SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-W.Va.), who is stepping into the new role of chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee (BA, Dec. 22/287), last week resurrected his arguments for shifting more costs to general aviation. During a hearing Wednesday on the confirmation of former Illinois congressman Ray LaHood as Transportation Secretary, Rockefeller noted his concerns about funding the NextGen air traffic control system.
THE OFFSHORE GROUP, a Tucson, Ariz.-based company that partners with a range of industries to provide manufacturing support and help establish foreign subsidiaries, has scheduled a two-day conference to discuss the emerging aerospace industry in Mexico. The conference, to be held May 14-15 in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico, will cover Mexico’s role in the global aerospace industry, the Mexican government’s role in developing the industry, the Mexico-U.S. Bilateral Safety Agreement, the supplier base, and aerospace manufacturing educational initiatives, among other topics.
Following up on an executive order signed two months ago, the Department of Transportation named Karlin Toner as the chief multiagency liaison for the NextGen air traffic control modernization effort. DOT says Toner will be the senior staff adviser to the transportation secretary regarding NextGen, and she will also be the senior liaison between the DOT and the different agencies involved in the Joint Planning and Development Office.
BOMBARDIER DHC-8-102, -103, -106, -200, -300 and -400 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-1361; Directorate Identifier 2008-NM-140-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to inspect the spoiler-cable disconnect sensing device and, if necessary, inspect components of that assembly for wear and damage, per the instructions of Bombardier service bulletins 84-27-34 (dated Oct. 3, 2007) and 8-27-107 (dated Oct. 16, 2007). Any worn or damaged components would need to be replaced, and the sensing device would need to be reassembled correctly.
John H. Winant, the longtime, gentlemanly president of the National Business Aircraft Association and a critical player in the evolution of modern business aviation, died Jan. 14 at his retirement home in Williamstown, Mass. He was 85. He had been ill for some time. “It would be difficult to overstate the importance of John Winant in the development of business aviation in the United States and around the world,” said NBAA President Ed Bolen. “John was respected and trusted by aviation professionals, company executives, cabinet secretaries and elected officials.
EXECUTIVE AIRSHARE, a regional fractional aircraft ownership company based in Kansas, City, Mo., expanded its presence in the Central U.S. with the addition of Oklahoma City to its network. Executive AirShare is basing a Beechcraft King Air C90B at Atlantic Aviation on Wiley Post Airport in Bethany, Okla. The Oklahoma City area is the sixth market for ExecutiveAirShare. The company also serves Tulsa, Okla.; Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas; Wichita, Kan., and Kansas City.
Jim Ziegler, a business aviation veteran who has led the North American operations for Jet Aviation since May 2007, is resigning as chief operating officer but has agreed to remain as an advisor to the company. Jet Aviation tapped two in-house executives, Gary Dempsey and Kurt Sutterer, to take responsibility for U.S. operations.
Embraer delivered 59 jets during the fourth quarter of 2008, down slightly from a year earlier, but the full year total of 204 jets marked a 20 percent increase from the 169 jets delivered in 2007. The Brazilian manufacturer delivered 11 business aircraft – including the first two Phenom 100 executive jets – in the fourth quarter, with 36 total business jets for the year. The new sales of Phenom jets increased Embraer’s number of firm contracts to more than 850 aircraft.
January 20 – NATA Environmental Compliance Seminar, Sheraton North Houston Hotel, Houston, Texas. For more information call (703) 845-9000 January 28 – Wichita Aero Club luncheon featuring Craig Fuller, President of Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association, Airport Hilton Hotel, Wichita, Kan.; (316) 641-5962; email: [email protected] February 5-6 – 12th Annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference, “Launching the New Era,” Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington, Va., www.aiaa.org/events/ast
THE ATLANTA AERO CLUB has scheduled Cirrus Design Chairman Alan Klapmeier as its featured speaker for the Jan. 20 luncheon. Founded in 1984 by Lockheed Aircraft Company, the Atlanta Aero Club is a member of the National Aeronautics Association.
The business aviation community dodged a major bullet last week when Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) was able to strike a provision barring companies receiving funds under the federal Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) from owning or leasing private aircraft.
ANDREW FARRANT joined Sequa Corporation as vice president of marketing and corporate communications. Farrant formerly spent nearly 15 years with Bombardier Aerospace and also led the rebranding effort of Garrett Aviation Services and Piedmont Hawthorne into Landmark Aviation. Most recently he led marketing and communications for StandardAero.
