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.
Key legislators and aviation lobbyists aired concerns about a potential FAA funding crisis during the recent American Association of Airport Executives annual meeting in Hawaii. Some industry advocates are bracing for the possibility that the Bush Administration, faced with lower Airport and Airways Trust Fund revenues, will include some form of user fees in the fiscal 2006 budget to bolster FAA funding. While there has been some talk about the possibility, it is unclear what fees might be under consideration.
Proponents of reducing security restrictions on business aircraft will not find much comfort in the January/February issue of The Atlantic magazine. The cover article, "America Attacked: The Sequel," was written by former national anti-terrorism adviser Richard Clarke in the form of an "imagined history" from the perspective of 2011.
MASSPORT SEEKING NEW FBO AT BOSTON LOGAN - The Massachusetts Port Authority is seeking proposals from bidders interested in the "design, development and operation of a first-class general aviation facility" at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS).
RAYTHEON Beech Models 45 (YT-34), A45 (T-34A, B-45), and D45 (T-34B) airplanes; Notice of Public Meeting - announces a public meeting of interest to owners and operators of Beech Models 45 (YT-34), A45 (T-34A, B-45), and D45 (T-34B) airplanes to discuss technical issues and potential corrective actions related to the continued operational safety of the affected airplanes, specifically related to the structural fatigue of critical structure and AD 2004-25-51. FAA will hold the public meeting on 1 p.m. Feb.
The Aero Club of Washington will feature Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta as the January luncheon speaker Thursday (Jan. 27) at the Capital Hilton Hotel. Also at Thursday's meeting, the Aero Club is expected to elect the 2005 officers and trustees. The nominees include: Robert Land, JetBlue Airways, as president; Deborah McElroy, Regional Airline Association, as vice president; Paula Hochstetler, Airport Consultants Council, as treasurer; and Susan Sheets, National Aircraft Resale Association, as secretary.
Pilatus Aircraft held a ceremony Jan. 14 at its facilities in Broomfield, Colo. to commemorate the delivery of the 500th PC-12 single-turboprop aircraft. Pilatus delivered the 500th aircraft to Scott Archer, managing director of The Barclay Group, in Scottsdale, Ariz. Pilatus distributor Aviation Sales, Inc. sold the aircraft to Archer. ASI was the first center to be appointed a distributor in the U.S. and has sold 80 new PC-12s since 1993.
RAYTHEON Beech 200 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2004-19078; Directorate Identifier 98-CE-17-AD; Amendment 39-13946; AD 98-20-38 R1] - requires revising the FAA-approved Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) to specify procedures that would prohibit flight in severe icing conditions (as determined by certain visual cues), limit or prohibit the use of various flight control devices while in severe icing conditions, and provide the flight crew with recognition cues and procedures for exiting from severe icing conditions.
Transportation Security Administration has indicated that it is realigning its policy office and that a new structure could be in place in early February. Chad Wolf, assistant administrator for transportation security policy, would oversee the new policy office, which would coordinate policy for all the modes of transportation.
CIRRUS Model SR20 and SR22 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2004-19694; Directorate Identifier 2004-CE-41-AD] - proposes to require measurement and adjustment of the crew seat break-over bolts and replacement of the crew seat recline locks on both crew seats. This proposed AD results from CDC discovering that the crew seats, under emergency landing dynamic loads, may fold forward at less than 26 G required by the regulations. FAA is issuing this proposed AD to prevent the crew seats from folding forward during emergency landing with consequent occupant injury.
Michelle Grillot was promoted to regional vice president of charter sales for New York City for Executive Jet Management, where she will be responsible for charter sales in Westchester County and Long Island as well as New York City.
