SEBASTIEN CAIRE was named vice president, Asia and Australasia for CAE. Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Caire will be responsible for CAE’s civil aviation training and services activities in all of Asia and Australasia, except India and the Middle East. Caire joined CAE in 2001 and has held a number of management posts, including his most recent position of general manager for the CAE Madrid training center.
Brazilian manufacturer Embraer held grand opening ceremonies last week for its new Southwest business jet service center, part of a $100 million investment the company is making in infrastructure in the U.S.
CESSNA’S prototype Light Sport Aircraft, The SkyCatcher, crashed last week during a flight test in Kansas. The engineering test pilot was able to get out of the aircraft and parachuted to the ground, escaping injury. See article on Page 131.
DART HELICOPTER SERVICES (DHS), of Piney Flats, Tenn., acquired Canam Aerospace as well as a 50 percent interest in Cargo Net Innovations. Both companies are based in Vancouver, British Columbia and provide cargo hook/net and other products for a variety of helicopter models. The equipment is used in applications that range from logging and construction to seismic exploration. DHS, which has 14 locations around the world, provides parts and accessories for AgustaWestland, Bell, Eurocopter, MD, Robinson, Sikorsky, Schweizer and Hiller helicopters.
Very Light Jet air taxi startup DayJet notified the Federal Aviation Administration Friday that it planned to halt its air taxi operations for economic reasons, the agency confirmed late last week. DayJet called the Washington Flight Standards District Office at noon Friday to inform officials there of the company’s decision to stop flying 27 of 28 Eclipse EA-500 VLJs in the DayJet fleet. The 28th aircraft will be used for company purposes, an FAA spokesman said.
SERVICEELEMENTS, of Scottsdale, Ariz., is offering a new Service Delivery Audit program for business, general aviation and other aerospace entities. The program is designed to identify service and delivery issues and develop solutions for the problems. ServiceElements began developing the audit program more than three years ago in response to its work with aerospace, business and general aviation organizations.
Cessna’s prototype SkyCatcher Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) crashed Thursday near Douglass, Kan., after it went into a spin and the engineering test pilot parachuted to safety.
A project aimed at developing an advanced light twin-turboprop to replace aging utility aircraft in the Dornier 228 class is finally moving forward, reflecting a new surge of interest in this long-neglected market segment.
BOMBARDIER did an abrupt about-face last week, dropping Grob Aerospace from the Learjet 85 program and saying it will now do in-house the composite work Grob had been contracted to perform. See article on Page 132.
JOE DEL BALZO , a former senior FAA official who founded and serves as president of the aviation consultancy JDA Solutions, was selected to serve on the FAA’s Research, Engineering and Development Advisory Committee. Del Balzo will chair the Aircraft Safety subcommittee. The committee is tasked with providing recommendations on the needs, objectives, plans and accomplishments of FAA’s aviation research program.
International sales have been a driving force behind record business jet backlogs, but one industry market observer predicts that a strengthening dollar likely will help cool off the worldwide market and make the industry vulnerable to a steeper downturn. “Unfortunately the next delivery trough will be more pronounced than generally accepted and the recovery much longer,” said Brian Foley, a long-time Dassault Falcon Jet executive who now heads the business aviation market research and consultancy Brian Foley Associates.
ROCKWELL COLLINS teamed with King Schools to offer online computer-based training. King Schools will provide Rockwell Collins OEM avionics training modules beginning with Pro Line 21 courses for the King Air and Hawker 800.
EMBRAER EMB-135BJ airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0416; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-297-AD; Amendment 39-15656; AD 2008-17-18] – Using a borescope, inspect the aileron control system inside the wings to ensure that all cable guard pins are installed. If any cable guard pin is missing, install a new one, following the instructions of Embraer Service Bulletin 145LEG-27-0023 (dated Jan. 24, 2006).
DIAMOND AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES GMBH Model DA 42 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0991; Directorate Identifier 2008-CE-054-AD] – This proposed directive would mandate repetitive inspections and correction of the fastening torque of certain engine mounting bolts, per the instructions of Diamond Aircraft Mandatory Service Bulletin No. MSB-42-058 (dated May 21, 2008) and Diamond Aircraft Work Instruction WI-MSB-42-058 (dated March 12, 2008).
