Northern Jet Management of Grand Rapids, Mich. plans to build a 14,700-square-foot hangar that can house as many as nine business jets. The $1 million expansion is scheduled to be finished later this year. Northern Jet Management is the operating arm of The Company Jet.
CESSNA NAMES STANGARONE TO TOP PR POST - Robert Stangarone, a veteran aviation journalist and communicator, took over Friday as vice president of communications for Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kan., ending a long search by the manufacturer for someone to fill its top public relations post. Reporting to Jack Pelton, Cessna's chairman, president and CEO, Stangarone will be responsible for Cessna's internal and external communications as well as community affairs.
SIKORSKY Model S-92A helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2005-21588; Directorate Identifier 2005-SW-24-AD; Amendment 39-14150; AD 2005-13-13] - requires replacing a certain part-numbered tail gear box output housing that has 600 or more hours time-in-service (TIS) with an airworthy part. Also, this AD revises the Airworthiness Limitations section of the maintenance manual by reducing the life limit of the tail gearbox output housing. This amendment is prompted by the premature failure of the tail gearbox output housing during fatigue testing by the manufacturer.
Liberty Aerospace will open its fifth factory direct sales office Aug. 1 at DuPage County Airport near West Chicago, Ill. Joe Kirkwood, who has 20 years of sales experience and who most recently worked for Tiger Aircraft, will manage the new office and oversee sales in the Midwest for Liberty, which builds the XL2 single-engine aircraft. The address of the new office is 1824 Baltimore Drive, Elk Grove, Village, Ill. 60007, and the telephone number is (847) 524-4820.
General Dynamics traditionally has taken a cautious approach to increasing business jet production at its Gulfstream Aerospace facility in Savannah, Ga., but GD Chairman Nicholas Chabraja told financial analysts Wednesday Gulfstream has "no alternative" but to boost aircraft output because of rising customer demand.
Thales was selected to supply its Eurocat air traffic management for the Republic of Uzebekistan's Navoi airport. The system will include an air traffic management center, STAR 200 primary and RSM 970 secondary surveillance radars and air-to-ground communications, meteorological equipment and navaid systems. The system will be connected to the Tashkent national airspace management system. Thales will provide operational and technical training for Uzbek engineers and air traffic controllers.
Cessna Aircraft Company named a veteran employee to head product development. Andrew H. Kasowski was named vice president-product development, where he will be responsible for program management and product engineering for new product development and sustaining projects. Kasowski, who joined Cessna in 1973, reports to David W. Brant, senior vice president. "Andy has proven himself as a leader time and time again during his 32 years at Cessna," said Jack J. Pelton, chairman, CEO and president.
ARMY SELECTS OFFICER TO HEAD UAV PROGRAM - The U.S. Army named Col. Don Hazelwood to become the service's project manager for unmanned aerial vehicles. Hazelwood, based at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is replacing Col. John Burke, who was selected to become director of unmanned systems integration for Army operations (G-3). Among the projects Hazelwood will oversee in his new post is the Extended Range Multi-Purpose UAV. That program is in the midst of a competition between General Atomics' Warrior and Northrop Grumman's Hunter II. In another change at Redstone, Col.
Iridium Satellite received a contract to supply services to 200 aircraft operated for the U.S. Forest Service. The aircraft, primarily on contract with the Forest Service, are mostly helicopters and fixed-wing airtankers used for firefighting and other natural resource missions. Iridium partners Blue Sky Network, Latitude Technologies, Sky Connect and SkyTrac Systems provided the equipment and airtime under the Forest Service contract. The Forest Service will use Iridium for aircraft tracking as well as cockpit voice and data communications.
JERRY GARMON was appointed general manager of Garrett/Piedmont Hawthorne/Associated's fixed-based operation in Wichita Falls, Texas. Garmon spent the prior five years as airport manager of Wichita Falls Municipal Airport. He also managed the neighboring Kickapoo Downtown Airport, which is operated by the City of Wichita Falls.
Wencor, the Springville, Utah-based producer of portable in-flight entertainment systems, signed a letter of intent to buy IMS, which produces the PEA (personal entertainment appliance) at its facilities in Anaheim, Calif. The acquisition is slated to be completed in September. Once the acquisition is made final, Wencor will operate offices in both Utah and California and IMS Chairman Joseph Renton will become CEO of the newly combined company. Wencor CEO Brent Wood will become chairman.
