Michael R. Suldo was named president of Air Logistics, LLC and senior vice president of Offshore Logistics, Inc. He joined the offshore helicopter operator in 2002 as assistant general manager and subsequently was promoted to general manager, responsible for all operations, maintenance and training. The company operates 165 helicopters.
MOONEY SALES UP SHARPLY, LOSS SMALLER - Mooney Airplane Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mooney Aerospace Group, reported sales of $9.38 million for the quarter ended March 31, an increase of 162 percent over the first-quarter 2004 sales total of $3.58 million. The company sold 20 airplanes in the first quarter this year compared with just seven in the same period last year, and noted that it does not record a sale until "the airplane is paid in full and the airplane is delivered to the customer."
IRS CURBS DEDUCTIONS FOR ENTERTAINMENT FLIGHTS - The National Business Aviation Association will host a two-hour teleconference this week to walk members through new Internal Revenue Service requirements on how companies should treat tax deductions related to the use of aircraft for entertainment. A recently released IRS notice provides interim guidance to taxpayers on a tax measure adopted by Congress in the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 last fall that limits the amount a company can deduct when senior-level executives use the aircraft for entertainment.
ARINC's Asia Pacific division will establish a joint venture with China's Aviation Data Communication Corp. (ADCC) to develop new products and services for the aviation market. The joint venture plans to take advantage of ARINC's expertise in airline communications and airport IT with ADCC's experience in application development. One project the joint venture is expected to undertake is airport tarmac management services, monitoring and managing aircraft on the ground.
Precision Conversions won supplemental type certificate approval to convert a Boeing 757 from passenger to cargo configuration after a three and one-half year development program. The conversion that was tested for STC conformity was completed at Goodrich Corporation's Aviation Technical Services facility in Everett, Wash.
The Department of Homeland Security's requirements for general aviation access to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) came under fire before the Senate Commerce Committee last week, as the panel's chairman, Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), said he feared the rules would be too burdensome to work and Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) said he feared that all DHS's resources will be focusing on DCA at the expense of general aviation security nationwide (BA, May 30/241).
TIAHRT MOVES TO ADD AVIATION PROMOTION BACK INTO FAA'S MANDATE - Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) last week introduced a bill to make promotion of aviation part of the Federal Aviation Administration's mandate. The bill, Promotion Responsibility for Our U.S. Aviation Act of 2005, H.R.2787, would restore part of FAA's mandate that was removed in 1996 in the wake of the ValuJet accident. Then-Transportation Secretary Federico Pena had called for the mandate change after FAA came under public fire for not going far enough to enforce commercial aviation safety.
ROBINSON R44 DESTROYED TWO MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE - A Robinson R44 was destroyed last month in California after the rotorcraft struck terrain during low-level flight near Lucerne Valley, Calif. and then burned in a post-impact fire. The Part 91 flight was carrying the pilot, who had purchased the helicopter in March, a certified flight instructor and a passenger. The three had departed from Redlands, Calif. May 28 and the pilot was operating under visual meteorological conditions.
MICHELE TOTH was named vice president of human resources and administration for Northrop Grumman's Information Technology unit. Toth most recently was vice president of human resources for Northrop Grumman's Space Technology sector. She has held a number of human resources positions at the company, including director of strategic planning in the Electronic Systems sector, and has led human resources integration of newly acquired organizations.
Bombardier received an order from Jeju Air of South Korea for five 74-seat Bombardier Q400 airliners. The order, valued at about $120 million, includes options on three additional aircraft, which could boost the total contract value to $196 million. Formed in January, Jeju Air expects to provide low-fare service between Jeju Island and the South Korean mainland, including Seoul-Gimpo, Busan, Daegu and Cheongju. The airline plans to launch operations in 2006.
Innotech Aviation was approved as a line service center for Honeywell's HTF 7000 turbofan engine. The Montreal, Quebec aviation service provider will perform engine removal/replacement, hot section inspections, major periodic inspections and line maintenance for operators of HTF-equipped Challenger 300 business jets. Innotech was previously approved to service Honeywell TFE731-2 through -5 propulsion engines and GTCP30-92, GTCP36-6, GTCP36-100 and GTCP36-150 auxiliary power units.
AGUSTA Model A109E helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2005-20511; Directorate Identifier 2004-SW-32-AD; Amendment 39-14117; AD 2005-12-01] - requires, within five hours time-in-service, locating relay K7212 and its associated cable in the overhead panel assembly and visually inspecting the electrical cable in the splice area for arcing or burns. If arcing or burns are found, this AD requires, before further flight, replacing an unairworthy cable with an airworthy cable kit.
