FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION plans to hire 1,300-1,400 air traffic controllers in the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, about 200 more than the number of expected controller retirements, according to Russ Chew, who is stepping down as chief operating officer of FAA's Air Traffic Organization (BA, Feb. 12/74).
KANSAS CITY AVIATION CENTER achieved record revenues and profits for the third consecutive year in 2006, and the company said revenues and profits had more than doubled during that three-year period. The fixed-base operation, which is located at Johnson County Executive Airport in Olathe, Kan., has been in business for more than 40 years. The FBO is a wholly owned subsidiary of Peterson Manufacturing Company of Grandview, Mo.
Was hired as vice president of aircraft sales and acquisitions by PrivatAir. Working out of the company's U.S. corporate offices in Stratford, Conn., Ashton will be responsible for development of new aircraft sales and acquisition opportunities throughout the U.S. Ashton is a commercial pilot who holds master's degrees in business administration and engineering. His aviation background includes previous jobs with General Electric Capital, Goodrich Corp. and Pogo, the startup Very Light Jet air taxi company.
LANDMARK AVIATION's facility in Springfield, Ill., completed installation of a Honeywell Primus Epic CDS/R (Control Display System/Retrofit) avionics system on a Gulfstream III. The retrofit includes the Honeywell Mark VII Class A TAWS (terrain awareness and warning system) with RAAS (Runway Awareness and Advisory System). The new system displays flight data on three flat-panel liquid crystal displays that consolidate primary flight data, weather, traffic collision avoidance system and TAWS functions.
The Federal Aviation Administration's plan to more than triple aviation fuel taxes and adopt a series of user fees received a rocky reception last week with two key House members essentially calling the proposal "dead on arrival" and the general aviation community accusing FAA of using the upcoming reauthorization debate as a platform to shift costs from the airlines to GA.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT officials remain enthusiastic about the market prospects for its Light Sport Aircraft and are continuing their efforts to build a strong business case for going forward with the program. Because the LSA would be priced well below current-production single-engine piston aircraft, keeping manufacturing costs low is a paramount concern. To that end, Cessna dispatched a small team to the Czech Republic last week to investigate manufacturing capabilities in that country.
March 1-3 - Helicopter Association International, Heli-Expo 2007 Conference & Exhibition, Orlando, Fla. Contact Marilyn McKinnis at (703) 683-4646, fax: (703) 683-0341. March 7 - Coping With Crisis 101-Managing an Aviation Disaster, Hilton Garden Inn, Nashville Metro Airport, Nashville, Tenn. Register at www.thecommunicationsworkshop.com March 8 - Greater Washington Business Aviation Association, Safety Stand Down. Details and registration information available at www.gwbaa.com.
Model Gulfstream 100 airplanes, and Model Astra SPX and 1125 Westwind Astra airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27077; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-286-AD; Amendment 39-14916; AD 2007-03-05] - Requires a revision to the Airplane Flight Manual to ensure proper latching of the cabin door. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the aviation authority of Israel. Incomplete closure of the main entry door may result in the door opening in flight, causing damage to the wing, fuselage, engine, and/or tail. Effective date is Feb.
A growing international business jet market helped propel the general aviation industry to an $18.8 billion banner year, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported last week. Billings in 2006 were up 24.1 percent over the $15.1 billion reported in 2005 and represented an all-time high for general aviation plane-makers. Shipments topped 4,000 for the first time since 1982, when U.S. manufacturers alone delivered 4,266 airplanes. The 2006 total of 4,042 deliveries marked a 12.9 percent improvement over the 3,580 airplanes delivered in 2005.
JETDIRECT AVIATION LLC acquired Presidential Aviation, a charter, management, and maintenance company with bases in Fort Lauderdale, New York and Los Angeles. The acquisition increases the JetDirect charter fleet to 81 aircraft that range from light jets to long-range heavy jets. In addition to the Presidential bases, JetDirect has operations at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, N.Y., Chester County Airport near Philadelphia, Love Field in Dallas, Texas, Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, Mo., and Van Nuys Airport in California.
RTCA has scheduled a symposium March 13-14 on "Operational Evolution Partnership - The Bridge to the NextGen." The symposium, which will be held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., will assemble representatives of government, industry and the international aviation community to discuss the next generational air traffic control system and the progress of the Joint Planning and Development Office. The symposium will cover operational concepts and requirements, policies, and procedures.
