MOONEY MEETS FIRST-HALF TARGETS, EXPECTS INCREASE IN DELIVERIES - Kerrville, Texas plane-maker Mooney Aerospace took in more than $4.5 million in revenue during the first six months of 2003, meeting its self-set targets for the beginning of its first complete year of production since it recaptured a production certificate to restart its lines last summer. The company delivered eight planes in the first half and recorded about $1.35 million in revenue from parts and services.
BRS CONTINUES TO POST SALES INCREASES - Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc. reported nearly a 20 percent third-quarter increase in sales and close to a 50 percent nine-month jump as demand remained strong for the company's line of aircraft parachute systems. Third quarter revenues for the three months ended June 30 were $1.8 million, compared with $1.5 million in the third quarter of 2002. Through the first nine months of BRS's fiscal 2003, revenues topped $5.1 million, up from $3.4 million in the year prior.
CHALLENGER 300 WINS EUROPEAN CERTIFICATION - The Bombardier Challenger 300 won type certification from the European Joint Aviation Authorities, clearing the last major hurdle before deliveries begin in the fourth quarter of this year.
National Business Aviation Association is expecting to draw record numbers at its 56th Annual Meeting and Convention Oct. 7-9 in Orlando, Fla. The number of exhibiting companies has topped 1,000, and the association has sold 4,361 exhibit booths. "We are thrilled to report that in this economic climate, the NBAA convention is doing better than last year at the same point in time," said Kathleen Blouin, NBAA vice president, conventions and seminars. The association further expects attendance at the convention to be near 30,000.
C. Dennis Wright was named executive director of the Soaring Society of America, which is headquartered in Hobbs, N.M. The appointment of Wright, who formerly held executive posts with AOPA, NBAA and RTCA, was announced by Jim Short, chairman of the board of SSA. Most recently, Wright was general manager of Flightime Business Jets, a San Antonio, Texas-based corporate aircraft fractional ownership and charter business.
NASA ATTEMPTS TO TRACK AND PREDICT AIRCRAFT WAKE TURBULENCE - Researchers including some from NASA began a three-week effort last week collecting acoustic data at Denver International Airport. Using precisely calibrated microphone arrays to measure sound generated by airplane wake vortices, researchers will use two laser radars (lidars) to record the actual position, track and vortex strength so that scientists and engineers can look for subtle characteristics within the wake acoustic signal.
PIAGGIO'S HANVEY STEPS DOWN WITH TEAM INTACT, GROWING SALES - Steve Hanvey, who helped lead the successful relaunch of the Piaggio Avanti in the North American market, is stepping down as president and CEO of Piaggio America to pursue other opportunities. The company, based in Greenville, S.C., named long-time de Havilland and Bombardier veteran Tom Appleton to replace Hanvey, effective Sept. 1.
The Transportation Security Administration, coordinating with FAA, is working on procedures that would allow operators of aircraft trapped inside the Washington, D.C.-based Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) to voluntarily relocate their aircraft outside the boundaries. TSA received several requests from GA groups asking the agency to allow aircraft that can't operate within the ADIZ because they do not meet the communications equipment requirements to move outside the ADIZ.
Megadata, Greenwich, Conn., and Melbourne, Australia-based Preston Aviation Solutions, a Boeing subsidiary, reached a joint marketing agreement to identify common business opportunities and market their information and decision support software to airlines, airports and air traffic control authorities, Megadata said.
NED CARLSON was named regional sales manager for the central region at CAE SimuFlite. He has more than 20 years of corporate and commercial aviation experience. Carlson will be based in Chicago, Ill. BOB JORDAN was named technical training sales manager for the western region at CAE SimuFlite. Jordan previously worked at FlightSafety International. Based in Dallas, Texas, Jordan also will manage the Latin American sales area.
FAA has completed work on a proposed rule that would establish Stage 4 aircraft noise standards. That proposal, which has passed Transportation Department scrutiny, was sent last week to the Office of Budget and Management for a mandatory 90-day review.
