on a Learjet 35. Based at Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport, Banyan also accomplished 300-/600-/1,200-hour phase inspections on the aircraft at the same time. According to Terry Schuler, Banyan's Learjet crew leader, the 12,000-hour inspection involves a wing demate as well as removal of the engines, rudder, elevators and horizontal stabilizer to permit x-rays and eddy current inspections to detect cracks.
Air Care Solutions has added hypoxia awareness to its FACTS emergency procedures training. All FACTS locations now have a reduced oxygen breathing device (ROBD) that allows crewmembers to experience their individual symptoms of and reaction to hypoxia in a controlled and monitored environment without using a decompression chamber. Rather than physically exposing a subject to lower total pressure in a decompression chamber, crewmembers wear a mask connected to the ROBD, which can induce hypoxia by reducing the proportion of oxygen by diluting the air with an inert gas.
Eclipse Aviation has patented a new fire suppressant agent it claims can replace halon, the favored agent to suppress aircraft engine fires (see ``Ozone Friendly Firefighter,'' page 44). Although halon is harmless to humans, non-corrosive and does not contaminate delicate equipment, it has been outlawed by the Montreal Protocol international environmental treaty because it damages the ozone layer. New halon production ended in 1994, but the aviation industry has been exempted from the protocol pending the development of a suitable replacement agent.
The following NTSB information is preliminary, subject to change and may contain errors. July 6 -- Shortly after takeoff from Fiumicino International Airport (FCO), Rome, Italy, an Erickson Air-Crane S-64F on a maintenance test flight following initial assembly after overseas shipment, impacted terrain and was destroyed.
The Ninety Nines has run into a potentially catastrophic risk to its historic collection. For over 50 years, the international women's aviation organization has been collecting artifacts that represent the successes and failures of women throughout aviation history.
In late July, German authorities arrested AvCraft CEO Ben Bartel on tax evasion charges; collaring the American executive at Frankfurt's international airport. Authorities said the charges against him claim he set up a company in the Cayman Islands to avoid paying E7 million in taxes. He has been released, but an indictment may come soon. AvCraft took over the 328JET program from Fairchild Dornier in 2003 and promised to restart production; however, the company filed for insolvency in early 2004, citing high production ramp-up costs.
Honeywell has won a contract from Airservices Australia to supply its Ground-based Regional Augmentation System (GRAS) to enhance the accuracy and integrity of the GPS. GRAS uses a network of VHF sites that transmit radio signals to correct inherent GPS navigation errors.
ARINC Engineering Services selected Rockwell Collins' Pro Line 21 integrated avionics system to upgrade the U.S. Navy's fleet of UC-12 King Airs. ARINC is the purchasing and installation agency for the program while L-3 Communications is the prime contractor.
