McKinney Aerospace teamed with Wing Aviation to provide a greater range of services to their clients. McKinney, based in McKinney, Texas, provides avionics installation and repair, interior refurbishment and completions, airframe maintenance and exterior paint. Wing Aviation is a Conroe, Texas-based full service fixed-base operation and maintenance facility specializing in Gulfstream, Hawker and Learjet aircraft.
National Air Transportation Association received a contract to add its Safety 1st professional line-service training program to the list of safety offerings by The Medallion Foundation. The foundation, a non-profit aviation safety organization that supports Alaska operators, will incorporate the NATA training seminar into the Medallion Five Star Shield Program. Nearly 60 Alaska air carriers participate in the program, which requires operators to develop ground-service programs designed to protect customers and employees.
The Corporate Angel Network got some good news and some favorable publicity last week. The volunteer organization, which arranges free transportation on corporate aircraft for cancer patients traveling to and from treatment centers, was the recipient of a check for $111,000, the proceeds of the 16th Annual Greater Washington Aviation Open (GWAO) golf and tennis tournament May 3 at Indian Spring Country Club in Silver Spring, Md.
Atlantic Aviation's chain of 10 fixed-base operations is being sold to an Australian financial institution, the second purchase of a U.S. FBO chain in recent weeks - Allied Capital just completed its purchase of the Mercury Air Centers chain (BA, April 26/187). Asked whether the transactions represent the bow wave of a round of FBO acquisitions, Atlantic Aviation's Lou Pepper instead said he believes the Mercury and Atlantic sales were separate deals that came together for different reasons.
Raytheon Aircraft added a fourth Hawker Horizon to the certification flight test program. The aircraft will conduct FAA function and reliability testing and will be used for operational evaluation of customer satisfaction before deliveries begin at the end of the year. The aircraft, RC-4, was fitted with interior components, including sidewalls, headliners and lavatory and cabin doors.
Honeywell will provide its Primus Epic Rehost software to FlightSafety International for the training company's personal computer-based classroom devices that will train pilots and technicians on the Primus Epic integrated avionics system. With Primus Epic Rehost, pilots will train by using the aircraft software rather than special training software, reducing functional differences in the training devices.
University Of North Dakota's Flying Team took first place in the National Collegiate Flying Association's Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference held April 27-May 1 at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn. UND won the national collegiate flying contest out of a field of 32 competitors. Embry-Riddle Prescott came in second followed by Western Michigan University in third place. The competition comprises 11 events - four flying events and seven ground events - which test a variety of piloting skills.
National Business Aviation Association acting President Don Baldwin last week called for a "sustained, broad and sophisticated campaign involving contributions from hundreds of people" to change the political dynamic and attitudes on general aviation security.
Cessna Aircraft received an order from the Chinese government for two Citation XLS business jets. Cessna will deliver the aircraft to the China Flight Inspection Center of Air Traffic Management Bureau of General Aviation of Civil Aviation of China in the second quarter of 2005. The center will base the aircraft at Beijing's Capital City Airport and use them for flight inspection missions. A Cessna Citation Authorized Sales Representative, Alfred Lau of Aviation Supplies in Beijing, facilitated the sale.
KYLE KEFFER joined Schubach Aviation as director of sales. Keffer will develop and administer a new business development plan for Schubach and oversee sales presentations, territory growth and client retention. He has more than 20 years of sales and management experience, most recently as a data network account executive for AT&T's offices in Irvine, Calif. He also was western regional sales director for Group 1 Software and held management roles with UUNET and IMARA Systems Corp.
Safire Aircraft Company terminated its senior marketing and communications executives last week and said it was restructuring "in order to focus on the completion and development of the Safire Jet prototype and to resume aircraft sales."
Federal Aviation Administration issued a type certificate to General Electric Aircraft Engines for the CT7-8 powerplant, the latest version of the turboshaft engine. The CT7-8 is intended to power variants of the Sikorsky S-92, AgustaWestland EH101 and US101 and NH Industries NH90 helicopters, as well as some military helicopters. Delivery of the CT7-8 engines for the S-92 began last month.
Industry representatives hashed out ideas on handling flight and duty time regulations for Part 135 in a three-day meeting last month as part of the larger Part 125/135 Aviation Rulemaking Committee (BA March 29/137). The working group, which met in Dallas, "made more progress in three days than in the last two Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committees," which spent years trying to iron out the contentious labor issue, a participant noted.
CESSNA FLIES MUSTANG ENGINE - Pratt & Whitney Canada's new PW615F engine flew for the first time last week on a Cessna CitationJet test bed at Cessna's Wichita, Kan. facility. The engine will power Cessna's new entry-level Citation Mustang, which is slated for certification and delivery in late 2006. Citation Mustang Program Manager Russ Meyer III called the flight on the CitationJet test bed "the first major milestone" for the Mustang.
FALCON WORKERS AT ILG END STRIKE, SIGN NEW CONTRACT - A strike by union members that disrupted operations at Dassault Falcon Jet's Wilmington, Del. East Coast Service Center for about six weeks ended last week following ratification of a new contract.
SWISSPORT TO ACQUIRE U.K. GROUND HANDLING FIRM - Swissport International of Zurich signed an agreement to acquire Groundstar Ltd., a U.K.-based ground handling company. The acquisition adds five British airports - London's Stansted and Gatwick, Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham - and doubles Swissport's U.K. business volume. The Swiss firm already provides ground handling at London's Heathrow Airport. Groundstar was founded through a management buyout (backed by 3i) in 1999.
