Executive Jet Management (EJM) made several changes to its management team, moving to "broaden organizational strengths and support the company's continued growth," the company said. EJM named Robert Mayo, former senior vice president of client transition, senior vice president of operations. Reporting to Mayo is Glenna Edwards, who was appointed to the newly created position of vice president of owner standards. Edwards formerly was vice president of client relations. Other moves include the appointment of Larry Lee as assistant director of operations.
CHEW SAYS MORE COST CONTROLS NEEDED TO MATCH REVENUE DROP - Declining trust fund revenue means FAA's new Air Traffic Organization (ATO) cannot continue on a "business as usual" course and must look to cut costs and increase efficiency over the next five years, said ATO head Russell Chew.
Iridium Satellite said its subscriber base just passed the 2,500-aircraft mark and is growing at a rate of more than 100 percent annually. Iridium launched its original system in December 2000 and relaunched global satellite communications services commercially in March 2001. Within a few months, the satellite communications provider began offering dial-up data and direct Internet connections, followed by crew-calling services. Airlines, fractional operations and business and government operators have installed Iridium systems on their fleets, Iridium said.
CAE won a contract to provide a full flight simulator for the new ARJ21 regional jet that is being developed by China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC 1) Commercial Aircraft Co. (ACAC) in China. The simulator will be installed at an ACAC flight-training center in Shanghai in 2008.
KING AIR CREW WAS ATTEMPTING TO EXECUTE MISSED APPROACH - The pilots of a Beech King Air 200 that crashed Oct. 24 in rural Virginia were attempting to execute a missed approach but they overshot the airport and the aircraft plowed into a fog-obscured mountain, killing all 10 people aboard.
At the Department of Transportation, however, Secretary Norman Mineta has not indicated his long-term plans. Despite experiencing health problems over the past couple of years (BA, Feb. 3, 2003/55), many believe Mineta is willing to continue serving at the discretion of the President. One aviation advocate who met with Mineta recently said he appears as healthy as he did when he took the job, and a DOT spokesman told BA affiliate Aviation Daily that Mineta is in great health, "climbing into ferry boats and up the ladders of diesel locomotives."
Summary: This notice contains a summary of certain petitions seeking relief from specified requirements of 14 CFR, dispositions of certain petitions previously received, and corrections. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities.
Bombardier sold a Q300 turboprop to Petroleum Air Services (PAS) in a deal valued at $16 million. The contract converted an option to a firm order. PAS initially ordered two 50-passenger Q300 aircraft in October 2001 and ordered another in January 2003. Delivery of the most recently ordered aircraft is expected in the first quarter of 2005. PAS operates flights from Cairo International Airport supporting petroleum endeavors of Egyptian and multi-national companies. The carrier also provides charter flights.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey is expected to report on the agency's 2005-2009 Flight Plan next week, reviewing how FAA did in achieving its goals in the fiscal year just ended and outlining objectives for the next five years.
GULFSTREAM WINS CERTIFICATION FOR G350 - Gulfstream Aerospace won FAA certification for the newest model in its expanded line of business jets, the G350, which was introduced less than a year ago during the Asian Aerospace exhibition in Singapore. The G350 is expected to enter service during the third quarter of 2005. For decades Gulfstream and its predecessor, Grumman Aircraft, had produced only one model at a time, beginning with the Gulfstream I turboprop, moving on to the Gulfstream II business jet, the Gulfstream III and the Gulfstream IV.
JOE PONTE TO RETIRE FROM NBAA; DELTA LOBBYIST TO JOIN STAFF - Joe Ponte, who has overseen the doubling of membership at the National Business Aviation Association over the past decade, has announced plans to retire from the organization at the end of the month.
ANGELA GITTENS, the director of the Miami-Dade Aviation Department in Florida, was appointed to the Transportation Research Board's Executive Committee. MICHAEL POTTS was named a pilot for Northern Jet Management. Potts formerly was a pilot for El Dorado Hotel and Casino. He holds an airline transport pilot rating and is type rated on the Citation Bravo. Also rated for seaplanes and gliders, Potts is a flight instructor and an advanced instrument ground instructor.
DPI Labs, the La Verne, Calif.-developer of specialty avionics and aircraft cabin management systems, teamed with visual communications specialist Tandberg to provide video conferencing capability on business jets. "Corporate customers have long been demanding greater connectivity to their offices while in transit and on the tarmac of remote sites, so this is the right time to bring video conferencing capability to the aircraft market," said DPI President Vicki Brown.
Aircraft Owners And Pilots Association President Phil Boyer last week met with TSA Administrator David Stone to reiterate the association's concerns over the flight training rule. Stone agreed to the meeting after hearing concerns from AOPA members at the AOPA Expo last month in Long Beach, Calif. The flight training background check requirements have become one of the association's top issues - the association has received more calls from concerned members about the rule recently than it has on any other issue.
While most key aviation leaders in the House and Senate were re-elected last week, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) was defeated - bringing mixed reaction from aviation community leaders, who noted his support for general aviation. GA groups expressed sadness about the loss of a key ally in the Senate but at the same time welcomed the victor in the contentious South Dakota race, John Thune (R), a former member of the House aviation subcommittee. In a race that captured national attention, Thune unseated Daschle by a 51 percent to 49 percent margin.
November 15-18 - Flight Safety Foundation/International Federation of Airworthiness/International Air Transport Association 57th Annual International Air Safety Seminar, Pudong Shangri-La Hotel, Shanghai, China, (703) 739-6700 November 18 - National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Regional Forum, Dallas, Texas, (202) 783-9000 February 6-8, 2005 - Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo 2005, Anaheim, Calif., (703) 683-4646
Shortly after last week's elections, Washington began preparing for anticipated Executive Branch changes in President Bush's second term. Aviation advocates are particularly watching the Department of Homeland Security, where Secretary Tom Ridge has indicated he will leave and, it's believed, others will follow (BA, Aug. 2/55). One aviation official noted there is a high "burnout" rate at DHS, presenting a problem for general aviation officials who have been trying to establish working relationships there.
SMITHS GROUP ACQUIRES INTEGRATED AEROSPACE - Smiths Group is buying Integrated Aerospace Inc., a privately owned, California-based supplier of specialty landing gear systems, for $110 million. Smiths expects to complete the acquisition later this month, pending regulatory approvals.
Jet Aviation Group won an agreement from Airbus to support the Airbus Corporate Jetliner aircraft family. Jet Aviation, which will act as a service center network for the ACJ, will be linked to the Airbus Customer Service organization and have access to a range of services such as technical advice and Aircraft On Ground assistance. Jet Aviation already has been involved in ACJ completions at its Basel, Switzerland facility.
NAHILL ABRUPTLY DEPARTS FLIGHT OPTIONS - John Nahill, who had headed fractional aircraft provider Flight Options for nearly two years, abruptly departed the company last week.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2C10 (Regional Jet Series 700 & 701), and CL-600-2D24 (Regional Jet Series 900) series airplanes (Docket No. FAA-2004-18993; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-125-AD; Amendment 39-13781; AD 2004-18-03) - corrects an error in an existing AD that was published in the Sept. 2 Federal Register. The error resulted in inadvertent reference to inappropriate service information. FAA also is clarifying reference to a compliance threshold.
Aircraft Owners And Pilots Association's Expo 2004, held late last month in Long Beach, Calif., attracted 11,000 attendees, the second highest attendance in the event's history. About 1,200 pilots flew to the three-day Expo, which included speeches by FAA Administrator Marion Blakey and TSA Administrator David Stone.
