Experimental Aircraft Association's 2005 AirVenure last month in Oshkosh, Wis., drew more than 700,000 attendees, up seven percent from the 2004 event. The seven-day AirVenture attracted more than 10,000 aircraft to Wittman Regional Airport, including almost 3,000 showplanes. The convention also hosted 789 exhibitors and visitors from 65 nations.
Liberty Aerospace, manufacturer of the XL2 single-engine aircraft, won FAA approval for the aircraft to operate under instrument flight rules. The Melbourne, Fla. manufacturer claims the XL2 is the only production aircraft powered by a piston engine equipped with a full authority digital engine control. The airplane has a carbon fiber fuselage and can cruise at up to 132 knots while burning only 5.5 gallons of fuel per hour. Deliveries of the XL2, which carries a base price of $139,000, are scheduled to begin later this summer.
EXECUTIVE AIRCRAFT COMPLETIONS BUYS AVIONICS FIRM - Executive Aircraft Completions, LLC of Tulsa, Okla., acquired AVHAR Services, Inc. of San Antonio, Texas. AVHAR, which has been renamed Executive Aircraft Completions-San Antonio, will continue operating from its current facilities for the near term.
James P. (Jim) Donlan, 49, a former Honeywell executive who had most recently headed Dallas Airmotive, died July 23 after an apparent heart attack. A friend said Donlan, who had played golf that morning, was exercising on a treadmill at a health club when he was stricken. Donlan, who grew up in South Bend, Ind., received his undergraduate degree and a master's in business administration from Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.
New Piper Aircraft President Chuck Suma has had his hands full getting the Vero Beach, Fla. company back up to full production following last year's severe hurricane damage to the factory (BA, Aug. 1/43), but now that he's achieved that objective he's thinking about the company's next aircraft program. In response to a question at last month's EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., Suma told BA a small jet would be "the next logical step" for the company, adding that New Piper has already done a lot of aerodynamic work on the project.
RAYTHEON OFFERING NEW HIGH PERFORMANCE KING AIR 90 - Raytheon Aircraft Company introduced the King Air C90GT last month, a high-performance version of the venerable C90B model.
ECCLESTON LEAVES HONEYWELL TO HEAD AIRBUS NORTH AMERICA - Airbus announced that the new head of its North American operations will be Barry Eccleston, a well-known aviation industry figure who is already familiar with Airbus through his previous leadership roles in the aircraft engine divisions at Honeywell and Rolls-Royce. Eccleston takes over as CEO of Airbus North America from Henri Courpron, who last month accepted a promotion to executive vice president-procurement at Airbus' Toulouse headquarters.
Elliott Aviation was named a service center and distributor for Socata Aircraft's TBM 700 single-engine turboprop. Elliott will represent Socata in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. Elliott has serviced and sold business aircraft since 1936 and is an authorized Raytheon/Beech dealer and service center. Elliott joins New Avex, Cutter Aviation, Columbia Aircraft Sales and Muncie Aviation as a part of the U.S. Socata TBM 700 distribution network.
"A big ball of irony and stupidity," is how one aviation veteran viewed a provision in the highway reauthorization bill, H.R.3, to require aircraft operators to pay the diesel fuel tax rate on Jet A fuel and then apply for a refund for the two-cent difference between the highway rate and aviation fuel tax (BA, Aug. 1/44). The provision, dubbed "Preventing Fuel Fraud," is designed to cut down on instances where diesel fuel truck operators use aviation fuel to avoid higher taxes.
AEROSPATIALE Model ATR 72 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-21909; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-059-AD] - proposes to require a one-time general visual inspection for contamination of the surface of the upper arms of the main landing gear (MLG) secondary side brace assemblies, repetitive eddy current inspections for cracking of the upper arms and related specified and corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD also would mandate eventual replacement of aluminum upper arms with steel upper arms, which would end the repetitive inspections.
ROLLS-ROYCE DEUTSCHLAND (Formerly Rolls-Royce plc) Models Tay 650-15 and 651-54 Turbofan Engines [Docket No. 2001-NE-02-AD] - proposes to supersede an existing AD that requires borescope inspection of the high-pressure compressor (HPC) Stage 12 disc assembly to detect damage caused by HPC outlet guide vane (OGV) retaining bolt failure, and replacement of unserviceable parts with serviceable parts. That AD also requires as terminating action, the incorporation of a new design retention arrangement for the HPC OGV to prevent HPC OGV retaining bolt failure.