ENGINE COMPONENTS, INC. (ECI) reciprocating engine cylinder assemblies [Docket No. FAA-2008-0052; Directorate Identifier 2008-NE-01-AD; Amendment 39-15672; AD 2008-19-05] – Conduct visual inspections and compression tests to detect cracks at the head-to-barrel interface of certain cylinder assemblies in Lycoming Model 320, 360 and 540 series engines installed in Beech Cessna, Piper and other general aviation aircraft. Replace any cracked cylinder assemblies, and replace certain cylinder assemblies at new, reduced times in service.
Bombardier Aerospace abruptly changed course last week, announcing Thursday that Grob Aerospace – which filed for insolvency in Germany late last month (BA, Aug. 25/87) – will no longer be involved in development of the composite-fuselage Learjet 85 business jet program. Instead, the Canadian manufacturer said it will do the composite work in-house.
CAPITOL HILL has a little more than a week left to either provide another temporary extension of FAA’s funding authority or pass a full-blown reauthorization bill. The House and Senate in June passed the sixth short-term extension of FAA authorization and aviation excise taxes, pushing the deadline to Sept. 30. Lawmakers are believed to be negotiating another short-term extension that would be in effect for six months to a year. The extension is expected to be included in a comprehensive Continuing Resolution that would fund the entire government beyond Sept.
ARINC DIRECT expanded its SKYLink broadband satellite communications network to include coverage of most of the Caribbean and Central America as well as part of South America. ARINC worked with SES AMERICOM to expand the Ku-band coverage of Satellite NSS-7, and to work toward transitioning to the SES AMERICOM AMC-21 satellite in the fourth quarter of 2008. SKYLink provides Ku-broadband communications to business jets equipped with the Rockwell Collins eXchange product line. The SKYLink service was already in place for the territory from Europe to North America.
JOSEPH W. PALLOT was named general counsel of HEICO Corp., Miami, Fla. and its subsidiaries. Pallot, 48, has been a member of HEICO’s board of directors since 2004. He resigned his board seat to accept the general counsel’s post. Since 2000, Pallot has been a shareholder with Devine Goodman Pallot Rasco & Wells, P.A., a Miami transaction and litigation law firm. He was a partner in another law firm from 1993-2000 and before that had a career in the commercial banking industry.
EMBRAER delivered the first of nine Embraer 170s to French carrier Régional – Compagnie Aérienne Européenne, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Air France Group. The aircraft is configured in a 76-seat single-class layout, and will be operated on domestic and intra-European networks. Regional is Embraer’s largest customer in Europe, operating a fleet of 48 EMBRAER 190s, ERJ 145s, ERJ 135s and EMB 120 Brasilias.
Hangar space for lease at the Van Nuys Airport. Maguire Aviation is in the process of developing 460,000 sq. ft. of hangar and offices for single and multiple tenant occupancy. Please contact Mike McDaniel or Tim Wray for more information at 800-451-7270. Click here to view the pdf
BOMBARDIER CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100 & 440) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0977; Directorate Identifier 2008-NM-124-AD] – This proposed rule would require modification of the refuel/defuel system in the center wing fuel tank, per the instructions of Bombardier Service Bulletin 601R-28-053, Rev. C (dated March 14, 2006). This proposal, which resulted from an MCAI originated by Transport Canada, was prompted by the results of a Bombardier safety review of the aircraft’s fuel system.
JUSTIN BRIGGS joined Alerion, Inc., Family Office of Flight, as director of sales. Briggs will be responsible for expanding the charter services company’s reach in Western markets. Alerion was founded a year ago to provide services for corporate, family and individual travel. Briggs formerly held charter and jet membership sales positions with Sentient Flight Group, ACM Aviation, TAG Aviation and Raytheon. He has worked with a range of customers, including some from the professional sports and entertainment industries as well as Fortune 50 companies.
