MOONEY UPGRADES PRODUCT LINE WITH GARMIN AVIONICS - Mooney Aircraft is upgrading its Ovation2 and Bravo high-performance single-engine piston models with new Garmin G1000 integrated glass cockpits. Mooney hopes to win certification and begin delivery of the Ovation2 GX and Bravo GX models sporting the new cockpits by the end of the third quarter. The cockpits include a 10.4-inch primary flight display and a 10.4-inch multi-function display.
General Aviation Manufactuers Association promoted Ronald Swanda to senior vice president, operations and Walter Desrosier to vice president, engineering and maintenance. Most recently vice president, operations, Swanda has served with GAMA for more than 20 years, handling operational, airport, air traffic control, safety and advanced technology issues.
It only took 10 months, but FAA has finally decided to initiate an "informal investigation" into whether the City of Chicago and Mayor Richard Daley violated federal law by destroying Meigs Field without prior public notice. The investigation is in response to a complaint filed by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association last April, shortly after Daley stunned the aviation community by ordering bulldozers to carve giant Xs into the runway of Meigs (BA, April 7/153).
RTI International Metals, Inc. reported net income of $4.7 million, or 23 cents per share, on sales of $205.5 million for the year ended Dec. 31. That compares with net income of $15.1 million, or 73 cents per share, on sales of $270.9 million in 2002. "Due to market conditions, we expected 2003 to be a difficult year and it turned out to be so," said Timothy G. Rupert, president and CEO. "The outlook for commercial aerospace remains soft.
FAA OPENS INTERNET 'MEETING' AS OPPOSITION MOUNTS ON AIR TOUR RULE - The Federal Aviation Administration next week is opening a two-week "Internet public meeting" that will run through early March to discuss its highly controversial proposal to establish standards for air tours over national parks and other sightseeing flights. The Internet meeting comes as opposition to the proposal continues to swell - nearly 1,500 people already have written into the public docket (BA, Jan. 19/24).
Bombardier Aerospace delivered five completed Learjet 40 aircraft to operators in North America and Europe last month. The Model 40 is a smaller version of the Model 45, of which 235 are in service worldwide.
February 23-25 - NBAA Corporate Aviation Management Conference, Anaheim, Calif., (202) 783-9000 March 2-3 - ASME International (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Aero Engine Life Management Conference, Thistle Royal Horseguards Hotel, London, England, (404) 847-0072; [email protected] or www.asme.org.igti March 15-17 - Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo 2004, Las Vegas, Nev., (703) 683-4646
Jet Aviation won approval from Williams-Rolls to support the FJ44 engine at Jet's facilities worldwide. Jet Aviation centers in Dallas, Texas, Dusseldorf, Germany, Singapore and Zurich, Switzerland will become service facilities to support FJ44 engines powering Cessna CitationJets. Jet Aviation's Bedford, Mass., Dusseldorf and Zurich facilities will support FJ44s powering the Premier jet.
ROCKWELL COLLINS was selected by Boeing to provide a major part of the avionics package for the new 7E7 airliner. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based avionics manufacturer said it will provide major subsystems, including displays, communication and surveillance systems, for the new transport. Collins will provide head-down and head-up displays that will be integrated with the communication and surveillance system, including advanced VHF and satellite communication radios, terrain awareness warning systems, weather radar and traffic alert and collision avoidance systems.
Honeywell, which has been an industry leader in providing pilots with critical terrain avoidance and situational awareness warnings in the air, said Thursday its new Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS) has been approved by FAA to provide similar warnings on the ground.
BOTH PEOPLE aboard a Beech King Air 90 were killed Jan. 31 when the aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from Marathon, Fla. The airplane, N75GC, was en route to Fort Lauderdale.
The Federal Aviation Administration last week proposed "special conditions" directing manufacturers to conduct function and reliability (F&R) testing as part of the certification process for small turbofan airplanes. The agency noted that aircraft weighing more than 6,000 pounds maximum certificated weight have been required to undergo the function and reliability testing for more than 55 years.
NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS: The Weekly of Business Aviation closed production on Thursday, Feb. 5, a day early, to accommodate the company's move to new quarters within the same building. BA's new address will be 1200 G Street N.W., Suite 900, Washington, D.C. 20005. All other contact information remains the same. Production will resume as usual the week of Feb. 9.
HOUSE AVIATION SUBCOMMITTEE Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) echoed sentiments of Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) that members of Congress have "very little stomach" for supporting efforts to bail out large airlines (BA, Jan. 26/37). Mica noted that some of the larger airlines have been seeking relief, but their pleas likely will be turned away. The majors, he said, "are looking anywhere" to find relief. Mica stressed, however, that legislators are opposed to additional financing aid for large airlines only, not general aviation.
CPI AEROSTRUCTURES, INC. announced the resignation of Anthony D'Agostino as chief financial officer, adding that he is leaving to pursue other opportunities. Edward J. Fred, president and chief executive of the Edgewood, N.Y. manufacturer of structural aircraft parts, will serve as interim CFO. Fred had been the company's CFO from April 1998 until assuming his new duties in August 2003.
ARINC DEPLOYED a new digital data link network designed to improve air-ground communications in the Maastricht Upper Air Center in northern Europe. ARINC won the contract from Eurocontrol last year to supply the new ATN/VDL Mode 2 data link service as part of Eurocontrol's Link 2000+ program. The new network, deployed in 90 days, launched 12 ground stations across Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Germany and The Netherlands. ARINC said the system can relieve voice radio congestion by moving routine air-ground messages to a data channel.
SABRELINER CORP. is offering an RVSM compliance package for owners of Model 65 Sabreliner business jets. Sabreliner will perform the necessary configuration work, including wiring and the installation of a second air data computer rack for $34,500. With an available maintenance credit and other incentives, the company said some operators can qualify for full RVSM compliance for under $110,000. The complete RVSM package includes installation of an ADC-80K air data computer, an ALI-80 altimeter and an upgrade of an existing ADC-80K.
Aviation Information Resources (AIR), Inc., the Atlanta-Ga.-based career information service for pilots, has acquired the assets of Aviation Employee Placement Service (A.E.P.S.), an on-line employment referral service.
MICA ACKNOWLEDGED the contentious debate surrounding a provision, killed late last summer, that would have codified and expanded the amount of information that aviation manufacturers must provide in their instructions for continued airworthiness (BA, June 30/297). The issue was "very, very difficult -- we went round and round [on it]," Mica said, and added he didn't believe that his committee would raise the issue again. "I think the deal is sealed for the next four years," he said.
SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT'S top priority for product improvement in coming years will be developing systems that help prevent pilots from losing situational awareness, which has long since overtaken mechanical failure as the No. 1 cause of helicopter accidents, according to President Steve Finger. "Our biggest focus has to be on the biggest cause of safety issues, which is controlled flight into terrain and loss of situational awareness," he said.
GULFSTREAM'S maintenance center at London Luton Airport was approved by Honeywell as an authorized service center for Honeywell's TFE series engines from the TFE731-2 through the TFE731-60. The Luton facility, acquired by Gulfstream last spring, is 35 miles north of central London. "We will continue enhancing our capabilities at London Luton to ensure all of our customers, no matter which type of aircraft they own or operate, receive the best possible service and maintenance in the region," said Larry Flynn, president of Gulfstream Product Support.
ROLLS-ROYCE named Stephen Friedrich director of business development for the Corporate Aircraft business. Friedrich will oversee new sales and aftermarket business development for the Corporate Aircraft unit, including the CorporateCare sales management. Friedrich joined Rolls-Royce in 2001 and most recently was vice president of sales finance for Rolls-Royce North America. Before joining Rolls-Royce, he was vice president of the aviation finance group for Summit Bank.
