Jet Aviation has appointed Kadri Muhiddin executive president for strategic projects in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Muhiddin will be responsible for completions and maintenance sales in these regions and will report directly to Heinz Kohli, CEO of the Jet Aviation Group. Muhiddin will remain chairman of his own consulting company, Gamit Ltd. (based at Stansted, England), which is currently managing the technical interface and cabin outfitting of two Dubai Air Wing, head-of-state Boeing 747-400s (B/CA, August, page 28).
Midcoast Aviation (St. Louis) -- Jay Roever has been appointed product manager of corporate aircraft for Midcoast Aviation's operations at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport and Spirit of St. Louis Airport. He will serve as the liaison between customers of the aviation service company and the various technical departments performing work on their aircraft. TWC Aviation (Burbank, Calif.) -- Greg Andrews has been named manager of aircraft acquisitions and sales for this aircraft charter, management, sales and maintenance company.
Italian charter airline Eurofly is planning to operate a scheduled 48-seat, premier-class only, Airbus A319LR New York service from either or both Rome and Milan in 2005. The company has inked a deal for one aircraft and plans to order another, says Airbus. Milan-based Eurofly already operates five A320s and two A330-200s on charters to destinations in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean. Eurofly will be the first airline to follow the PrivatAir/Lufthansa scheduled transatlantic all-premium-class model, which began with a BBJ in 2002.
Raynor Reavis, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. since July 2002, was elected a vice president of General Dynamics Corp., the business jet manufacturer's parent company. Reavis, 63, will continue to hold his position at Gulfstream.
U.K.-based BBA Group has agreed to buy the Execair chain of 10 FBOs from Menzies Aviation for its Signature Flight Support chain for $21.6 million. The Execair FBOs are based at Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Cardiff, Inverness, Aberdeen, East Midlands and Bournemouth in the United Kingdom; Dublin, Ireland; and Charleroi, Belgium. Signature already had two FBOs in the United Kingdom as well as at Paris Le Bourget International and Hyeres Airport in Toulon, France.
Rolls-Royce signed its first Total Care engine agreement with Jetsgo, a Montreal, Quebec-based airline, to cover the Tay 650 engines that power Jetsgo's Fokker 100 aircraft. The deal is valued at $90 million over seven years.
The NBAA advises operators everywhere to review their security procedures and reinforce their security policies. NBAA members should review the TSA's Security Guidelines for General Aviation Airports (www.tsa.gov/public/interapp/editorial/editorial_1113.xml) and the NBAA's Best Practices for Business Aviation Security (www.nbaa.org/public/ops/security/bestpractices). Any suspicious activity should be reported immediately to the Airport Watch Hotline at (866) GA-SECURE.
Ed Bolen is shifting his flag from president and CEO of GAMA to the same position at the NBAA effective September 7. Ron Swanda, GAMA's senior vice president of operations, will manage the association's day-to-day affairs until the board of directors names a permanent successor. ``Ed Bolen has been a tremendously effective leader,'' said GAMA Chairman Clay Jones.
Few business jets will exceed MMO in level cruise flight at their maximum certified altitudes, especially at relatively heavy operating weights. But that's exactly what the second production CJ3 did during our recent demo flight from San Diego to Wichita. At a weight about 900 pounds below MTOW, the CJ3 was accelerating nicely through its 0.737 IMN redline while cruising at FL 450 over Phoenix in ISA-2C conditions. We had to reduce thrust from the max cruise detent to stabilize its speed on the barber pole.
The National Air Transportation Association promoted staffers Eric Byer, Amy Koranda and Jacqueline (Jacque) Rosser. Byer has been named vice president of government and industry affairs, from director of government and industry affairs. Koranda has been appointed director of safety management. She was previously manager of education and training. Both Byer and Koranda joined the association in 1998. Rosser was promoted to senior manager of regulatory affairs. She was formerly manager of flight operations.
When the aircraft lined up on the runway, the crew expected that within a few moments they'd be heading up. But as things turned out, they went the other way. Here's how one of the pilots recalled what followed:
AgustaWestland is bringing its A109S Grand to the marketplace with a new full-scale mockup. Two prototype Grands have completed more than 200 hours of flight test over the past 18 months. The 7,000-pound-MTOW helicopter extends the A109 design into the gap between the light and intermediate segments. The Grand is powered by two 815-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207C turboshaft engines and fitted with an up-rated transmission. Cruising at up to 155 knots, the Grand has an operating range of around 450 nm carrying six passengers or an equivalent payload.