The Department of Homeland Security decided to combine the aviation fleets of the Office of Air and Marine Observation (AMO) and the Office of Border Patrol (OBP). But it remains unclear what shape the merger will take. To achieve efficiencies, AMO was recently moved from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which already included OBP. AMO's aircraft modernization plans are on hold while details of its transfer to CBP are worked out.
Carmanah Technologies of Victoria, British Columbia acquired all the issued and outstanding shares of Soltek Powersource Ltd., a manufacturer and supplier of solar power systems for industrial, government, residential and retail applications. Carmanah makes self-contained solar packages and proprietary LED technology. "SPS is a thriving business with an excellent track record, outstanding growth prospects and quality management," said Art Aylesworth, chief executive officer of Carmanah.
NEW PRESIDENTIAL HELO GETS VH-71A DESIGNATION AS FLIGHT TESTING BEGINS - The design series for the next generation of U.S. presidential helicopters will be known as "VH-71A," the U.S. military announced this month. A popular name for the VH-71A still is under consideration by the deputy chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force for plans and policies, which has naming and designating duty for military aerospace vehicles. The VH-71A designation was made July 7.
ONE COMPANY NAMED LANCAIR TO BE KNOWN AS COLUMBIA - In an attempt to differentiate two small Oregon-based aircraft manufacturers named Lancair, one of the firms has changed its name to Columbia. The manufacturer of the Columbia line of FAA-certificated single-engine airplanes, which had been known as The Lancair Company, is now the Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Corp. (CAM). It is headquartered in Bend, Ore. and builds the Columbia 400 and the Columbia 350, which it has been doing since 1998.
HEALING RESIGNS AS NTSB MEMBER; BOARD HAS TWO VACANCIES - Richard F. Healing, who has been involved in safety pursuits in several areas of transportation for decades, resigned his seat on the National Transportation Safety Board, effective Aug. 1. Healing was sworn in as an NTSB member March 28, 2003 for a term that was not due to expire until Dec. 31, 2006.
HOFFMANN PROPELLER Models HO-V343 and HO-V343K Propellers] [Docket No. FAA-2004-18958; Directorate Identifier 2004-NE-32-AD; Amendment 39-14137; AD 2005-13-01] - supersedes an existing AD that requires repetitive visual inspections of propeller blades for blade shake and blade nut preload. That AD also requires repetitive eddy current inspections of blade hubs for damage and cracks. This AD requires an ultrasonic inspection of the propeller hub and an eddy current inspection of the propeller hub if any cracks are discovered during ultrasonic inspection.
Notably absent from this week's Oshkosh festivities will be Sino Swearingen Aircraft's SJ30-2 business jet, because officials say they are immersed in a very intensive flight test program with three aircraft. "I'm not going to go to Oshkosh if I can't bring an airplane," said Gene Comfort, senior vice president-U.S. and international sales and marketing. The SJ30-2 recently successfully completed landing tests on flooded runways.
HIGHER CESSNA SALES HELP BOOST TEXTRON RESULTS - Higher revenues and operating profits reported by Cessna Aircraft and Bell Helicopter helped boost financial results for parent company Textron in the second quarter. Revenues at Cessna were up $410 million to $910 million, "due to higher CitationJet, single-engine, Caravan and used aircraft volume," Textron said, along with the consolidation of CitationShares. Operating profit at Cessna jumped $77 million, to $121 million, "primarily due to the higher volumes and pricing, partially offset by inflation.
After years of delay in development and certification of the SJ30-2, Comfort and other company officials now say FAA certification is on track "for finalization the second half of this year with customer deliveries to follow shortly thereafter." Comfort said Sino Swearingen will have an aircraft at the NBAA convention in November and plans to attend a long list of air shows, conventions and exhibitions next year.
Southwest Jet Aviation added a Bombardier Challenger business jet to its charter fleet. The aircraft is based at Southwest's facilities at Scottsdale Municipal Airport in Arizona.
National Business Aviation Association officials are hopeful the schedule laid out by TSA last week will permit business aviation flights to begin visiting DCA by mid-October.
FAA: CRANKSHAFTS IN ANOTHER 1,100 LYCOMING ENGINES MUST BE REPLACED - The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that crankshafts in more than 1,100 Textron Lycoming engines must be replaced because of a series of crankshaft failures.
