Mooney Airplane Co. reported sales of $9.38 million for the quarter ended March 31, an increase of 162 percent over the first quarter 2004 sales total of $3.58 million. The company sold 20 airplanes in the first quarter this year compared with just seven in the same period last year, and noted that it does not record a sale until ``the airplane is paid in full and the airplane is delivered to the customer.''
C.C. ``Doc'' Dockery, a businessman and retired insurance executive from Lakeland, Fla., knows aviation, so he's probably a fractional provider's worst nightmare.
More than 9,000 pilots remain on furlough from the large scheduled airlines, but ``May will go down in the record books as the largest pilot-hiring month since 9/11,'' according to AIR, Inc., the Atlanta-based firm that tracks pilot-hiring trends. The industry added 1,215 pilots in that month, including 427 who joined national carriers and 339 who went to work for non-jet operators. Two of the four major fractional aircraft providers hired a total of 42 pilots in May, raising the number of pilots added during the first five months of the year to 249.
San Diego-based Sandel Avionics has opened an East Coast sales and support center at Concord Regional Airport, near Charlotte, N.C. Now with offices on both coasts, Sandel offers tech support to dealers, completion centers and OEM service centers from 8 a.m. Eastern through 5 p.m. Pacific time.
Tracie Bray and Britini Thompson were awarded the Jane Trammell Scholarship for 2005-2006 at Oklahoma State University (OSU). The award is granted annually to a student (first preference is given to a female) who has ``superior potential as a professional in aviation,'' among other qualities, and who is enrolled in an advanced aviation program. Archie Trammell created the scholarship in 1992 in honor of his wife, who was actively involved in aviation safety for 30 years. At one time, she was a special assistant to the editor-in-chief of B&CA.
Bombardier Inc., Montreal, announced the opening of a new Eastern U.S. sales operation for Bombardier Challenger and Bombardier Global business aircraft. Bill Monroe, vice president of sales, eastern United States, and Doug Smith, sales director, Mid-Atlantic territory, are now based in Baltimore.
SUMMER WAS UPON Southern California, and I was glad to be inside Western Helicopters' air-conditioned office with a phone in my ear, instead of being out there, flogging around in the hot smog.The gentleman calling sounded like a baritone cowboy and, having grown up in Texas, I found his easygoin' manner soothing. Turns out he was in the mining business and had an operation in northern Mexico.
Forecast International predicts that long-range business jets and very light jets (VLJ) will help drive a market for 10,900 business jets valued at $141 billion in the next 10 years. The market analyst said business jet production is heading into a period of growth that will last at least until 2014. The company's World Market for Business Jet Aircraft analysis, however, did caution that several factors could dampen the market's progress, such as tax and regulatory issues, potential new environmental requirements and airport access limits.
May 4 -- During a routine flight near Calabasas, Calif., a Sikorsky S-70A experienced a vibration when an APU door departed the aircraft and struck a main-rotor blade. An uneventful landing was performed and there were no reported injuries to the two pilots and two paramedics aboard.
NetJets Europe is investing upwards of $28 million in a new building to house its operations and administrative headquarters in Lisbon. The current 30,000-square-foot facility, in which the firm says it has invested some $300 million over the years, is being replaced, with staff moving into the new one in December. ``We're going into something with three times the capacity,'' says Lisbon-based Chief Operating Officer Dave Marcus. Current employment of about 350 people will increase by about 60 this year, and by a like amount annually in years to come, he says.
On April 29, Cutter Aviation, the aircraft sales and support organization that has facilities at six airports throughout the Southwest, broke ground for a new building at El Paso International Airport (ELP) in Texas.
The House's version of the fiscal 2006 Homeland Security Department authorization bill (H.R. 1817), passed in May, approved appropriating just $10 million for research and development of technologies to counter the MANPAD threat to airliners. President Bush had requested $110 million, or $49 million above the FY 2005 enacted level.
