Nordam Group is transferring its European headquarters from the Netherlands to Toulouse, France, in a move designed to bring the company closer to its European original equipment manufacturer customers. Alain Poupin, vice president of Europe, the Middle East and Africa for NORDAM, will be responsible for the Toulouse office. In addition to Toulouse, Poupin will oversee staff in Paris, London and Nottingham, England; Amsterdam, Netherlands; and Hamburg and Leipzig, Germany.
Butler National Corp. said its AVCON Industries subsidiary "has experienced a great deal of success" in sales and delivery of Reduced Vertical Separation Minimums (RVSMs) for Learjet 20 Series aircraft in the Latin American market. AVCON has upgraded 15 airplanes based in Latin America and has orders for five more booked or pending, the company said.
ARINC was awarded a $3 million contract from the City of Long Beach, Calif. to provide a new security system and enhanced security operations center at Long Beach, Airport. ARINC will install its AIM System for Airports, a security management tool that provides access control, intrusion detection, emergency telephone and notification systems, alarm and event annunciation, expanded closed-circuit surveillance, digital video storage, intelligent video analytics, improved gate control and enhanced personnel badging.
David Robb was named executive editor of AOPA Pilot magazine. Robb has 20 years of experience as writer, editor and publisher, and spent 14 years in the aviation and aerospace markets. A former editor and associate publisher of Avionics Magazine, Robb most recently was general manager of his family's AV-ED Flight School, Inc., based in Leesburg, Va. In his new position, Robb will report to Tom Haines, editor-in-chief of AOPA Pilot.
National Business Aviation Association and National Air Transportation Association have become increasingly concerned that the FAA is considering allowing the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) to lapse as yet another budget cut. Agency officials had discussed eliminating the remaining $400,000 in the program, which is administered through a contract with Booz Allen Hamilton.
HARTZELL propellers and MCCAULEY controllable propellers [Docket No. FAA-2005-20141; Directorate Identifier 2005-NE-01-AD] - proposes to require inspecting for wear and damage to the propeller blades and other critical propeller parts that were serviced by Oxford Aviation Services Limited, doing business as CSE Aviation, in the United Kingdom between September 1998 and October 2003. This proposed AD results from findings that CSE Aviation failed to perform specific inspections and repairs.
Bombardier Aerospace has relocated two of its most experienced sales representatives to a new East Coast sales office near Baltimore, Md. Bill Monroe, vice president of sales, Eastern U.S., and Doug Smith, sales director, Mid-Atlantic territory, will focus on sales of Bombardier Challenger and Global business jet models to customers in the eastern section of the country. Smith had been operating from his home in nearby Ellicott City, Md., and Monroe was based in Dallas, Texas, where the company's Eastern U.S. sales office was previously headquartered.
EADS Socata signed an agreement with French business aviation consultant Aero-Capital to market the EADS Socata TBM 700 single-turboprop aircraft. Aero-Capital will tailor its Magellan System aircraft operation analysis for the TBM 700 to provide customers in-depth information on technical, legal, financial and tax aspects of operating the aircraft.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-400 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-20860; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-043-AD; Amendment 39-14131; AD 2005-12-15] - requires revising the Airworthiness Limitation section of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness of the Dash 8 400 series (Bombardier) Maintenance Requirements Manual to reduce the life limits of the main landing gear (MLG) orifice support tube, upper bearing, and piston plug; and to reduce the threshold for initiating repetitive detailed inspections for cracking of the engine isolator brackets.
TWO U.S. ARMY HELICOPTER PROGRAMS ENTERING KEY PHASES - Two U.S. Army helicopter acquisition programs are on the verge of entering key phases. The Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) program has been cleared to conduct a competition for a prime contractor, and the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) program is expected to make its own contractor selection as early as July, Army and industry officials told BA affiliate Aerospace Daily & Defense Report.
