Business jet operators are facing a 14-cents-per-gallon jump in jet fuel taxes under separate measures passed by the full House and the Senate Finance Committee, but the general aviation community lauded legislators in both chambers for pushing forward measures that would maintain the current system of fuel taxes instead of incorporating new user fees.
TAC AIR is expanding its hangar space at two of its fixed-base operations to meet the demand from the growing general aviation population. The company is adding a 25,000-square-foot hangar at its facility at Tyson-McGhee Airport (TYS) in Knoxville, Tenn. and a 35,000-squre-foot hangar at Centennial Airport (APA) near Denver, Colo. The TYS hangar is scheduled for completion by the end of the year. Construction on the APA hangar will begin soon and be completed in spring 2008.
TAC AIR is expanding its network of fixed-base operations with an agreement to purchase the assets of Southern Jet of Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (RDU). The deal is expected to close Oct. 1, bringing TAC Air its first FBO in North Carolina. The addition will increase the TAC Air chain to 12 FBOs.
Named program administrator for initial phase certification for the Gulfstream Designated Certification Office (GDCO) at Gulfstream Aerospace. She will be responsible for ensuring compliance with FAA guidelines for aircraft configuration changes made in the initial phase of manufacturing that affect the model's type certificate. The GDCO oversees all Organizational Designation Authorization (ODA), including efforts to obtain Production, Type and Supplemental Type Certificates from FAA.
Promoted to executive vice president, policy and external affairs, for Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA). McElroy joined the airports trade association as senior vice president late last year after spending nearly 20 years with the Regional Airline Association, where she was president from 2000 until her resignation. At ACI-NA, McElroy oversees management of the organization's Government Affairs Department and the efforts of lobbying firm Van Scoyoc Associates, Inc. on behalf of ACI-NA.
ITT CORP., which just won the contract to develop the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system for the Next Generation air traffic control system, said last week it will buy EDO Corp., another aerospace and defense company, for $1.7 billion in stock purchases and debt. ITT said the acquisition will position it to play an important role in a number of key U.S. military programs.
The recently formed Sentient Flight Group promoted Steven Hankin to chief executive succeeding Greg Campbell, who will remain as chairman of the aviation services company. Hankin had served as president and chief operating officer of the company formed in April 2007 through the merger of JetDirect Aviation and Sentient Jet.
Honeywell is predicting that business jet manufacturers will deliver some 14,000 new aircraft valued at more than $233 billion from 2007 through 2017 as OEMs gear up to produce unprecedented numbers of high-value aircraft each year for the foreseeable future.
400, 400A and 400T airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-28308; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-016-AD; Amendment 39-15195; AD 2007-19-05] - Modify the attachment fasteners on the engine cowling panels in accordance with Raytheon Service Bulletin SB 54-3788 (dated December 2006). The FAA issued this AD to prevent failure of the attachment fasteners on the engine cowling panels, which could result in separation of a panel from the airplane, injury to people or damage to property on the ground, or damage to airplane structure that could threaten safe flight.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT, which has a long tradition of developing new aircraft models in house rather than through acquisition, was believed to be in serious negotiations last week to acquire Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Corp. Columbia produces eight different versions of two models, the Columbia 350, which is powered by a normally aspirated piston engine, and the Columbia 400 series, powered by intercooled, twin-turbocharged engines. Cessna's current single-engine models - the 172, 182 and 206 - are based on decades-old designs and technology.
ORGANIZERS of the Farnborough International Airshow claim exhibit sales for the 2008 event are up 35 percent, compared with the same time two years ago in advance of the 2006 show. At the current rate of bookings, organizers say exhibit space could be sold out in October. For more information, contact www.farnborough.com.
FIRSTFLIGHT, the Elmira, N.Y.-based aviation services company, relocated its Teterboro, N.J. sales office to the Atlantic Aviation facility at Teterboro Airport. The arrangement with Atlantic will include hangar space availability, negotiated fleet fuel pricing, and on-site maintenance capabilities. FirstFlight, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, employs more than 100 people at its locations in Elmira/Corning, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa., Garden City, Kan. and Teterboro.
