CESSNA AIRCRAFT has issued optional service bulletins that enable installation of Garmin’s Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT) on all earlier production G1000-equipped 172 Skyhawks, 182 Skylanes, 206 Stationairs and Citation Mustangs. Cessna said similar service bulletins are in the works for retrofits on G1000-equipped Corvalis and Caravan product lines. The G1000 SVT provides simulated, three-dimensional graphical representation of the surrounding terrain and displays the aircraft’s position in an enhanced topographical database.
Jet-It-Together.com has created an online community where members can match itineraries with other members to form shared trips on private jets, offering what the company calls “considerable” savings.
DAN FRAHM joined Hawker Beechcraft Services to head up sales and marketing for repair and overhaul, avionics, maintenance, and paint and interior modifications for Hawker Beechcraft customers in the Great Lakes Region. Frahm has 30 years of general aviation experience with a specialty in avionics sales and services. He spent 28 years with Elliott Aviation, an authorization Hawker Beechcraft dealer and service center.
EXCELAIRE in Ronkonkoma, N.Y. has added a 13-seat Bombardier Global 5000 to its fleet. The Global 5000 is equipped with an extended-range option that provides a 5,300-nautical-mile range at Mach .82. ExcelAire also operates Gulfstream, Embraer Legacy, Hawker Beechcraft Beechjet, Cessna Citation and Learjet aircraft, among others.
Gulfstream sales were down 16 percent in the second quarter of 2009, but Jay Johnson, president and chief executive of Gulfstream parent General Dynamics, remained encouraged that the market has shown hopeful signs, particularly for large-cabin aircraft. Gulfstream sales were in line with production cuts that the company had announced earlier in the year, Johnson said. Gulfstream delivered 26 aircraft, including 20 large-cabin aircraft, in the second quarter, down from the 39 total aircraft and 22 large cabins delivered in the second quarter of 2008.
JAMES HAGEDORN, chairman and chief executive of Scotts Miracle-Gro, has agreed to serve as the chairman of the newly formed National Leadership Council for the Aircraft Owner and Pilots Association’s General Aviation Serves America campaign. The campaign is designed to educate the nonflying public about the importance of general aviation. AOPA President Craig Fuller called Hagedorn “a passionate general aviation pilot who has pledged his time and talent to help nonpilots discover what we already know – that general aviation is a key component of the U.S.
THE NUMBER of business aviation aircraft available for sale has increased 114 percent in the first two quarters of 2009, compared with the same period last year, literally turning the secondary market upside down, according to a new Duncan Aviation report. At the same time, the number of used aircraft sold has dropped 71 percent. “During the second quarter of 2009, there has been a modest increase in sales led primarily by increased transactions in the Falcon 50EX and Hawker 800XP markets.
With current market conditions encouraging business aircraft owners to upgrade their existing aircraft instead of trading them in, GE Aviation and Tennessee-based Smyrna Air Center have launched an engine retrofit program called the Power 90 for King Air 90s.
GARMIN INTERNATIONAL is offering its new factory-equipped glass cockpit – the G500 – for the Diamond Aircraft DA20-C1. The G500 will be available in the 2010 model DA20 beginning in October at a base price of $184,980. Diamond says it will still offer both the conventional instrument and Aspen Avionics-equipped versions of the DA20.
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has selected industry veterans – Serge Dassault and Dick Van Gemert – as recipients of the association’s two top honors – the Meritorious Service to Aviation and John P. “Jack” Doswell award.
AIRCELL has received certification for its new SwiftBroadband service. 328 Support Services GmbH in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany is completing the first installation on a Dornier 328Jet operated by Venezuela-based Aviando services. Aircell’s SwiftBroadband service will enable passengers to use laptop and Smartphones for e-mail and Internet. Passengers also can use cabin handsets to make and receive calls. The SwiftBroadband service is powered by Thrane & Thrane.
WHILE GENERAL DYNAMICS executives are encouraged that recent orders for large cabin aircraft match those of a year ago, they are cautious about midsize aircraft. Analyst JPMorgan agreed, saying, “We still see tough times for Gulfstream” and that further midsize production cuts appear likely “as soon as this year.” See article on Page 49.
CHEVRON GLOBAL AVIATION has donated $25,000 to the Corporate Angel Network, which arranges free flights aboard corporate aircraft for cancer patients seeking treatment far from home. Chevron also has supported CAN through its co-sponsorship of the Corporate Angel Award. This has resulted in donations totaling more than $200,000 since 2001, CAN said.
