Named director of quality and organizational excellence at Associated Air Center. Greer will be responsible for all quality and safety certifications, including ISO9000 for the Dallas Love Field-based facility. He formerly was a process leader for Associated Air Center, and before that was director of operations at Hampson Texstars, where he was responsible for manufacturing activities of the plastics and composites manufacturer. He also has served as director of operations at GTM Plastics.
Jet Aviation Ceo Heinz Kohli stepped down last week to "seek a new challenge outside of the company," Jet Aviation said. Jet Aviation said the move was prompted by differences over the future strategy of the company. Carl Hirschmann, son of the late Jet Aviation Founder Carl W. Hirschmann, has agreed to serve as interim CEO until a permanent replacement is found. "The board of directors is convinced that he will successfully continue with the company's growth strategy," the company said.
CIT Group Inc. has surpassed $1 billion in total lease and loan originations with owners of aircraft operated by NetJets, the aircraft financing firm said. CIT also formally announced a fleet financing program with Marquis Jet, the jet card provider that is an exclusive partner of NetJets. CIT said it provided financing for 15 aircraft ranging from the Raytheon Hawker 400XP to the Gulfstream 450 last year under its agreement with Marquis Jet.
AVFAB, the Clinton, Mo. supplier of interior furnishings for business aircraft, said it recently won European Aviation Safety Agency supplemental type certificate (STC) approval for its side-facing divans in Cessna Citation Model 500, 501, 550, S550, 551 and 560 aircraft and all model of the Hawker business jet from the DS.125 up through the Hawker 800 and 1000 models.
But Blakey acknowledged that finding someone qualified and willing to take the ATO job could be complicated by the fact that her five-year term as Administrator will expire Sept. 30. That was a problem when the top ATO job was first created because the original search for a COO got under way when former FAA Administrator Jane Garvey was nearing the end of her term.
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.
