Clay Jones, the chairman, president and CEO of Rockwell Collins, was awarded the James Forrestal Industry Leadership Award by the National Defense Industrial Association.
CAE plans to increase its simulation and modeling capabilities with an agreement to acquire MultiGen Paradigm from Parallax Capital Partners, LLC for $16 million. The acquisition, which must receive U.S. clearance, is expected to be completed in May. MultiGen supplies real-time, commercial-off-the-shelf software for creating visualization and simulation products. CAE said the acquisition will enable the company to offer a "one-stop shop" for modeling and simulation along with professional services.
Gales Industries, Inc., a holding company that is seeking small companies supplying the aviation and aerospace industries, acquired Sigma Metals, Inc., a strategic metals distributor based in Deer Park, Long Island, New York. Sigma, which had 12-month revenues of approximately $18 million, will continue operating from its current location.
172R, 172S, 182T, T182T, 206H, and T206H airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27709; Directorate Identifier 2007-CE-028-AD; Amendment 39-15020; AD 2007-08-03] - Supersedes AD 2006-17-04, which requires inspecting the two end fittings on each of the flexible fuel hoses located in the engine compartment for the correct torque values, and, if any incorrect torque values are found during the inspection, tightening the hose end fittings to the correct torque values. This AD results from four reports of loose fuel lines connected to the fuel servo or fuel flow transducer.
THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD will hold a public meeting May 1 to discuss the circumstances of the Oct. 11, 2006 crash of a Cirrus Design SR-20 single-engine airplane into an apartment building in New York City. The aircraft was carrying New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and a flight instructor. The NTSB session begins at 9:30 a.m. in the NTSB Board Room, which is located below L'Enfant Plaza in southwest Washington, D.C.
AVCRAFT SUPPORT SERVICES retained the services of aviation consulting firm BACK Aviation Solutions to help attract customers to its service facility in Myrtle Beach, S.C. AvCraft currently provides service to operators of 328Jet and Do328 turboprop aircraft, but is attempting to attract operators of other types of regional airline aircraft. AvCraft's Myrtle Beach maintenance and repair base has more than 180,000-square feet of newly renovated hangar space, repair shops and a completion center. The facility is an FAA 145 and EASA 145 repair station.
EXECUTIVE JET MANAGEMENT added a Citation Excel based at the John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Santa Ana, Calif. to its charter fleet. The eight-place cabin is configured with a variety of amenities, including two DVD players, a CD player, four data ports, a flight phone and a galley with a microwave oven.
Was promoted to vice president, aircraft certification, engineering and interior design for Associated Air Center at Dallas Love Field. Reid, who joined Associated Air Center in 2006, has 30 years of industry experience. He has held engineering positions with Gulfstream Aerospace, Lockheed, Northrop Grumman, Martin Marietta and British Aerospace.
The Federal Aviation Administration Thursday proposed requiring new standards to ensure timely activation of airframe ice protection systems on Part 25 aircraft. The proposal would require Part 25 manufacturers to provide a means to clearly alert the flightcrew when an ice protection system (IPS) should be activated.
A STRENGTHENING business jet and turboprop market helped offset a slight decline in piston aircraft shipments in the first quarter of 2007, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. Manufacturers delivered 554 piston aircraft in the first quarter of 2007, down from the 600 shipped a year earlier. Turboprop deliveries, however, were up 30.5 percent to 77 and business jet shipments climbed 12.2 percent to 211 in the first quarter for a total of 842 deliveries. That compares with 847 general aviation aircraft shipped in first quarter 2006.
M7 AEROSPACE of San Antonio, Texas introduced a continuous rail cargo net option for the interior of its passenger-to-freight cargo conversions. The option allows cargo carriers to easily move the location of the cargo nets in the aircraft, creating zones of different sizes to accommodate different size loads without having to deal with screw fasteners. Attachment points for the cargo nets are located in three parallel rails or channels on the sidewalls of the freight compartment.
Massport has unveiled incentives to encourage passengers and taxis going to Boston Logan Airport to drive hybrid, alternative-fuel and alternative-powered vehicles. Announced on Earth Day, Massport will offer more than 100 preferred parking spots to customers driving hybrid and alternative fuel cars at Logan's Central garage, Terminal B garage, Terminal E surface lot and economy parking, starting May 1. Cab drivers will receive head-of-line privileges at the airport's taxi pool for cars that qualify as a clean-fuel vehicle.
