Gulfstream Aerospace generated a tsunami of market interest for its recently announced Gulfstream G650 business jet and officials are now sorting through letters of intent representing potential orders for hundreds of the $60 million aircraft, the chairman of Gulfstream parent General Dynamics told financial analysts Wednesday.
THE AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION is warning buyers to be careful of flying into Maine within one year of purchasing an aircraft because of possible sales tax consequences. The trade association said the state will attempt to collect a 6 percent tax on the value of an aircraft if the plane spends more than 20 days in Maine within the first year after the aircraft is purchased, unless the buyer has paid sales tax in another state.
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE won supplemental type certificate approval for the installation of a muffler on the Gulfstream G200 auxiliary power unit. The muffler is designed to reduce noise from the surge-control valve by 10-12 decibels, which cuts the noise by more than half the current level, the company said. Gulfstream Service Engineering developed, flight-tested and certified the muffler based on input from a G200 Customer Advisory Board. M-Dot Aerospace in Phoenix completed the muffler design and will build the units for Gulfstream.
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE received type certificate validation for the G550 business jet from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority in the Republic of Korea, clearing the way for operators of both G550 and G500 aircraft to register their aircraft in that country.
KEN ROBERTS was appointed president, helicopter engines, for Rolls-Royce, based in Indianapolis, Ind. Roberts previously served as executive vice president of helicopters for the engine manufacturer, with overall responsibility for strategy, business development and other areas. He has been with Rolls-Royce since 1981. Roberts succeeds Scott Crislip, who recently left the company to pursue another opportunity closer to his family.
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT received two follow-on contracts from the U.S. Air Force for 137 T-6A Texan II military trainers. The latest contracts, valued at $550 million, extend Hawker Beechcraft’s participation in the U.S. Air Force and Navy Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) program. The overall contract includes program and manufacturing management, program support, field service representatives, diminishing material shortage management, field maintenance training and aircrew training devices.
EMBRAER ERJ 170 and ERJ 190 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0119; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-304-AD; Amendment 39-15475; AD 2008-08-21] – This AD, which supersedes an existing directive, requires revising the “Limitations” section of the Airplane Flight Manual to prohibit the flightcrew from moving the throttle into the forward-thrust range immediately after applying the thrust reverser. For certain airplanes, this AD also requires installation of new, improved full-authority digital engine-control (FADEC) software.
VALERIE SCOTT is the new area human resources manager for Executive Beechcraft in Kansas City, Mo. Scott, who holds a degree in management/human resources from Park University, previously held a similar position with an automotive manufacturing company in El Paso, Texas.
GENERAL DYNAMICS’ Chairman Nicholas Chabraja, responding to a question from a financial analyst last week about the process of finding Chabraja’s successor, said the decision has been largely made by the company’s board of directors. “We’ll have an announcement for you some time next month,” he said.
FOKKER F.28 Mark 0070 and Mark 0100 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0117; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-273-AD; Amendment 39-15472; AD 2008-08-18] – Requires inspection of the piccolo tubes and the wing leading edge for damage, replacement of the Peri-seals or repair of the damage, as applicable.
DIAMOND AIRCRAFT completed the first flight of the Serial Number 003 D-JET April 14 from the company’s London, Ontario facility. The aircraft will be used for performance and handling quality refinement as well as to develop key systems, including avionics, fuel, autopilot, and anti-ice. Later this year S/N 003 will be fitted with the Williams FJ33-19 engine for testing with the production configuration powerplant.
The Federal Aviation Administration released guidance for Part 135 operators to determine whether they will have to take steps to obtain approval for new Extended Operations (ETOPS) requirements that are slated to take effect Aug. 13. ETOPS originally was scheduled to become effective Feb. 16, but the agency extended the requirements until August to give operators more time to understand the new ETOPS requirements, develop training and procedures and implement safety measures required by the final rule that was published in early 2007 (BA, Feb. 18/69).
ELLIOTT AVIATION completed the first retrofit of a Garmin G1000 integrated avionics suite in a King Air C90. Elliott, a Hawker Beechcraft authorized service center, was selected by Garmin to perform aftermarket installations of the G1000. Elliott Aviation’s Completion Center at Quad Cities International Airport (MLI) in Moline, Ill. completed the installation on a 1993 King Air for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The work also included application of new exterior coatings and aircraft servicing.
