Al Gleske, who has spent more than a quarter-century working for FlightSafety International, is retiring at the end of the year. Gleske, who joined FSI 26 years ago, has headed the simulator training manufacturer's Washington, D.C. office for many years. Succeeding Gleske will be Tom Mahoney, who was named vice president of government relations, effective Jan. 1. For the past nine years, Mahoney has been manager of FSI's Teterboro, N.J. learning center, the company's principal Falcon Jet training location.
Finding the right market is key to business success, and Anchorage-based Hawaiian Vacations has identified a market with a lot of potential demand this time of year. The operator is offering weekly nonstop flights beginning Dec. 20 between Fairbanks, Alaska (FAI) and Kahului, Maui (OGG) in Hawaii. The trips will be flown by New York-based North America Airlines using Boeing 757-200 aircraft in a two-class configuration.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-102, -103, -106, -201, -202, -301, -311, and -315 airplanes (Docket No. 2002-NM-79-AD) - proposes to adopt a new AD that would require a one-time inspection to determine the serial numbers of the elevator and aileron servos of the drive assemblies of the automatic flight control system, and follow-on corrective actions if necessary.
WING ICING SEEN AS LIKELY CAUSE OF TBM 700 CRASH - National Transportation Safety Board investigators suspect that icing on a portion of the wing caused the takeoff crash of a TBM 700 this month in Reading, Pa. The aircraft, N700QD, was operated by Quest Diagnostics, Inc. The instrument-rated, airline transport pilot was attempting to make a Part 91 flight to Norwood, Mass. (OWD).
Raytheon Aircraft received an early Christmas present when NetJets placed a fleet order for the manufacturer's Hawker 400XP business jet, the first big order from the fractional aircraft provider this year. See article below.
National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the fatal crash of a Piper PA-46 Malibu Mirage Dec. 17 near Daytona Beach, Fla. A preliminary FAA report said the aircraft, N511BM, went down in the Turkey Bay area west of Daytona Beach. The pilot, the only occupant, was killed.
January 11-15, 2004 - AAAE Aviation Issues Conference, Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort, Kauai, Hawaii, (703) 820-1395 March 2-3, 2004 - 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, 2004 - Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo 2004, Las Vegas, Nev., (703) 683-4646
Air Canada split a major order for regional jets between Canadian manufacturer Bombardier and its principal rival, Embraer of Brazil. See article below.
FlightSafety International received Level D certification for its Citation X full flight simulator. The simulator will be located at FlightSafety's training center at Orlando International Airport next to Cessna's new aircraft maintenance facility. The training center already operates a number of Cessna simulators including the Excel, Bravo, Encore and CJ2 aircraft.
NETJETS ORDERS 50 HAWKER 400s FROM RAYTHEON, OPTIONS 50 MORE - Fractional aircraft operator NetJets, which had been one of the major drivers in the sharp growth of business jet deliveries in the late 1990s, has placed an order for 50 new Hawker 400XP light jets and eight new Hawker 800XPs from Raytheon Aircraft Company. The order, valued at $360 million, marks NetJets first announced fleet order in months, and may signal a resurgence in the fractional share market, which has been flat for more than a year.
The New European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will be based in Cologne, Germany, a decision worked out by heads of state of the European Union at a Dec. 12 meeting. EASA, which is temporarily based in Brussels, Belgium, is headed by Patrick Goudou of France as executive director.
AVFUEL TO INTRODUCE NEW INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM - Avfuel Corp., Ann Arbor, Mich., plans to formally unveil its Avfuel International program next month at NBAA's Schedulers and Dispatchers Convention. Avfuel said the program is a centralized service for international travelers designed to ease the fuel procurement and flight planning process for customers. The company will offer AVTRIP points to pilots flying and arranging international flights, along with flight planning and competitive fuel prices, through its Commercial Contract Fuel program.
Penny & Giles Aerospace signed an 11-year contract with Bell Helicopter to upgrade all United States Marine Corps H-1 helicopters. A subsidiary of Curtiss-Wright Controls, Penny & Giles will provide software configurable air data computers and linear variable differential transformers to update the UH1Y (Huey) and AH1Z (Cobra) helicopters. The contract has a value of about $5 million if all options are exercised.
Duncan Aviation in Lincoln, Neb. was designated as an authorized service center for the Hawker 400XP/Beechjet 400 aircraft. The designation permits Duncan to handle all types of maintenance, including warranty issues. Duncan was previously authorized to work on the other aircraft in the Hawker model line.
Friends of Meigs Field initiated a radio and print advertising campaign earlier this month to garner support from Chicago citizens to reopen the airport, which was abruptly closed by Mayor Richard Daley last March (BA, April 7/153). Friends of Meigs argued that reopening the airport is a "win-win proposal" that could bring in $139 million or more in federal funds to help the Chicago Park District, which owns the airport site. The Park District is facing a $30 million budget deficit and growing criticism that park programming is lacking in minority neighborhoods.
Gulfstream Aerospace received a firm order for three Gulfstream G300 business jets from National Air Services, the largest independent provider of private aviation services in the Middle East, according to Gulfstream. The order, valued at more than $75 million, will be financed by Arab Banking Corp. (ABC) of Manama, Bahrain. The transaction will be guaranteed by the U.S. Export-Import Bank. In June, ABC financed the purchase of a Gulfstream IV-SP for NAS.
VIRGINIA AIRPORT REQUESTS NEW BIDS FOR FBO - The Peninsula Airport Commission reissued a request for proposals for a fixed-base operator for the Newport News, Va./Williamsburg International Airport because of "a technical flaw in the original bid," an airport official said. "Some people were not notified about some changes" in the original RFP, said Jim Evans, the business development manager at the airport, and the airport's counsel recommended that the process be started over.
Bombardier Aerospace delivered its 1,000th CRJ regional jet this month, a 70-seat CRJ 700, to Delta Connection carrier Comair. Delta Connection is the world's largest operator of the CRJ, with 259 airplanes in service, and was the first to launch regional jet service in North America in 1993.
Aviation Constructors, Inc. and ACI Commercial (ACI), construction services companies headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., are relocating to Tampa, Fla. Frank Cardinal, who recently took over as president and CEO of the businesses, said the move would be completed by the end of February. Founded in 1987, ACI is privately owned by parent company, The Cleveland Group, also headquartered in Atlanta. The company has more than $156 million in annual revenues and operates from nine project and branch offices throughout the country.
Bombardier sold two Global Express aircraft to Qatar Airways at the Dubai Air Show, held earlier this month in the United Arab Emirates. Qatar Airways also signed an option for two more Global Express aircraft. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in mid-2004, with the second delivery following in late 2004. Based at Doha International Airport, the VIP flight division of Qatar Airways will operate the aircraft, which will be configured in a 13-passenger, three-compartment format with a crew rest area.
Because of the holiday schedule, The Weekly of BUSINESS AVIATION will not publish a Dec. 29 issue. The next issue will be dated Jan. 5. The deadline for the receipt of advertising materials for the Jan. 5 issue is noon, Dec. 29. Please accept our best wishes for a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year.
National Air Transportation Association officials and other industry executives are scheduled to meet Tuesday with FAA Flight Standards personnel to see if business jet operators can get some relief from a looming Jan. 1 deadline for installation of a working emergency locator transmitter in their aircraft. Most aircraft have been required for years to have ELTs installed, but business jets were previously exempt. The rule was broadened to include business jets three years ago after the disappearance of a Learjet in New Hampshire in late 1996.
After nearly two decades of research and development, Honda Motor Company has finally flown a prototype twin-engine business jet powered by engines developed by the Japanese automaker.