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION and National Business Aviation Association urged the National Transportation Safety Board to “admonish the [FAA] Administrator for his failure to act in good faith” before and after the emergency revocation of Air Trek’s operating certificate.
XOJET CEO DAVID SIEGEL is predicting that the downturn in the global economy will fuel failures this year of some key fractional aircraft operators, charters, brokers and aircraft management companies. “As the market goes through some dislocation, there could be some huge opportunities for XOJet that could really take us to another level that wouldn’t have been available to us otherwise,” he told BA. “There will be major failures this year by competitors, and as they liquidate, there will be additional customers and growth opportunities.”
TWIN COMMANDER UNIVERSITY, a seminar designed to help operators of the high-wing, twin-turboprop aircraft get the most out of their airplanes, is to be held May 6-9 at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz. Helmuth Eggeling, Honeywell’s pilot advisor for the TPE331 engine, will again be a featured speaker at the event, which also will include an airborne weather radar course. Other sessions will cover troubleshooting operational problems and pilot-training tips provided by training experts from FlightSafety International.
PIPER AIRCRAFT PA-46-350P and PA-46R-350T airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0007; Directorate Identifier 2008-CE-072-AD] – This proposed AD would require an inspection to verify that the 35-amp and 250-amp current limiters are installed in the proper locations. If the limiters are not installed in the appropriate spot, they would need to be reinstalled in the proper location, as described in Piper Service Bulletin No. 2000 (dated Sept. 16, 2008).
WEATHERBUG, a Germantown, Md.-based provider of weather information services, launched its WeatherBug Total Lightning Network (WTLN), which will use broadband frequency monitoring nationally to detect intracloud (IC) lightning. The WTLN also will integrate cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning detection information. The IC lightning detection can improve warning times over traditional radar technology for severe weather events, including tornadoes and downbursts. The WTLN also can provide five- to 30-minute lead times for predicting dangerous CG lightning.
DALLAS AIRMOTIVE relocated its Regional Turbine Center from Scottsdale Airpark in Arizona to a new larger facility near Deer Valley Airport in North Phoenix. The center provides authorized repairs on Pratt & Whitney PT6A and JT15D and Rolls-Royce Model 250 turbines. The center also dispatches field service technicians to remote locations for on-site services. A BBA Aviation Engine Repair and Overhaul company, Dallas Airmotive operates 10 Regional Turbine Centers, nine in the U.S. and one in England.
TWO AGUSTAWESTLAND AW139 helicopters were purchased by Cyprus’ Ministry of Justice. The 15-seat, twin-engine rotorcraft will be used for law enforcement and search and rescue missions. To date, AgustaWestland has won more than 430 orders for the AW139 from more than 100 customers worldwide.
The U.S. business jet and turboprop fleet accident record faltered in 2008, with the total number of accidents jumping nearly 25 percent and the number of fatal accidents and resulting fatalities also up for the year, according to the latest accident statistics released by Robert E. Breiling Associates.
Business jets available for sale rose 2 percent in December, 65 percent above prior year levels, UBS reports in its Business Jet Update. The increase in aircraft available for sale continues to be led by aircraft less than 10 years old, which were 7 percent higher than in November and are more than double prior year levels, the report said. “At 16 percent of the in-service fleet, available for sale inventories are approaching the 17 percent peak of late 2002, with young inventories already well above prior peak levels,” wrote analyst David Strauss.
CMC ELECTRONICS will spend $149.4 million on a special research and development project over the next five years following the Canadian government’s decision to support its R&D initiative through a repayable investment. CMC plans to use the funds to develop innovative technologies for commercial integrated cockpit and communication systems that would be used in business jets, helicopters and commercial transports.
Cirrus Design Corp. is repackaging its single-engine product line to incorporate new ice protection and a number of other upgrades. The announcement comes as the Duluth, Minn., plane-maker ramps its production back up from a shutdown in December (BA, Dec. 1/251). The company, which recalled workers this month, is building eight aircraft a week, and company executives maintain they are still selling these aircraft in spite of the weakened economy.
ADRIAN CHENE was promoted to avionics tech rep for Duncan Aviation’s facility in Battle Creek, Mich. Chene has 12 years of aviation experience beginning as a Com/Nav technician for C-141Bs for the U.S. Air Force. He joined the Duncan avionics team in 2000.
