LOY WILL SERVE AS ACTING DHS CHIEF IF CHERTOFF TRANSITION IS DELAYED - James Loy, the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) No. 2 executive, says he will head the agency temporarily if DHS Secretary Tom Ridge leaves before the Senate confirms Ridge's replacement, Michael Chertoff.
Wyle Laboratories entered into a definitive agreement last month to acquire the Aeronautics Services business of General Dynamics, a leading provider of aeronautical research, development, test and evaluation services for mission-critical aviation applications.
HELICOPTER MARKET SHOWS FEW SIGNS OF GROWTH, FORECAST SAYS - The civil helicopter market offers little hope for overall growth despite a number of new models ready to enter service over the next several years, aerospace market analysis specialist Forecast International said last week. Forecast International, which completed its 10-year World Commercial Rotorcraft Market outlook, predicted a market for about 10,500 commercial rotary-wing aircraft valued at $20.25 billion between 2005 and 2014.
Richard Mondillo was named regional vice president of charter sales for the West for Executive Jet Management. Mondillo formerly was associate director of the Corporate Executive Board and has held sales positions in the information technology and medical industries. In his new role, he will be based in Newport Beach, Calif. and be responsible for charter sales in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
Reduced Vertical Separation Minimums over domestic airspace were implemented Jan. 20 without major complications, but not before industry groups worked to iron out a few last-minute concerns. See article below.
February 6-8 - Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo 2005, Anaheim, Calif., (703) 683-4646 February 12-16 - 16th Annual National Business Aviation Association Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference, Reno, Nev., (202) 783-9000 March 8-10 - National Air Transportation Association/Professional Aviation Maintenance Association GSE Aviation Services and Suppliers AS3 Supershow, Sands Expos & Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev., (703) 845-9000
Deliveries of used business jets to retail customers jumped 13.2 percent last year, according to information compiled by AvData, Inc. The number of used jets changing hands last year totaled 1,412, compared with 1,247 in 2003, and continued a four-year trend. See charts below.
Hartzell Propeller Inc. was named a Designated Alteration Station (DAS) by FAA. The DAS status will permit the Piqua, Ohio manufacturer to issue its own Supplemental Type Certificates for propeller installations on Part 23 airplanes including single- and multi-engine piston and turbine-powered aircraft. Hartzell said the new authority will permit it to obtain STC approvals faster for OEM aircraft as well as for the company's Top Prop retrofit program.
RVSM BEGINS WITHOUT GLITCHES DESPITE LAST MINUTE CONCERNS - Federal Aviation Administration smoothly ushered in new reduced vertical separation minimums (RVSM) last week after spending years working with the industry to prepare for the dramatic change in airspace operations at high altitudes. Industry advocates reported no major hiccups following the Jan. 20 implementation of the new 1,000-foot vertical separation standard between Flight Levels 290 and 410 within domestic airspace. Along with U.S.
AVDATA, JETNET CONSOLIDATE HEADQUARTERS IN UTICA - Two veteran aircraft data and research firms have consolidated most of their operations in Utica, N.Y. JETNET LLC purchased Wichita, Kan.-based Aviation Data Services, Inc. (AvData), last fall, about a year after the death of AvData founder John Zimmerman (BA, Sept. 8, 2003/100).
EADS ANNOUNCES NEW ALABAMA AIRCRAFT FACILITY - EADS North America has announced its new EADS CASA North America aircraft support center headquarters, which is being built adjacent to Alabama's Mobile Regional Airport. EADS CASA is making an initial investment of $1 million to build the new aircraft facility, which is to be completed in spring 2005. The 13,000-square-foot center initially will employ 30 people and will support the Coast Guard in transitioning the EADS CASA CN-235 maritime patrol aircraft into active service.
Avbase Flight Services added a Gulfstream IV and a Beechjet 400A to its charter fleet. The G-IV, managed by Avbase's crew and maintenance staff in Scottsdale, Ariz., seats 14 passengers and has a 4,500-nautical-mile range. The Beechjet seats eight and is designed for travel at distances up to 1,500 statute miles. The Beechjet is based in Cleveland, Ohio.
RAYTHEON Beech 100, 200, and 300 series airplanes [Docket No. 2004-CE-01-AD; Amendment 39-13943; AD 2005-01-18] - supersedes AD 93-25-07, which currently requires repetitively inspecting the fuselage stringers for cracks and modifying them at certain times depending on the number of cracked stringers. This AD is the result of FAA's policy (since 1996) to not allow airplane operation when known cracks exist in primary structure.
