Italy's Finmeccanica has completed its buy of the other half of AgustaWestland, which it formerly shared with the United Kingdom's GKN. Finmeccanica and GNK formed AgustaWestland in 2001 as a 50-50 joint venture, but Italy's largest defense contractor announced in May that it intended to buy the other half to try to expand its growth in the U.S. market (BA, June 7/259).
Financially beleaguered Canadian manufacturer Bombardier last week dismissed Paul Tellier -- the man it had hired just two years ago to make tough decisions and get the company back on track -- and said the far-flung enterprise will now be run by a three-man Office of the President that includes two members of the controlling Beaudoin family.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION Friday elected Kenneth Emerick of GM Worldwide Travel Services chairman and Treasurer Jeffrey Lee of IBM Corporation to also serve as vice chairman. Emerick fills the post vacated by Don Baldwin, who resigned to pursue career interests. "I am profoundly grateful to Don Baldwin for his outstanding contributions as NBAA board chairman," said NBAA President Ed Bolen. "His significant personal contributions during a time of transition went well beyond what was required.
ELLING HALVORSON, chairman of Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters, was selected to receive the Helicopter Association International's 2004 Lawrence D. Bell Award during HAI's Heli-Expo Feb. 7 in Anaheim, Calif. Halvorson is the founder and chairman of Elling Halvorson, Inc., a general contracting firm. His first major project was building a two-mile tramway system on a 10,400-foot peak in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and it was at that time that he purchased his first helicopter.
NEW PIPER AIRCRAFT sold seven Piper Warrior III aircraft equipped with the Avidyne Entegra integrated flight deck to Ohio University. The order is the largest New Piper has received for glass-panel-equipped trainers. The Warrior's computerized flight deck will include multi-function displays, moving maps and integrated flight instruments. New Piper offers the Entegra flight deck as optional equipment on the Warrior III, Archer II and Arrow. The system also is offered on the Piper Saratoga II HP, Saratoga II TC, 6X and 6XT.
CORPORATE JETS, INC. plans to open a new 3,000-square-foot renovation project this month on the second floor of its fixed-base operation in Scottsdale, Ariz. The new area will include state-of-the-art flight planning/weather computers, wireless Internet access, individual work stations and a private conference room. The new lounge also will include a comfortable area for watching widescreen TVs, a complete kitchen, shower facilities and an unobstructed view of the aircraft operations area.
BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE received a contract from Northwest Airlines for 10 CRJ200 regional jets. The contract converts 10 of 175 options that Northwest holds for the CRJ. Northwest has ordered a total of 139 CRJ aircraft, of which 109 had been delivered by the end of September. Northwest Airlink carrier Pinnacle Airlines will operate the CRJ aircraft under the latest order.
THE EMBRAER 195 made its first flight this month, at the company's Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil headquarters. Powered by General Electric CF34-10E engines, the 108-seat plane flew for just under two hours. Certification is anticipated in the second quarter of 2006. Swiss has 10 aircraft on order and GECAS has options for 10 planes.
THE WHITE HOUSE released a policy to ensure uninterrupted availability of the global positioning system while balancing the needs of homeland security and national defense.
BOMBARDIER received European Aviation Safety Agency approval for the Honeywell TFE-731-20BR engine upgrade on the Learjet 45 XR business jet. The approval authorizes Bombardier to deliver production Learjet 45 XR aircraft to customers in any of the 25 EASA member countries. Bombardier this month plans to issue a service bulletin along with revisions to the aircraft manual to current Learjet 45 operators that will enable them to upgrade their aircraft at Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services in Berlin, Germany.
HONEYWELL reached agreement with the board of directors of Novar plc to purchase all that company's common and preferred stock for about $2.4 billion, an acquisition Honeywell says will complement its automation and controls business. Novar, with $2.7 billion in revenues last year, is an international business whose core divisions are Intelligent Building Systems (IBS), Indalex Aluminum Solutions and Security Printing Services.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT released the final service bulletins for the installation of a Runway Awareness and Advisory System on Cessna Citations. Cessna Citation Service Centers will install the system on Model 550 Bravos, Model 560 Encores, Model 560XL Excels and Model 750 Xs. The system improves situational awareness and lowers runway incursion probability by providing aural advisories to the flight crew during taxi, takeoff, final approach, landing and rollout.
