PILATUS named the newly formed Pilatus PC-12 Centre Southern Africa as the exclusive factory-authorized sales and service center for southern Africa. The center is owned by South African aviation professionals Tim Webster and Gerry Wyss, who have worked with the Pilatus team for years.
The Senate Commerce Committee last week showered praise on Mary Peters, the nominee to become the next transportation secretary, and committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) promised to move quickly to clear the nomination for a full Senate vote. The committee last week held a hearing on Peters, who was nominated by President Bush earlier this month to succeed Norman Mineta as secretary (BA, Sept. 11/114). Peters formerly headed the Federal Highway Administration as well as the Arizona Transportation Department.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION this fall is expected to release a final rule establishing national safety standards for air tour operators. FAA shipped the rule to the Office of Management and Budget for review in mid-August. Thomas Haueter, deputy director of the National Transportation Safety Board's Office of Aviation Safety, said he believes the final rule would address many of the board's concerns about air tour safety, but may not go far enough in certain areas.
THE CITY OF CHICAGO, which has just agreed to pay more than $1 million in fines and penalties for destroying the only runway at Meigs Field airport three years ago, is now asking FAA to consider allowing Midway Airport to be leased out to a private contractor. See articles below and on Page 140.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION released a record of decision approving the relocation of the Panama City - Bay County Airport and Industrial District in Florida to a proposed site in West Bay. The decision clears the way for the airport authority to seek Airport Improvement Program grants to help fund the move. The airport authority said it wants to relocate the airport to meet future projected demand.
ROCKWELL COLLINS is developing a new GPS technology with Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) capability that will allow pilots to use GPS as a primary means of navigation. The technology, the GPS-4000S, will be available in early 2007. The sensor is integrated with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 and Pro Line 21 Flight Management Systems (FMS). The GPS-4000S sensor and WAAS antenna will allow operators to use en route operations and approach procedures such as RNAV.
COLUMBIA AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURING CORP. delivered the first six Columbia 350 piston aircraft to iFly, an "Exclusive Aero Club" that Erik Lindbergh co-founded earlier this month to manage the aircraft for potential owners. Based in Long Beach Calif., iFly will operate identically equipped Columbia 350s. The aircraft will be based at six airports in Southern California initially, but Lindbergh said iFly has "aggressive expansion plans." iFly has not revealed the total size of its Columbia order.
CARMANAH TECHNOLOGIES unveiled a new wireless solar-powered airfield light that incorporates dual-function infrared and visible-spectrum LED operation. The wireless controlled A704-5 lights use brighter LEDs and provide a wider beam angle. The lights can be remotely operated from 2.5 miles away. They also can be configured for pilot control.
The Federal Aviation Administration last week ordered the city of Chicago to repay $1 million the agency claims was illegally diverted to demolish Meigs Field and restore the land where the airport formerly operated on the shore of Lake Michigan just minutes away from Chicago's business district. In a settlement reached Monday following years of legal action, FAA also fined the city $33,000, the maximum possible, for failing to provide advance notice of its plans to close the airport. As part of the settlement, the city denies wrongdoing.
MAX RE CAPITAL LTD., based in Hamilton, Bermuda, said its Max Re Ltd. subsidiary is forming a dedicated aviation insurance unit that will operate from the company's offices in Dublin, Ireland. The new business will be headed by Olivier Marre, senior vice president -- aviation insurance. It will provide aviation insurance worldwide to aircraft product manufacturers and air carriers. "Aviation reinsurance has been a core business of Max Re for four years and we are pleased to now offer aviation insurance as a complementary product line," said Robert J.
THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT awarded an $8 million (C) contract to Mid-Canada Mod Center/Kitchener Aero Avionics of Toronto, Ontario to provide avionics systems upgrades for Transport Canada's fleet of Cessna Citation business jets. The contract covers the addition of the collision avoidance system and the terrain awareness warning system. The contract, which will be completed over two years, also includes updating the agency's Citation flight simulator. Transport Canada operates a fleet of nine Citations.