Raytheon Canada received an order to deliver a FIRSTplus air traffic control simulator to Civil Aviation Training Collect in Allahabad, India. SES Systems Pte. Ltd. is the prime contractor on the order. The system is slated to be operational in mid-2005.
DORNIER Model 328-300 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-20414; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-116-AD; Amendment 39-14079; AD 2005-10-02] - requires installing an additional mounting angle for the respective de-icing pipes at Rib 9 in the leading edge area of the left- and right-hand wings. This AD is prompted by chafed de-icing lines in the wing leading edge area.
FlightSafety International plans to install a Gulfstream G550 and a Bombardier Challenger 300 simulator at its Greater Philadelphia/Wilmington, Del. learning center by the end of the year. Both simulators are slated to receive FAA Level D approval following installation. FSI offers training for a range of Bombardier aircraft, and the Challenger 300 trainer will increase the number of Bombardier aircraft simulators at FSI to 50. FSI also offers Gulfstream training at its learning centers in Savannah, Ga., Dallas, Texas and Long Beach, Calif.
CharterX, an online marketing network for the air charter industry, released a new online service, CharterX Trip Board, which will help connect potential customers with charter providers. The service allows customers to submit their trip requests and charter operators to submit quotes for those requests. Charter customers will be able to view the submissions and select the charter provider that best matches their needs. More than 3,000 charter professionals who are members of the CharterX Industry Xchange will have access to the Trip Board.
Jet Aviation signed an engine service center agreement with Rolls-Royce under which Jet Aviation is authorized to provide complete engine management, warranty work, CorporateCare and other maintenance for Rolls-Royce engines. The agreement covers Jet Aviation's facilities in Basel and Geneva, Switzerland; Dusseldorf, Germany; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Singapore; Dallas, Texas; Palm Beach, Fla.; and Teterboro, N.J.
ROLLS-ROYCE (formerly Allison) 250-B17B, -B17C, -B17D, -B17E, -C20, -C20B, -C20F, -C20J, -C20S, and -C20W turboprop and turboshaft engines [Docket No. FAA-2004-19648; Directorate Identifier 2004-NE-31-AD; Amendment 39-14090; AD 2005-10-13] - requires, for certain models that do not have turbine energy absorbing ring, RRC part number (P/N) 23035175, or an equivalent FAA-approved serviceable turbine energy-absorbing ring, installed, installation of a turbine energy-absorbing ring in the plane of the 1st Stage turbine wheel.
FAA PROJECTS SEE $1.7 BILLION COST HIKE SINCE 2003, IG SAYS - The combined cost estimates for FAA's largest modernization programs have increased by $1.7 billion since they were last calculated two years ago, the Transportation Department Inspector General said last week.
Omni Energy Services signed a letter of intent to sell off its aviation unit, including its entire helicopter fleet, to Rotorcraft Leasing, L.L.C. for $11 million in cash. The sale includes 20 helicopters, spare parts and related equipment and one fixed-wing aircraft. "Because of the low equipment utilization and the high fixed costs associated with aviation, it was difficult for us to attain and sustain the level of profitability necessary for us to continue this business unit," said OMNI CEO James Eckert.
SIKORSKY PLANS TO FLY NEW TWIN-ROTOR HELICOPTER NEXT YEAR - Sikorsky Aircraft Company launched an ambitious program to develop a new twin-rotor helicopter capable of significantly higher speeds than conventional rotary-wing aircraft and plans to fly a technology demonstrator next year.
CONGRESSMAN SEEKS TO TAKE FEES OUT OF TOY MODELS - Rep. Robert Andrews (D-N.J.) is on a mission that hobby enthusiasts young and old could thank him for: cutting some of the cost of toy military aircraft and ship models.
National Air Transportation Association hopes Congress will grant relief to operators of fuel trucks covered under rules that call for installation of costly secondary containment systems. The Environmental Protection Agency determined in March that mobile refuelers need spill and leak prevention protections similar to those that apply to stationary fuel tanks. While EPA officially made that determination only in March, the agency has been assessing fines for non-compliance against fuel truck operators for months (BA, March 21/134). Sen.
Wings Field Preservation Associates is offering a 190-page "autobiography" of the historic Philadelphia-area airport. Celebrating its 75th anniversary, Wings Field is where airport lighting began; where the first navigation radios for small aircraft were tested and built; and where the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association was born. Written by Wings Field officials in collaboration with veteran aviation writer Charles Spence, the Wings Field Autobiography traces the history of the airport and includes 131 photographs.
