DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY'S proposal to establish a security program for large private aircraft took a big step backward after the Transportation Security Administration withdrew the proposal from Office of Management and Budget consideration. OMB had been reviewing the proposal for months, and DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff discussed the proposal in November - apparently in an attempt to spur action by OMB and get the rulemaking formally published in the Federal Register (BA, Nov. 12/218).
Cessna Aircraft selected authorized service stations in Wichita, Kan., Las Vegas, Nev. and West Columbia, S.C. to reassemble the company's light-sport SkyCatcher Model 162, the company announced last week during the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo. Eagle Aviation in West Columbia, Yingling Aviation in Wichita, and Southwest Platinum Aviation in North Las Vegas will reassemble SkyCatchers built in China.
RAM AIRCRAFT LP, a Waco, Texas-based aircraft engine overhaul and general aviation support center, was awarded Designated Alteration Station (DAS) status. Founded in 1976, RAM has secured approval for more than 100 Supplemental Type Certificates for engine, airframe and propeller upgrades and more than 800 Parts Manufacturer Approvals. The DAS award enables RAM to implement an efficient system for certifying STCs.
GE AVIATION selected Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly the University of Missouri-Rolla) for a new University Development Center (UDC) to be located in Rolla. "The engineering curriculum and academics at Missouri S&T are complementary to the skill set and requirements within our aerospace programs," said Stuart Mullan, president of the digital systems business of GE Aviation. The new UDC "will create a strong pool of emerging engineers to provide design and development work for our aerospace programs," Mullan said.
EMBRAER received a contract from the Ecuadorian company Petroecuador, Empresa Estatal Petroleos del Ecuador, for one ERJ 145. The contract includes a logistical package for replacement parts, technical support and crew training. Petroecuador will operate the aircraft from Quito to transport about 50,000 employees each year to the company's branches. Petroecuador will take delivery of the 50-seat jet in the second half of 2008.
MOMENTUM of Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) programs continues to grow at Cessna Aircraft and Cirrus Design. Cessna now has agreements with three independent service facilities to reassemble the SkyCatcher 162 in the U.S. following initial assembly in China. The Wichita manufacturer also is expected to announce selection of additional vendors for the SkyCatcher this month.
Socata is facing a critical year as the aircraft and aerostructures maker tries to assure its future, ranging from handing over of its first glass-cockpit fitted TBM 850 to potentially launching a new general aviation program. The EADS unit is currently in talks with potential partners to begin work on an eight-or-more-seat aircraft to augment its six-seater TBM 850, says Jean-Michel Leonard, Socata chairman and CEO. "We believe that we have the competence, capability, and credibility on the market to do more" than the TBM 850.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT appointed Touchwood Entertainment Ltd Aviation Academy Raipur to serve as the Wichita manufacturer's first Cessna Pilot Center (CPC) in India. Touchwood is situated on a five-acre complex in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India. The company ventured into aviation activities in 2004, offering ground handling services for airlines and private aircraft operators. Touchwood began offering flight training in 2007.
Named information services director for the Aircraft Electronics Association. Ward will be responsible for coordinating AEA information on the Web and through other emerging technologies. He previously was a digital engineer for Penton Media in Overland Park, Kan.
AVCORP INDUSTRIES completed its acquisition of the shares of Comtek Advanced Industries Inc. Comtek has invested $7 million to develop a proprietary resin infusion technology that is being used on the Airbus 380 program. Comtek, based in Burlington, Ontario, has 90 employees. Avcorp said the acquisition will give it "expertise in the design and competitive manufacture of advanced composite aerostructures" and provide access to new aerospace markets.
FRENCH MANUFACTURER SOCATA announced a new avionics suite and other upgrades for its hot-selling TBM 850 turboprop and officials said the company is considering building a larger aircraft, possibly a jet. See article below.
Engine maker GE Aviation formed a new General Aviation Operations division to handle products and services from new engines to aftermarket support for the general aviation segments, including products from the GE Honda Aero Engines joint venture. After GE completes its acquisition of Walter Engines, the Czech Republic manufacturer of small turboprops, those engines and services will be covered under the new division as well.