Joins the senior management team of Heli-One, a subsidiary of CHC Helicopter Corp., Vancouver, British Columbia, as vice president-business units. A 1979 graduate of the University of Southern California, Coughlin has worked for Douglas Aircraft Co., Bombardier, Allied-Signal, ACRO Aerospace and Cascade Aerospace, holding leadership positions dealing with commercial and military customer support, airframe heavy maintenance, engine/component repair and design and repair engineering.
Model TBM 700 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25581; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-41-AD] - Proposes to require identification and replacement of certain nose landing gear defective hinge pins. The actions are intended to address an unsafe condition in the aircraft described in mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the airworthiness authority of the European Union. The European Aviation Safety Agency, which is the airworthiness authority for the European Union, has issued Emergency AD No.
UNIVERSAL EXPRESS INC. announced completion of the second and final phase of the capitalization of its ownership of Universal Jet Aviation business located at Boca Aviation in Boca Raton, Fla. Changes during the past 18 months include reconfiguring and downsizing the fleet of aircraft owned by the company while increasing revenues from Universal's aircraft management business. The additional financing now in place is intended to fund a new maintenance facility, additional pilot staffing and an expanded internal accounting department.
After more than a decade of problems and several fatal accidents the U.S. Air Force is finally scrapping its fleet of T-3A Firefly training aircraft. The service said TOTALL Metal Recycling Inc. of Granite City, Ill. was selected to handle the disposition of the Firefly fleet, the final chapter in one of the service's most ill-fated procurement programs. TOTALL set up operations at the Hondo, Texas Airport this month and began scrapping the airplanes, a process that is supposed to be completed by the end of the month.
Joins Dallas Airmotive as Rolls-Royce regional engine manager for the Northeastern U.S. where he will join Joe Talarico in covering the Northeast for sales to Gulfstream business jet operators whose airplanes are powered by Rolls-Royce Spey and Tay engines. Barlage also will handle sales for Pratt & Whitney Canada PW306A engines used on the G200 business jet and Honeywell 36 Series auxiliary power units. "The dense population of Gulfstream jets in the Northeast calls for additional coverage to effectively meet operators' needs," said Dennis J.
Was appointed assistant vice president for CIT Aerospace and Defense Group. Althoff will be based in New York and oversee strategic marketing. He previously was an associate at GE Commercial Finance. He also held marketing and strategy positions at Fleet Boston Financial and Mitchell Madison Group.
LANDMARK AVIATION added non-destructive testing capabilities to its fixed-base operation in Rochester, N.Y. The facility can provide Level II services for eddy-current and fluorescent dye-penetrant inspection. The Rochester FBO is a full-service facility that is a factory-authorized service center for Pratt & Whitney PT6 series turboprop engines. The facility also can perform repairs on a number of business aircraft models, including Raytheon, Dassault, Bombardier, Sabreliner and IAI aircraft.
PHI, INC. said about 25 percent of its domestic pilot work force participated last week in a work stoppage called by the union that represents pilots employed by both the company's Oil & Gas and Air Medical units. PHI said it implemented contingency plans and was operating 80-90 percent of regular flights.
The Transportation Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office fear the Federal Aviation Administration's inspector and controller work forces will have trouble keeping up with the emerging breed of Very Light Jets (VLJs) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). In testimony submitted to the House aviation subcommittee last week, Gerald Dillingham, director of physical infrastructure issues for the GAO, said "the changing aviation landscape poses further challenges for FAA."
Executive Jet Investments (EJI) bought a controlling stake in German plane-maker Grob Aerospace, increasing its involvement in the Grob G 180 SPn light jet. Switzerland-based EJI previously had a 50 percent share in the jet, which was unveiled at the 2005 Paris Air Show. EJI will be renamed Grob Aerospace AG, and EJI head Niall Olver will be chief executive of the new Grob Aerospace group.
HEICO CORPORATION'S Heico Aerospace Holdings Corp. subsidiary acquired 80.1 percent of the assets of Prime Air, Inc. and its affiliate Prime Air Parts, LLC. The Prime Air businesses provide niche accessory components exchange services for air carriers, asset management companies and MRO providers. Prime will operate as part of the HEICO Repair Group, which has four facilities in California, Florida and Ohio. Prime Air has 25 employees and facilities in Chicago, Ill. and Miami. Fla.
