SATSair continued to expand its services, adding Manassas, Va. and Atlanta, Ga. as domiciles in the air taxi network. The air carrier is basing pilots and a Cirrus SR22 aircraft in both areas. Based in Greensville, S.C., SATSair is building a domicile network throughout the eastern U.S. The company dispatches aircraft from the nearest domicile to pick up customers at any airport in the service area that has a runway longer than 2,500 feet.
Honeywell NT5311A, T5311B, T5313B, T5317A, T5317A-1, and T5317B series turboshaft engines and Lycoming former military T53-L-11B, T53-L-11D, T53-L-13B, T53-L-13B/D, and T53-L-703 series turboshaft engines [Docket No. 98-ANE-72-AD; Amendment 39-14620; AD 2006-11-16] - Supersedes an existing AD that currently requires repetitive engine fuel pump pressure tests of certain fuel control regulator assemblies to determine if both fuel pumps in the fuel control regulator assemblies are producing fuel pressure.
National Business Aviation Association named Stephen Hadley as regional representative for the Southwest, covering a territory that includes Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi. Hadley has a background in both corporate aviation and FBO management. He was chief pilot for the Waco, Texas law firm Campbell, Cherry, Harrison, Davis & Dove, PC and chief pilot and director of flight operations for Abilene Aero and Lubbock Aero.
Michael A. Dornheim, an engineer and pilot who wrote for Aviation Week & Space Technology for 22 years based in Los Angeles, was killed when the car he was driving plunged into a ravine in the Santa Monica Mountains. The accident occurred June 3, but the wreckage of his car with his body inside was not found until June 12. The Los Angeles County Fire Department used a helicopter to retrieve the body.
Named a team representative for Mooney. Rider will sell Mooney aircraft in the Northeast, including New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. She graduated from the University of North Dakota's John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Science, and is a commercial pilot with single, multi-engine and instrument ratings. Before joining Mooney, she was an account manager for iviation, an aircraft services company in Memphis, Tenn.
Promoted to director of engineering, aviation for Garmin International Inc. Straub will oversee all of Garmin's aviation programs in the newly created position. He joined Garmin in 1993 and has been involved in development the company's core aviation products, including GNS 430, GNS 530 and G1000.
Pilatus Business Aircraft scheduled its first Regional Operators Conference for the PC-12 business turboprop on Aug. 17 in Manchester, N.H. The day-long conference will provide a forum for owners, operators and service center personnel to discuss maintenance and operational issues. The conference will complement NBAA M&O seminars and Pilatus Owners and Pilots Association conventions.
June 21 - Wings Club Luncheon featuring Scott Donnelly, president & CEO of GE Aviation, Yale Club, New York City, 212-867-1770, email: [email protected]. June 26-29 - SAE International General Aviation Technology Conference & Exhibition, Wichita Hyatt, Wichita, Kan., (724) 776-4841 July 24-30 - Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture Oshkosh 2006, Oshkosh, Wis., (920) 426-4800 October 17-19 - National Business Aviation Association 59th Annual Meeting & Convention, Orlando, Fla., (202) 783-9000
Cessna Aircraft plans to offer an enhanced vision system (EVS) on the Citation Excel/XLS and an Integrated Flight Information System (IFIS) on CJ1 and CJ2 aircraft. The product enhancements were unveiled during Cessna's recent annual Citation Customer Conference in Wichita, Kan. More than 400 operators attended the conference. The Max Viz EVS-1000 uses a fuselage-mounted, infrared camera to enhance situational and terrain awareness during times of low visibility.
Appointed to Raytheon Aircraft as vice president, global commercial sales. Dwyer will oversee sales of both Beechcraft and Hawker aircraft. He has 10 years of Raytheon experience, beginning as a domestic Beechcraft salesman in Pittsburgh, Pa. He was named regional vice president - Latin America in 1997, and most recently was vice president of worldwide sales for the Beechcraft product line.
State Department officials told the flight training community last week that they would prefer the Department of Homeland Security handle the J-1 Visa Program for flight training since DHS already has the infrastructure to deal with other, shorter-term flight training programs involving foreign students. Department of State earlier this year released a proposal that would, among other things, limit the time a student could train in the U.S., which many flight training officials believe would undercut the purpose of the program.
The National Air Transportation Association urged Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta to carefully examine attempts by airports to use federal grant dollars for public-run ground-handling services that compete with the private sector. Some airports have applied for funds through DOT's Small Community Air Service Development grant program to provide ground-handling services.
Betting that the seeds of brand loyalty can be planted with airplanes priced below the $209,750 Model 172R, Cessna plans to unveil a proof-of-concept Light Sport Aircraft at next month's Experimental Aircraft Association gathering in Oshkosh, Wis. See article below.
National Business Aviation Association President and CEO Ed Bolen urged members to continue to voice their opposition to user fees to Congress. Too often, this issue is considered a Washington issue that doesn't affect the rest of the country, Bolen noted. But, he added, "This is clearly getting outside Washington, D.C. There's a real fire. Our community is very much under attack." He cited recent articles in Business Week and the Wall Street Journal.
Airborne communications specialist AirCell was the high bidder in the Federal Communications Commission's recent spectrum auction for air-to-ground broadband frequencies. In the coming months AirCell will obtain an exclusive license to provide wireless broadband services to business aircraft and airlines in the U.S. The company also is restructuring with a cash infusion from the investment firm Ripplewood Holdings in preparation for its new phase of business.
The White House said last week President Bush plans to nominate Robert L. Sumwalt III, a former airline pilot and current head of a corporate flight department, for a seat on the National Transportation Safety Board. Sumwalt will be nominated for the remainder of a five-year term expiring at the end of 2006, and for an additional five-year term expiring at the end of 2011. Once Sumwalt is confirmed by the Senate, Bush plans to designate him as the vice chairman of the safety board.
The State Department's proposed changes to the J-1 Visa Program for flight training are so onerous, that it could end the program altogether, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association warned. As a part of a more comprehensive rulemaking on the Exchange Visitor Program - Training and Internship Programs, the Department of State proposed in April to limit the time a foreign student could remain in the U.S. for flight training under a J-1 visa.
Named vice president and controller for M7 Aerospace, where he will be responsible for the company's financial accounting and informational technology, including all aspects of accounting, audits, internal controls and financial reporting. He has more than 20 years of financial management experience. Before joining M7 he was chief financial officer and senior vice president of finance for MDI, Inc., of San Antonio, a global supplier of network security systems.
Vigorous business growth over the past couple of years has forced TAG Aviation USA to relocate its Eastern Support Center from Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains, N.Y. to larger facilities in nearby Rye Brook, N.Y.
Frank Lanza, 74, the chief executive officer of L-3 Communications, died unexpectedly June 6. No cause of death was immediately identified. In what would prove to be his final interview, Lanza told BA affiliate Aviation Week & Space Technology June 1 that the company has had a "succession plan in the works for about two years." The full interview appears in the June 12 issue.
Raytheon Aircraft appointed Canadian services company Skyservice as an authorized service center for Bonanza, Baron and King Air aircraft. The authorization covers Skyservice's facilities in Montreal and Toronto. Raytheon Aircraft also named General Dynamics Aviation Services in Westfield, Mass. as a Hawker 800-series authorized service center.
Embraer cut the first metal for its Phenom 100 Very Light Jet, slightly more than a year since the program was announced (BA, May 9, 2005/207). The first part is a fuselage component that connects to an engine pylon. It was milled from a block of aluminum alloy. Embraer says the Phenom 100, priced at $2.85 million in 2005 dollars, will enter service in mid-2008.
