Franco-Italian plane-maker ATR received a follow-on order from Indian carrier Kingfisher Airlines for 15 ATR 72-500 regional turboprops. The order represents a conversion of options that Kingfisher placed in November along with firm orders for 20 ATR 72-500s. ATR valued the latest contract at $270 million. Along with the new orders, Kingfisher added options for 20 more aircraft.
International sales accounted for nearly twice as much of Raytheon Aircraft Company's business in 2005 as in the previous year, the company said. RAC's international sales jumped from 16 percent of total worldwide sales in 2004 to 29 percent of total sales last year. Beechcraft and Hawker products "command a 51 percent share of the total business turbine market in Asia, with increasing market share in countries like China, India, Japan, the Philippines and Thailand," and boast a market share of about 40 percent in Australia, RAC said.
FOKKER Model F.28 Mark 0070 and 0100 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-22748; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-127-AD; Amendment 39-14471; AD 2006-03-07] - requires modifying the passenger door and installing new placards. This AD results from reports of the airstairs-type passenger door opening during flight. FAA is issuing this AD to prevent rapid decompression of the airplane, or ejection of a passenger or crew member out the door during flight. FAA estimates the AD would affect two aircraft on the U.S. Registry at a cost of between $3,750 and $3,815 per aircraft.
An industry working group tasked with addressing noise and safety concerns at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey will meet March 7 to mull over ideas developed by subcommittees on safety, security, noise and community relations and operations. The subcommittees are coming up with numerous ideas aimed at balancing the interests of the community, the airport and the operators, one industry member said.
MEGGITT Model 602 smoke detectors approved under TSO-C1C [Docket No. FAA-2005-22031; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-259-AD; Amendment 39-14485; AD 2006-04-04] - requires replacing the affected smoke detectors with modified smoke detectors. This AD results from a report indicating that the affected smoke detectors can "lock up" during electrical power transfer from the auxiliary power unit to the engines.
Dassault Aviation has decided to move forward with a payload increase and winglet installation on its new 7X business jet. The company discussed potential options for boosting the range of the 7X during the National Business Aviation Association's annual meeting and convention last fall in Orlando, and said it would discuss the options with customers before making a decision to go ahead with the design changes (BA, Nov. 14/225).
Gary Halbert was named general counsel for the National Transportation Safety Board. Halbert served in the U.S. Air Force for 27 years, holding a number of senior legal posts. Most recently, he was director, executive issues in Air Force Headquarters Communications. He also has been staff judge advocate and legal counsel to the Commander, Third Air Force, at Mildenhall Royal Air Force Base in the United Kingdom.
Polskie Zaklady Lotnicze Model PZL M26 01 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-23733; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-09-AD; Amendment 39-14481; AD 2006-03-17] - requires repetitively inspecting fuselage Frame No. XI for cracks, replacing fuselage Frame No. XI and installing reinforcement modifications if any cracks are found. The installation of reinforcement modifications is terminating action for the repetitive inspection requirement. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for the European Union.
Rockwell Collins entered a definitive agreement to buy the simulation assets of Evans & Sutherland (E&S) for $71.5 million in cash. The acquisition includes military and commercial simulation assets, including simulation facilities in Salt Lake City, Orlando and the United Kingdom, and certain liabilities. About 200 employees will join Rockwell Collins, which will have exclusive rights to the Evans & Sutherland laser projector for simulation, while E&S will retain ownership of its planetarium and other laser projector products.
Bombardier Aerospace is restarting its CL-215T conversion program after receiving a series of orders for turbine conversion kits from the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, AeroFlite, and Buffalo Airways Ltd. of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Bombardier valued the orders at about $85 million (U.S.) The kits include Pratt & Whitney PW123AF turboprop engines, which will boost reliability and efficiency, and upgrades for structural components, the electrical distribution system and engine fuel system.
Aerospatiale Model ATR 42 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-23816; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-247-AD] - proposes to require one-time inspections to detect discrepancies (e.g., cracking, loose/sheared fasteners, distortion) of the upper skin and rib feet of the outer wing boxes, and repair if necessary. This proposed AD results from a report of cracking on the upper skin and ribs of the outer wing box on an in-service airplane. FAA is proposing this AD to detect and correct these discrepancies, which could reduce structural integrity of the airplane.
