PLANESMART! AVIATION reached agreement with T Bank to offer various financial packages to PlaneSmart fractional customers. The packages will provide funding for a fractional share without collateralizing the airplane, which PlaneSmart said was a key stumbling block to funding. PlaneSmart offers shares in a $550,000 Cirrus SR22 aircraft for a minimum of $12,500 down and payments of $1,570 per month.
A Hawker 800XP business jet was substantially damaged after it caught fire while the crew was making a third takeoff attempt in about 20 minutes last month.
THE CITY OF NEW YORK is seeking proposals from firms interested in providing fixed-base operator services at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. The proposal process is being handled through the New York City Department of Small Business Services. A copy of the RFP can be downloaded from the agency's Web site at: http://www.nycedc.com/Web/AvailableProjects/AvailableProjects.htm. Proposals must be received by Dec. 14 at 3 p.m. For more information, contact Patricia Ornst, Project Manager, at (212) 312-4226 or via e-mail at [email protected].
EAGLEPICHER TECHNOLOGIES, a producer of batteries and energetic devices for aerospace, defense, space and commercial industries, opened a research and development center in Joplin, Mo. The center will expand EaglePicher's technology research and development activities involving battery electrochemistries and affiliated technologies such as energetic devices for land, sea, air and space applications. The new research team will look at technologies including ultracapacitators and fuel cell applications as well as possibilities for nanotechnology and nanomaterials.
CARMANAH received an order to supply its solar-powered portable airfield lights for use throughout the Republic of Singapore. The order, placed through Carmanah's authorized distributor in Singapore, Power Force Technologies Pte Ltd., is valued at about $600,000. The lights, which can be quickly installed wherever required, will be used for emergency preparedness efforts. The radio-controlled solar-powered lights include airfield lights and "distance-to-go" marker lights.
CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet series 100 and 440) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-0185; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-246-AD] - This proposed AD would require operators to perform a detailed inspection for the presence of an anodized (blue color) fuel boost pump reducer coupling, according to the instructions contained in Bombardier Service Bulletin 601R-28-057 (dated Dec. 4, 2003).
Garmin International announced a significant expansion of its aviation products sales and marketing team, a response to the strong success the company has enjoyed in the aviation market in recent years. The changes, effective immediately, "are designed to position Garmin's aviation sector for continued expansion in all facets of the general aviation market," the Olathe, Kan. manufacturer said. "This is a very exciting time for Garmin," said Carl Wolf, senior director, aviation marketing and sales.
TBM 700 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-0158; Directorate Identifier 2007-CE-081-AD; Amendment 39-15253; AD 2007-23-07] - Requires inspection of the main landing gear wheel axles for conformity and replacement of the lockwasher, if necessary, in accordance with EADS SOCATA TBM Aircraft Mandatory Service Bulletin Number SB 70-151, Amendment 1 (dated September 2007). This AD resulted from an MCAI issued by the DGAC, the aviation authority for France. This directive becomes effective Nov. 28. For more information, contact Albert J.
ELLIOTT AVIATION recently completed an extensive refurbishment of a 1980 Hawker 700A with an interior designed to resemble those installed in new Hawker 800XPs, the company said.
Was promoted to director of service engineering for Gulfstream Aerospace. Karst will manage engineering support of all in-service Gulfstream aircraft. Karst has served with Gulfstream for 24 years, beginning as a liaison engineer in Gulfstream's Service Engineering department. In 1997, he was promoted to structures group head. Most recently, he was service engineering manager. Before joining Gulfstream, Karst was a liaison engineer for Canadair Ltd.
MILLENNIUM CONCEPTS, based in Wichita, Kan., received a follow-on order from Quest Aircraft for production interiors for the Kodiak utility airplane. The Kodiak won FAA certification earlier this year. Milliennium has developed three interior packages - the Tundra, Timberline, and Summit - that provide eight- to ten-passenger configurations and range from utility to business aircraft style design.