Israel Aircraft Industries and Gulfstream Aerospace staged a full-scale extravaganza last week as part of the G150 rollout in Tel Aviv. Guests were treated to a multi-media presentation including a full orchestra, strobe lights, rows of flashing, computerized video screens and white-bodysuited performers, some swinging from cables strung from the hangar roof. IAI executives said they plan to deliver up to 15 "green" G150s to Gulfstream in 2006. See article below.
V-22 PROGRAM GRAPPLING WITH NEW GLITCH AS KEY REVIEW NEARS - The V-22 Osprey joint program office is grappling with a new glitch in the tiltrotor aircraft's engine pod a little more than a week before a key program review. Program officials said Jan. 18 that the problem involves a gearbox that uses engine power to turn the rotor blades. In six instances since April 30, 2004, including three in the past month, warning lights aboard the Bell-Boeing aircraft have signaled the presence of tiny bits of metal debris in the gearbox.
FirstFlight Management struck an agreement to market and sell charter services for aircraft operated by Millennium Aviation, a Reading, Pa.-based fixed base operation. Millennium manages aircraft regionally and provides aircraft fueling, maintenance and avionics services. Millennium's fleet comprises a Learjet 55, Learjet 35 and two King Air B200s. FirstFlight Management provides aircraft charter, management, acquisition, sales, and maintenance. FirstFlight's fleet includes Learjet, Hawker and Gulfstream aircraft.
Avfuel Corporation said 53 aviation fuel dealers joined its network in 2004, bringing the total of branded Avfuel dealers nationwide to more than 700. Avfuel, based in Grand Rapids, Mich., began more than 30 years ago as a small regional supplier. Since then the company has grown, through a series of new programs and a number of acquisitions, to become one of the top five branded aviation fuel providers worldwide.
CIRCOR AEROSPACE UNIT ACQUIRES LANDING GEAR MAKER - CIRCOR International Inc. of Burlington, Mass., which builds valves and other equipment for aerospace companies and other markets, has bought Loud Engineering & Manufacturing Inc. for about $36 million in cash, the company said Jan. 17.
David Plavin plans to step down as president of the Airports Council International - North America at the end of the year, he said in a letter to members last week. Plavin is the former director of aviation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He's headed the Washington-based airport group since January 1996. ACI-NA's board of directors plans to launch a search for a successor and hopes to have a replacement on board by June.
Aeronautical Rotor Blades Inc. of the U.S. (RBI US) won European Commission clearance to have joint control of RBI Hawker Ltd. with Hawker Pacific Pty. of Hong Kong. RBI Hawker, a new venture formed by RBI U.S. and Hawker Pacific, will be based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and provide helicopter rotor blade repairs. Textron-owned RBI US provides rotor blade repairs and overhauls in the U.S. Hawker Pacific, controlled by Saab AB, sells and maintains fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, mainly in Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines.
Bombardier Aerospace celebrated two milestones last week, the first flight of its XRS version of the Global Express business jet Jan. 16 and delivery of the 1,000th regional jet in the CRJ200 family of aircraft. The first XRS made a four hour, four minute first flight from Downsview, Ontario, reaching a maximum altitude of 47,000 feet and a maximum true airspeed of 518 knots. Customer deliveries of completed aircraft are to begin in about a year. The 1,000th CRJ200 delivery went to Air Canada Jazz. The CRJ200 family includes CRJ100, CRJ200 and CRJ440 model aircraft.
Providers of fractional aircraft services hired 30 pilots in December and 482 for the year, more than double the 198 fractional pilots hired in 2003, according to AIR, Inc. of Atlanta, Ga. The increase in jobs with fractional operators mirrored similar increases by major and national airlines, other jet operators and non-jet operators. Across the U.S., the number of pilots hired jumped from 4,743 in 2003 to 9,382 last year.
BOMBARDIER REORGANIZING CORPORATE OFFICE, CUTTING MORE EMPLOYEES - Bombardier is reorganizing its corporate office and decentralizing "certain functional responsibilities to Bombardier Aerospace and Bombardier Transportation," the company said Thursday. The latest changes follow Bombardier's surprising dismissal of Paul Tellier as CEO in late December (BA, Dec. 20/272), along with the creation of a new Office of the President.
