A strong market for Cessna's Citation jets and Raytheon Aircraft Company's (RAC) Hawker and King Air lines led the two companies to combine for a $1.44 billion jump in sales in 2005. Cessna reported $3.48 billion in revenues in 2005, compared with $2.47 billion the year earlier. Operating profits at Cessna increased from $267 million to $457 million in 2005. Textron, Cessna's parent company, attributed the strong results to the volume of Citation sales, higher pricing and a growth in aftermarket revenues.
Cessna Aircraft added a third Citation Mustang to the flight test program. The third Mustang, S/N 2, flew for the first time Jan. 27 for 90 minutes. The aircraft joins the first production aircraft and a Mustang prototype in the development and certification flight test program. Cessna hopes to secure FAA certification of its newest and smallest business jet late this year. S/N 2 will be used for systems certification, reliability tests and post-certification service tests.
Federal investigators are attempting to determine how an Agusta A109E helicopter tore itself apart on the ground while the pilot was attempting to taxi the aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration is seeking $840,000 in civil penalties from Cessna Aircraft Company for a series of manufacturing and quality control problems FAA inspectors documented during a visit early last year to the manufacturer's light, single-engine aircraft assembly facility in Independence, Kan.
Bombardier Aerospace handed over the first of seven Bombardier Q400 turboprops to Australian carrier Qantas Airways. The 72-seat aircraft is slated to make its first revenue flight from Brisbane to Rockhampton Feb. 26. Qantas also will operate the aircraft between Brisbane and Mackay. In addition to the Q400, Qantas operates 43 aircraft, including 33 Bombardier turboprops.
The Senate Commerce Committee on March 28 plans to hold the first of a series of hearings to review the FAA budget and the future of the aviation trust fund, says Chairman Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). Stevens also told an American Bar Association aviation conference he is developing legislative proposals for bonds to raise money to upgrade the air traffic control system.
The acquisition of Midcoast Aviation from the Sabreliner Corp. will boost Jet Aviation's annual revenues by about one-third, officials said last week, confirming that the Europe-based FBO chain and aircraft modification firm will buy St. Louis, Mo.-based Midcoast (BA, Jan. 30/41).
Pacific Aerospace Model 750XL airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-23473; Directorate Identifier 2005-CE-54-AD; Amendment 39-14451; AD 2005-26-53] - requires the insertion of text into the Limitations Section of the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) that reduces the maximum takeoff weight from 7,500 pounds to 7,125 pounds. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for New Zealand. FAA is issuing this AD to reduce the maximum takeoff weight that will allow wing ultimate load requirements to be met.
Liberty Aerospace received an order from LAFT, LLC, a Montana-based aircraft leasing company, for 35 Liberty XL2 aircraft. LAFT, which specializes in acquiring aircraft for flight training academies and schools, said the XL2 "meets the demand for a cost-effective, technically advanced aircraft ideally suited for a large training environment." Powered by a Continental IOF 240-B 125-horsepower engine equipped with a full authority digital engine control, the XL2 can cruise at up to 132 knots while burning just five gallons of fuel per hour.
BizJet International tapped FirstFlight Management at Elmira Corning Regional Airport in New York as a service center for its customers in that part of the country. The agreement will enable BizJet to offer services to customers on the East Coast without necessitating travel to BizJet's base in Tulsa, Okla., BizJet executives said. FirstFlight provides a range of aircraft maintenance, including engine changes, major inspections, structural repairs and modifications.
Rolls-Royce Models 250-C30, 250-C40, and 250-C47 series turboshaft engines [Docket No. FAA-2005-23392; Directorate Identifier 2005-NE-47-AD] - proposes to add an additional life limit for third- and fourth-stage turbine wheels. This proposed AD results from analysis by RRC of failures of third- and fourth-stage turbine wheels. FAA is proposing this AD to prevent loss of power, possible engine shutdown, or uncontained failure. An estimated 1,300 engines installed on airplanes on the U.S. Registry would be affected by this AD at a cost to U.S. operators of $3.6 million.
