MARC HAVIS was appointed director, tax, for Gulfstream Aerospace. He reports to Bill Skinner, vice president and corporate controller. Havis is a certified public accountant. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University’s business school and a master’s degree in international taxation from Regent University School of Law in Virginia.
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HAWKER BEECHCRAFT CORP., continuing its surge of key executive hiring, named a United Technologies veteran to head financial operations beginning this month. Sidney E. Anderson was named chief financial officer at HBC, where he will be responsible for the management and direction of the company’s finance and accounting organization including financial analysis, accounting, information technology, controls, budgeting, planning and forecasting.
Responsible for performance of Mechanical Engineering Department, Interior Installation Business Units and Flightline. Fundamental role is to insure all department activity properly supports the timely delivery of the aircraft. Must have 15 years experience in aircraft production industry with a minimum of 5 years at the senior management level. Fax resume to 501-210-0469 or email to [email protected]
The Teterboro Airport Industry Working Group drew praise from general aviation advocates and airport critics alike for making progress in reducing noise and increasing safety at Teteboro Airport (TEB) in New Jersey, but advocates are hoping to increase participation in the working group’s programs. The working group in 2006 launched the “Pledge to the Community Program” to address increasing community concerns about noise, safety and security.
Cessna Aircraft was approved by FAA as an Organization Delegation Authority (ODA) last week, a designation that permits the Wichita, Kan. aircraft manufacturer to affirm that the aircraft it builds meet all applicable Federal Aviation Regulations. Gulfstream Aerospace was the first aircraft manufacturer to win ODA authority earlier this year (BA, March 31/141), but Cessna said it is the first original equipment manufacturer to have ODA status for both Part 23 and Part 25 aircraft.
Randy Nelson, who spent 28 years at Cessna Aircraft in a variety of product development roles before joining Raytheon Aircraft Company (RAC) two and one-half years ago, plans to retire Dec. 1.
– Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) visited Wichita last week to participate in groundbreaking ceremonies with Cessna officials and other state, local and business leaders for a new manufacturing facility for the Cessna Columbus business jet.
AIR METHODS CORP. received a contract valued at more than $17 million from Sikorsky Aircraft to provide multimission medevac interior systems for 48 HH-60M Black Hawk helicopters. Production has begun and is expected to continue through the third quarter of 2010. The HH-60M is the medical evacuation-configured version of the Black Hawks used by the U.S. Army. The medical systems include a Patient Loading System, an on-board oxygen generation system, medical suction, patient monitors and high intensity NVG compatible lighting.
Cirrus Design Corp. last week further scaled back production of its aircraft lines, eliminating 105 more positions and trimming the final assembly schedule from four 10-hour days a week to three days. The cutbacks follow an ongoing reorganization designed to incorporate lean manufacturing techniques. But the current global economic troubles have continued to slow sales, forcing Cirrus to reevaluate production.
Sensis Corp. won an important FAA contract competition to provide runway status lights, regarded as an important technology in the effort to reduce runway incursions.
AVIATION INDUSTRY NEWS was a study in contrasts during the past week. Cessna Aircraft broke ground for a huge new production facility in Wichita and Pratt & Whitney Canada said it will build a new engine assembly plant at Montreal’s Mirabel Airport. But Grob Aerospace, and AAI Acquisition – which is attempting to resuscitate the Adam A700 program – both announced they are laying off most workers because Grob can’t find a buyer and the Russian backers of the A700 have sharply curtailed their support. See articles on following pages.
DASSAULT FALCON opened a 20,000-square-foot spares distribution center in San Jose, Calif. through a joint business venture with UPS. The center is expected to house a parts inventory valued at more than $34 million by yearend. The San Jose facility will support Falcon customers based on the West Coast with same day, overnight or self-pickup parts. The facility also will allow Dassault to extend the ordering deadline for next-day delivery for East Coast operators and support outlying spares warehouses.
