AUSTRALIAN BANK AGREES TO BUY ATLANTIC AVIATION FBO CHAIN - An Australian financial institution signed a purchase agreement to buy Executive Air Support and its network of 10 Atlantic Aviation fixed-base operations for $238 million (U.S.). The buyer is Macquarie Bank, which is headquartered in Sydney, Australia. The Atlantic deal is subject to various regulatory requirements, including approval by the airports on which the FBOs are located.
Delta Airelite, which has teamed with Bombardier Flexjet to offer fractional aircraft membership, is renaming the Fleet Membership Select program Flexjet Membership. Under the program, customers can buy 25-hour increments of occupied time in either a Bombardier Learjet 31A, Learjet 45, Learjet 60 or Challenger 604 aircraft. Through the program, customers can access fractional business jets without long-term investments. Customers also receive "Medallion" status in the Delta SkyMiles program.
AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGIES OF AUSTRALIA Model N22B, N22S, and N24A airplanes (Docket No. 2000-CE-43-AD; Amendment 39-13536; AD 2004-06-10) - requires inspecting the forward and aft face of the rear fuselage frame for cracks and repairing or modifying accordingly. This AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Australia. FAA is issuing this AD to detect and correct cracks in the rear fuselage frame, which could result in failure of the fuselage rear bulkhead and consequent loss of structural integrity.
Kathleen Blouin, the National Business Aviation Association's vice president of conventions and seminars, was named one of the Top 25 association managers by Tradeshow Week. Blouin joined NBAA in 1992 as senior manager, convention services, overseeing an annual meeting and convention that registered 17,312 individuals, included 636 exhibiting companies and covered 226,000 square feet of booth space that year. The convention has since grown to 28,574 attendees and 1,068 exhibitors occupying 445,200 square feet of booth space at 2003's event.
PRATT & WHITNEY BEGINS TEST RUNS OF ECLIPSE ENGINE - Pratt & Whitney's new PW600 engine family reached another milestone last week with the first run of the PW610F turbine engine selected to power the Eclipse 500 Very Light Jet. The engine run followed the first flight of the Canadian engine-maker's PW615F aboard Cessna's CitationJet test bed late last month (BA, May 3/200). That engine will power Cessna's new Citation Mustang, giving Pratt & Whitney a stronghold in the entry-level jet market.
TSA SHELVES CERTIFICATE REVOCATION RULES - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association praised a decision by the Transportation Security Administration to suspend enforcement of regulations that would allow the agency to revoke certificates of pilots deemed security threats. "This little bit of common sense has been a long time coming," said AOPA President Phil Boyer.
AVANTI WINS MAJOR CONTRACT FROM FRACTIONAL OPERATOR - Piaggio Aero Industries of Italy and its U.S. entity Piaggio America won a major aircraft contract last week from a U.S. fractional aircraft provider. The agreement, signed May 4 in Rome, calls for Piaggio to deliver a total of 29 Avanti P.180 turboprops to Avantair, in a deal valued at about $200 million, over the next few years. Piaggio said the deal "is the largest single order ever for either company."
MedAire was selected to provide its inflight medical support to three Mediterranean carriers. MedAire received agreements from Cyprus Airways, Eurocypria and Hellas Jets under which the aviation medical services company will provide immediate access to emergency physicians working at the MedLink Global Response Center. MedLink Physicians are available 24 hours a day to help manage inflight medical situations and provide preflight medical guidance. The center can be contacted through the aircraft's communications system.
EPA PLANS TO DELAY DEADLINE FOR NEW FUEL STORAGE RULES - In a move sought by the aviation and other industries, the Environmental Protection Agency has indicated it plans to delay again the implementation of changes to its Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations governing fuel storage. The agency is expected to release a notice in the next few weeks extending the Aug. 17 compliance deadline, but EPA hasn't said when the notice will be released or for how long the deadline will be extended.
Bryan Burns, the veteran fixed-base operations manager, joined Jackson Hole Aviation (JHA) as vice president/general manager. Burns, who most recently was general manager at the Vail Valley Jet Center at Eagle County Regional Airport in Vail, Colo., will be responsible for all phases of the Jackson Hole FBO "with the emphasis on enhancing JHA's reputation for superior customer service," the company said. "We have a very dedicated staff and recently made several improvements to our overall facility," said Jeff Brown, president of JHA.
The Teal Group issued a generally optimistic forecast of business jet deliveries over the next decade, but cautioned that a drop in orders by fractional aircraft operators and a squeeze on profits could affect the outlook.
Lancair retained manufacturing consultant Technical Change Associates (TCA) to help it streamline manufacturing processes and accelerate production. "We'll soon be building two separate aircraft models on our line and that adds another layer of complexity to what we're doing," said Lancair Vice President Ron Wright. "TCA is working with us to enhance our overall manufacturing efficiency" to increase production while maintaining quality. Lancair currently produces a new Columbia every two days, but hopes to increase that rate to one aircraft per business day by 2005.
SEN. MURRAY BLASTS AIRBUS, WARNS OF U.S. AEROSPACE DECLINES - Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) last week expressed her concern that the U.S. continues to lose its competitive edge in the aerospace market, saying, "We are about to surrender our global aerospace leadership because we are sitting on our hands while Europe is doing everything it can to dismantle our aerospace industry." In a May 5 speech on the Senate floor, Murray said she hoped to educate others about the urgency of the issue.
The General Aviation Coalition met with acting Transportation Security Administrator David Stone Friday afternoon, seeking action/information on a number of issues.
ARBITRATOR CALLS ON MOONEY TO PAY $24 MILLION IN LEASE LIABILITY - Mooney Aerospace Group plans to turn to the courts in search of a favorable judgment after an arbitrator found the company liable for $24 million in damages for the termination of the lease of its Long Beach, Calif. facility. The arbitrator awarded AP Long Beach Airport LLC $23.9 million plus attorney fees for the termination of the lease on the facility, which Mooney inherited as part of the AASI acquisition of the Kerrville, Texas single-engine piston aircraft manufacturer.
Experimental Aircraft Association won Bronze Telly Finalist awards for two of its video programs. Telly Awards honor outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, as well as video and film productions. EAA won the awards for an hour-long AirVenture 2003 special, Oshkosh 2003: Centennial Edition and a final episode of the EAA-produced series Learning to Fly, which aired on the Discovery Wings Channel.
SHOULDER-FIRED MISSILE BILL MOVES FORWARD IN HOUSE - Legislation calling on the Bush Administration to increase efforts to protect commercial aviation in the U.S. against shoulder-fired missile attacks moved forward last week when the measure received unanimous approval from the House Transportation aviation subcommittee.
May 17-19 - Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association Spring Conference, Radisson Resort and Spa, Scottsdale, Ariz. Contact Stan Bernstein, (508) 747-1430 May 18-20 - AS 3/GSE Aviation Services and Suppliers Supershow, National Air Transportation Association/Professional Aviation Maintenance Association, Las Vegas, Nev. (703) 845-9000 May 25-27 - European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE2004), Geneva, Switzerland, (202) 783-9000
Elliott Aviation added a Citation Excel to its charter fleet at Flying Cloud Airport in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn. metropolitan area. The Excel seats eight passengers and has a stand-up cabin, flat screen DVD monitors, flight phone and laptop ports.
The Metropolitan Airports Commission this week is expected to release a formal recommendation for assessing new general aviation fees at the six Minneapolis-area reliever airports operated by the MAC. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and other general aviation interests have been arguing against dramatic fee hikes, urging the MAC "not to undo a system that is a model of efficient capacity relief just because the largest tenant - Northwest Airlines - at Minneapolis-St.
