THE HOUSE aviation subcommittee, meanwhile, also discussed possible implications of the emerging VLJ fleet, part of a hearing on a broader range of safety concerns. See article on Page 140.
Cessna Aircraft this month dedicated a new aerospace production facility, Textron Aerospace Mexico, in Chihuahua, Mexico. The facility began operating in March and now has 138 employees who have been trained to assemble electrical wire bundles for the company's jet aircraft models. Cessna officials said the 62,000-square-foot facility will free space at Cessna's principal manufacturing center in Wichita, Kan., that "is needed as new airplane models are added to the Cessna lineup in the next few years," the company said in a statement.
SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) set the tone Wednesday for this week's hearing on the anticipated emergence of a number of new Very Light Jet aircraft. Stevens told transportation secretary nominee Mary Peters he is concerned about the "enormous problem" those new airplanes could cause when they begin operating in the National Airspace System (BA, Sept. 18/125). Stevens said he refers to the VLJs as the "mosquito fleet" and asked Peters if she has looked at the impact these aircraft might have on the NAS.
A man working for the company that provides computer services for Gulfstream Aerospace in Savannah, Ga. was arrested by Savannah Chatham, Ga. Metropolitan Police this month and charged with a long list of offenses, including stealing computers from the Gulfstream plant. Police charged Dimitris Newton and three other men on a variety of theft, drug and weapons charges after SWAT Team officers raided a house in Savannah occupied by the four. Police said they found four assault rifles, multiple handguns, ammunition, cocaine and marijuana in the house.
Joins CIT Aerospace as an assistant vice president in its Aerospace and Defense Finance Group. Zana will be based in New York and manage client relations - Eastern U.S. Zana previously was a vice president at Lehman Brothers and held positions at UBS Investment Bank and Morgan Stanley.
Was promoted to vice president, Hawker Resale, for Raytheon Aircraft Corp. (RAC). McCurley, who reports to Don Dwyer, vice president of Global Commercial Aircraft Sales for the company, will oversee domestic and international sales of RAC's pre-owned jet inventory while supporting the company's marketing of new aircraft. He will be responsible for inventory control, positioning, refurbishment and marketing of used jet aircraft. McCurley began his career as chief pilot - South Central Region, for United Beechcraft in 1991.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT SERVICES won FAA supplemental type certification to install the Rockwell Collins Integrated Flight Information System (IFIS) on Beechcraft King Air B200 and 350 turboprops equipped with Pro Line 21 avionics. RAS has accumulated orders for more than 25 installations of the upgrade, which will provide access to electronic charts, graphical weather and enhanced map displays. The system will enable operators to select from a variety of weather services for real-time weather images.
ALCOA-SIE CARGO CONVERSIONS is relocating its headquarters to Kansas City, where the company has contracted with the American Airlines KCI maintenance base for Boeing 757 cargo conversions. Alcoa will occupy office space next to the Kansas City International Airport along with space inside the American Airlines maintenance facility on the airport.
Model SR20 and SR22 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-24254; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-24-AD; Amendment 39-14767; AD 2006-19-10] - Supersedes AD 2005-17-19, which requires measuring and adjusting the crew seat break-over bolts and replacing the crew seat recline locks on both crew seats. Since FAA issued AD 2005-17-19, CDC developed new crew seat break-over pins to replace the old crew seat break-over bolts.
Was named director for CIT Aerospace's Aerospace and Defense Finance Group. Orner will be based in New York and will be responsible for originations, North America-East. He previously was vice president at ING Capital LLC and also has held positions at CIBC World Markets and KPMG.
Was hired as director of environmental health and safety for Gulfstream Aerospace. He will oversee the environmental health and safety programs of seven Gulfstream facilities and six General Dynamics Aviation Services aircraft maintenance centers, all of which are in the U.S. Before joining Gulfstream, Dellinger was the safety and environmental manager for technical operations with Delta Air Lines in Atlanta. He joined Delta in 1989 as an aircraft maintenance technician. Dellinger began his aviation career as an aircraft maintenance technician with the U.S. Air Force.
