Bombardier struck a deal with Italian carrier My Way Airlines for 19 CRJ-900s, nabbing one of the largest orders for the aircraft this year. Data from aircraft tracker Airclaims show that prior to the My Way deal, Bombardier captured orders for 52 -900s, including eight planes from an unannounced commercial customer. SkyWest has ordered 17 planes, and Air Nostrum struck a deal for 15 aircraft. Other customers include Air One, Arik Air, Atlasjet International Airways and Macedonian Airlines.
Mooney Aerospace Group named Dennis E. Ferguson chief executive officer of Mooney Airplane Company in Kerrville, Texas, announcing his selection following the resignation Tuesday of Gretchen L. Jahn after two years in that job.
Q AVIATION retained Deutsche Bank Securities to "explore various strategic options" to permit its principal shareholder, Q Investments, "to monetize all or part of its investment in the company." Based in Fort Worth, Texas with offices in Europe and Southeast Asia, Q Aviation owns a portfolio of 53 Boeing and Airbus aircraft appraised at $1.2 billion. The company said it expects "to start the bidding process shortly and anticipates a year end closing for the transaction."
THE NATIONAL AERONAUTIC ASSOCIATION selected Norman Mineta, the former secretary of transportation, as the winner of the 2006 Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy. The trophy is awarded annually by NAA "to a living American for significant public service of enduring value to aviation in the United States." The award will be presented to Mineta Dec. 15 at a banquet hosted by the Aero Club of Washington.
PRISM BUSINESS MEDIA acquired SpeedNews, Inc., which specializes in publishing aviation newsletters. SpeedNews founder Gilbert Speed will remain with the enterprise, according to John French, CEO of Prism Business Media, whose holdings include some 70 magazines, 150 newsletters and 17 industry trade shows.
Members of the federally authorized Grand Canyon Working Group (GCWG), an aviation rulemaking committee established to find ways to reduce the noise footprint of air tour flights over Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP), met for two days last week in Phoenix but were unable to achieve a consensus on the issue of diverting high-altitude traffic away from the park.
BOMBARDIER is establishing a spare parts depot in Japan to support business and regional aircraft customers. Scheduled to open in 2007, the facility will be located near Narita International Airport near Tokyo.
Model EMB-135BJ, -135ER, -135KE, -135KL, and -135LR airplanes; and Model EMB-145, -145ER, -145MR, -145LR, -145XR, -145MP, and -145EP airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25892; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-120-AD] - Proposes to require inspecting to determine the part number of the left- and right-hand windshield temperature controllers.
AIRSHARES ELITE, the Bedford, Mass.-based fractional ownership program that sells shares in Cirrus single-engine aircraft, added its 50th aircraft, an SR22-G2/GTS. The aircraft will be based at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. AirShares Elite says it has amassed the largest fleet of Cirrus aircraft and has become the largest fractional program involving light general aviation aircraft. The program has aircraft based throughout the Eastern U.S.
YINGLING AVIATION was selected as an authorized avionics sales and service center by Rockwell Collins Business and Regional Aviation Electronics. Yingling, based at Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita, Kan., is a full-service fixed-base operation. "Rockwell Collins products are among the industry's most innovative and capable, enhancing the efficiency, dependability and versatility on the flight deck and in the cabin of a broad range of business aircraft applications," said Yingling President Lynn Nichols.
NetJets Europe signed an order with Dassault Aviation to acquire 24 of the French manufacturer's new 7X business jets, a transaction valued at $1.1 billion that NetJets says is "the largest business-jet order in European history." The agreement calls for the new Falcon trijets, which carry a B/CA-equipped price of $39.2 million apiece, to be delivered over six years beginning in the first quarter of 2008 and extending through 2014.
PINNACLE AVIATION CHARTER of Scottsdale, Ariz. added an Embraer Legacy business jet, which will be based in Las Vegas, to its charter fleet. The company also operates four Citation Excels, a Citation III, a Gulfstream III and a Falcon 2000.
Model GA8 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-24955; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-31-AD; Amendment 39-14768; AD 2006-19-11] - Requires relocating the seat stop of the pilot and second occupant seat. The action results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority of Australia to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. This AD will affect about 22 airplanes on the U.S. Registry. The cost of this AD for U.S. operators is an estimated $7,920, or $360 per aircraft ($180 per seat assembly).
