Ballistic Recovery Systems President, CEO and Director Mark Thomas resigned for personal reasons, the aircraft parachute innovator announced last week. Thomas will remain with BRS as a consultant until a successor is named. BRS Chairman Robert Nelson has stepped in as interim CEO during the transition. "We appreciate Mark's 12 years of service in building BRS to a first-class company in the aviation safety industry," Nelson said. "Mark has done a great job in seeing our company through some significant growth."
Spaceshipone pilot Mike Melvill will be a featured speaker at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association's Expo 2004, Oct. 21-23 in Long Beach, Calif. Along with Melvill, Expo speakers include FAA Administrator Marion Blakey and TSA Administrator David Stone. AOPA President Phil Boyer, who noted that the association has more members in California than any other state, said he expects the Long Beach event this month to set records in terms of attendees, estimating it will attract between 10,000 and 12,000 registrants.
Pilatus Aircraft and Honeywell secured FAA approval of an avionics package that will bring the Pilatus PC-12 single-engine turboprop aircraft into compliance with reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) standards. The avionics package includes two AM-250 altimeters that couple to the KFC 325 flight control system's altitude pre-selector and a dual pitot-static system. The system also is available for retrofit and can be installed at Honeywell and Pilatus authorized service centers.
National Business Aviation Association named Maureen Cameron traffic manager, conventions and seminars. Cameron will oversee trafficking of all promotional brochures, advertisements and other association event materials. Cameron most recently served with Interstate Worldwide Relocation, where she directed marketing, advertising, media and public relations. She also has been a corporate marketing officer for First Virginia Banks, Inc. The association also promoted Dina Green to senior manager of seminars.
SIGNATURE BUYS MAJORITY STAKE IN GREEK FBO NETWORK - Signature Flight Support, which has been expanding its holdings in international fixed-base locations in the past two years, has now acquired a majority interest in Athens Aviation Services, LTD, in Athens, Greece. The new venture will operate as Athens Aviation Services - Signature Flight Support. Athens Aviation Service has been serving the business and general aviation community since 1973.
Hard-working aircraft salesmen who spend weeks or months persuading customers to sign on the dotted line probably won't be pleased to see Vern Raburn's remarks about how Eclipse Aviation sells its new entry-level Eclipse 500 business jet. During last week's 10th annual Forbes CEO Forum in New York, Raburn was participating in a panel discussion on "Technologies That Are Changing the Global Landscape." Raburn outlined five areas in which he said application of technology differentiates Eclipse from traditional aviation companies.
Russ Chew, chief operating officer of FAA's Air Traffic Organization, named Norm Fujisaki acting vice president of operations planning for the ATO. Fujisaki replaces Steve Brown, who left FAA recently to become senior vice president of operations at NBAA (BA, Sept. 20/126).
PARKING INDUSTRY OFFICIAL TO SUCCEED KORANDA AT NAA - A veteran of the parking lot business was named last week to become president of the National Aeronautic Association. David Ivey, who has spent 30 years in trade association management, has taken over for Don Koranda, who announced plans this spring to step down as NAA president (BA, April 5/151). For more than 25 years, Ivey was president of the International Parking Institute (IPI), an association that provides technical and educational services to the transportation and parking industries.
Aircraft manufacturers are bullish about the long-term outlook for business aviation. Honeywell, in its 13th annual Business Aviation Outlook, says it "is currently tracking more than 20 additional all-new or derivative business jet programs that are in various stages of study or preliminary design, many of which are expected to enter service during the next 10-12 years." See article below.
David North, who recently retired as editor-in-chief of Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine, has formed David North Aerospace Consultants. The former Navy and Pan American World Airways pilot can be reached at 6740 Towne Lane Road, McLean, Va. 22101, via telephone at (703) 448-9492 or through e-mail at: [email protected]
Execaire, the Canadian aircraft management company, added an executive Bell 427 twin-engine helicopter to its fleet of managed aircraft. Based at Toronto's Pearson International Airport (YYZ), the Bell 427 is one of only two executive helicopters of its type being operated in the greater Toronto area. Execaire expects to use the helicopter for shuttle flights from Pearson to Toronto City Center (YTZ) and Buttonville (YKZ) airports, in addition to trips to New York City and the lake cottage country north of Toronto.
RAYTHEON ENHANCES MAINTENANCE TRACKING PROGRAM - Raytheon Aircraft retained Avtrak Inc. to enhance its Web-based Factory Aircraft Comprehensive Tracking System (FACTS) maintenance tracking program for customers. Raytheon Aircraft will use Avtrak's technology to power FACTS, increasing the program's capabilities. Beechcraft and Hawker owners will be able to access maintenance records upon demand from any computer with a Web browser and an Internet connection. Beechcraft and Hawker owners also will be able to manage their other aircraft through the system.
AVIATION RESEARCH GROUP OBTAINS TEST FACILITY FROM RAYTHEON - The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) obtained testing facilities from Raytheon Aircraft to provide proprietary full-scale aircraft fatigue testing for the entire aviation industry, NIAR said. Based on the campus of Wichita State University, NIAR has long conducted basic and applied research for public and private aerospace firms.
Dassault last month completed system integration testing of the Messier-Dowty main and nose landing gear for the Dassault Falcon 7X. Messier-Dowty delivered the nose landing gear to Dassault Aviation in Merignac, France in early July and the main landing gear in mid-August. "The Falcon 7X program is very important in our collaboration with Dassault," said Colin Fernie, group vice president of Messier-Dowty's Business & Regional Aircraft unit.
National Aeronautic Association selected Robert Crandall as the recipient of this year's Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy. Crandall, who spent 25 years at American Airlines and its parent company AMR Corp., serving as president and/or chief executive/chairman for 18 years, is being honored for his pioneering efforts in running the airline following passage of airline deregulation legislation in 1978.
BUSINESS TURBINE ACCIDENTS, FATALITIES DOWN THIS YEAR - U.S. business jet and turboprop operators were involved in fewer accidents and fatal accidents through the first nine months of this year than in the same period last year and fatalities fell by more than half, according to accident and incident data compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla.
Despite pleas from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, TSA has indicated privately that it has no plans to delay implementation of its interim rule calling for background checks of all foreign pilot students training in the U.S. (BA, Oct. 4/146). AOPA was particularly concerned about the scope of the rule - basically it would require all flight instructors and schools to check citizenship of all their students and ensure that foreign students undergo the necessary background checks.
National Business Aviation Association President Ed Bolen said business aviation advocates are "delighted" that House and Senate negotiators reached an agreement on a comprehensive tax bill that would, among other things, extend the applicability of 50 percent bonus depreciation benefits to aircraft ordered this year but placed in service by the end of next year. The tax bill passed the House Thursday and was under consideration on the Senate floor late Friday.
Adam Aircraft received Type Inspection Authorization from FAA for its A500 centerline twin-engine aircraft. The TIA approval shows that the manufacturer has successfully demonstrated to FAA that the A500 is conformed, has passed structural, system and company flight testing. FAA test pilots are now authorized to conduct their flight test review in preparation for issuance of a final type certificate for the pressurized twin. Adam Aircraft has built and flown three A500 aircraft more than 1,000 hours to date.
SimuFlite's Citation X full-flight simulator received Level D approval from FAA. The new simulator is located at SimuFlite's Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport training center, which also houses simulators for the Citation II; Citation III/VI/VII; Citation V; Citation Ultra/Bravo; Citation Excel; and CitationJet.
Executive Flightways added a Falcon 50, N506BA, to its charter fleet. The aircraft will be based at the company's Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) headquarters.