Pratt & Whitney Canada and Cessna Aircraft have extended a long-time working agreement to launch PowerAdvantage Plus (PA+), which will expand a pay-by-the-hour engine maintenance program to more Citation business jet operators. The jointly developed program will provide Cessna Citation operators the opportunity to enter into a program that covers parts, rental engines and engine shop labor in addition to certain consumables. It also will provide engine trend monitoring as part of the coverage.
FOKKER Model F.28 Mark 0100 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-20868; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-162-AD; Amendment 39-14132; AD 2005-12-16] - requires an inspection to determine the part number of the passenger service unit (PSU) panels for the PSU modification status, and corrective actions if applicable. This AD is prompted by reported incidents of smoke in the passenger compartment during flight. One of those incidents also included a burning smell and consequently led to emergency evacuation of the airplane.
Embraer delivered the first U.K.-registered Legacy executive jet this month through Harrods Aviation, the manufacturer's authorized sales representative for the U.K. and Ireland.
The House Appropriations Committee last week approved a $14.427 billion budget for the Federal Aviation Administration, dramatically increasing the agency's funding over the Bush Administration's request as well as boosting the amount of funding provided by the general fund. The House bill that cleared the committee Tuesday also contained a strongly worded directive to FAA about making sure that it adequately staffs its certification inspection force, and included a ban on new user fees.
CAE POSTS BIG LOSS; SHAREHOLDERS APPROVE MOVING HQ TO MONTREAL - Canadian simulator manufacturer and aircraft training provider CAE reported a net loss from continuing operations of $305 million, or $1.23 per share, for the year ended March 31, the result of a charge of $443.3 million taken in the third quarter (BA, Feb. 14/73).
EXPRESSJET TAKES STAKE IN WING AVIATION - Regional airline operator ExpressJet Holdings is expanding its reach into corporate aviation through the purchase of a non-controlling stake in Wing Aviation, LLC. The stake expands the relationship of the Houston-based companies that began when ExpressJet contracted with Wing Aviation for paint work. "The Wing Aviation team provides excellent leadership and a developed private aviation business that is second to none.
GE REORGANIZES; AIRCRAFT ENGINES' CALHOUN MOVES UP - GE will consolidate its businesses from 11 to six, effective July 5, the conglomerate said last week, with the GE Transportation and Aircraft Engines chief moving up to vice chairman. GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt named vice chairmen for three of the newly formed businesses: Dave Calhoun for Infrastructure; Michael Neal for Commercial Financial Services, and John Rice for Industrial.
Elliott Aviation received FAA supplemental type certification to install Honeywell's Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS), along with windshear alerting, in Citation Model 560 Ultra and 560XL Excel business jets. RAAS offers "a significant safety enhancement" to Honeywell's Mark VII Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS)," Elliott said, by providing improved situational awareness to help prevent runway incursions. The system uses GPS data, in additional to EGPWS runway database information, to monitor aircraft position on the runway and taxiways.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-400 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-21469; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-124-AD; Amendment 39-14133; AD 2005-12-17] - requires inspecting the electrical connectors of the fire extinguisher bottles for the forward and aft baggage compartments and for the auxiliary power unit and engine nacelles to determine if they are connected correctly; and doing related investigative and corrective actions, if necessary.
RON MAHAN was named chief pilot for Jet Source. Mahan has more than 19 years of professional pilot and flight department experience, holding positions such as director of operations and chief pilot. In his new role he will direct the flight operations department with responsibility for building the staff and coordinating crewmember planning.
While GA groups were wary that Rep. Steve Rothman (D-N.J.) might attempt to use the fiscal 2006 transportation appropriations bill as a venue to impose further operational limits on Teterboro Airport (TEB) in N.J. (BA, June 13/261), the bill contained no such measure. The report accompanying the bill, however, continues the 100,000-pound aircraft weight limit at the airport. Boeing and certain operators had been hoping to convince the airport to modify the weight restrictions to enable the Boeing Business Jet to access TEB.
