Fort Smith, Ark.-based RHOBI has entered the growing aviation e-commerce business with its new eBay-like Live MarketPlace that will enable aviation companies to buy and sell products. The MarketPlace is an automated virtual space where buyers can search for specific products, sellers can automatically list inventory, and communication between both can happen at the push of a button.
Top executives at several business aviation manufacturers continue to cite improving used market trends and increasing flight hours as a sign of stabilization, but they also admit the first quarter’s mixed results could bring a long, slow recovery. Speaking during last week’s European Business Aviation Convention and Exposition (EBACE) in Geneva, Charles Edelstenne, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, noted he wished the community could have celebrated the 10th anniversary of EBACE “in a more positive environment.”
Position Description Assistant Commissioner 4407 - Concessions -ORD 085-2010-018 Assistant Commissioner - Concessions The Chicago Department of Aviation is seeking an Assistant Commissioner - Concessions to assist in the design, development and management of the airport concessions program for O’Hare Airport.
The Saudi Arabian Airlines Private Aviation business unit (SPA) took delivery last week of the first of four Dassault Falcon 7X business jets. SPA is slated to take two more 7X aircraft later this year and the fourth aircraft in 2011. Last week’s delivery marked the first Falcon 7X to be handed over to an operator in Saudi Arabia. SPA will fly the aircraft on VIP charter missions throughout the Middle East, as well as to international destinations. In addition, Dassault plans to establish a Falcon authorized service center with Saudi Arabian Airlines in Jeddah.
REBECCA JOHNSON was appointed a regional vice president in Gulfstream Aerospace’s International Sales division. Based in Switzerland, Johnson will manage sales in central south Europe, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey. She formerly was an international captain on a Russia-based Gulfstream G550 for Farner Airwings. She also served on a demonstration team during her six years with Hawker Beechcraft Corp.
Hawker Beechcraft has earned a key approval of its Hawker 4000 super-midsize business jet with European Aviation Safety Agency certification. The aircraft already has been approved in a number of nations, including Bermuda, China, Honduras, India, the Isle of Man, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the U.S. But Hawker Beechcraft officials consider Europe an important region for the aircraft, with eight of them already stationed in Europe. More deliveries to the region are scheduled in upcoming months, the company says.
Hawker Beechcraft’s growing military and government business helped buoy the company’s first-quarter results, despite the continued sluggishness of the general aviation market, the company reported last week. The Wichita airframer was one of the few business aircraft makers that reported an increase in sales, up $30.6 million to $568.2 million, in the first quarter. The company’s trainer aircraft segment, which includes aircraft built under the U.S. Navy/Air Force Joint Primary Aircraft Training System program, contributed a $61.6 million increase.
EUROCOPTER FRANCE AS350B, BA, B1, B2, B3, C, D and D1; AS 355E, F, F1, F2, N and NP helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2010-0356; Directorate Identifier 2009-SW-72-AD; Amendment 39-16266; AD 2010-09-01] – Before the next hoist operation, unless already accomplished, disconnect the ground wire for the hoist squib wiring and test the hoist system to assure that the squib can be electrically fired by following the instructions of Eurocopter Alert Service Bulletin No. 25.00.95 (for AS350 helicopters) or No. 25.00.85 (for AS355 helicopters), both dated Nov. 16, 2005.
Development test aircraft that weigh more than 5,700 kg. should be equipped with flight data and cockpit voice recorders or have uninterrupted telemetry flight data links, the German air accident investigation agency (BFU) argues in its final report on the 2006 crash of the Grob G180A SPn prototype.
WALTER VISSER was named vice president of CAE Global Academy. Visser is responsible for CAE’s global network of flight training organizations and ab-initio programs. He also will manage growth of CAE’s Pilot Provisioning service, including multi-crew pilot license programs. Visser previously was CAE’s regional vice president for the Middle East and India, including managing director of Emirates-CAE Flight Training in Dubai. He has more than 30 years of military and civil aviation training experience.
