September 18-21 - Airports Council International-North America, 16th Annual Conference & Exhibition, Metro Toronto Convention Center, Toronto, Ontario (202) 293-8500, e-mail [email protected] September 19-23 - Aviation Conference and Exhibition (ACE), Connecticut Convention Center, New Haven, Conn., www.aerospace-na.com/ace2005.asp September 21-25 - Aviation Expo/China 2005, Beijing, www.beijingaviation.com
SCOTT KUECHLE was named chief financial officer of Goodrich Corp. Kuechle formerly was vice president and controller. He has served with Goodrich for 22 years in various finance and accounting roles.
PENTASTAR NAMES SEEBER CEO - Waterford, Mich.-based Pentastar Aviation promoted Thomas Seeber to president and chief executive. Seeber has been with Pentastar Aviation since September 2000, initially as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Pentastar parent company Lakeshore Capital. He was later named president and chief operating officer.
BOMBARDIER EXPANDS CAPABILITIES IN ASIA-PACIFIC - Bombardier Aerospace is hoping to strengthen its presence in the Asia-Pacific area with a new team of sale representatives and added support capabilities in the region. The company is opening new regional sales offices in Singapore and New Delhi and appointed four new sales directors. In addition, the company plans to add line maintenance facilities in India and China.
International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and the National Business Aviation Association released a new supplement to the International Standard of Business Aviation (IS-BAO) and a generic operations manual designed to enhance safety of very light jet and other aircraft operations. The supplement provides a set of best practices for flight departments that operate VLJs. The practices cover safety management systems, flight operations procedures and training.
Philip J. Klass, 85, an electrical engineer by training who spent most of his career writing articles about avionics, died Aug. 9 in Merritt Island, Fla. Klass was born in Des Moines, Iowa, grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and graduated from Iowa State University in Ames in 1941 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. Following graduation, he joined General Electric in Schenectady, N.Y. as an engineer. After 11 years in industry, Klass joined Aviation Week & Space Technology as a technical journalist.
Wencor, the Springville, Utah-based producer of portable in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems, terminated its letter of intent to buy IMS, citing "irreconcilable differences on several key issues" between the two companies. Wencor said the decision was mutual and that they would cease discussions and continue in their roles independently in the IFE marketplace. Wencor announced plans last month to acquire IMS (BA, July 25/39).
Airwolf Filter Corp. earned FAA certification for its 400 series wet vacuum pump for piston aircraft fitted with de-icing boots. The new 400, a follow-on to the 200 series, drives the vacuum system that activates an airplane's deicing boots. The 400 and 200 series are the only certified new wet pumps available on the market and certified for piston aircraft. The 400 series is in production and will be ready for shipment beginning next month.
American Legend Aircraft Company was granted FAA approval for its two-place, single-engine Legend Cub aircraft. FAA issued a Special Light-Sport Aircraft (S-LSA) certification for the Legend Cub, signifying that the aircraft meets the requirements under the Light-Sport Rule released a year ago. The Legend Cub is powered by a 100-horsepower Teledyne Continental O-200 engine. The aircraft has an empty weight of 850 pounds and has optional floats for water takeoffs and landings.
WILLIAM TANIS was named director of charter sales for Raytheon Aircraft Charter & Management (RACM). Tanis has more than 20 years of aircraft management, charter sales and business development experience. He most recently was president/owner of an aviation consultancy, IdealAir, Inc. Before that, he was general manager of sales and marketing at Million Air in Teterboro, N.J.
HARTZELL, MCCAULEY and SENSENICH propellers [Docket No. 2003-NE-53-AD; Amendment 39-14188; AD 2005-14-11] - requires maintenance actions amounting to an overhaul of the affected propellers. This AD results from the investigation of a failed propeller blade and subsequent inspections of various propeller models returned to service by Southern California Propeller Service, of Inglewood, Calif. FAA is issuing this AD to prevent blade failure that could result in separation of a propeller blade and loss of control of the airplane.
ANTHONY NARDONE was named marketing project specialist for Geotest-Marvin Test Systems, a supplier of electronic test equipment for aerospace, semiconductors, telecom, medical, industrial and military applications. Nardone has seven years' experience in marketing and communications. He will develop and maintain Geotest's corporate messaging and branding, create marketing collateral, coordinate company events and serve as a primary media contact.
