SERVICE FIRMS LURE BUSINESS WITH NEW DISCOUNT, MEMBERSHIP PROGRAMS - Several companies are rolling out membership and frequent-use programs this week to provide charter, fueling and other benefits for business aircraft operators and their customers.
Cessna Aircraft last week won type certification for a 206H Stationair equipped with the Garmin G1000 avionics suite. The 206H Stationair marks the fourth Cessna single-engine aircraft to win certification with the Garmin G1000 package. Cessna also earned approval for the 182T Skylane, T182T Turbo Skylane and T206H Turbo Stationair. Cessna is next working on certification for a G1000-equipped 172 Skyhawk and expects to begin delivery of those aircraft in 2005.
JetCorp, a full-service fixed-base operation at Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS) in Chesterfield, Mo., received certification from FAA as a Class 4 Certified Repair Station. The new certification allows JetCorp to expand the scope of work it does to any airframe for which it has the required tooling and training. The company plans to move its maintenance services to a new hangar on the airport. The 24,335-square-foot facility will permit the company to combine work efforts between service segments to provide more efficient service.
BOB BLOUIN JOINS WASHINGTON CONSULTING FIRM - Bob Blouin, former senior vice president-operations of the National Business Aviation Association, is joining a Washington, D.C.-area consulting firm with extensive ties to the aviation industry. Blouin will be a vice president of Phaneuf Associates, Inc., (PAI) which is headquartered in Crystal City, Va., near Ronald Reagan National Airport. "We are very excited Bob is joining us," said PAI President Roger Phaneuf.
Montreal Jet Center, a new company specializing in business aircraft refurbishment, avionics and maintenance, won Transport Canada approval to perform line and heavy maintenance on Raytheon Hawker 400, 600, 700 and 800 series aircraft. Montreal Jet Center was previously approved to work on Bombardier Challenger 600, Global Express and CRJ series aircraft.
Raytheon Aircraft established a new division to focus on its special mission aircraft products and customers. The company named Raytheon Aircraft Vice President John Brauneis to head the new organization, which will comprise business development, engineering, program management, finance and contract functions. Raytheon Aircraft Chairman and CEO Jim Schuster said the organization will ensure special mission customers have "seamless interaction" with Raytheon Aircraft's business lines.
MAY SEEKS CHANGES IN TAX SYSTEM - The U.S. airline industry shoulders a tax burden of $14 billion annually under an excise tax and fee system that needs dramatic changes to protect the long-term vitality of the industry, Jim May, president of the Air Transport Association, told the Aero Club of Washington Wednesday. May noted that while airlines pay $14 billion into the air transportation system, air carriers only bring in about $100 billion in revenues. This weakens a faltering industry.
ATR delivered a fourth ATR 72-500 to Spanish carrier Binter Canarias. The 72-seat regional turboprop is the fourth of six ATR 72-500s that Binter Canarias ordered in January. The operator was founded in March 1988 and carries some 2.4 million passengers on the Canarian inter-island network.
Justifying new regulation is becoming harder and harder for FAA, Deputy Administrator Robert Sturgell said during FAA's International Aviation Safety Forum. Noting that the aviation industry continues to achieve record safety levels, Sturgell said new regulations often will provide incremental, rather than dramatic safety improvements. Those incremental improvements are difficult to justify when the agency conducts the required cost-benefit analysis for new rules, he said. Sturgell said FAA must conduct business differently to improve safety. See article below.
AOPA URGES TSA TO DELAY FLIGHT TRAINING COMPLIANCE DATE - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association last week petitioned the Transportation Security Administration to suspend the compliance deadline for background checks on aliens seeking flight training in aircraft that weigh 12,500 pounds or less, calling the Oct. 20 date an "impossible deadline." AOPA noted that the rule, released last month (BA, Sept. 27/137) was published without prior notice or advance opportunity for review and comment.
The Federal Aviation Administration must find new ways to conduct its business, turning more toward collaborative processes such as aviation rulemaking committees and seeking out performance-based regulations to foster rather than hinder new technologies, according to FAA Deputy Administrator Robert Sturgell. Participating on a panel last month at FAA's International Aviation Safety Forum, Sturgell agreed that FAA needs to evaluate "what we can do better to encourage innovation."
Trego-Dugan Jet Management (TDJM), a private jet management company affiliated with the Trego/Dugan Aviation fixed-base operations, received an investment from Chicago-based venture capital fund OCA Ventures and plans to expand its presence to the Chicago area. "TDJM evaluated the market and realized Chicago needs a top-tier jet management company," said TDJM President Traci Dugan. "Expanding our presence to Chicago is something we have been targeting for a number of years and is the natural extension of our business."
DANNY CLIFTON was appointed vice president of flight operations for Kitty Hawk Aircargo, Inc. Clifton formerly was with ABX Air Inc./Airborne Express in Dayton, Ohio, where he was assistant chief pilot for DC-9 aircraft. Before he was at ABX, Clifton served as a pilot and flight instructor for Newport News, Va.-based charter operator Rick Aviation. He served in the U.S. Air Force for 24 years and commanded an A-10 squadron in the first Gulf War.
Bell Helicopter Textron, with revenues of about $1.7 billion last year, expects to see revenue grow to about $3 billion annually by 2010, according to Mike Redenbaugh, who took over as CEO 15 months ago (BA, May 26, 2003/238). Redenbaugh also is putting to use lean manufacturing and Six Sigma experience he received at previous employer AlliedSignal/Honeywell to increase manufacturing efficiencies.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey and Patty Grace Smith, associate administrator for Commercial Space Transportation, plan to be on hand today (Oct. 4) in Mojave, Calif. for the second stage of SpaceShipOne's attempt to win the $10 million X Prize by reaching space. SpaceShipOne, designed and built by Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites of Mojave, Calif., made its initial flight in June (BA, June 28/299).
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) presented the 37th Edward Warner Award to Brian O'Keefe of Australia for his contributions to the development of international civil aviation, particularly his leading role in air navigation systems. During a career that spanned nearly 50 years, ICAO said O'Keefe played a key role in the development of future air navigation systems (FANS) worldwide and its successor, the communications, navigation and surveillance/air traffic management (CNS/ATM) system concept.