JULIE O’BRIEN was named director of marketing and public relations for ProJet Aviation of Winchester, Va. The company provides jet charter, management, consulting and aircraft hangar space at the Winchester, Va. Regional Airport (OKV). O’Brien previously was employed by Frederick Aviation and then Encore FBO LLC.
Chelton Flight Systems, the Boise, Idaho avionics specialist, is merging operations with its new sister company, S-Tec, in Mineral Wells, Texas. Chelton will move its operations from Boise to Mineral Wells by the end of 2008. Chelton currently has 45 employees on staff in Boise, but it is uncertain how many will move to Texas, said Rob Creighton, director of marketing for Chelton.
TIM SHIVLEY was named a charter pilot and client services manager for ProJet Aviation of Winchester, Va. Shivley was previously with Frederick Aviation/Encore FBO LLC in Frederick, Md. and was hired along with Julie O’Brien as part of the expansion of ProJet. “We needed to grow our staff along with Phase II of the company,” said ProJet President and CEO Shye Gilad. Plans call for expanding hangar space to more than 36,000 feet. ProJet currently manages a Gulfstream IV and is taking delivery of a Piaggio Avanti in June.
FOKKER F.27 Mark 050 and F.28 Mark 0100 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-0394; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-252-AD; Amendment 39-15457; AD 2008-08-05] – This proposed AD would require operators to verify that the J1/P1 and J2/P2 interface connectors in the passenger service units can be properly locked and that gaskets are present. Where necessary, operators would need to replace the affected J1 and J2 interface connector gaskets, following the instructions of Fokker Service Bulletin SBF50-25-061 or SBF100-25-108 (both dated March 31, 2006).
VIKING AIR LIMITED DHC-6-1, -100, -200 and -300 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0368; Directorate Identifier 2008-CE-007-AD] – This proposed AD would require modification and inspection of the wing front-spar adapter fitting and replacement of any cracked fittings found during inspections. This proposal, which resulted from an MCAI originated by Transport Canada, was prompted by reports of inter-rivet cracking on the horizontal and vertical flanges of several wing front-spar adapter assemblies. The FAA estimates that this proposed AD would affect 157 aircraft on the U.S.
DESPITE A WEAKENING ECONOMY in the U.S., the business aviation market “continues to look good to us,” General Dynamics Chairman Nicholas Chabraja told financial analysts last week. About 56-57 percent of aircraft orders logged by GD’s Gulfstream Aerospace during the first quarter came from international customers, he said. Chabraja characterized the backlog for the company’s 450/550 business jets as “problematic” because the time from order placement to aircraft delivery is too long.
LONG-TERM FAA REAUTHORIZATION is slated to move forward this week after months of delays, but a compromise deal to jump-start the bill could mean higher taxes for general aviation. See article on Page 192.
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE G150 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0120; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-327-AD; Amendment 39-15473; AD 2008-08-19] – Requires inspection for chafing and arcing damage to a feeder cable, terminal lug and ground point inside the left DC power box. Operators must repair those parts if any damage is found, install new heat-shrink tubing if the tubing is missing or damaged, and reposition the feeder cable in accordance with the instructions of Gulfstream Alert Service Bulletin 150-24A-046 (dated Oct. 31, 2007).
CONKLIN & DE DECKER will hold an Aircraft Acquisition Planning Seminar June 4-5 at the DoubleTree Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pa. The seminar will discuss a range of issues involving the acquisition of an aircraft, including determining the correct aircraft for the mission; understanding the costs; finding the best finance and lease options; considering ownership alternatives, understanding federal and state taxes and establishing a competitive operation.
HONDA AIRCRAFT COMPANY is continuing to build its sales and support network for the new HondaJet light jet, and plans to begin sales of the aircraft in Europe next month in conjunction with the annual European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Geneva. The company also selected the fifth location for a U.S. sales and service center. HondaJet East, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Flightline Group, will establish a new sales and service facility at Albany International Airport (ALB) in Albany, N.Y. for operators in the Northeast U.S.
EMBRAER launched a new maintenance support program, Tool on Time (ToT), to expand the company’s customer services in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Under TOT, an inventory of more than 130 maintenance tools and ground support equipment will be available to customers in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. ToT builds upon Embraer’s spare parts pooling program to ensure access to the most critical tools and ground support equipment necessary to complete repairs or other maintenance work.
