Mike Redenbaugh, who spent 21 years at Honeywell Aerospace before leaving three and one-half years ago to become president and CEO of Textron's Bell Helicopter unit, resigned this month and was replaced by Richard J. Millman. On the same day it announced Redenbaugh's replacement, Textron issued another statement noting that it had "incurred additional costs" related to its H-1 helicopter program during the fourth quarter of 2006.
Sterling Aviation, based at Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport, added three jets and one turboprop to its Part 135 charter certificate - a Hawker 800XP, Citation Excel, Beechjet 400A and Pilatus PC-12 turboprop. The latest additions boost the total number of Sterling's fleet to 13 aircraft.
Transportation Secretary Mary Peters last week called for an overhaul of the aviation funding system, saying that the upcoming FAA reauthorization bill in Congress "is our chance to get it right." Speaking to the Aero Club of Washington Tuesday, Peters said DOT hopes to release its FAA funding proposal shortly after the Administration releases its fiscal 2008 budget, scheduled Feb. 5. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey offered a similar time frame earlier this month (BA, Jan. 15/23).
CAE opened its new six-bay North East Training Center near Morristown, N.J. The center will provide training for the new Dassault Falcon 7X aircraft along with the Falcon 900EX EASy, Falcon 2000EX EASy, Gulfsteam IV and Sikorsky S-76. Dassault selected CAE in mid-2004 to provide entitlement training for pilots, maintenance personnel and crew of the 7X. CAE has installed a Falcon 7X full flight simulator in the center and is awaiting final certification. Training is scheduled to begin in April.
Jet Aviation Basel delivered a "VVIP" Airbus 320-200 it completed for Saad Group in Saudi Arabia. Saad Group also awarded a contract to Jet Aviation Basel to complete a 340-600. The second aircraft is scheduled to arrive at the Basel completions center in April 2008 and be delivered in mid-2009. Francis Munch of Studio E/Motion designed the A320-200's interior, which took 10 months to complete. The interior includes an executive seating area, two bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, a combined conference/dining area and first-class seating in the rear of the aircraft.
The National Transportation Safety Board faulted the crew's failure to monitor airspeed and activate deicing boots in the Feb. 16, 2005 crash of a Cessna Citation 560 owned by Circuit City near Pueblo Memorial Airport in Colorado. The safety board also cited inadequate certification standards for flight into icing conditions, which the board said led to too wide a margin for the stall warning system.
PHI, Inc. reached an agreement with the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) for the return to work of 60 pilots still out on strike. The agreement was reached at the request of a federal judge. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana earlier this month held a hearing on a request by OPEIU for injunctive relief from a PHI return-to-work plan. The new agreement calls for a phased-in process by groups, aircraft type and seniority. Strikers will be phased back to work beginning Jan.
TBM 700 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26232 Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-62-AD; Amendment 39-14895; AD 2007-02-08] - Requires, for TBM 700s with Serial Numbers 269 and 3390 and up, a records check to determine whether the original cylinder yokes or yokes in the master cylinder assembly are installed. If not, then the AD requires inspection for misalignment from the threaded pin and reinstallation or replacement, if necessary.
Jim Schuster, the chairman and CEO of Raytheon Aircraft Company (RAC), who has helped turn around the Wichita aircraft manufacturer's fortunes over the past five years, believes the company is poised for even greater fiscal success under new ownership beginning later this year.
AirShares ELITE launched a new program, CIRRUS2 (Cirrus Squared), which will enable current Cirrus owners to buy 25-hour annual shares in a Cirrus SR22 and get access to the AirShares Elite nationwide fleet of more than 50 aircraft. CIRRUS2 owners also will qualify for the AirShares Elite training program, which includes the FAA-approved FITS training syllabus, IS-BAO based Safety Management System and mission-specific training.
Nominated by President Bush to be the general counsel at the Department of Transportation. Gribbin currently is division director of Macquarie Holdings, Inc. Previously, he was chief counsel of the Federal Highway Adminstration, the modal administration formerly headed by Mary Peters, who recently took over as DOT Secretary. If Gribbin's nomination is approved by the Senate, he would replace Rosiland Knapp, acting general counsel at DOT.
