Aroni Aviation moved its Landing Gear and Accessory shops into a 25,000-square-foot facility next to the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas. The facility includes more than 10,000 square feet of environmentally controlled shop space. The larger facilities will allow the company to grow its HS125 landing gear overhaul business.
PETER LIKORAY was appointed sales director for new and used aircraft in Canada for Bombardier Aerospace. Likoray will be responsible for Learjet, Challenger and Global Express business jets in Canada. Based in Montreal, he reports to Jahid Fazal-Karim, senior vice president of new aircraft sales for Bombardier Business Aircraft. Likoray joined Bombardier in 1990, serving in the Spare Parts Sales Department for the Amphibious Aircraft Division.
TAG Aviation CEO Roger McMullin and Cannes/Mandelieu Airport were among those selected by the European Business Aviation Association and the National Business Aviation Association as 2005 recipients of the European Business Aviation Awards. McMullin will be recognized for directing TAG's effort to modernize Farnborough Airport, the only airport in the United Kingdom dedicated to business aircraft use. TAG worked to obtain planning and environmental approvals from local government authorities and to coordinate major renovations to runways and operational infrastructure.
Gulfstream Aerospace's long-range Gulfstream V received a type certificate from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. Gulfstream began work to obtain the approval after receiving an order from the Japan Coast Guard for two special mission GV aircraft. The first aircraft was delivered earlier this year, and the second aircraft is slated for delivery shortly. "Historically, the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau has granted validation on a case-by-case basis to operators of GV aircraft," said Gulfstream President Bryan Moss.
Ten years after Bombardier Aerospace entered the fractional aircraft business with its Dallas-based Flexjet offering, Flexjet officials say they are finally making money in a "very, very fickle" business and believe they have a workable plan to remain a significant player in the fractional business.
Kaman Corp., Bloomfield, Conn., posted first quarter net earnings of $4.7 million, a 291 percent jump from a year earlier. Sales increased 7.3 percent to $263.3 million. Aerospace net sales jumped 10.7 percent to $65.7 million and Aerostructures reported a 20.5 percent increase to $12.9 million. The Helicopter Division's net sales, however, fell from $18 million in first quarter 2004 to $15.2 million in the most recent quarter. The division completed production of 11 SH-2G(A) aircraft for Australia.
Two days after a pair of wayward pilots from Pennsylvania triggered evacuations of the White House, Capitol and other government buildings when their vintage Cessna 150 strayed into restricted airspace around Washington, D.C., members of Congress and aviation industry lobbyists were saying Friday that the incident should not result in any significant setbacks in the long-awaited reopening of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to business jet flights.
Federal Security Officials are drawing closer to publishing a plan under which business aviation flights could return to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, but they're believed to be insisting on some very burdensome restrictions - including making DCA-bound flights undergo security inspections at specified "portal" airports and carrying law enforcement personnel on board. See article below.
DORNIER Model 328-100 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-21053; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-053-AD] - proposes to require modifying the electrical wiring of the fuel pumps; installing insulation at the hand flow control and shut-off valves, and other components of the environmental control system; and installing markings at fuel wiring harnesses. This proposed AD also would require revising the Airworthiness Limitations section of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness to incorporate new inspections of the fuel tank system.
Conklin & De Decker is hosting the Third Annual Commercial Operators & Management Tax Course June 9-10 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The seminar will cover regulatory requirements for management and charter companies and management and charter agreements. The course also will discuss the Part 135/125 rewrite, independent contractor and workers compensation, financial options and operating cost analysis. Registration costs $895. For more information, contact Christine Sanders at (480) 922-8110.
SABRELINER DAMAGED AFTER ENGINE PROBLEM RESULTS IN OVERRUN - A 1978 Sabreliner NA-265-80 business jet was substantially damaged when it ran off the end of a runway May 9 in Brownwood, Texas (BWD) as the crew was attempting to abort the takeoff because of an engine problem.
FAA is introducing 13 new area navigation (RNAV) departure routes at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport that the agency hopes will reduce delays, fuel consumption and congestion by providing direct routing for properly equipped aircraft. RNAV procedures use information programmed into the aircraft's flight management system to provide precise flight path guidance from the runway to the en route airspace, with minimal communications between pilots and controllers.
CESSNA Model 750 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-21026; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-069-AD; Amendment 39-14069; AD 2005-09-01] - requires repetitive inspections for clearance and chafing of an auxiliary power unit (APU) fuel tube assembly in the tail cone area of the airplane, and corrective actions if necessary. For certain airplanes, this AD also requires replacing the APU fuel line.
BOMBARDIER Model CL600-1A11 (CL-600), Model CL-600-2A12 (CL-601), and Model CL-600-2B16 (CL-601-3A, CL-601-3R, and CL-604) series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-21139; Directorate Identifier 2003-NM-196-AD] - proposes to require 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. This proposed AD also would require operators to revise the Airworthiness Limitations section of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness to reflect the new life limits of the landing gear parts.
AGUSTA Model A109E helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2005-20292; Directorate Identifier 2004-SW-26-AD; Amendment 39-14075; AD 2005-09-07] - requires visually inspecting each main transmission support fitting attachment bolt for a fracture, a crack, or looseness, and verifying the torque on each fitting bolt. This amendment is prompted by two incidents of fatigue failure of the bolts that secure the transmission rear support fittings to the helicopter.
ADVISORY COUNCIL FAULTS WHITE HOUSE, CONGRESS FOR FAA CUTS - FAA's Management Advisory Council (MAC), which generally provides advice and counsel to FAA Administrator Marion Blakey via internal memos and face-to-face briefings, went public last week, issuing a report blaming the White House and Congress for cutting funding for FAA programs. As a result, MAC said in a report issued Thursday, the nation could be facing a dramatic increase in flight delays and economic disruption.
ERIC AMEL was named a director in the New York office of SH&E, the aviation consulting firm. Amel formerly was chief economist and director of revenue forecasting and analysis at Delta Air Lines.
FAA HIRES NEW LABOR RELATIONS HEAD AS CONTRACT TALKS LOOM - FAA is bringing in a new labor relations expert from the private sector as the agency prepares for contract negotiations with its controller and systems specialists unions.
Rockwell Collins' Tailwind 550 satellite television system won FAA supplemental type certification for installation aboard a Boeing Business Jet. Jet Aviation in Basel, Switzerland, competed the installation. The multi-regional satellite TV system provides access to more than 450 television channels aboard aircraft flying in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East. Tailwind 550 includes a lightweight, fuselage-mounted antenna that provides reception on the ground and during all phases of flight. Tailwind 550 is certified on Boeing 737 and 747 models.
Larry E. Williams, president and chief operating officer of Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc. (BRS) since he was hired in December 2004, added the title of chief executive officer. BRS Chairman Robert L. Nelson said the board was pleased to make the announcement, adding that as BRS chairman, "I look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with Larry and his team. Larry's industry relationships and his understanding of the overall aviation market will help us move the company into new and more profitable endeavors."
