Model TBM 700 airplanes [Docket No.FAA-2006-25581; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-41-AD] - Revises an earlier proposal for an inspection to determine whether the nose landing gear has certain hinge pins, and replacement if the hinge pins in question are found. The AD also includes interim operating restrictions for affected airplanes to reduce possible stress on the nose landing gear until the hinge pins can be replaced. That proposal stems from mandatory continuing information (MCAI) released by the European Aviation Safety Agency.
In a move that would further expand its presence in the U.S. aerospace market, Britain's Meggitt plc has struck a tentative agreement to acquire aircraft wheels and brakes supplier K&F Industries for $1.8 billion.
The companies buying Raytheon Aircraft Company (RAC) announced plans for a private placement offering of $1.2 billion. Hawker Beechcraft Notes Company, a subsidiary of Hawker Beechcraft, Inc. (HBI), plans to issue a series of senior fixed-rate, floating rate and subordinated notes due between 2015 and 2017. HBI is a new entity formed by GS Capital Partners and Onex Partners to acquire Wichita-based RAC for $3.3 billion (BA, Jan. 1/2). That deal is expected to close in the first half of 2007.
HAWKER AIRCRAFT SERVICES (HAS) in Little Rock, Ark. was selected by NetJets to receive the fractional aircraft provider's annual trophy for Best Heavy Maintenance Provider during 2006. NetJets is the largest customer of HAS, which is part of Raytheon Aircraft Company. HAS provides facility services and heavy maintenance on NetJet's fleet of RAC-built business jets, 71 Hawker 400SPs and Hawker 800XPs.
AFTER YEARS of struggling to make money, fractional aircraft provider NetJets is now succeeding in getting some of that company's huge revenue stream to the bottom line, according to Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway bought NetJets nearly a decade ago. See article on Page 107.
ASSOCIATED AIR CENTER (AAC) recently delivered a Boeing 757-200 refurbished with a new interior. The Dallas-based completion specialist originally fitted the aircraft interior in 1994, when the 757 was owned by a different customer. AAC also has performed all the regularly scheduled maintenance checks on the aircraft. The new interior was designed with a contemporary look to provide a sense of space and light, AAC said. AAC is a Designated Completion Center and Factory Authorized Service Center for the Boeing Business Jet.
CENTRAL COAST JET CENTER, based at Santa Maria Airport, said business has jumped since the addition late last year of U.S. Customs Service. Customs service is available Tuesday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but call-out service is offered seven days a week. Central Coast said the airport draws customers en route from the Hawaiian Islands, Pacific Rim and Mexico. Central Coast Jet Center is an Avfuel dealer and provides a range of services.
GROB RESUMES FLIGHT TESTING Grob Aerospace late last month resumed the flight test program for the G180 SPn light jet after taking nearly a three-month hiatus following the crash of the No. 2 prototype (BA, Dec. 4/253). Grob test aircraft No. 1 took to the skies again Feb. 23, and the company expects to fly the No. 3 aircraft for the first time in the second quarter. Grob Aerospace also plans to add aircraft No. 4, a fully conforming test airplane, in the early fall of 2007.
Was appointed director of marketing for Landmark Aviation. Bosemer will be responsible for program and product development and managing market data. He formerly served as Landmark Aviation's avionics and airframe sales manager based in Scottsdale, Ariz. Bosemer joined Landmark predecessor company Garrett Aviation Services in Los Angles in 1999. He also worked at Mid-Continent Instruments, Pacific Southwest Instruments and Narco Avionics.
Model EMB-135 airplanes and Model EMB-145, -145ER, -145MR, - 145LR, -145XR, -145MP, and -145EP airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25925; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-167-AD; Amendment 39-14934; AD 2007-04-03] - Supersedes an existing AD that requires repetitive inspections of the pitot static heating relay K0057 and corrective actions, if necessary. That AD also requires doing a modification that will end the requirement for repetitive inspections.
PIAGGIO AERO INDUSTRIES delivered two P.180 Avanti II turboprop aircraft to Guardia di Finanza, Italy's border patrol agency. In addition to the two new Avanti's, the border patrol operates a fleet of 12 Piaggio Aero P.166 aircraft.
