Robert Blouin, senior vice president of operations for the National Business Aviation Association, announced his resignation last week for the second time in six months in a move that comes as the association already was preparing for another leadership change. Blouin, who was believed to be among the finalists in the competition to become NBAA president, resigned a few weeks after the association selected Ed Bolen, president and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, to head NBAA (BA, Aug. 9/59).
Team US101, the Lockheed Martin-led team competing to provide the next-generation helicopter fleet for the U.S. president, added 13 more Connecticut-based component suppliers to the team, which numbers more than 200 participants in 41 states. Team US101 is offering a derivative of AgustaWestland's EH101 for the contract to replace the aging Sikorsky VH-3D and VH-60 helicopters. The team is competing against Connecticut-based Sikorsky, which is offering its VH-92 helicopter.
Jessica Salerno, managing editor of BA affiliate Business & Commercial Aviation magazine, was promoted to executive editor. Salerno joined the magazine 25 years ago, initially serving as editorial assistant and production editor. Salerno was research editor before she was named managing editor in January 1982. William Garvey, B/CA editor-in-chief, said the promotion reflects Salerno's "decades of excellent work" at the magazine that enhanced "the appearance, breadth, depth, relevance and timeliness of editorial content."
BOMBARDIER BUSINESS JETS SALES REBOUND, BUT REGIONAL SALES STALL - Strong business jet sales helped Bombardier turn a profit in the second quarter of its fiscal year, but a decline in regional jet deliveries dampened aerospace earnings, the company reported last week. Bombardier reported earnings before taxes (EBT) of $44 million for the second quarter ended July 31, stemming the EBT losses of $209 million reported in the first quarter.
FAA recently released guidance outlining a new pilot program that would allow the agency to buy development rights at 10 privately owned airports that are open to the public. FAA is developing the program at the direction of Congress, which included a measure in the FAA reauthorization bill, Vision 100, authorizing the federal purchase of private airport development rights.
Wood Group Turbopower, based in Miami Lakes, Fla., was named an authorized repair facility and marketing agent for the MORE Company's approved PT6A time-between-overhaul (TBO) extension supplemental type certificate program. The agreement authorizes Wood Group to provide maintenance in accordance with the TBO extension as well as help market the program. The MORE program (Maintenance On Reliable Engines) extends the TBO for the PT6A from 3,600 hours up to 8,000 hours by increasing the frequency and thoroughness of routine inspections.
Bombardier is taking "full advantage" of a recovering business jet market, the manufacturer said, noting that firm orders for the first six months of fiscal year were more than double those taken during the same period last year. "Regional jets sustained the business during the business jet downturn, and now it is the other way around," said Bombardier President and CEO Paul Tellier. See article below.
DPI Labs added a "watchdog circuit" and anti-collision function to its SmartLink-III Cabin Management Operating System to protect the integrated cabin management and entertainment system from delayed, lost or unintended commands. The function prevents multiple commands from conflicting to ensure continuous operations of the lighting, entertainment systems and other items connected to the cabin management systems.
Aeronautical Repair Station Association this month asked FAA to incorporate its "Joint Industry Policy on Instructions for Continued Airworthiness" (ICA) into a proposed agency order that provides the framework for the availability of maintenance manual information.
SCHWEIZER DEAL OPENS LIGHT HELICOPTER, UAV MARKETS TO SIKORSKY -Sikorsky Aircraft reached an agreement to buy Schweizer Aircraft Corp. in a deal that will give Sikorsky instant access to the light helicopter and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) markets. Sikorsky expects to complete the deal in the third quarter. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. "Schweizer aircraft is a great strategic fit for Sikorsky," said Sikorsky President Steve Finger, saying it will better position the company for key Homeland Security and Pentagon contracts.
Department of Homeland Security awarded BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman contracts to participate in Phase II of its Counter-MANPADS (Man-Portable Air Defense Systems) program to protect commercial aircraft from ground-based, shoulder-fired missiles. Under Phase II, BAE and Northrop Grumman will design and test prototype anti-missile systems over the next 18 months. The contracts were valued at $45 million each.
