TIMCO SELLS MIRAMAR, FLA. FACILITY - TIMCO Aviation Services sold its former headquarters and warehouse facility in Miramar, Fla., the company announced late last month. The overwhelming majority of the $26 million in proceeds "were used to pay in full the tax retention operating lease (TROL) obligation associated with the construction of the facility." The remaining proceeds of approximately $500,000 will be used for working capital. TIMCO relocated its headquarters to Greensboro, N.C. in 2001, and the company had been subleasing the Miramar facility since then.
National Air Transportation Association is relaunching its Web site with a new domain name and a "Members Only" section. The Web site can be accessed by using www.nata.aero. The previous address, www.nata-online.org, will automatically redirect visitors to the new site. The new Members section will include NATA's Legislative Reports, Regulatory Reports, Action Calls and archived E-News as well as other features.
Ducommun Inc. signed a long-term agreement with Eclipse Aviation to provide fuselage and cockpit skin panels for the Eclipse 500 jet. Ducommun AeroStructures (DAS) will perform the work at its facilities in Gardena and Orange, Calif. DAS will provide skin panels for preproduction aircraft this year and ramp up to meet Eclipse's production for 2006. Ducommun said the deal is the largest single contract DAS has won, estimating that it could represent about $120 million worth of work.
Fred Kirby joined Cleveland-based Avbase Aviation and its affiliate UltraJet as vice president of flight operations. Kirby will oversee all aspects of flight operations, maintenance, training and flight support for the charter and membership services groups. Kirby most recently served as director of vendor standards for fractional ownership provider NetJets in Columbus, Ohio. He has nearly 40 years of aviation experience and formerly was with the National Business Aviation Association.
General Electric and Rolls-Royce were selected to offer engines for Boeing's new 7E7 transport. Boeing selected a version of the Rolls-Royce Trent powerplant, the Trent 1000, as well as GE's Gen-X engine based on the GE90. Forecast International, the Newtown, Conn.-based provider of aerospace and defense market forecasting, said it expects that the 7E7 business will be split fairly evenly between the Roll-Royce and GE offerings.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-401 and -402 airplanes (Docket No. 2004-NM-11-AD; Amendment 39-13508; AD 2004-05-13) - requires a records review to determine the repair/modification status of the airplane, and follow-on and corrective actions as necessary. This action is necessary to prevent cracks in the lower fuselage skin due to fatigue damage in the vicinity of the Number 2 VHF antenna, which could result in rapid decompression of the airplane. The AD was effective March 25.
The committee seeking a new president for the National Business Aviation Association is asking association members to let the panel know what qualifications they're looking for in a candidate and to recommend potential candidates.
WILLIAM CARROLL joined HeliFlite Shares as sales director. He will help expand the fractional helicopter business in the Northeast. Carroll formerly was the regional marketing manager for the Northeast for Eurocopter. He also introduced NetJets fractional ownership to New York and New England in the late 1980s. He also has been director of sales for Aerospatiale General Aviation, and most recently Carroll was commercial sales manager for Aero Aire Corp.
Transportation Security Administration last week issued a request for proposals for a registered-traveler pilot program to begin operating at select airports by the end of June. TSA is soliciting interest from companies by April 19 to provide program management, tactical operations, systems integration and biometrics for the registered-traveler program. Under the program, frequent travelers at the airports will have the option of volunteering. Volunteers will submit information including biometrics such as fingerprints.
Raytheon Aircraft Charter & Management recently added four aircraft to its charter fleet - a Challenger 604 based in Cincinnati, Ohio; a Gulfstream IV in Houston, Texas; a Beechjet 400A in Houston, Texas and a Beechcraft King Air B200 in Van Nuys, Calif. Raytheon Aircraft Charter & Management added seven aircraft to its charter certificate in 2003. Founded in 1999, the Raytheon unit operates a fleet of aircraft that includes Challengers, Gulfstreams, Hawkers, Learjets, Citations, Diamond Jets and King Airs throughout the nation.
CESSNA Models 208 and 208B airplanes (Docket No. 2002-CE-23-AD) - proposes to revise an earlier proposed AD that would have revised AD 2002-22-17, which currently requires repetitively inspecting the inboard forward flap bellcranks for cracks and eventually replacing these bellcranks. The proposed AD would have provided the option of installing a newly designed bellcrank to increase the life limits and terminate the repetitive inspections. AD 2003-21-04 also requires inspections of the inboard forward flap bellcranks on these airplanes.
Avbase Flight Services, LLC last month added two Gulfstream 200s to its charter and management fleet. One of the G200s will be based at Cleveland Hopkins Airport in Cleveland, Ohio and the other will be based at Addison Airport in Dallas, Texas. Both aircraft are configured to seat 10 passengers. Avbase manages aircraft at 20 locations throughout the country.
DASSAULT Model Mystere-Falcon 900 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-390-AD; Amendment 39-13510; AD 2004-05-15) - requires revising the Abnormal Procedures section of the airplane flight manual to advise the flightcrew to avoid use of certain display modes during approaches. This AD also requires replacing certain symbol generators of the Electronic Flight Information System (EFIS) with modified symbol generators.