Sabreliner Corp. has received approval of its RVSM equipment installation for the Sabreliner 80 and was expecting to receive group approval of the package by the end of August. The solution -- developed in conjunction with Kohlman Systems Research of Lawrence, Kan., and Aviation Material and Technical Support (AVMATS) of St. Louis -- covers aircraft equipped with the Collins AP-105 autopilot. The retrofit costs $159,900 and takes approximately three weeks to install.
SJ30-2 s.n. 0004 validated its 0.83 Mach MMO recently by reaching 0.90 Mach in high-speed dive tests over Mojave, Calif. Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corp. (SSAC) stated that the dive tests confirmed that the aircraft does not encounter flutter at its operating speeds plus a safety margin. The tests were flown by SSAC project test pilot John Siemens as left-seat command pilot and with pilots Erick Kinney and Tim Fitzgerald swapping between flight deck and engineering duties in the right seat on alternating flights.
Elliott Aviation, a Midwestern aircraft sales and service organization, has received FAA approval for its RVSM package for the Beechjet 400 and Diamond MU-300. Elliott's RVSM solution utilizes the aircraft's Honeywell avionics suite, with a new Honeywell AZ-252 Advanced Air Data Computer, AM-250 Barometric Altimeter, BA-250 Barometric Altimeter Display and AL-800 Altitude Preselector/Alerter replacing the existing air data and altimetry equipment.
The effective date for domestic RVSM -- Jan. 20, 2005 -- is almost upon us, and if you are not already operating under a Letter of Authorization (LOA), you need to get moving. Even though the approval process is getting more efficient as the various Flight Standards District Offices (FSDOs) become more experienced in handling applications, approvals can still take months to obtain. And if your aircraft, crews and maintenance procedures are not certified by that January launch date, you will not be permitted to operate above FL 280.
At GAMA, Bolen demonstrated, as had his predecessor, Ed Stimpson, that a trade association did not need to adopt a shrill, combative approach to issues to get the attention of legislators and regulators. He is known for respecting the professionalism of staff members at every level and for his cooperative approach to other aviation associations, large and small. ``Ed is held in high regard by leaders across the political spectrum for the many valuable contributions he has made to the aviation industry,'' said board Vice Chairman and Search Committee Director Kenneth E.
The Corporate Aviation Association has named Panorama Flight Services its ``Preferred FBO'' at Westchester County Airport, N.Y. (HPN). The association, which currently consists of 417 member flight departments, negotiates fuel discounts for its members at FBOs across the United States. The association's board annually selects a ``preferred'' FBO at multi-FBO airports based not only on fuel pricing, but crew and passenger amenities, quality of service and quality of facilities. Panorama's preferred tenure runs through June 2005, at which time it will be reevaluated.
The federal Department of Homeland Security has asked the general aviation community to increase its awareness of and reporting on suspicious activity. The DHS advisory referred to the Security Guidelines for General Aviation Airports and encouraged operators to incorporate a list of commonly employed security procedures, including securing unattended aircraft, verifying crew and passenger identification, and matching baggage to passengers.
The TSA named Art Meinke federal security director at Orlando International Airport (MCO). He was promoted from deputy federal security director at MCO. Fluent in Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese, Meinke has worked as general manager for United Airlines at MIA and as station operations manager in Brazil and Singapore.
The CJ3 has the most powerful and integrated Pro Line 21 avionics suite of any light jet. Three eight-by-10-inch flat-panel adaptive display units, left- and right-side PFDs and left-center MFD, are standard equipment, along with dual, panel-mount radio tuning units for the front and rear remote-mounted Pro Line 21 CNS radio packs, and a single FMS-3000 with standard multiple waypoint VNAV and aircraft performance computer. Engine instrument indications are provided by the top portion of the MFD.
Bose's Aviation Headset X uses patented noise-canceling technology to electronically identify and reduce unwanted noise, allowing improved intelligibility of radio and intercom audio. Electronics monitor current demand and instantaneously adjust the voltage to maintain maximum performance. A smart shutoff feature detects when you've stopped using the headset for longer battery life -- up to 40 hours from just two AA batteries (applies to portable version only). The headset includes a magnesium alloy headband, center torsion spring and adjustable headband sliders.
A noisy revolution has been going on in the air charter industry over the past half decade. Inspired by fractional ownership programs and the conveniences they offer upscale users, there has emerged a new phenomenon -- the super brokerage, or card membership program -- that has galvanized the opposition of many traditional operators.
Concorde Battery Corp. has introduced its new FAA-PMA on the RG-131 battery. This is a direct replacement for 605, CA 54 and 1201, CA 154 nickel-cadmium batteries. The RG-131 is used as an uninterruptible power supply for avionics, instru- mentation and emergency lighting. The initial check for RG-131 is required 12 months after installation or after 2,000 hours of operation, whichever occurs first. Subsequent capacity checks are due every 12 months or after every additional 1,000 hours.
