GENERAL AVIATION BILLINGS JUMP 16 PERCENT AS DELIVERIES IMPROVE - General aviation billings worldwide surged 15.9 percent to $7.8 billion through the first nine months of the year thanks to an improving market that led to a 7.7 percent increase in unit shipments, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported last week. General aviation plane-makers shipped 1,928 airplanes through the end of September, compared with 1,790 aircraft delivered in the first nine months of 2003.
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.
PAPILLON CHIEF BUYS SOLOY CORPORATION - Papillon Airways Chairman Elling Halvorson led a team of helicopter industry executives that bought Olympia, Wash.-based Soloy Corp. last month. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Soloy will continue operating as a stand-alone company under the leadership of Soloy CEO David Stauffer.
JIM DOLLE was promoted to manager of FlightSafety's learning center in Savannah, Ga. Dolle had served as the assistant manager for the past four years. He is a former naval aviator, serving as a commodore of multiple Navy commands in the U.S. and overseas.
An industry working group Friday was putting the finishing touches on recommendations for handling flight and duty time regulations for Part 135 during a meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio. The working group hopes to present the recommendations to the full Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) tasked with looking at an overhaul of Part 135 and 125 regulations. The working group first met in Dallas last spring and representatives were optimistic that they could reach a compromise agreement to present to the ARC.
Shelly Simi, vice president of communications for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, has decided to leave the association at the end of the year to focus more on her family. Simi, who has served with GAMA since 1989, plans to remain involved in the industry in a consulting capacity. Simi was named vice president in 2001 after serving as director of communications since 1995. Before joining GAMA, she served in flight operations for Federal Express.
FAA SETTLES NINE-YEAR-OLD DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT - FAA has settled a long-running lawsuit by an employee who claims he was passed over unfairly because of affirmative action policies, and the agency has agreed to review its hiring policies.
SPIRIT WING DEVELOPS 'VIRTUALLY NEW' SPIRITLEAR - Edmond, Okla.-based Spirit Wing Aviation is hoping to carve a niche in the light jet market offering a "virtually new" $2.2 million SpirtLear, a re-engined, re-engineered Learjet 20 series jet. Spirit Wing, a division of the international conglomerate Dominion Group, has developed a major modification package it says will boost performance, enhance aerodynamics and meet current standards.
President Bush Friday signed into law the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004, H.R. 4520, which extends 50 percent bonus depreciation benefits to qualified business aircraft ordered this year but placed in service by the end of 2005. The Jobs Act also includes a provision limiting expenses that can be deducted from taxes for use of business aircraft by senior executives for personal travel.
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
AirCell is scheduled to deliver its 2,500th airborne telecommunications system next month, two years after AirCell introduced its family of satellite-based products and services. AirCell was established in 1991 to develop and launch a proprietary cellular network and won approval to begin full commercial operation at the end of 1999. The company partnered with Iridium Satellite LLC in 2002, and brought to market its satellite-based product line.
Hawker Pacific Aerospace, which repairs and overhauls a range of aircraft, has added the Hawker 800 series to its service offerings. Hawker Pacific Aerospace procured parts to provide spares as an exchange or a loan to help meet the customer's scheduling needs. The Sun Valley, Calif., company also teamed with BizJet in Tulsa, Okla. to offer a coordinated package for removal and replacement of Hawker 800 landing gear during aircraft overhaul.
Ron Zilberbrand, who in 1989 co-founded Jet Support Service Inc. (JSSI), is forming a new company, The Zilberbrand Group, LLC, to specialize in turbine sales and acquisitions. Jason Zilberbrand, who spent the past decade at JSSI, is co-founding The Zilberbrand Group and will serve as vice president. "We feel the timing and market conditions are pivotal to assist our clients in making the best decisions possible," said Jason Zilberbrand. The new company will work with General Aviation Services on certain transactions.
Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA) teamed with aviation staffing specialist firm Jet Professionals to provide staffing services for PAMA corporate and individual members. The joint program will launch Jan. 1 through the Jet Professionals and PAMA Web sites. Job seekers can upload resumes and update their information, and PAMA member employers will be able to submit job postings.
Raytheon Airline Aviation Services delivered a Beechcraft 1900D to Jet Management Ltd., the designated representative of Sonair Servicio Aereo (SONAIR). The aircraft, the sixth delivered to SONAIR, will be ferried to SONAIR's headquarters in Luanda, Angola and will be operated to support regional oil exploration and development.
FORMER GAMA PRESIDENT GORMLEY DIES - James D. Gormley, a retired Air Force brigadier general who spent 11 years with the General Aviation Manufacturers Association as vice president and later as president, died Thursday after a battle with cancer. Born March 24, 1931 in Minneapolis, Gormley received a Bachelor of Arts degree in business in 1953 from the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. and in 1971 earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Auburn University.
Hillwood is building a 30,000-square-foot expansion to the hangar at the Alliance fixed-base operation at Fort Worth Alliance Airport in Texas. The expansion, which will have space for up to eight more aircraft, is slated to be completed in February. The FBO opened in 1996 and currently comprises a 32,000-square-foot hanger and a 23,000-square-foot aviation/office center. In addition to expanding the FBO, the airport will extend the runway from 9,600 feet to 11,000 feet.
Cessna Chairman Russ Meyer is taking on another role in Washington, as member of the FAA Management Advisory Council (MAC). Meyer was one of three aerospace industry leaders named to the MAC Friday by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. Mineta also tapped Charles Bolden, senior vice president of Tech Trans International, and Philip Trenary, president and CEO of Pinnacle Airlines, to serve three-year terms. Congress created the MAC in FAA reauthorization legislation in 1996. The MAC meets quarterly to assess and provide advice on agency performance.
NO OBVIOUS ANSWER FOR CRJ ENGINE LOSS; CARRIER LIMITS ALTITUDES - National Transportation Safety Board investigators are hoping an engine teardown examination will shed light on why both General Electric CF34-3B1 turbofan engines flamed out on a Pinnacle Airlines CRJ-200 positioning flight, resulting in a crash that claimed both pilots (BA, Oct. 18/174).