The Federal Aviation Administration Friday issued an emergency airworthiness directive requiring inspections of certain fan disks on General Electric CF34 engines because of concerns those disks may have cracks that could result in an uncontained engine failure.
PC-12 and PC-12/45 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26371 Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-70-AD; Amendment 39-14917; AD 2007-03-06] - Requires an inspection of the pedestal legs and the serial number of the executive seats, and inspection and replacement of certain pedestal legs and executive seats. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the aviation authority of Switzerland. The AD will affect an estimated 394 aircraft on the U.S.
AC-U-KWIK is adding fuel pricing information to its acukwik.com web site. The site will permit fixed-base operators to post and update current fuel prices, and that information can be accessed on the airport results page.
John Uczekaj, a veteran aerospace executive, was named president and chief executive officer of Aspen Avionics, Inc., of Albuquerque, N.M. Uczekaj will replace company co-founder and former CEO Peter Lyons, who will remain with Aspen along with co-founder Jeff Bethel. Both will report to Uczekaj and "continue to play key roles in the development of the company," Aspen said in a statement.
Was appointed regional manager of the Cessna Pilot Centers' (CPC) western territory. Currently the chief flight instructor for the Westwind School of Aeronautics in Phoenix, Pittman will assume his new duties Feb. 26 and will remain based in Phoenix, reporting to Brumley Smith, manager of the CPC program for Cessna. Pittman has more than 3,200 total hours, of which 2,700 were logged providing training for student pilots. He is ATP rated, is a master flight instructor and was named 2006 Arizona Flight Instructor of the year.
Was named chief information officer (CIO) for the National Transportation Safety Board by Chairman Mark Rosenker. Scherer was most recently deputy CIO at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and before that he spent 16 years with the U.S. Secret Service in various supervisory capacities in the agency's Information Resources Management Division.
Eclipse Aviation, which delivered the first of its Eclipse 500 Very Light Jets more than six weeks ago, is still trying to work through a series of conformity issues with FAA so it can deliver more airplanes to its customers. Raburn, who was in Washington, D.C. last week to attend the General Aviation Manufacturers Association meetings, told BA Monday he was hoping that the second and third aircraft would be delivered last week, although that had not happened by late Fridy. Raburn anticipates delivering another half dozen airplanes next month.
SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT dedicated its CH-53K program's new Heavy Lift Development center Feb. 12 in Stratford, Conn. The 106,000-square-foot office building will house about 500 members of the CH-53K program and engineering staff, including Sikorsky, Naval Air Systems Command, Defense Contracting Management Agency personnel and subcontractors. The new offices are located about five miles from Sikorsky's main plant in Stratford. The company was awarded a $3 billion system development and demonstration contract for the Marine Corps CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter in April 2006.
The Federal Aviation Administration has reiterated its policy regarding operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the national airspace system, reminding commercial operators of these vehicles that their aircraft may not be flown using guidelines developed for remotely controlled model aircraft (Advisory Circular AC 91-57).
PC-6 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25929 Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-54-AD; Amendment 39-14919; AD 2007-03-08] - Requires repetitive inspections for corrosion in the fittings installed on the bottom skin of the wing and repair if necessary. The AD also provides a terminating action for the repetitive inspections. The AD stems from mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the aviation authority of Switzerland. If not corrected, undetected corrosion in this area could lead to failure of the fitting and subsequent loss of control of the airplane.
Has joined RTI International Metals, Inc. as vice president and general counsel of the Niles, Ohio titanium fabricator. Since 1999, Whalen has been an attorney with the Pittsburgh, Pa. law firm of Buchanen Ingersoll & Rooney PC. He is a graduate of Grove City College and received his law degree from the Dickinson School of Law at Penn State. Whalen's appointment comes as a number of RTI executives are being promoted as part of a long-term succession strategy (BA, Feb. 12/73).
EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY has partnered with the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB), in Barcelona, Spain, to jointly develop and offer a master's degree in aeronautical management to address the expanding aviation and aerospace industry in Spain and rest of Europe. The curriculum will be based on Embry-Riddle's existing master of aeronautical science degree. The universities plan to submit the curriculum to the Catalan government by September 2007 for approval and expect to offer degree work beginning in September 2008.