U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION Wednesday formally extended the comment period for its proposal requiring advance notice and approval for general aviation international flights (BA, Sept. 17/115). The comment period, originally due to close today (Nov. 19), was extended until Dec. 4. Both the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the National Business Aviation Association requested a 60-day extension (BA, Nov. 5/206), but CBP declined to provide more than 15 days additional time.
Was appointed senior vice president and general manager of Jet Aviation Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Bernegger has served with Jet Aviation for more than 15 years, holding positions of increasing responsibility within the company's EMEA & Asia aircraft charter and management divisions in Zurich, Switzerland. He was named senior vice president and general manager of the EMEA & Asia charter division in November 2000. While in that role, the charter operation doubled its net sales, and he helped launch Jet Aviation's new "Skylliance" charter partner program.
SERVICEELEMENTS won a three-year agreement to provide its Service Culture Enhancement programs for employees at Landmark Aviation's four maintenance repair and overhaul operations in the U.S. ServiceElements will assess Landmark Aviation service and then develop a series of workshops, seminars, Web-based programs and consulting services for the company's managers, supervisors and front-line technicians. ServiceElements expects that about 1,000 Landmark employees will participate in the various programs.
ARINC is planning to build an extensive network of VHF air-ground stations in the Middle East. ARINC already has installed two VHF stations at Bahrain and Dubai, and said it "now plans an aggressive rollout of VHF stations across the region to support the increasing requirement for ARINC data link services in the Middle East." ARINC also is expanding its coverage in Africa with the deployment of VHF stations in Nairobi, Johannesburg, and Capetown in the coming months.
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer is painting a bullish forecast for strong sales of both business aviation and airline airplanes over the next 10 and 20 years.
PRESIDENT BUSH Thursday urged Congress to pass a long-term FAA reauthorization bill, saying, "If we really want to solve the problem, it's time for Congress to modernize the FAA." Bush noted that his Administration has supplied a "blueprint" that looks at congestion pricing and a new FAA financing mechanism [user fees]. He lauded Sens. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) for their leadership in the reauthorization effort. Both Lott and Rockefeller have been pushing for a $25 air traffic control user fee.
November 28 - FAA 4th Annual International Aviation Safety Forum, Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Va. (202) 267-3883 December 10 - American Association of Airport Executives, Seventh Annual Aviation Security Summit, Arlington, Va., Contact Carter Morris at (703) 824-0500 or e-mail [email protected] December 10-13 - National Agricultural Aviation Association, Annual Conference and Expo, Reno, Nev., Contact NAAA at (202) 546-5722
JETCRAFT TRADING, the recently established strategic alliance between Jetcraft Corp. and Jet Aviation, will offer aircraft sales and acquisition services at Jet Aviation's Dubai facility for clients in the Middle East.
ATR received a memorandum of understanding from Malaysia Airlines for 10 ATR 72-500s with options for five more. The contract, valued at $285 million including the options, calls for the aircraft to be delivered in 2009 and 2010. Malaysia Airlines subsidiary MASWings will operate the aircraft to expand service to the states of Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia. The new ATR 72-500s will be configured with 68 seats.
WHILE LOOKING AT CONGESTION PRICING as one longer term approach to relieving congestion, Bush and Transportation Secretary Mary Peters last week announced a series of short-term initiatives for the heavily traveled holiday season. These include opening military airspace along the East Coast and putting a "holiday moratorium" on all non-essential maintenance, construction and renovation projects at FAA facilities so the agency can dedicate personnel and equipment to the flow of traffic.
The Environmental Protection Agency Friday released a notice seeking comment on a petition from the Friends of the Earth environmental group for a study of the health and environmental impacts of lead emissions from general aviation gasoline. The group in 2006 appealed to EPA to find that lead emissions from aviation gasoline "cause or contribute to air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare," the EPA noted. The environmental group further asked EPA to propose emission standards for lead in avgas.