THE ALREADY SHORT LIST of cities capable of accommodating the National Business Aviation Association convention officially got shorter last week as NBAA announced it is moving the 2008 show from New Orleans to Orlando, Fla. See article on Page 194.
LAWMAKERS have started to put together bills to reauthorize Federal Aviation Administration programs, and the Senate Commerce Committee could begin consideration of its version within the next couple of weeks. Both Senate Commerce and Finance are looking at aviation taxes, and a fuel tax increase is on the table, with Finance Committee members again raising concerns about fuel tax fraud - a non-issue according to the aviation community, but one that led to changes nearly two years ago in how jet fuel is taxed (BA, Aug. 1, 2005/44).
Aviall, Inc. reached agreement this month to acquire certain assets of Sisu Services, Inc., a supplier of brake and wheel services, parts and technical information. Based in Crown Point, Ind., Sisu began operating as an independent business unit of Aviation Product Repairs Services, effective April 16.
THE OFFICIAL WORD from GD is that Gulfstream will produce 82 of its large-cabin models this year and 83 next year. But Chabraja told financial analysts last week that company executives are looking at ways to possibly boost 2008 output to 88 large-cabin aircraft. See article on Page 196.
STG AEROSPACE won a contract from regional carrier SkyWest Airlines to supply its SafTGlo floorpath marking system on 200 Bombardier CRJs. The order was one of the largest that STG has received. The SafTGlo system, which will replace the existing electrical floorpath lighting, uses a photoluminescent (glow-in-the-dark) marking system that absorbs and stores light from normal cabin lighting and then emits the light for emergency exit guidance for up to 16 hours in darkness. STG said the system is a low-cost alternative to electrical systems.
ERA CORPORATION was selected to provide wide area multilateration and ADS-B surveillance in Latvia. The contract, from Latvijas Gaisa Satiksme (LGS), includes wide area multilateration for Riga International Airport. Era was previously selected to provide ground surveillance and vehicle tracking at Riga International, which is the largest airport in the Baltic states. The Era equipment will provide surveillance of at least 80 nautical miles from the airport.
JET SOURCE, a Carlsbad, Calif.-based aviation services, charter and management company, will host a celebration for its 10-year anniversary May 15 at its headquarters at McClellan-Palomar Airport. The firm was founded in April 1997 with two Learjet 35 aircraft and an air carrier certificate. Since then the company has expanded its fleet to 12 aircraft and its services to include charter, management, maintenance, avionics service, fuel sales, and special mission aircraft completions.
Dassault's Falcon 7X business jet Friday was awarded type certification from both the European Aviation Safety Agency and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, clearing the way for the business jet to enter service by the end of June. The certification comes not quite six years after Dassault first announced plans to build a long-range business jet - initially dubbed the FNX - that rounds out the top of Dassault's line of high-end business jets (BA, June 25, 2001/293).
Was appointed FBO manager for BizJet International. Worden has eight years of aviation industry experience and previously was director of business development for Jetsource Charter Inc.
THOSE PLANNING TO ATTEND the Dave Ewald Memorial Gathering this Friday at the Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains, N.Y. are being asked to RSVP to Char Roush at Specialized Publications in Kansas City so the Ewald family can plan accordingly. Roush can be reached at (800) 444-9932 or via e-mail at [email protected]. The memorial gathering is scheduled for 5 p.m. May 4 at the Avitat-Westchester FBO.
Model Falcon 2000EX and 900EX airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27849; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-249-AD] - Proposes to require inspection of certain fuselage skin panels for missing rivets, holes and cracks and contacting the manufacturer if the holes are out-of-round beyond tolerance, or if cracks are found. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency.
ABC TAXI AEREO, an EADS Socata service center in Brazil, signed a contract to serve as a distributor for the TBM 850 turboprop manufactured by Socata. Based in Uberlandia and Belo Horizonte, ABC Taxi has been providing air taxi service, aircraft sales and maintenance on turbine-powered aircraft for 30 years. The company, which has 119 employees, is a subsidiary of Grupo Algar, a holding company with annual revenues of more than $750 million.