Socialist, green, liberal democrats and right wing members of the European parliament slammed the European Commission for pushing through restriction on liquids in carry-on baggage, during the parliament's plenary session this week in Strasbourg. Parliament members claim the ban creates unnecessary annoyance for passengers. Speakers warned that the EU would be seen as responsible for airport chaos and spilling "lakes of perfume and whisky."
Embraer this month is beginning final assembly of its Phenom 100 prototype in preparation for a midyear first flight. The Brazilian manufacturer recently assembled several fuselage sections at the Embraer factory in Botucatu. Embraer said the assembly confirmed that the components conform to the CATIA V5 virtual design. Final assembly will begin at the Embraer production plant in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil.
ELLIOTT AVIATION, working with the Omaha Aviation Authority, is undergoing a $2.5 million renovation at its Eppley Airfield fixed-base operation. The Eppley Airfield facility has provided aircraft sales, maintenance, charter, and fuel and line services since 1982. The first phase of the project will include an additional 2,000 square feet in the lobby area and renovations to the exterior, the main and airfield entrances, the passenger and pilot's lounges, conference facilities and restrooms. The first phase is expected to be completed in May.
Raytheon Aircraft Company promoted Ted Farid to the newly created position of vice president, new business development, and Sean McGeough to vice president, international sales, in moves the company said reflect the continued growth of both the U.S. and international markets.
The market for civil helicopters is poised for dramatic growth with engine-maker Honeywell forecasting a 40 percent jump in demand in the next five years and the potential for some 8,000 deliveries through 2017. Honeywell's 2007 helicopter outlook was even more bullish than the 2006 forecast, which predicted a market for nearly 6,000 new civil helicopters in the 11 years between 2006 and 2016 (BA, March 6, 2006/105).
Was promoted to vice president for aircraft asset management and client relations for KaiserAir, Inc., an aircraft management company and full-service provider of business jet services based at the Oakland, Calif. International North Airport (OAK). Guerra, 39, joined KaiserAir in 1994 as a pilot after graduating from California State University - East Bay with a bachelor's degree in business administration.
SHELL AVIATION and SFO Fuel Company LLC, a consortium of 42 major airlines serving San Francisco International Airport, signed a long-term fuel storage agreement that will substantially increase the airport's on-site supply of jet fuel. To fulfill the agreement, Shell Aviation converted a nearby former gasoline storage facility in South San Francisco that will nearly double the airport's access to jet fuel and provide the consortium with an additional five days of secure fuel supply.
Fractional aircraft operator NetJets posted pre-tax earnings of $143 million in 2006 after the company was able to turn around its European operations, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett said in his annual letter to shareholders. "A much improved situation is emerging at NetJets," he said. "This company has never had a problem growing: Revenues from flight operations have increased 596 percent since our purchase in 1998. But profits had been erratic."
Robinson Helicopter Company, which has dominated the light piston-powered helicopter market for years, said Friday it is developing a new five-place helicopter that will be powered by a single Rolls-Royce 300 engine, a powerplant that the engine company hopes to get certificated by the end of this year.
Really did get promoted by Elliott Aviation, but BA did not report her new title correctly in the Feb. 26 issue. Stein, who joined Elliott in 1998 as marketing administrator, is the company's new director of marketing. She will oversee all advertising, public relations and sales support programs. Her promotion was announced by Dan Frahm, a 26-year veteran at Elliott, who recently was named vice president of sales and marketing (BA, Jan. 22/44).
Model 500, 501, 550, 551, S550, 560, 560XL, and 750 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27258; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-213-AD] - proposes to supersede an existing AD that applies to certain Cessna Model 500, 550, S550, 560, 560XL, and 750 airplanes. The existing AD currently requires installing identification sleeves on the wires for the positive and negative terminal studs of the engine and/or auxiliary power unit (APU) fire extinguishing bottles, as applicable, and re-connecting the wires to the correct terminal studs.
THE NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION and the American Association of Airport Executives are co-hosting the 2007 Airports and FBO Symposium March 19 in Orlando, Fla, in conjunction with NATA's annual convention in Orlando. The Airports and FBO Symposium will provide an open forum for discussions between industry leaders and representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration, Environmental Protection Agency and Transportation Security Administration.