Ducommun Inc. signed a long-term agreement with Eclipse Aviation to provide fuselage and cockpit skin panels for the Eclipse 500 jet. Ducommun AeroStructures (DAS) will perform the work at its facilities in Gardena and Orange, Calif. DAS will provide skin panels for preproduction aircraft this year and ramp up to meet Eclipse's production for 2006. Ducommun said the deal is the largest single contract DAS has won, estimating that it could represent about $120 million worth of work.
National Business Aviation Association has scheduled a lottery in mid-May for booth space at its 57th Annual Meeting & Convention Oct. 12-14 in Las Vegas, Nev. NBAA is still accepting applications for booths at the event, which is expected to draw more than 30,000 attendees and more than 1,000 exhibitors. For more information, contact NBAA's Linda Peters at (202) 783-9368 or [email protected], or NBAA's Marti Smith at (202) 783-9365 or [email protected].
Fred Kirby joined Cleveland-based Avbase Aviation and its affiliate UltraJet as vice president of flight operations. Kirby will oversee all aspects of flight operations, maintenance, training and flight support for the charter and membership services groups. Kirby most recently served as director of vendor standards for fractional ownership provider NetJets in Columbus, Ohio. He has nearly 40 years of aviation experience and formerly was with the National Business Aviation Association.
Flightsafety International added Learjet 35/35A and King Air 350 simulators to its learning center in Atlanta, Ga. The Learjet simulator is Level C approved and incorporates a VITAL VIII daylight visual system. FlightSafety's Atlanta center also houses Learjet Model 31A, 45 and 60 simulators. Other FlightSafety centers that provide Learjet training are based in Tucson, Ariz.; Wichita, Kan. and West Palm Beach, Fla. The King Air 350 simulator joins a King Air 200 trainer at FlightSafety's Atlanta base.
April 13-19 - Sun 'n' Fun Fly-In, Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL), Lakeland, Fla., (863) 644-2431 April 15-17 - Latin American Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (LABACE2004), Sao Paulo, Brazil, (202) 783-9000 April 20-22 - Society of Automotive Engineers, SAE 2004 General Aviation Technology Conference and Exhibition, Century II Convention Center, Wichita, Kan., (724) 772-7131 or [email protected]
MERCURY AIR MOVES INTO NEWPORT NEWS - Mercury Air Centers recently assumed control of a fixed-base operation at the Newport News/Williamsburg, Va. International Airport (PHF), the 20th location in the Mercury Air Center chain.
STEPHEN WELCH opened a new western regional office for Environmental Interiors. Welch, who will be based in Huntington Beach, Calif., has been involved in interior construction management for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He also was a national sales manager of Ceilings Plus and directed Oved's interior contracting efforts in Southern California. In his new role, he will be involved in airport and transit construction programs in the West.
SBA ADVOCACY OFFICE CALLS ON FAA TO SHELVE AIR TOUR RULE - After meeting with a number of air tour representatives, the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy sent a 10-page letter urging FAA Administrator Marion Blakey to shelve the agency's proposal to establish new safety standards for air tour operators and charity sightseeing flights. The SBA office recently met with several aviation groups who brought up concerns that the rule could have a devastating impact on charity sightseeing and air tour businesses.
API's SCHLESINGER TO JOIN NETJETS NEXT WEEK - G.E. (Jerry) Schlesinger, the president and chief executive officer of Aerospace Products International (API), resigned a week ago to accept the position of senior vice president and chief financial officer of fractional aircraft provider NetJets. Schlesinger, who will be based at NetJets operational headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, is scheduled to assume his new duties April 19.
PILATUS SALES REMAIN ON TARGET - Swiss plane-maker Pilatus Aircraft has nearly sold out the production for the year for its PC-12 single turboprop, joining other business aircraft manufacturers in a trend that many industry leaders attribute in part to bonus depreciation tax breaks. Pilatus said it has committed nearly all of the 70 PC-12s it plans to produce this year. Sales jumped 35 percent in 2003 and "continue to grow at an unprecedented rate," the company said. Commitments have come from both retail customers and the dealer network.
FlightSafety International added features to its web-based customer service MyFlightSafety (www.myflightsafety.com) that will assist customers with record keeping and training management. MyFlightSafety users will be able to view and print training records with electronic signatures and manage multiple accounts with a single log-in. Launched in 2003 by FlightSafety International, the Web site has drawn more than 3,000 FlightSafety customers.
EMBRAER Model EMB-135 and EMB-145 series airplanes (Docket No. 2003-NM-67-AD) - proposes to require an inspection of the base and support surfaces of the glide slope antenna and of certain electrical connectors of the navigation system; and applicable corrective actions if necessary. These actions are necessary to prevent the display of erroneous or misleading information to the flight crew in the cockpit due to degradation in the performance of the VOR/ILS/MB system. FAA estimates that 365 airplanes on the U.S.