JOHN WADE was promoted to executive vice president and general manager, Business Aviation Services for Aircell. He joined Aircell in November 2008 as senior vice president and general manager, Business Aviation Services. Wade has 22 years of experience in avionics and inflight communications. He formerly was chief technology officer and general manager of inflight mobile phone and Internet provider OnAir. He also has held senior executive positions at Tenzing Communications, PRIMEX Aerospace Company and GEC Marconi In-Flight Systems, among others.
FlightSafety International has teamed with Cessna to jointly offer a hands-on MX Advantage maintenance training program at a new facility in Wichita, Kan. The program is designed to meet international training requirements. The program will include two weeks of classroom and two weeks of supervised hands-on maintenance training using Cessna Citations or factory-authorized training devices.
The long quest by former Grob Aerospace CEO Niall Olver to find a buyer for the bankrupt Grob SPn utility jet program might be nearing an end. “We’re making progress and the sale definitely will happen. Grob will be sold,” Olver says. He would not give details, but did say he is not speaking to Chinese companies. AVIC’s general aviation division had previously expressed an interest in buying the composite twinjet and its technologies, and producing the airplane in that country. Grob Aerospace intended the SPn to operate as a utility jet.
Cessna is planning to begin construction in January for a new Citation Service Center in Valencia, Spain. The company is retaining the California firm Jacobs Engineering Group to design the center, which should open in 2012. The center, which will augment Cessna’s facility in Paris, will include 64,000 square feet of hangar space and 88,264 square feet of office, storage and shop space. The company estimates that 400 Citations are based within a 90-minute radius of Valencia.
Position Description Attorney 4408 – Contracts -ORD 085-2010-025 Attorney - Contracts The Chicago Department of Aviation is seeking an Attorney – Contracts to perform highly complex professional legal work including legal advice, drafting legal opinions and recommendations, participating in litigation; and exercising functional and technical supervision over professional and support staff.
MARIA SASTRE was appointed chief operating officer for Signature Flight Support’s global operations. Sastre will be responsible for the daily operations of Signature’s network of fixed-base operations, and report to Signature President S. Michael Scheeringa. She formerly was president and chief executive of the nonprofit organization Take Stock in Children, and before that, spent eight years with Royal Caribbean Cruises as vice president, international, Latin America, Caribbean and Asia and vice president of operations.
EUROCOPTER FRANCE EC120B helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2010-0410; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-024-AD; Amendment 39-16265; AD 2010-05-51] – Inspect the main-rotor hub for cracks. If scoring, paint flaking or leftover identification plate adhesive is found, sand the area until the primer coat becomes visible and inspect the rotor hub for cracks. If cracks are found, replace the damaged rotor hub with an airworthy one before further flight.
EASA also approved installation of Winglet Technology’s Elliptical Winglets on the Cessna Citation X. The company earlier had gained approval in the U.S., Canada and Brazil. The winglets improve hot/high performance. With four passengers and NBAA IFR reserves, range increases from 3,103 nm to 3,323 nm. The modified Citation X climbs directly to FL430 at MTOW, ISA +10 or FL450 MTOW, ISA. Cessna supported the supplemental type certification process for the winglets, which can be installed at any Cessna Service Center.
New business jet demand is “still in the doldrums,” says market analyst JP Morgan, which adds, “New business jet demand is one of the few areas in commercial aero not to show signs of a healthy bounce.” JP Morgan expects that bounce eventually, but believes it may still be a few quarters away. Used inventory continues to improve, reaching its lowest level in 17 months, JP Morgan also reports. Used inventory of in-production models dropped 20 bps to 12.3% in April. Average asking price, however, also declined 1.2%.
Safety Management Systems (SMS) clearly have merit as a structured internal review and analysis, says National Transportation Safety Board Chair Deborah Hersman. But SMS, she believes, also raises a dilemma. “All companies can’t benefit in equal measure if all companies don’t input and extract with equal diligence and expertise,” Hersman said during a recent air safety nvestigators conference in Herndon, Va. Companies that do the bare minimum to get by are not likely to look for problems, and SMS won’t make hard choices any easier, Hersman said.
Aircraft spares support specialist A J Walter Aviation has offered its power-by-the-hour service to support its first Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ). A private customer has contracted AJW to support the aircraft for two years. The operator will fly the ACJ in Europe, although it also will be able to fly between Europe and the U.S. West Coast with additional fuel tanks.