Chicago Midway Airport would be leased to a private contractor by the end of 2007 if its application for an FAA pilot program is approved. The Chicago Department of Aviation recently filed an application for FAA's Airport Privatization Pilot Program created under the federal agency's 1996 reauthorization act. Congress established the pilot to explore privatization as a means of generating access to sources of private capital for airport improvement and development.
Adam Aircraft, the startup aircraft manufacturer based in Colorado, cleared another significant regulatory hurdle this week when it received a production certificate from FAA officials for the A500 twin-piston aircraft. Receipt of the PC allows Adam Aircraft to accelerate production of the A500 by being able to inspect and apply standard airworthiness certificates under an FAA-approved system. Issuance of the PC means that FAA has determined that the manufacturer's quality system and manufacturing procedures comply with the Federal Aviation Regulations.
LUX AVIATION ENGINEERING CORP. signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with optics/metrology research specialist Zetetic Institute to explore aircraft applications for optics and laser technologies. Under the MOU, the companies will directly apply Zetetic Institute's technologies to aviation as well as promote the technologies to other aviation manufacturers. Zetetic, a non-profit corporation, was established in 1992 for scientific research, education and technology development. Zetetic has focused on optical and sub-optical wavelength metrology and imaging.
Was named vice president for CIT Aerospace and Defense Finance Group. Reis will be based in London and work with European aerospace and defense companies. Before joining CIT, he was an assistant vice president at GE Commercial Finance. He previously worked at McKinsey & Company, PWC Consulting and CCF Bank.
Joins CIT Aerospace and Defense Finance Group as assistant vice president. Based in Los Angeles, Henriquez will be responsible for transaction development and client relations-Western U.S. He formerly was with ING Capital, Satmex and France Telecom.
Air medical provider Air Methods signed an open-ended memorandum of understanding with American Eurocopter to buy 10 AS350 B2/B3 AStar helicopters annually for an indefinite period. Air Methods currently operates a fleet of some 200 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. The AStars will join Air Methods' other Eurocopter, Bell, MD and Sikorsky helicopters.
BN-2, BN-2A, BN-2B, BN-2T, and BN-2T-4R series (all individual models included in Type A17EU Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) A17E, Revision 16, dated December 9, 2002) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25688; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-44-AD] - Proposes to require inspecting the horizontal stabilizer attachment bolts and anchor nuts for damage and wear and replacing damaged and/or worn parts with new, modified parts.
Model PC-7 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-25582; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-42-AD] - Proposes to require doing repetitive eddy-current, non-destructive inspections of the nose skin and adjacent structure above the left and right main landing gear bay and repetitive visual inspections of the forward support structure of the floor panel for crack damage. If crack damage is found, this proposed AD would require contacting Pilatus to obtain a repair solution and incorporating the repair.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. signed a memorandum of understanding last week with Polish aircraft manufacturer PZL Mielec "to negotiate agreements that would establish the company as the assembly center for international Black Hawk helicopters and key helicopter components," according to an announcement from the Polish Ministry of Treasury.
A recently formed Yankee Pacific company hopes to build a portfolio of aviation products and services companies through a number of acquisitions. Rye, N.H.-based Yankee Pacific, LLC formed Yankee Pacific Aerospace through a partnership with investment firm Hancock Park Associates in late July. The new entity already has acquired its first two companies - Executive Aircraft Completions of Tulsa, Okla., and Jormac Aerospace of Clearwater, Fla., and said more acquisitions are planned.
DASSAULT FALCON JET, which logged orders for 123 new business jets last year, has seen the pace of new orders cool slightly so far this year. The French manufacturer said it received orders for 52 new airplanes in the first six months of this year, compared with 62 in the same period a year ago.