Elliott Aviation received FAA supplemental type approval for installation of the Elite Series cockpit in the Citation 650 aircraft. The upgrade includes replacing the electromechanical and CR-based electronic flight instrument system with the Universal 890R large-format instrument suite.
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
CharterAuction.com rebranded its charter broker services Jet International and renamed its Web site www.jets.com. "Though we've built awareness for the CharterAuction brand, there is a stronger, more immediate and more universal understanding for the name Jets International," said Nathan McKelvey, CharterAuction president and chief executive. "Therefore, while we will still be incorporated under the CharterAuction.com, Inc.
CharterX continues to expand its portfolio of charter companies with 25 more operators joining the online charter business exchange. CharterX provides up-to-date information on airplane availability, scheduling and pricing. ChartX said its Industry Xchange processes more than 2,000 flight requests each day.
WSI Corporation received a contract from the Central Flow Management Unit (CFMU) of Eurocontrol to provide its WSI Pilotbrief products, including graphic forecasts and displays of current weather for European airspace. CFMU will use WSI Pilotbrief as part of a collaborative decision-making process during regular Web conferences with other agencies as well as for its own planning and tactical decisions. WSI also supports more than 80 commercial aviation customers in Europe.
Raytheon Aircraft Chairman and CEO Jim Schuster believes the Hawker 4000 is on track for certification shortly now that the manufacturer completed a "late requirement" that had stalled the certification program for a few months. The OEM was hoping to have the composite business jet certified by the end of 2005, but FAA mandated a modification providing some additional protection against lightning. Schuster said the requirement was not a new one - but one that the Wichita manufacturer had planned to accomplish after certification.
Ray Bennett was appointed vice president of sales for Flight Options LLC. Bennett has been regional sales director for the Southeast for Flight Options since June 2003. Before that, he held sales positions with NetJets and Raytheon Travel Air. He is a licensed pilot with 1,500 hours of flight time.
The crew of a Cessna Citation 560 had landed long and hot and was attempting to abort the landing and get the aircraft back into the air when the plane collided with a localizer antenna platform at the departure end of Runway 24 at the McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, Calif. on Jan. 24, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Concerned that the average age of aircraft in the U.S. general aviation fleet is 35 years, the Federal Aviation Administration is exploring problems that could crop up for operators of aging small aircraft. The agency scheduled a General Aviation Summit on the issue March 22-23 in Kansas City, Mo., saying the meeting is designed to discuss the potential effects of fatigue, corrosion and deterioration on aging aircraft.
Bombardier is casting a wide net in its aerospace product development now that the company has shelved plans to launch its proposed CSeries jet family after it failed to win customers. Staff assigned to the CSeries program will shrink from 350 to 50 employees, and current program head Gary Scott plans to oversee the much smaller project. Bombardier plans to spend about US$20 million in fiscal 2007 on the CSeries program compared with about $100 million it invested during the last two years.
Air Transport Association President and CEO Jim May figures to be one of the more provocative speakers at the National Air Transportation Association's annual convention in Las Vegas in March. May continues to make the case for a user-fee funded aviation system, most recently in an appearance before the National Aeronautic Association and National Aviation Club. He reiterated claims that commercial airlines, "including passenger, freight and charter operations," contribute more than 90 percent of user taxes to the Airport and Airway Trust Fund.
Sikorsky units Associated Aircraft Group (AAG) and Keystone Helicopter Corporation have teamed to provide integrated helicopter services in the Philadelphia market. The companies will offer aircraft maintenance and charter helicopter services using a Sikorsky S76 operated by AAG. The charter services will extend from the North Carolina technology triangle through the Northeast corridor. Keystone operates a technical services depot and completion center near Philadelphia.
Yingling Aviation, a fixed-base operation at Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita, is jumping back into the aircraft sales business after a 15-year hiatus, announcing that it will sell used Cessna piston, turboprop and jet aircraft. Jerry Pickett, who joined Yingling in 2003 with a background in aircraft sales and acquisition, will lead the revived sales effort. Yingling, celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, was Cessna's first aircraft dealer.