Cessna Aircraft turned in some very good numbers for its parent Textron. The Wichita, Kan. aircraft manufacturer delivered 307 Citation business jets in 2006 and took orders for 496 Citations during the year, including a whopping 231 in just the fourth quarter, driving Cessna's backlog to $8.5 billion.
All the outstanding interest in The Tampa International Jet Center (TIJC) has been purchased by the David A. Straz Trust. The trust had been an original investor in TIJC, and recently bought out Michael Azzarelli's interest in the fixed-base operation. The company also announced that veteran aviation industry executive Philip C. Botana, who has led the company since its inception, was named president.
Hillsboro Aviation, based in Hillsboro, Ore., reported a record year for its aircraft sales division in 2006. The company sold 67 new and used aircraft, including $41 million worth of new Bell helicopters. Hillsboro said it has orders for 27 new Bell helicopters, including contracts for 13 Bell 417s. Hillsboro is the exclusive Bell Helicopter independent sales representative in 15 western states and a sales dealer for the Robinson Helicopter Company.
Promoted to chief pilot for Northern Jet Management of Grand Rapids, Mich. DeLanoy is rated in multiple jet aircraft and has logged approximately 7,000 hours of flight time.
Model Arrius 2B1, 2B1A, and 2B2 turboshaft engines [Docket No. FAA-2006-26138; Directorate Identifier 2006-NE-38-AD; Amendment 39-14865; AD 2006-26-07] - Requires replacing the check-valve piston O-ring within the next 50 operating hours when the number of operating hours is greater than 300 hours for engines that operate or have operated with HTS-class oil, or 450 hours for engines operating with STD class-oil since their introduction into service.
Jet Stream Aviation Products opened a "Jet Stream Aviation Cosmetic Detailing University" at its Dallas, Texas Love Field headquarters. The new initiative will offer a three-day program for individuals who want to learn safe and proper procedures for detailing jet aircraft interiors and exteriors. The program is designed for both aircraft detailers and flight department professionals.
Keystone Helicopter was awarded a standard airworthiness certificate for the first Sikorsky S76C++ manufactured at Keystone's Coatesville, Pa., plant. Sikorsky acquired Keystone in 2005. "This is a very impressive achievement and an important milestone in accomplishing Sikorsky's plan to increase production capacity to meet the demands of our customers," said Marc Poland, recently appointed vice president of commercial programs for Sikorsky Aircraft. The Coatesville plant is part of a Heliplex, where Keystone maintains and completes helicopters.
Dart 528, 529, 532, 535, 542, and 555 series turboprop engines [Docket No. FAA-2006-24825; Directorate Identifier 2006-NE-17-AD; Amendment 39-14894; AD 2007-02-07] - Requires a dimensional inspection of the intermediate pressure turbine (IPT) disk or an ultrasonic inspection of the seal arm contact between the high-pressure turbine (HPT) and the IPT disk seal arm and rework or replacement of the IPT disk if wear outside acceptable limits is found.
Shadin Avionics received European Aviation Safety Agency approval for an RVSM-capable ADC 6000 Airdata system on Cessna Citation Models 500,550, S550 and 560 business jets.
The fatal midair collision between a Gol Airlines 737 and an Embraer Legacy on its delivery flight to U.S. air taxi operator ExcelAire severely skews safety statistics for turbine aircraft operators in the U.S. last year, according to figures compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates, Inc. of Boca Raton, Fla.
House Transportation And Infrastructure Committee leaders, who have been skeptical about the Administration's claims of a potential aviation funding crisis, have scheduled a series of hearings to go over the White House's transportation budget. The full T&I Committee will meet Feb. 8 to look at the funding requests for the Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency. The aviation subcommittee will meet Feb. 14 to focus solely on the FAA budget. The subcommittee will gather again the next day (Feb.