FAA and the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) are instituting an emergency ban on cargo shipments of non-rechargeable lithium batteries on passenger flights because they pose a fire hazard. "Airline passengers still will be allowed to carry on board, and use, or pack in checked bags, personal computers and other consumer products that contain lithium batteries," the Department of Transportation said.
February 6-8, 2005 - Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo 2005, Anaheim, Calif., (703) 683-4646 February 12-16, 2005 - 16th Annual National Business Aviation Association Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference, Reno, Nev., (202) 783-9000 March 8-10, 2005 - 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
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association called Bernard Kerik's decision to decline a nomination to be Homeland Security secretary a "new opportunity to put the right person in the left seat." The announcement of President Bush's intent to nominate Kerik for the top DHS post received a lukewarm reception from the general aviation industry, which feared his background as a career police officer could undermine the collaborative environment that current Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has fostered (BA, Dec. 6/251).
Eclipse Aviation rolled out its first certification flight test Eclipse 500 very light jet in preparation for a planned first flight by the end of the month. The aircraft, N503EA, will be one of five test aircraft involved in a certification program that also will include airframes used for static and fatigue testing. "Rollout of N503EA is an important symbol of the real progress made in the Eclipse 500 program," said Eclipse President and CEO Vern Raburn, adding that the company expects to win certification of the aircraft in the first quarter of 2006.
Rolls-Royce (formerly Allison Engine Company, Allison Gas Turbine Division, and Detroit Diesel Allison) Models 250-C30R/3, -C30R/3M, -C47B, and -C47M turboshaft engines [Docket No. 2003-NE-23-AD; Amendment 39-13880; AD 2004-24-04] - supersedes an existing AD that currently requires initial and repetitive electrical signal inspections of the hydromechanical unit (HMU) Power Lever Angle (PLA) potentiometer.
Rolls-Royce (formerly Allison Engine Company) 250-B17B, -B17C, -B17D, -B17E, -C20, -C20B, -C20F, -C20J, -C20S, and -C20W turboprop and turboshaft engines [Docket No. FAA-2004-19648; Directorate Identifier 2004-NE-31-AD] - proposes, for engines that do not have turbine-energy-absorbing ring, Part Number (P/N) 23035175, installed, to require installation of a turbine-energy-absorbing ring in the plane of the 1st stage turbine wheel.
Pacific Aerospace Model 750XL Airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2004-19444; Directorate Identifier 2004-CE-33-AD] - proposes to require replacing any type TLP-D or TLED rivets on the aileron pushrod ends and elevator control pushrod ends. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for New Zealand. FAA is issuing this proposed AD to replace the above identified rivets on the aileron pushrod ends and elevator control pushrod ends.
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION is pleased the Department of Homeland Security appears to be working toward addressing the association's concerns about delays foreign nationals have been experiencing in having their fingerprints processed at U.S. embassies worldwide as part of the background check for undergoing flight training at U.S. facilities. DHS has been considering a plan to allow NATA's Compliance Services program to help process the fingerprinting.
JET AVIATION'S FACILITIES IN Bedford, Mass., Teterboro, N.J. and Dallas were named authorized service centers for the Embraer Legacy aircraft. The three facilities join Jet Aviation centers in Palm Beach, Fla., Dusseldorf, Germany and London Biggin Hill, United Kingdom as Embraer Legacy centers. Line crews in Bedford, Dallas and Teterboro are training to perform line maintenance on the Executive and Shuttle versions of the Legacy as well as on the ERJ 135 and ERJ 145 regional aircraft.
Mooney Models M20B, M20C, M20D, M20E, M20F, M20G, and M20J airplanes [Docket No. 98-CE-64-AD; Amendment 39-13891; AD 2004-25-04] - requires, for airplanes equipped with an O&N bladder fuel cell installed per supplemental type certificate (STC) SA2277CE or STC SA2350CE, inspecting the drain valve to assure that it is inserted fully into the drain nipple and modifying any drain valve found not to be inserted fully into the drain nipple.
The Federal Aviation Administration last week proposed revoking the airman medical certification for pilots who are required but refuse to take a drug or alcohol test or who take the alcohol test and have a breath alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.04 or higher. The proposal, published in the Dec. 14 Federal Register, also would allow suspension or revocation of airman certificates for pre-employment and return-to-duty test refusals and would require employers to report such refusals.
