January 9-13 - American Association of Airport Executives Aviation Issues Conference, Hapuna Beach, Prince Hotel, Kona, Hawaii, (703) 824-0504 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
Cessna Aircraft continued preparations to build the new Citation Mustang very light business jet at its Independence, Kan., plant, breaking ground last month on a $20.4 million expansion project at the site. The Independence project includes a 90,000-square-foot flight/delivery building and an 11,000-square-foot aircraft completions building. Cessna also is expanding its customer delivery center in Independence by 11,000 square feet. The project is slated to be completed by the end of the year.
EVERGREEN HELICOPTERS received the first of three Bell/Agusta AB139 twin-engine helicopters that the McMinnville, Ore.-based helicopter services company has on order. Evergreen will use the aircraft in a variety of missions, Evergreen International Aviation Chairman Delford Smith said. "The AB139's exceptional power-to-weight ratio and high-speed capability make the AB139 ideally suited for offshore, EMS, search and rescue and VIP operations," he said.
BAE SYSTEMS Model BAe 146 and Avro 146-RJ series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2004-18678; Directorate Identifier 2001-NM-312-AD] - revises a proposal that would have required repetitive detailed inspections of the rear fuselage upper skin to detect cracking due to fatigue, and repair if necessary. The original proposal was prompted by evidence of fatigue cracking along the edges of certain chemi-etched pockets in the rear fuselage upper skin. This new action revises the area of inspection specified in the original proposal.
The Federal Aviation Administration will face an increasingly tighter budget as it fights for valuable resources to fund its plan to hire 1,200 controllers in fiscal 2005 and as many as 12,500 controllers over the next 10 years. The agency late last month predicted that more than 11,000 controllers would retire through 2014 and unveiled a 10-year strategy to ensure continuity of the nation's air traffic control system. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey announced the plan Dec.
Slightly more than two years after dumping Williams International as the engine provider for its new entry-level personal jet, Eclipse Aviation conducted successful first flights of the Eclipse 500 powered by twin Pratt & Whitney PW610F turbofans.
BOMBARDIER FLEXJET decided to waive repositioning charges and ferry fees for owners who fly to the Caribbean region, including the Greater, Lesser and Netherlands Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago and Bermuda, beginning in February. Noting that it is common practice for fractional aircraft ownership providers to charge such fees for most destinations outside the U.S., Bombardier said waiving the fees could save owners of the Bombardier Challenger 604 up to $9,900 for roundtrips between New York and Bermuda.
In accordance with the White House's new policy on the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Transportation Department will take a larger role in planning and paying for enhancements to the system's civil services (BA, Dec. 20/271).
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION issued a call for nominations for its Meritorious Service to Aviation Award and the John P. 'Jack' Doswell Award. Nominations for the awards are due Feb. 25 and the winners will be recognized during the NBAA's 58th Annual Meeting & Convention in November.
BANGALORE-based Air Deccan took delivery of two used ATR 42-500 aircraft as part of a five-aircraft deal announced during the Farnborough Airshow 2004. The remaining three ATR 42-500s will be delivered by the end of February. Air Deccan launched operations in 2003 with four ATR 42-320 aircraft. The airline operates on a network that includes Mysore, Hubli, Hampi, Belgaum, Hyderabad, Tirupati, Chennai and New Delhi.
GREAT LAKES AIRCRAFT Models 2T-1A-1 and 2T-1A-2 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2004-18744; Directorate Identifier 2004-CE-24-AD; Amendment 39-13910; AD 2004-25-22] -- supersedes AD 79-20-08, which currently requires inspections of the engine induction system and the alternate air door for any signs of damage and repair or replacement of any damaged components. AD 79-20-08 also requires inspecting the induction system for the presence of a drain fitting.
ARCHITECTS of a future air transportation system envision security playing a crucial role in operations. The Integrated National Plan for the Next Generation Air Transport System outlines an "embedded and interwoven" security system that includes the ability to continuously track aircraft throughout the nation. The plan, developed by a high-level federal interagency team, includes the possibility of developing smart technologies to track aircraft operations.
PREMIER AIR CENTER, East Alton, Ill., acquired West Star Aviation of Grand Junction, Colo. and West Star Avionics of Hiawatha, Iowa, effective Dec. 31. Premier is located at the St. Louis Regional Airport (ALN), where it provides factory-authorized service for all Model 500 and 650 series Cessna Citation business jets, including the Sovereign, Mustang and CJ3, plus all Dassault Falcon business jet models.
ANDY MCARTOR was appointed director of standards and training at iviation, a Memphis-based aviation services company. McArtor will oversee human factors and crew resource management programs as well as standards and training for Part 91, 121 and 135 operators, controlled flight into terrain and threat management programs. McArtor has 15 years of aviation experience with both the U.S. Air Force and Part 121 operations.
L-3 Communications Corp. bolstered its infrared technology business with the acquisition of Cincinnati Electronics from CMC Electronics, the companies announced last week. Terms of the transaction, completed Dec. 9, were not disclosed. L-3 renamed the business L-3 Communications Cincinnati Electronics, and said the sale should be accretive to L-3 Communications results in 2005. As part of the transaction, Cincinnati Electronics received a long-term supplier agreement from CMC Electronics to provide infrared sensors for CMC Electronics' Enhanced Vision System.
SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT opened a new Executive Transport Center where the Marine One presidential helicopter fleet will be built if Sikorsky wins the contract, the company said this month. The center is at Sikorsky's main facility in Stratford, Conn., but it is secluded for security. Sikorsky has offered the VH-92 in a bid to win the VXX competition against Lockheed Martin-AgustaWestland's US101 helicopter. The Navy has delayed selecting a winner in the competition until the end of January.
AN EFFORT to launch a local group to represent aviation interests in the Washington, D.C. area attracted more than 40 expressions of interest within one week of announcement. The new group, the Greater Washington Business Aviation Association (GWBAA) is expected to hold an organizational meeting in mid-January. Former NBAA executive Bob Blouin, who is coordinating the new group, said organizers have heard from Part 91 and 135 operators, management companies, manufacturers, associations, fixed-base operators, FAA, airport operators and aviation consultants.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100 & 440) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2004-19761; Directorate Identifier 2003-NM-167-AD] - proposes to require modification of the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) cooling air exhaust. This proposed AD is prompted by reports of incomplete drainage of the APU enclosure.
MIKE SCHRADER rejoined Lancair as national sales manager. Schrader will oversee the company's network of 12 domestic sales and service centers. Schrader originally joined Lancair when it was launched as a kit airplane company in 1992 from NEICO Aviation. He left Lancair in 2003 to serve as the West Coast sales representative for Flying magazine.
A federal, state and industry partnership is critical to success in securing general aviation, the Government Accountability Office told Congress. GAO, Congress' investigative arm, reached that conclusion in a report on general aviation security it produced at the request of Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), chairman of the House homeland security appropriations subcommittee (BA, Dec. 13/266).
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE won Part 145 approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for its London Luton Airport service center in England. The EASA approval permits Gulfstream's U.K. facility to perform base and line maintenance on business jets. The new approval replaces the previous Joint Aviation Authorities accreditation the Luton facility held.