A FORMER military police officer, who later flew with the Air Force Thunderbirds and then joined American Airlines as a Boeing 737 pilot, will be nominated by President Bush to fill the last empty seat on the National Transportation Safety Board. See article on Page 150.
Model DHC-8-100, -200, and -300 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25904; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-077-AD] - Proposes to supersede an existing AD that requires modification of the flight compartment door; repetitive inspections for wear of the flight compartment door hinges following modification; and repair or replacement of the hinges with new hinges if necessary. This proposed AD would require using revised procedures for modifying and inspecting the flight compartment door and would reduce the applicability of the existing AD.
Chairman, president and CEO of ITT Corp., was elected to the board of directors of FedEx Corp. along with 13 others, all for one-year terms. "We are thrilled to have Steve join our board of directors," said Fred Smith, chairman, president and CEO of FedEx.
ADAM AIRCRAFT won an amended FAR Part 23 type certificate covering day/night VFR/IFR flight for its all-composite, pressurized A500 centerline twin-piston aircraft. Adam received provisional certification for the A500 in May 2005, but has long since been awaiting approval for night and IFR flight. The aircraft must still achieve de-icing certification and the maximum operating altitude is still limited to 12,500 feet. Adam hopes to secure approval to expand the maximum operating altitude to 25,000 feet concurrently with de-icing certification.
A JET FUEL PRODUCT derived from natural gas produces 90 percent less particulate matter and soot emissions than fuels refined from crude oil, according to Syntroleum of Tulsa, Okla. The company said an Air Force B-52 recently conducted a flight from Edwards Air Force Base in California during which two of the aircraft's eight engines were powered by a 50-50 blend of Syntroleum's fuel and traditional JP-8 jet fuel.
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION named Ashley Moore manager of government and industry affairs. Moore will handle secondary containment, airport standards, airfield noise and other issues affecting fixed-base operators and general aviation airports. She also will be the staff liaison for the Airports Committee. An Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University graduate, Moore formerly was an associate editor for Professional Pilot magazine.
Who spent 17 years with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and headed government affairs for the association, was named vice president of congressional and federal affairs for US Airways, effective Oct. 16. He currently is legislative counsel for Southwest Airlines and established that carrier's Washington office in 1998. He is credited with playing a key role in Southwest's fight to win repeal of the Wright Amendment, which restricts commercial service from Dallas Love Field.
Was promoted to director of business application development for FlightSafety International. A 12-year veteran of the simulator training provider, Zinn is a pilot and a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She also holds a master's degree in business administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Zinn has held several posts at FSI, most recently overseeing system testing, quality assurance and end-user training and support.
Was named regional vice president-FBO operations for Landmark Aviation. McNeill previously was general manager of Landmark Aviation's Dulles FBO. In his new role he will manage Landmark's facilities at Dulles and Leesburg, Va.; Fayetteville and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; and Toronto. He has 15 years of aviation industry experience and managed Landmark's Toronto operation before moving to the Dulles location in 2003. He also served with Esso Avitat Ottawa-Imperial Oil in Canada.
SEN. FRANK LAUTENBERG (D-N.J.) continued to press FAA leaders last week to take more action to address safety issues surrounding the MU-2. Lautenberg expressed dismay to Nicholas Sabatini, FAA associate administrator of aviation safety, that one in four MU-2s has been involved in an accident or incident and questioned whether the government has the "courage" to take action.
A STUDY examining ways of reducing aircraft noise over Grand Canyon National Park found that hundreds of thousands of high-altitude flights annually would have to be diverted to eliminate noise impact on the park. While it appears such a program is not being seriously considered by FAA, it does underscore the conflict between the government's efforts to maximize airspace safety and efficiency and the desire of environmental and recreational users of national parks to see all aircraft noise eliminated from such areas. See article on Page 149.
LANDMARK AVIATION completed a new $1.5 million hangar at its Roanoke, Va., fixed-base operation. The hangar adds 18,000 square feet of aircraft storage space and brings the total hangar storage at the Roanoke facility to 125,000 square feet. The FBO also provides ground handling, fueling, concierge assistance, pilot lounge and weather room.