CHARLENE BRETT joined the charter customer service team at FirstFlight, Inc., headquartered in Elmira/Corning, N.Y. Brett has 17 years of charter experience, having worked in charter sales and services for several charter/management companies in the New York metro area. Most recently she was with PrivatAir in Bridgeport, Conn. as director of roadshow services. Prior to that she was with The Air Group and Atlantic Aviation.
AMERICAN EUROCOPTER recently celebrated its 2,500th U.S. helicopter delivery, an EC135 that will be operated by longtime customer PHI, Inc. for air medical purposes. American Eurocopter delivered its first helicopter, an SA.3130 Alouette, to PHI in 1957. PHI since has operated a variety of Eurocopter aircraft, and the fleet currently includes AS350B2/B3 AStars, EC135s and BK117s. The SA.3130 was the first civilian-certified turbine helicopter worldwide.
LESLIE FISCHER was named regional sales manager for the western U.S. for Avidyne Corp., the Lincoln, Mass. provider of integrated flight deck and safety systems for general aviation aircraft. Most recently Fischer was a pharmaceutical sales representatives for Pfizer, Inc. in Montobello, Calif. Before that she spent two years as a human factors specialist for The Boeing Company in Huntington Beach, Calif.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL and the International Business Aviation Council jointly developed a four-hour, Web-based Safety Management Systems (SMS) course designed specifically for corporate flight departments. The course provides a framework that explains flight department personnel responsibilities to implement and maintain an SMS. The SMS course covers hazard identification, risk management and accident/incident prevention and reporting.
LINDA HERZOG was named a senior sales strategist with FirstFlight, Inc. Most recently Herzog was chief operating officer for Vita Luxury, a luxury destination club. Prior to that she was vice president of Jet Aviation/Jet Professionals, a corporate aviation staffing company where she led sales and operational teams.
Forecast International predicts that production of the Eclipse 500 “will end soon” as Eclipse Aviation will be unable to secure the additional financing it needs to survive in the current challenging and unpredictable economic conditions. The Newtown, Conn. market intelligence and analysis provider said Tuesday that Eclipse Aviation “will not attract new investment necessary to allow it to continue making the aircraft beyond the first quarter of 2009.”
November 2-5 – Air Traffic Control Association 53rd Annual Conference and Exposition, Marriott Wardman Park, Washington, D.C. For more information call (703) 299-2430, www.atca.org November 6-8 – Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, AOPA Expo 2008, San Jose, Calif. Contact Lori Wolking at 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Md. 21701 or call (301) 695-2052 November 11-12 – VLS/Business Aviation Management Forum, Crowne Plaza, West Palm Beach, Fla., www.aviationweek.com/conferences
AIR TRACTOR, INC. AT-200, AT-300, AT-400, AT-500, AT-600 and AT-800 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-1120; Directorate Identifier 2008-CE-064-AD] – This proposed rule, which would supersede an existing directive (AD 2008-11-17), would require operators to modify the overturn skid plates, per the instructions of Snow Engineering Company Service Letter 97 (revised Sept. 19, 2008).
THE BRISTOW HELICOPTERS subsidiary of Bristow Group, Inc., entered into an agreement to acquire the remaining 51 percent of Norsk Helikopter AS, increasing its stake to 100 percent. The shares not currently held by Bristow will be purchased from the Ugland family of Norway in a transaction in which the Ugland family will acquire Bristow’s 49 percent interest in Lufttransport AS, a subsidiary of Norsk. The planned transaction, announced Oct. 27, was expected to close within a few days.
China’s two aircraft-making conglomerates, Avic 1 and 2, have been merged back together as a prelude to further reorganization, including a dedicated helicopter subsidiary; the combined organization, foreshadowed earlier this year, is called Avic, or China Aviation Industry Corp., as it was before it was split into Avic 1 and 2 in 1999.
Engine maker Pratt & Whitney Canada plans to establish “a world-class aerospace center” at Montreal’s Mirabel International Airport where the company will perform final assembly of the new PW800 family of engines. The manufacturer said a total of nearly $600 million will be invested at the Mirabel Aerospace Center and P&WC’s other facilities in Quebec over the next five years, an investment expected to generate some 565 jobs.