PIAGGIO is claiming a speed record for its P.180 Avanti II for a flight from Indianapolis to Atlanta. The aircraft, powered by upgraded Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) PT6-66B turboprops, flew 397 nautical miles from Indianapolis to DeKalb Peachtree Airport in one hour and nine minutes, averaging a ground speed of 345 knots, the manufacturer said. Piaggio said the Avanti and Avanti II collectively hold 18 speed records. The Atlanta trip was the first attempt at a speed record involving an Avanti II with upgraded engines, the manufacturer said.
Named vice president of sales for in-flight entertainment specialist digEcor. Christiansen has 18 years of international sales, marketing and business development experience in the computer industry. He served as vice president of global sales and marketing for Certiport and director of strategic alliances for SCO Group. Christiansen also spent seven years in product management and software development with WordPerfect and Novell.
UTILICRAFT AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES signed a contract with M7 Aerospace LP of San Antonio, Texas for the design and development of the pre-production prototype wing and powerplant installation for Utilicraft's new FF-1080 new freight feeder aircraft. The FF-1080-200 is a high-wing, twin-engine turboprop designed to carry eight fully loaded LD3 cargo containers up to 500 nautical miles, or lighter loads over ranges of up to 2,000 nautical miles. The aircraft will be powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PW 127G engines.
Henry P. Krakowski, a veteran United Airlines pilot and operations executive, was named chief operating officer of FAA's Air Traffic Organization (ATO) Monday, ending a search that began nearly seven months ago when Russ Chew resigned from the COO job to take a senior executive post with JetBlue. FAA Deputy Administrator Bobby Sturgell will continue to serve as acting COO of the air traffic organization until Krakowski comes aboard next week.
MATT WEISMAN, who founded Executive Air Fleet in the 1970s and was a major player in the charter business for many years, is now president of a company selling a new aircraft paint protection system. Weisman co-founded Atlanta-based CareJet Services, which is promoting a new polymer paint protection system developed by Dow Corning and ProguardPlus. Weisman's partner in CareJet Services is Dassault Falcon veteran Jean-Claude Biget, who is president of CareJet Services SAS, which is based at Le Bourget Airport in Paris.
ACTING FAA ADMINISTRATOR Bobby Sturgell, local politicians and airport officials dedicated a new control tower at Dulles International Airport (IAD) last Monday. The new facility stands more than 10 stories tall, providing controllers a 360-degree view of the airfield and aircraft movement areas. Sturgell noted that the new tower is a key part of the airport's development, with a third parallel runway at IAD expected to come on line in late 2008 or early 2009.
Appointed director of North American Airline Sales for digEcor. He previously was director - commercial aviation sales and business development for VT Miltope Corp. Before that Kendrick was national accounts manager for Verizon Airfone and manager of sales and marketing for Panasonic Avionics (formerly Matsushita), where he managed Delta Airlines' on-board entertainment and telephone systems.
INNOTECH AVIATION has begun construction of a 41,000-square-foot, two-bay hangar that will house a state-of-the-art paint facility. The hangar, being built on Montreal's Pierre Trudeau International (Dorval) Aircraft, will be large enough to accept business jets as large as the Bombardier Global Express XRS. The new paint facility, expected to be operational by spring, "is uniquely designed to ventilate and spray with a nose-to-tail cross-draft," explained Rob Brooks, vice president and general manager.
JETALLIANCE, Cessna Aircraft's authorized sales representative for Russia and Eastern Europe, placed an order valued at $105 million for 10 Citation business jets. The order includes one CJ1+, two CJ2+, two CJ3, three XLS+ and two Sovereign business jets. JetAlliance, based in Vienna, Austria, ordered 25 Citations valued at $280 million this spring (BA, May 28/243). In addition to serving as Cessna's authorized representative, JetAlliance is the third largest charter operator Europe.