The Federal Aviation Administration has provided ample opportunity for comment on its proposed clarification of drug and alcohol testing requirements, the agency told a dozen aviation associations and companies and rejected their request for a six-month extension of the comment period on the proposal.
FlightSafety International is adding a new program to its pilot simulator-training regimen to enhance pilot runway operation skills. The Runway Judgment Training covers runway accident prevention and helps flight crews develop procedures to address the risks of operations at marginal airports with less developed runways. Instructions create marginal operating conditions by controlling runway length, width and weather, and the crews must decide if operations are safe.
ROB BROOKS was named sales manager for the U.S. Mid-East region for Innotech Aviation. Brooks is based in Buffalo Grove, Ill. Before joining Innotech, he was president of Global Technical Services, a maintenance firm in Illinois. He also has served as director of maintenance for Brunswick Corporation and a field service representative for Bombardier.
The National Institute for Aviation Research, a long-time provider of basic and applied research and development for Wichita, Kan.-area aircraft manufacturers, is expanding its client base and adding new laboratories to offer a broader range of services to the aerospace community.
National Business Aviation Association has scheduled 12 seminars during week of the association's 57th Annual Meeting and Convention, scheduled Oct. 12-14 in Las Vegas, Nev. The seminars cover a variety of topics including human factors, regulatory and financial risk management, emergency planning, flight operations manuals, leadership skills, reduced vertical separation minimums, security training, and maintenance manuals, among others. For details, visit the NBAA Web site at http://web.nbaa.org/public/cs/amc/2004/schedule.php.
Gulfstream Aerospace's facility at London-Luton Airport in the United Kingdom received its first supplemental type certificate approval from the recently formed European Aviation Safety Agency to install Honeywell's AIRSAT 1 satellite telephone on Gulfstream IV and IV-SP business jets. The AIRSAT 1 provides telephone and Internet connections while in-flight through an Iridium transceiver unit and an antenna. The Luton center, which Gulfstream acquired in April 2003, is the first service center that the Savannah, Ga. plane-maker has operated outside the U.S.
The Boeing Company this month completed the sale of its Irving, Texas-based Commercial Electronics unit to BAE Systems North America. Commercial Electronics employs 700 workers in Irving and the Puget Sound area as well as two service centers in London and Singapore. BAE will fold the unit into its Platform Solutions sector, which provides a range of products for commercial and military aircraft (BA, July 5/5).
AGUSTA Model A109K2 helicopters (Docket No. 2004-SW-14-AD; Amendment 39-13755; AD 2004-15-21) - requires dye-penetrant inspection of the tail rotor trunnion assembly for a crack at specified intervals, replacing any cracked trunnion with an airworthy trunnion, and reporting any failed trunnion. This amendment is prompted by the report of an accident involving a tail rotor hub and blade assembly separating from the helicopter due to fatigue failure of the trunnion. The cause for the crack in the trunnion has not been determined and is still under investigation.
BOEING BUSINESS JETS NAMES STEVEN HILL PRESIDENT - Boeing Business Jets named Steven Hill president, replacing Lee Monson, who took the position of vice president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes sales for the Middle East and Africa (BA, Aug. 9/65). Hill, a 30-year Boeing veteran, rejoins the BBJ joint venture after serving as the business director overseeing Boeing Aircraft Trading.
September 19-21 - National Association of State Aviation Officials, 73rd Annual Convention and Trade Show, Radisson Riverfront Hotel, St. Paul, Minn., (301) 588-0587 October 10-11 - National Business Aviation Association 13th Annual Tax Conference, Las Vegas, Nev., (202) 783-9000 October 12-14 - National Business Aviation Association 57th Annual Meeting and Convention, Las Vegas, Nev., (202) 783-9000 October 21-23 - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Expo 2004, Long Beach, Calif., (301) 695-2000