The June Viewpoint, ``A Time for Action, for Opportunity'' (page 7) is both interesting and useful. Revival of the user fee issue by the air carriers reminds me of a visit to Ziff-Davis (former publisher of both B&CA and Flying magazines) headquarters, by Gen. Clifton Von Kann, then of the Air Transport Association, and his minions to discuss congestion at major airports and related problems. Bill Ziff and his top executives including E. Dixon Muhlfeld, Bob Parke, Jim Holahan and I, among others, attended.
Six months after RVSM airspace was implemented over the United States, a large number of certain types of older turbine-powered business aircraft remain non-RVSM compliant. That now may pose a problem for operators of these airplanes since the FAA declared that preflight coordinated conditional approvals for non-RVSM aircraft to cruise in RVSM airspace would be eliminated effective May 12.
AirMech Innovations, Inc. (AMI) of San Jose, Calif., has announced the development of the AMI Model 104 Flap Asymmetry Tester. The tester is designed for use on the Gulfstream GII, GIII and GIV, and variants. The handheld unit is about the size of a multimeter and performs all of the functions necessary to facilitate the calibration, testing and adjustment of the aircraft's left and right wing flaps.
Arlington, Wash.-based Twin Commander Aircraft has received an FAA STC for several RVSM equipment packages for Twin Commander turboprops. The company anticipated completing final documentation covering installation and flight and maintenance manual supplements in June, thereby clearing the way for properly equipped and approved aircraft to begin operating at RVSM altitudes.
Summit Aviation, East Farmingdale, N.Y., named Eric Petersen as the company's vice president of aircraft management sales. He joins Summit's aircraft management sales team with over 20 years of experience in the industry.
The unveiling of a custom-built, specially themed Learjet chopper, created by the famed Teutul family of the cable t.v. show ``American Chopper,'' was the featured pre-race attraction at the Bombardier Learjet 500 IndyCar Series event on June 11 at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The one-of-a-kind Learjet-themed chopper features design cues and materials based on
Montreal-based Innotech Aviation has been approved as a line service center for Honeywell's HTF 7000 turbofan engine. Under the agreement, Innotech will perform engine removal/replacement, hot-section inspections, major periodic inspections and line maintenance. The agreement expands Innotech's maintenance capabilities for Honeywell's TFE engines and APUs. In addition to the TFE731-2 through -5 engines, Innotech supports the GTCP30-92, GTCP36-6, GTCP36-100 and GTCP36-150.
Officials at Pilatus Business Aircraft in Broomfield, Colo., the U.S. arm of the Swiss airframe manufacturer, report that a program to retrofit all PC-12s with a new fuel control unit is set to be completed by the end of July. The program, launched in late April, was expected to take three months to complete, according to Pete Wallach, vice president of customer service.
The market's appetite for late-model, previously owned aircraft that are ``ready to go'' has changed perceptions on what features are expected to be included on certain types of newer turbine-powered airplanes. Buyers may now expect such equipment to be included at no extra charge.
The FAA directed its inspectors to increase their oversight of FAR Part 135 operations to ensure that those using a ``d/b/a'' (or doing-business-as) name are doing so properly and complying with regulations. That direction came in a five-page notice issued to all Part 135 principal operations inspectors (POIs) that clarifies the use of a d/b/a and focuses attention on who has operational control of an aircraft (see Point of Law, page 89).
Aero Toy Store issued letters of intent to purchase two Challenger Corporate Shuttles. Shown here celebrating the launch order are Aero Toy Store President Morris Shirazi with Peter Edwards, president, Bombardier Business Aircraft; James Bell, sales director, Bombardier Corporate Shuttle Solutions; and a host of Bombardier corporate flight attendants.
``The boss is going to China.'' ``What airline?'' ``Our airline. The Gulfstream.'' ``You're kidding.'' ``Nope. He wants you to call. Tell him how to set it up, what needs to be done, what clearances, visas -- the works. He's counting on you.''