Bombardier is expanding its Flexjet fractional business jet ownership program into Canada, the company announced last week. The company will base two Learjet 45 aircraft and a Challenger 604 in Montreal for the fractional service. The Canadian-registered aircraft formerly were part of the Bombardier corporate fleet. Bombardier also has dedicated 10 Montreal-based pilots to the Flexjet organization.
European regulators have begun notifying manufacturers that they plan to increase certification fees to cover a gap in projected government revenues from certification activities. Cessna Chairman, President and CEO Jack Pelton last week said the proposal by the European Aviation Safety Agency would represent a quadrupling of certification fees in some cases, and demonstrates why the U.S. should not follow a similar system.
Jim O'Connell was appointed general manager of CAE's Northeast training center near the Morristown Municipal Airport (MMU) in New Jersey. O'Connell has more than 30 years of aviation service in the U.S. Air Force as well as in corporate aviation. He led a Northeast-based corporate flight department, and, since 2001, has been senior manager of training services for CAE SimuFlite in Dallas, Texas. While at CAE SimuFlite, O'Connell has overseen pilot training in 13 programs.
The Senate Thursday confirmed the nomination of attorney Donald Bliss to be U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization. The approval of Bliss follows an industry-wide appeal for expeditious consideration of his nomination (BA, Feb. 13/70).
American Legend Aircraft Company is trying to boost sales for its new two-place single-engine Legend Cub with a new refundable deposit program. New customers can reserve a production slot with a $2,400 refundable deposit if they do not want to tie up a lot of money up front. Customers who want to lock in the purchase price can continue to make a 10 percent nonrefundable down payment, pay another 40 percent 60 days before delivery and the remaining half due upon delivery. Prices for the Legend Cub begin in the low $80,000 range.
February 26-28 - Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo 2006 Annual Convention and Exposition, Dallas, Texas, (703) 683-4646 Feb. 28-March 1 - Federal Aviation Administration, 31st Annual Aviation Forecast Conference, "Survival and Growth in Today's World," Washington, D.C. Convention Center, (202) 267-7924 March 20-23 - National Business Aviation Association International Operators Conference, Tampa, Fla., (202) 783-9000
Salina Airport Authority and the Salina, Kan. Area Chamber of Commerce jointly hired the James Gregory Consultancy LLC as part of the community's efforts to recruit expanding and new aerospace business to the Salina Aviation Service Center. Gregory, who was in charge of corporate affairs and communications for Raytheon Aircraft Company in Wichita before retiring in 2002, has already performed a number of projects for Salina officials.
General aviation aircraft billings jumped 27.2 percent to an all-time high of $15.1 billion in 2005, and industry leaders are optimistic that economic forecasts bode well for even better performances in the future. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association last week reported that GA plane-makers shipped 3,580 airplanes in 2005, a 20.8 percent improvement from 2004 and the most deliveries recorded by the industry in 22 years.
An emergency landing with just minutes to spare on battery power following an electrical generator failure capped the longest flight in aviation history by Steve Fossett piloting the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer.
The Wing of an Airbus 380 airliner "ruptured" during ultimate load testing last week, before reaching the desired structural benchmark. In what was to be the final of about a dozen static tests, the wing was gradually being exposed to up to 1.5 times its load limit. Just before reaching the ultimate load level, the wing failed symmetrically on both sides, with the break occurring between the two engines. The load limit is the maximum strain an aircraft should encounter in flight, with ultimate load representing a 50 percent safety margin.
Richard Van Gemert, the president of New World Jet for more than a decade, is retiring and Bruce M. McNeely was named chief executive officer, changes that come in the wake of a company ownership change in early November.
A key congressional leader last week faulted the Bush Administration's proposed fiscal 2007 budget for the Federal Aviation Administration, characterizing it as "extremely shortsighted," and said the proposal would speed the nation's path to a crisis of congestion and delays. In testimony for the House Budget Committee last week, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska) said the proposed budget is not committed to meeting the nation's aviation infrastructure needs.
