THE 19TH ANNUAL GREATER WASHINGTON AVIATION OPEN (GWAO), held May 7 at the Lansdowne Resort in Virginia, raised $127,000 for the Corporate Angel Network (CAN), the non-profit organization that arranges free flights aboard business jets for cancer patients seeking treatment. This year's GWAO attracted the participation of more than 80 aviation corporations and associations representing 37 states and several countries. The golf and tennis tournament also included participation by officials from Capitol Hill and federal agencies.
Farmers in Canada will be able to buy 11,000 acres of land at Montreal Mirabel International Airport under a report submitted to Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon by the facility's transition committee. The airport, which opened in 1975, is currently being used for cargo flights and by manufacturer Bombardier. The committee recommendations will now be studied by the Canadian government.
Alcoa executives responsible for the company's $3 billion per year aerospace business say they agree with Morgan Stanley analysts that the upturn in the commercial jet market is likely to extend until 2010 or 2011. The latest prediction is more positive than an earlier assessment that the upturn will end in 2008 or 2009, partly due to a growing economic rationale for fleet replacement - the need for greater fuel efficiency.
Pilot and safety advocacy organizations blasted a decision by Brazilian officials to recommend prosecution of two ExcelAire pilots whose Legacy business jet was involved in a midair collision with a Gol Airlines 737 last September over Brazil.
Triumph Group Inc., which designs, builds, repairs and overhauls a wide range of aircraft components and accessories, expects to generate revenues of more than $1 billion in fiscal 2008, officials said this month, continuing a period of strong growth for the Wayne, Pa. firm.
Was named senior vice president and chief financial officer for Triumph Group, effective June 1. Kornblatt, a certified public accountant who holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Drexel University, replaces John R. Bartholdson, who retired. Most recently, Kornblatt was senior vice president finance and CFO at Carpenter Technology Corp., a manufacturer and distributor of specialty alloys and engineered products.
MITRE CORPORATION developed a Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) Beacon radio for small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) that the McLean, Va. non-profit research firm said will help facilitate the safe introduction of the UAS vehicles into the national airspace system. MITRE said that the UAT units will transmit data about the UAS position and velocity, enabling pilots to better detect and track the small aircraft. The UAT Beacon radio uses a waveform compatible with the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system that is planned for deployment.
THE SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE is expected this week to consider its version of a comprehensive bill to reauthorize FAA programs and impose a new $25 user fee for air traffic control services. The Senate Finance Committee appears on track to release its portion of an FAA reauthorization bill that focuses on aviation taxes within the next couple weeks. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has been holding a series of reauthorization hearings and is targeting release of its bill before Congress takes off for its week-long Memorial Day break.
BALLISTIC RECOVERY SYSTEMS (BRS) said it is working with Diamond Aircraft to develop a parachute system for the five-seat DA50 Super Star. BRS, which provides full-aircraft parachute systems for Cirrus Design aircraft and other models, said the DA50 Super Star will be certified to fly without a parachute. The joint development program is designed to yield a system that can be offered as an option. "This arrangement, upon completion, will represent another step that will make our vision of parachutes on more airplanes a reality," said Larry Williams, president of BRS.
A BAN on Stage 2 business jets also still appears to be on the table during the reauthorization process. New Jersey legislators, including Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D) and Rep. Steve Rothman (D), have indicated that they would like to see Stage 2 business jets banned in their state. Others legislators are discussing a possible phase-out of Stage 2 business jets.
The Joint Planning and Development Office needs fundamental changes if it is going to be successful in moving forward on the next-generation air traffic control system, Pete Bunce, president and chief executive of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, told a congressional panel last week. Testifying before the House aviation subcommittee, Bunce said the government partnership formed to run JPDO has "failed to adequately mature," as key members such as NASA focus on other priorities.
Was named president of PATS Aircraft LLC, the Georgetown, Del. enterprise owned by DeCrane Aerospace that designs and installs long-range fuel tanks for Boeing Business Jets and also performs completions and modifications for business, VIP and head-of-state aircraft customers around the world. Weaver has been with DeCrane since 1997 and will continue his present duties as president of Hollingsead International, Inc., the Ventura, Calif. avionics systems integrator.
