Raytheon secured type certification on its new Beechcraft Baron G58, which is equipped with the Garmin G1000 integrated avionics system. Raytheon Aircraft announced the avionics upgrade in July 2004 for both the twin-piston Baron as well as for the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza G36. Raytheon secured FAA certification for the new Bonanza in November (BA, Nov. 7/216). The G58 will come standard with a dual-display system that integrates Garmin's GFC700 autopilot and GWX68 color weather radar.
A phaseout of Stage 2 business jets? Capitol Hill aides are talking about the possibility of including a phase-out of Stage 2 business jets as they begin work on the next FAA reauthorization legislation. In an attempt to gauge the feasibility of such a ban, the Capitol Hill staffers asked the General Aviation Manufacturers Association about its position on the issue.
Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman James Inhofe (R-Okla.) last week praised some of the changes to Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) mandates that the Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed, but said the agency still has yet to produce data that justifies the SPCC requirements.
Eurocontrol awarded a contract to Thales for the delivery of automatic dependent surveillance - broadcast systems that will be installed thoughout Europe. The five AS-685 multi-channel ADS-B receiving systems and traffic information-broadcast (TIS-B) systems will be installed in the Eurocontrol experimental center in France, and at other sites in Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Portugal. They will be used for operational trials as part of a Eurocontrol advanced surveillance program known as Cascade.
Because of the holiday schedule, The Weekly of BUSINESS AVIATION will not publish a Dec. 26 issue. The next issue will be dated Jan. 2. The deadline for receipt of advertising materials for the Jan. 2 issue is noon, Dec. 28. Please accept our best wishes for a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year.
Oregon Aero, Inc. received an FAA Supplemental Type Certificate for installation of its High-G Safety Seat on Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Company's Columbia 400 and Columbia 350 production aircraft.
BAE Model 146 and Avro 146-RJ airplanes [Docket No. 2002-NM-172-AD] - revises an earlier proposed AD that would have required installation of a linear fluid-filled damper between each elevator surface and the airplane structure on both the left and right sides of the airplane, along with related structural and system modifications. This new action revises the proposed rule by updating and adding service information, and changing the compliance time.
S-TEC secured reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) approval for Consquest II aircraft equipped with the S-Tec Magic 2100 digital flight control system. The system includes a full-function autopilot and glass panel that meets RVSM requirements and is designed to reduce pilot workload.
Bombardier Aerospace won an order from Deutsche Lufthansa AG for 12 CRJ900 regional jets. Lufthansa has been a CRJ Series customer since 1992 when its Lufthansa CityLine regional airline became the world's first operator of the 50-seat CRJ100 regional jet.
SHAWN MECHELKE was appointed vice president of operations for Flight Explorer, which develops global aircraft tracking and information technology products. Mechelke will oversee all company operations, including integrating Flight Explorer's Aircraft Situational Display (ASD) in the marketplace and supporting airlines and corporate flight centers. Before joining Flight Explorer, Mechelke spent 13 years with ATA Airlines as a dispatcher, supervisor, and manager in the flight operations division.
French plane-maker EADS Socata last week took the wraps off the next generation of its TBM 700 single-turboprop aircraft, a six-seat TBM 850 sporting a new Pratt &Whitney PT6A-66D engine that will fly at a maximum cruise speed of 320 knots at Flight Level 260. Last week's announcement of the TBM 850 follows more than a year of development and testing that culminated in European certification on Nov. 28. FAA certification is expected shortly and Socata hopes to hand over the first TBM 850 to a customer during a Feb. 23 ceremony in Florida.
A group of airport officials, Sound Initiative - A Coalition for Quieter Skies, has been lobbying for months for an end to the use of noisy Stage 1 and Stage 2 business jets at U.S. airports. Organizers of the group say Stage 1 and 2 aircraft total somewhere between 800 and 1,100 airplanes. While accounting for only about seven percent of all U.S. business jets, the older noisy models are responsible for generating an inordinately large portion of all airport noise complaints nationwide, according to Sound Initiative.
Industry teams vying for the U.S. Army's Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) program are expected to conduct demonstration flights in the January-February period. Competitors are the AugustaWestland North America/L-3 Communications US139, the Bell 412EP, the EADS North America/Sikorsky UH145 and MD Helicopters MD Explorer. A contract award is expected in the spring.
Excel-Jet, Ltd. reached a financial agreement with the Guthrie, Okla. Industrial Development Authority under which the company will relocate its operations to Guthrie. Excel-Jet is developing the Sport-Jet, a five-place aircraft to be powered by a single Williams FJ33 turbofan engine. Excel-Jet officials say the aircraft "will sell for about $1 million, cruise at 340 knots at 25,000 feet and can carry four persons over 900 nautical miles."
Saint-Gobain Flight Structures is introducing a new nose radome for the Bombardier Challenger business jet and CRJ regional jet aircraft. The design features internal lightning diverters, lightweight composite components and the incorporation of Norton Armor (TM) and Stormview (TM) radome technologies. Saint Gobain said the Stormview system provides enhanced radar vision through better signal transmission, while Norton Armor provides protection from in-flight erosion and damage.
Executive Jet Management placed five new aircraft on its charter fleet this fall, increasing its management fleet to 102 aircraft in more than 60 locations. The new aircraft include a Citation Sovereign based at Aurora Municipal Airport in Chicago, Ill.; a Falcon 900EX at Centennial Airport in Denver, Colo.; a Citation X at Yosemite International Airport in Fresno, Calif.; a Gulfstream 200 at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nev.; and a Learjet 60 at La Crosse Municipal Airport in La Crosse, Wis.
General Dynamics, the parent company of Gulfstream Aerospace, said it plans to pay in excess of $2 billion to acquire two information technology firms. GD will pay about $2.2 billion for Anteon, including the assumption of about $100 million in debt. GD is headquartered in Falls Church, Va. and Anteon is based in nearby Fairfax. Anteon has about 9,500 employees in more than 100 offices around the world. It has a current backlog of $6.6 billion and expects sales of $1.7 billion in 2006.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. signed a five-year contract to provide four S-92 helicopters to CHC Helicopter Corp. to perform commercial search-and-rescue missions for the United Kingdom Maritime and Coastguard Agency, beginning in July 2007.
January 8-12 - American Association of Airport Executives Aviation Issues Conference, Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel, Kona, Hawaii, (703) 824-0504, www.airportnet.org January 25-27 - National Business Aviation Association Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference, San Antonio, Texas, (202) 783-9000 February 26-28 - Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo 2006 Annual Convention and Exposition, Dallas, Texas, (703) 683-4646
CANDY JOHNSON was promoted to chief operating officer for Mayo Aviation. Johnson joined Mayo in 1998 and most recently was human resources manager. In her new position, Johnson will direct the company's day-to-day operations as well as coordinate internal communications.
French aircraft manufacturer Dassault and U.S. avionics manufacturer Honeywell have apparently buried the hatchet and resolved their dispute over alleged delivery delays of Honeywell EPIC avionics for the Falcon 900EX and 2000EX business jets. Dassault had filed a $60 million damage suit against Honeywell (BA, Dec. 5/259).