Wayfarer Aviation, the charter and management operator that formed in April through the purchase of the assets of JetDirect Aviation (BA, April 20/183), has begun to establish itself as a distinct company that is operating under a new management regime with a transparency that its executives believe is industry-leading. An investment group led by Brantley Partners purchased the assets of the company from JetDirect Holdings, which had become mired in debt and legal entanglements with former employees, clients and creditors.
ENGINE COMPONENTS, INC . reciprocating engine cylinder assemblies [Docket No. FAA-2008-0052; Directorate Identifier 2008-NE-01-AD] – This proposal, which supersedes AD 2008-19-05, would require operators whose Lycoming 320, 360 or 540 series “Parallel Valve” engines were overhauled or had a cylinder assembly replaced since new, to conduct repetitive visual inspections and compression tests to detect cracks at the cylinders’ head-to-barrel interfaces. Any cracked cylinder assemblies found would need to be replaced.
Cessna Aircraft’s new Model 162 SkyCatcher Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) has demonstrated compliance with ASTM standards, which the Wichita plane maker says clears the path for deliveries to begin by year’s end. As an LSA, the Model 162 does not require FAA certification, but it must meet standards set by the international standards-setting organization ASTM International. The process involves self-compliance monitoring, a Cessna spokesman said, noting that the company has determined that the aircraft and its changes have demonstrated compliance.
AIRCELL Chairman Ron LeMay is transitioning to president and chief executive of the company, while Jack Blumenstein, the current president and CEO, will take on the role of chairman again. LeMay has a 38-year background in communications that included serving as president and chief operating officer of Sprint Corp. He also has served with Southwestern Bell and AT&T. Blumenstein first joined the board in 1997 and became chairman in 1999. He was named president and CEO in August 2002.
CIRRUS AIRCRAFT has tapped Lotus Air Corporation (Cirrus Japan) as its newest international Cirrus Sales Center. Lotus Air will partner with Hirata Gakuen Kobe Air Center at Kobe Airport in Tokyo, to serve as the sales and distribution center for Cirrus Japan. The Kobe Air Center, which held grand-opening ceremonies last month, can house more than 30 small aircraft. The facility includes an executive lounge for aircraft owners and pilots, as well as conference rooms and other multipurpose areas.
PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT estimates it will accommodate at least 60 aircraft arriving from around the world to attend the next G-20 Summit, scheduled for Sept. 24-25. “The last summit, held in London April 1-2 featuring world leaders, had between 40 and 60 aircraft, but until the date gets closer, we won’t know how many aircraft we’ll actually accommodate,” said Bradley Penrod, executive director and CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, which oversees Pittsburgh.
EMBRAER EMB-135BJ, -135ER, -135KE, -135KL, -135LR, EMB-145, -145ER, -145MR, -145LR, -145XR, -145MP and -145EP airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0659; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-060-AD] – This proposed rule would require operators to visually inspect the main landing gear trailing arm pins for cracks, in accordance with Embraer Service Bulletin 145-32-0122 or 145LEG-32-0033 (both dated Nov. 27, 2008), as applicable. If any cracks are found, operators would need to replace the trailing arm pin with a serviceable pin before further flight.
A-LIST JETS INC., of Beverly Hills, Calif., has formed a new joint partnership with theONE for concierge packages in San Diego, Calif. The partnership will offer entertainment and recreational packages for guests in San Diego.
KEVIN HEITMAN returned as chief executive officer for business aviation services company Partner Jet Corp. Heitman previously had served as CEO for Partner Jet in 2007.
TERRY WEBB was promoted to vice president of ARG/US PROS (Partners and Resources for Operational Safety), a subsidiary of ARGUS International, Inc. Webb, who has more than 30 years of aviation experience, joined PROS in 1990. ARG/US purchased PROS from United Airlines in May 2007. Based in Denver, Webb initially managed airline auditing and training activities for ARG/US PROS. His duties have since been expanded to include Part 91 and Part 135 auditing, as well as Safety Management system activities.
Aircraft cancellations continued to soar as Cessna Aircraft revenues dropped 42 percent, or by $630 million, in the second quarter of 2009, said Cessna parent Textron last week. Textron executives, however, were much more upbeat about the Bell Helicopter unit, which “delivered strong performance,” said Chairman and CEO Lewis Campbell. Textron also announced that John Garrison would take over as president and chief executive of Bell, replacing the retiring Richard Millman.
THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE last week unveiled a new plan designed to curb air tour flights and substantially restore “natural quiet” over Grand Canyon National Park. Air tour operators, environmentalist groups, Native American tribes and government officials have been negotiating potential options for restoring quiet at GCNP, but the plan unveiled during a meeting last week took the “most draconian” approaches from each of the options, one air tour executive noted. The plan calls for seasonal route closures, closures of specific routes as well as limits on certain routes.