MCKECHNIE AEROSPACE recently acquired American Turbo Systems, a Tucson, Ariz.-based FAA-certified repair station that specializes in work on commercial and military auxiliary power units and manufacturing military ground carts. American Turbo Systems will retain its name and become part of the aftermarket support group of Hartwell Corp., a subsidiary of McKechnie. JLL Partners recently acquired McKechnie for $855.6 million.
EMB-135BJ airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-0129; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-099-AD; Amendment 39-15331; AD 2008-02-01] - Requires operators to check for the presence of cotton adhesive tape used in certain interior furnishings, and replacement of any cotton tape found with new tape, using the procedures outlined in EMBRAER Service Bulletin 145LEG-25-0080 (dated Oct. 10, 2006).
PC-12, PC-12/45 and PC-12/47 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-0116 Directorate Identifier 2007-CE-082-AD; Amendment 39-15333; AD 2008-02-03] - Check the special bolts that attach the main landing gear retraction actuators and the special bolts that attach the shock absorbers to the main landing gear assemblies to determine if they have serial numbers that start with the letters "AT" or have an "AT" following the numbers. If any such bolts are found, replace them before further flight with new bolts, following the instructions contained in PILATUS AIRCRAFT LTD.
THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT has finally given approval for Alenia Aeronautica to take a 25 percent stake in the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC), which is developing the Superjet 100 regional aircraft. Alenia now holds just one share above the 25 percent threshold, which gives the Italian company the control it sought. But the special status also required a special decree from Russian President Vladimir Putin because it breaches Russia's foreign ownership limits. With that decree in hand, Alenia also gets to name two of the seven SCAC members.
Adam Aircraft last week laid off more than one-third of its work force and suspended and/or moved certain operations from its plants in Ogden, Utah and Pueblo, Colo., while the company searches for another round of financing and completes the transformation from a start-up development company to a full scale aircraft manufacturer.
HELI-MART, the Costa Mesa, Calif., helicopter parts provider, acquired a majority interest in Phoenix Heliparts of Mesa, Ariz. Heli-Mart said the acquisition will boost its support capabilities for MD Helicopter operators. Heli-Mart provides an inventory of OEM parts and Phoenix Heliparts supports MD helicopters.
The American Association of Airport Executives is urging Congress to fix a technicality that has tied up all airport grant money for fiscal 2008. Congress appropriated $3.5 billion for Airport Improvement Program grants in fiscal 2008, but did not include language that would extend the Federal Aviation Administration's contract authority to spend those funds.
PRIVATAIR S.A. ordered a second Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, scheduled for delivery in 2016. The value of the order was not disclosed, but the list price for the 787 is $162 milllion. PrivatAir ordered another 787 earlier, which is due to be delivered in 2012. The 787s will be added to the operator's existing Boeing fleet, which includes a 767, a 757, a BBJ2 and two BBJ1s - all configured for either VIP or business-class use only.
FAA has a five-pronged plan to understand and combat aviation's contribution to climate change, a senior agency official said last week in Washington. FAA is crafting a "careful plan" to study the issue and to move toward a "carbon neutral future," said Daniel Elwell, FAA assistant administrator for aviation policy, planning and environment. The plan is in contrast to the "internationally unpopular path" the European Union is going down with its proposal to include aviation in its emissions trading scheme, he said.
As part of a financing arrangement under which ETIRC Aviation agreed to pump more than $100 million into Eclipse Aviation, the European firm has plans to build a new factory in Russia where Eclipse 500 Very Light Jets will be assembled for customers in ETIRC's wide-ranging distribution territory.
GOODRICH CORPORATION launched a $5.5 million facility expansion that will add 50,000 square feet to its maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Monroe, N.C. The expansion is slated for completion in 2008, allowing the company to increase capabilities and add services, including complex repairs of helicopter actuation products and large aircraft cargo systems. Opened in 2004, the facility currently encompasses 65,000 square feet.