STEPHEN MAYER was appointed director of aftermarket sales for Kelly Aerospace. Mayer will be responsible for aftermarket customer relationships in North America. He has served with Kelly for five years as regional sales manager. He has 27 years of aviation industry experience.
FAA REPAIR STATION OVERSIGHT PROGRESSING SLOWLY, IG SAYS - FAA is trying to make improvements in its oversight of domestic and foreign aircraft repair stations, but progress has been slow and the agency is far from implementing all the changes recommended two years ago by the Department of Transportation Inspector General, an IG report has found.
Suma said New Piper will probably watch the Very Light Jet market evolve over the next 12-18 months before making a launch decision. Finding the "sweet spot" in the market will help determine whether a new aircraft would be designed for high-utilization buyers like air taxi operators or for the owner-flown market.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-1A11 (CL-600), Model CL-600-2A12 (CL-601), and Model CL-600-2B16 (CL-601-3A, CL-601-3R, and CL-604) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-21139; Directorate Identifier 2003-NM-196-AD; Amendment 39-14193; AD 2005-15-04] - requires operators to assign serial numbers or part numbers to certain landing gear parts and to establish the number of landings on the parts, if necessary.
At least two well-financed suitors are believed to be bidding to acquire Jet Aviation, the Switzerland-based business aviation service company, from members of the Hirschmann family. Sources say the Washington, D.C.-based Carlyle Group made a detailed offer to buy Jet Aviation for slightly more than $600 million in cash in April. A German investment bank also is believed to be in the hunt for Jet, which provides aircraft sales, modification and repair services, runs fixed-base operations and has a fleet of more than 160 aircraft in the U.S. and Europe.
TONY KEANE was appointed executive director for NACE International. Keane formerly was the chief operating officer of the Optical Society of America. Before that, he held a number of management roles, including deputy executive director and interim executive director for Construction Specifications Institute.
FAA CALLS FOR PERMANENT RESTRICTED AREA OVER WASHINGTON - The Federal Aviation Administration Thursday proposed creating a permanent National Defense Airspace region that would replace the current Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) surrounding Washington, D.C. The proposal would codify restrictions that had been in place under temporary flight restriction notices for the past two years.
Adam Aircraft hopes to win certification for its twin-turbofan A700 Very Light Jet in 2006, a process that officials are saying will be much easier and quicker than the one they've gone through to get the A500 twin-piston close to being FAA approved.
MUSTANG ON TRACK FOR CERTIFICATION NEXT YEAR - Cessna Aircraft has one Cessna Mustang in flight test with another poised to join the program next quarter, and officials are confident they will be able to win FAA certification on schedule in the fourth quarter of 2006. The first Mustang airframe made its first flight April 23 and accomplished its 90th when Jack Pelton, Cessna's chairman, president and CEO, flew the airplane to Oshkosh, Wis. last month for display at EAA's AirVenture.
RICHARD TRANQUILLI joined Executive Jet Management as vice president of organizational development. He formerly held roles as a project manager developing education and training programs for Procter & Gamble and Fifth Third Bank and as a self-employed facilitator of several proprietary leadership and sales training projects.
FAA ESTABLISHES SECOND-IN-COMMAND TYPE RATING - The Federal Aviation Administration created a new type rating for second-in-command (SIC) pilots that will bring U.S. regulations into compliance with international standards. The new rule, which takes effect Sept. 6, calls for pilots who plan to fly outside U.S. airspace and land in foreign countries obtain the SIC type rating. The rule also recommends that pilots who plan to transit through foreign-controlled airspace obtain the type rating.
The highway bill contained numerous provisions affecting aviation, but not all of them are as controversial. While imposing higher jet-fuel taxes, the bill also exempts sightseeing and seaplane operators from the air transportation taxes; exempts agricultural aerial applicators from the fuel taxes and fixed-wing aircraft involved in forestry operations from air transportation taxes; and calls for the continued operation of the airport at Midway Island, saying it's necessary for the safety of commercial and military operations.
