Lancair appointed Aeronaves Dinamicas del Norte, S.A. de C.V. of Monterrey, Mexico an authorized Lancair Columbia 350 and 400 sales and service center for customers in Mexico. In addition to representing Lancair, Aeronaves Dinamicas provides consulting services designed to expand aviation in Mexico.
The Canadian aircraft manufacturer is having trouble finding the right engine for its new C-Series airliner family. Bombardier was unable to interest the two engine consortiums, CFM and IAE, in competing for the C-Series contract and is now focusing on discussions with individual engine manufacturers.
Bombardier Chairman Laurent Beaudoin, who took on the title of chief executive officer after Paul Tellier left the company, indicated last week he sees no urgency in finding a new CEO. There is "no time set for that and I don't see any change soon," Beaudoin said in response to a question from a reporter during a teleconference to discuss Bombardier's first-quarter financial results. Asked if that means no successor will be named this year, Beaudoin responded not this year "at least," indicating his tenure as CEO is open-ended.
The Senate Commerce Committee at a hearing Thursday will examine the Transportation Security Administration's plan to reopen Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to general aviation (BA, May 30/241). Committee members also likely will examine recent well-publicized incidents involving encroachment of restricted airspace over Washington, D.C.
Facing a potential one-third drop in FAA certification services, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association has been working with agency officials to develop certification processes that place more responsibility on the industry while maximizing the agency's resources.
President and chief executive of Signature Flight Support, has notified company executives that she plans to leave her post between September and the end of the year. Haskins has held the top job at the nation's largest chain of fixed-base operations for the past five years after seven years as Signature's chief financial officer. "The company's in good shape -- with the exception of DCA," she said. (See article below).
Foreign contractors who do business with the United States would face blacklisting on a Defense Department list if they sell certain defense goods and services to China under a provision that a prominent member of Congress plans to push in the House.
BITWISE SOLUTIONS, the Fort Worth, Texas software specialist, installed its FlightOps package for fractional aircraft ownership provider Avantair. The package, customized for the aviation industry, is designed to simplify tasks and maximize efficiency in areas such as scheduling, reservations, dispatch and maintenance. The software will handle all operational aspects of a mission, including contract and reservation management, aircraft and crew scheduling, aircraft maintenance tracking and regulatory concerns.
Large aircraft that carry enough passengers to people a small village should be equipped with missile defense systems (MANPADs), Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chair of the House Transportation aviation subcommittee told BA affiliate Aviation Daily, acknowledging that he's working on a bipartisan bill to accomplish just that.
Pressure on federal officials to create a biometric airport identity card ratcheted up after customs officials in New York confiscated more than 1,300 fake law enforcement badges this month, prompting a group of airline pilots to call on the Transportation Security Administration to expedite biometric identification plans at airports. The lack of a modern airport badge "poses a serious threat to the flying public," The Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA) asserted.
SANJAY AGGARWAL was named vice president of operations and planning for Flight Options LLC. Aggarwal will oversee the fractional aircraft ownership provider's Operations Control, Owner Services, Operations Planning and Information Technology teams. Before joining the company in 2004 as vice president of planning, he was a senior director with Marriott International.
Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) last week expressed concern about growing airport congestion, telling FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, "I want to applaud what you've done in terms of Reagan Airport.
Representing the pilot of the Cessna 150 that violated restricted airspace around Washington, D.C. May 11 asked the National Transportation Safety Board to stay FAA's revocation of the pilot's airman certificate. See article on Page 245.
PIAGGIO AERO teamed with Jet Support Services, Inc. to provide JSSI's Tip-To-Tail program for P180 Avanti and Avanti II operators. JSSI will tailor the program for the Avanti, providing hourly maintenance guarantees covering the airframe, engine and all components, assemblies and systems. Operators can elect to enroll in various levels of the program and pay monthly fees based on flight hours flown.
FAA and Transport Canada green-lighted four upgrades to Bombardier CRJ series aircraft, Bombardier said, and European regulatory approval is expected to follow soon. The agencies approved the Bombardier CRJ900 Enhanced Performance Package (EPP) to improve takeoff and landing distances, the CRJ900 long-range variant, the CRJ 700 Series 705 and the CRJ700 engine upgrade to a variant of the CRJ900 engine.
BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE sold a Bombardier 415 amphibious aircraft to the Italian government for firefighting. As part of the contract, Bombardier will supply kits to add an autopilot, nose radar and flight data recorder aboard the aircraft. The Italian government operates a fleet of 16 of the aircraft for firefighting.
IBIS AEROSPACE'S Ae270 single-turboprop completed the certification flight testing required to secure Czech Aviation Authority (CAA) approval, and the manufacturer has turned over "all but a handful of the required reports" for certification. IBIS has coordinated certification efforts with the CAA and FAA, and expects to win both European and U.S. approval within a few months. Aero Vodochody is manufacturing the aircraft in the Czech Republic through a joint venture with AIDC of Taiwan. The aircraft can seat up to 10 people or be configured for cargo.
ROLLS-ROYCE said its CorporateCare engine care program continues to expand with 40 new orders from customers in the first quarter of the year. Rolls-Royce has enrolled more than 450 aircraft in CorporateCare and other flight-hour agreements and said the contracts are valued at more than $900 million. Rolls-Royce offers CorporateCare for the AE 3007, Tay and BR710 engines.
Gulfstream Aerospace President Bryan Moss warned federal legislators Wednesday that reduced budgets for FAA and NASA and proposed user charges on business aviation could have serious economic consequences for the industry and the nation.
The pilot of a Cessna 150 who flew into restricted airspace around Washington, D.C. on May 11, triggering the evacuation of government buildings and the launch of multiple government aircraft to intercept the wayward aircraft, is challenging FAA's emergency revocation of his airman certificate (BA, May 16/217).
KREISLER MANUFACTURING COMPANY reported earnings of $98,900 in the third quarter, an improvement of more than $300,000 over a third-quarter 2004 loss of $223,902. Sales for the quarter were up 23 percent to $3.8 million. "After two very difficult years, Kreisler is achieving profitable growth," said CEO Michael Stern. Order backlog as of March 31 was up 17 percent to $15.4 million. For the first nine months of its fiscal year, the Elmwood Park, N.J.
Garrett/Piedmont Hawthorne/Associated named two aviation industry veterans to senior executive positions within the company. Roger E. Wolfe, a veteran Honeywell official, was named executive vice president of operations. In his new post, Wolfe will be responsible for "leading the company in defining and delivering an integrated service offering, and will oversee all operations of maintenance, repair and overhaul, engineering and supply chain, as well as operations for Associated Air Center.