AVCRAFT CEO BARTEL ARRESTED FOR TAX EVASION - German authorities arrested AvCraft CEO Ben Bartel on tax evasion charges, the district attorney's office responsible confirmed. Police last week picked up Bartel at Frankfurt's international airport, the authorities said. The charges against him claim he set up a company in the Cayman Islands to avoid paying EUR7 million in taxes.
Eight months before Eclipse Aviation expects to win FAA type certification for its Eclipse 500 Very Light Jet (VLJ), President Vern Raburn believes most of the technical risk in the program has been overcome and he remains passionately confident that there is a market for thousands of such aircraft in a variety of roles.
August 9-11 - Asian Business Aviation Convention and Exposition ABACE2005, Shanghai, China, (202) 783-9000 September 15 - NBAA Business Aviation Regional Forum, Denver, Colo., www.nbaa.org September 18-21 - Airports Council International-North America, 16th Annual Conference & Exhibition, Metro Toronto Convention Center, Toronto, Ontario (202) 293-8500, e-mail [email protected] September 19-23 - Aviation Conference and Exhibition (ACE), Connecticut Convention Center, New Haven, Conn., www.aerospace-na.com/ace2005.asp
RICHARD SOWTER was appointed vice president of sales and marketing for the United Kingdom and Europe at Carmanah Technologies, a manufacturer of LED-based lighting for aviation, marine, roadway, industrial and public transit markets. Sowter spent 11 years in senior management positions with BP Solar International.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-100, DHC-8-200, and DHC-8-300 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-20852; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-240-AD; Amendment 39-14175; AD 2005-13-38] - requires revising the airworthiness limitations section of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness by incorporating new and revised structural inspection procedures and new and revised inspection intervals for the longitudinal skin joints in the fuselage pressure shell. This proposed AD also requires phase-in inspections and repair of any crack found during any phase-in inspection.
HOYER/BLUNT BILL WOULD FINE PILOTS ENTERING CAPITAL AIRSPACE - House leadership introduced a bill late last month to punish private pilots who violate the restricted airspace around the U.S. Capitol and Washington's security perimeter. The bill, which provides for fines up to $100,000 for errant pilots, sends a clear signal that the type of air space security breaches that occurred three times so far this year won't be tolerated, its sponsors said.
EMBRAER Model EMB-145 and EMB-135 series airplanes [Docket No. 2004-NM-37-AD; Amendment 39-14180; AD 2005-14-03] - requires replacement of the engine-driven hydraulic pump. This action is necessary to prevent engine oil leakage at the coupling seal between the hydraulic pump and the engine gearbox from causing low engine oil levels, which could lead to in-flight engine shutdown and consequent reduced controllability of the airplane. FAA estimates that 548 airplanes on the U.S. Registry will be affected by this AD at a cost or $142,480, or $260 per airplane.
NBAA URGES OVERHAUL OF IRS TAX GUIDANCE - The National Business Aviation Association asked the Internal Revenue Service to shelve its recent interpretation regarding aircraft entertainment use, saying the interim guidance goes beyond the congressional mandate and harms operators. The IRS released the interim guidance in June, limiting or disallowing a host of deductions when senior executives use a company aircraft for entertainment purposes (BA, July 4/1).
BAE SYSTEMS Jetstream Model 4101 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-21137; Directorate Identifier 2002-NM-86-AD; Amendment 39-14200; AD 2005-15-11] - requires repetitive detailed and specialized inspections to detect fatigue damage in the fuselage, replacement of certain bolt assemblies, and corrective actions if necessary. This AD results from a review of primary airframe fatigue test results and a Maintenance Steering Group 3 (MSG-3) analysis.
Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Corp., the manufacturer of the Columbia 300, 350 and 400 aircraft that formerly was called Lancair, established an in-house aircraft financing subsidiary, Columbia Aircraft Finance. The new unit will help customers secure financing and provide expertise on potential tax savings and aircraft insurance. The company, which is offering a range of finance programs, tapped aircraft financing veteran Bruce Cady to establish the new unit.
James M. Loy, former administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, was elected to a seat on the Lockheed Martin board of directors. Loy spent nearly 40 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, retiring as an admiral. Then, after heading TSA, he served as deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security before retiring from government service early this year (BA, Feb. 7/62).
Swift Air, a Phoenix-based charter and management company, teamed with Massachusetts-based broker CharterAuction to offer a new management program designed to provide a consistent revenue stream. Participants in the Swift Wings program can enroll their aircraft in Swift Air's "free floating fleet," which allows the aircraft to be used for point-to-point trips rather than be restricted by a home base designation.