COLUMBIA AIRCRAFT last week began recalling employees furloughed in late March so the Bend, Ore. plane-maker can begin accelerating its aircraft production rates. Columbia furloughed the employees while it upgraded tooling, improved its production line and implemented Lean Enterprise practices (BA, March 26/143). The company held two Lean Enterprise training sessions with furloughed employees in anticipation of their return to work. Assembly, upholstery and subassembly workers were among the first to be recalled, with remaining workers to be recalled as needed.
VIKING AIR LIMITED, the Victoria, B.C. firm that plans to put an updated version of the Twin Otter utility aircraft back into production, named Dominique Spragg vice president of manufacturing. Spragg's appointment signals the beginning of an effort to strengthen and add depth to the company's management team as Viking transitions from a builder of spare parts to a full-scale manufacturer of new aircraft, according to Dave Curtis, president and CEO, who recently announced the launch of the Series 400 Twin Otter program (BA, April 16/175).
METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON AIRPORTS AUTHORITY hopes to have a registered traveler (RT) program in place at Dulles and National airports by early fall, according to Rochelle Cameron, manager of MWAA's administration department, who was speaking at an American Association of Airport Executives' RT conference last week. The authority is preparing a request for proposals for an RT service provider.
May 15-17 - Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association Spring Conference, Scottsdale Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort, Scottsdale, Ariz. Registration and conference information available at www.raccaonline.org May 21-24 - Regional Airline Association Annual Convention, Memphis Convention Center, Memphis, Tenn., Contact Joe Gordon at (202) 367-1170. May 22-24 - European Business Aviation Association Convention and Exposition EBACE2007, Geneva, Switzerland, (202) 783-9000.
Model TB 9, TB 10, and TB 200 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27432; Directorate Identifier 2007-CE-017-AD] - Proposes new life limits for engine and nose landing gear mounts installed on the affected airplanes and to require the addition of updated information in the Airworthiness Limitation Sections of the Aircraft Maintenance Manual. The proposal stems from MCAI from the European Aviation Safety Agency. FAA estimates the proposal would cover 146 aircraft on the U.S. Registry at a cost of $5,840, or $40 per aircraft. Comments on the proposal are due May 24.
Jim May, the president of the Air Transport Association, expressed some satisfaction last week that Congress is actively considering new user fees on those who fly in the National Airspace System, and confidence that Congress will adopt some form of FAA reauthorization legislation by the end of the year.
Statements from witnesses who knew the pilot of a Beech Baron that broke up over Georgia last month suggest that the aircraft's structural failure probably resulted from the pilot's obsession with performing aerobatics in the aircraft. The April 22 crash killed the pilot and all four passengers.
Acknowledging the growing importance of environmental issues in aerospace businesses, Boeing said May 4 it has established a company-wide Environment, Health and Safety organization and named a 23-year company veteran, Mary Armstrong, to be its vice president. Citing Boeing's concern with "environmental performance of our products and services" and compliance with environmental regulations, CEO Jim McNerney said the new organization will develop an integrated strategic plan for the company, also encompassing its work with suppliers and customers.
Model P-180 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27723; Directorate Identifier 2007-CE-029-AD] - Proposes to require replacement of the outboard flap track forward bushing and the outboard flap track forward support. The proposal also would require repetitive inspections of the outboard flap track forward support for traces of corrosion or other damage, and repair, if necessary. The proposal stems from MCAI from the European Aviation Safety Agency, which cited a report of failure of the forward support of the main wing outboard flap.
SANDEL AVIONICS won FAA Technical Standard Order (TSO) approval of its SA4550 primary attitude display. The modular, LED-backlit SA4550 is designed for retrofit installations in Cessna Citations, Series 20 Learjets and other business jets and turboprops with 4-ATI or 5-ATI panel displays. The introductory price of the SA4550 is $20,500.