The Federal Aviation Administration has delayed issuance of a final rule governing the operation of fractional aircraft providers because of protests by the British government. Sources said U.K. officials are scheduled to meet this week with Transportation Department officials to discuss a threat by the U.K. to consider all business jet flights to the U.K. by fractional providers under the pending rule and other "managed aircraft" operators as "commercial" flights.
CESSNA PRESIDENT JOHNSON ON MEDICAL LEAVE; PELTON ASSUMES DUTIES - Cessna Aircraft President Charles Johnson, fighting persistent medical problems, has taken a leave of absence from the Wichita, Kan. manufacturer in an attempt to regain his strength and recover from the illness. Jack Pelton, senior vice president-engineering, has assumed Johnson's duties until he returns to work.
WHITE HOUSE PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR COLOMBIA 'SHOOT 'EM DOWN' PROGRAM - The White House has decided to resume its cooperation with a Colombian drug interdiction program that would permit shooting down aircraft suspected of drug smuggling, the Bush Administration said last week. The White House released a statement Tuesday saying President Bush authorized the State Department to resume its participation with the Colombia Airbridge Denial Program for interdicting aircraft suspected of drug trafficking.
Rockwell Collins Aviation Services won a five-year agreement to support the Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI) fleet. The deal includes forward exchange for all Rockwell Collins equipment on JSSI aircraft.
September 8-12 - Society of Automotive Engineers 2003 Aerospace Congress & Exhibition, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, (724) 772-4081 September 8-12 - Aerospace North America & SAE: Aerospace Congress & Exhibition; Palais des Congress, Montreal, PQ. (604) 473-9664 September 10-11 - Aviation Industry Conferences, Ltd. Aero-Engine Expo 2003, London, U.K., +44 207-931-7072 September 14-17 - Airports Council International - North America 12th Annual Conference & Exhibition, Tampa, Fla., (202) 293-8500
EU COMMISSIONERS APPROVE AVIO TAKEOVER PLAN - European Union commissioners on Aug. 19 approved the takeover of the Italian aerospace company Avio, formerly FiatAvio, by the Carlyle Group and Finmeccanica. Under the proposed takeover deal, Carlyle will control 70 percent of Avio's share capital with Finmeccanica controlling the remaining 30 percent. Finmeccanica and the Carlyle Group announced last month they planned to buy Avio for an estimated 1.5 billion euros ($1.76 billion). The deal was to be financed through a combination of debt and equity.
The Federal Aviation Administration failed to fully examine the consequences of its proposed regulation to impose new domestic reduced vertical separation minimums (DRVSM) and needs to develop less burdensome alternatives for small general aviation businesses before issuing the final rule, House Small Business Administration Chairman Donald Manzullo (R-Ill.) told the Office of Management and Budget this month.
EMBRAER'S EARNINGS HIT HARD BY VOLATILE EXCHANGE RATE - A roller coaster real-dollar exchange rate forced a sharp drop in Embraer's quarterly income, already pressured by deliveries that fell from 132 aircraft a year ago to 110 for 2003. Embraer's $4.9 million second quarter net income was drastically lower than the $36 million the airframer logged in the same quarter last year. CEO Mauricio Botelho told analysts earnings also were hit by a spike in research and development (R&D) spending and an $85 million loss from transactions aimed at stabilizing currencies.
AIRLINES MOST AFFECTED BY POWER OUTAGES - The scheduled airlines and their passengers appeared to bear the brunt of aviation travel disruptions resulting from last week's widespread power outages that stretched from New York to Cleveland and north of Toronto in Canada. The power problems, which began shortly after 4 p.m. EDT Thursday, forced the carriers to cancel hundreds of flights and divert aircraft already in the air to airports that still had power, disrupting travel plans for tens of thousands of customers.
National Air Transportation Association continues to raise the visibility of the problems several operators of smaller aircraft are facing with the pending regulations to reduce vertical separation minimums (RVSM) in domestic airspace. FAA's final rule establishing new RVSM standards was sent to the Office of Management and Budget last month for review. NATA wrote OMB asking it to force FAA to conduct an economic analysis of the effects of the rule on smaller operators, particularly those operating older aircraft (BA, July 21/26).
UNSTABILIZED APPROACH PRECEEDED LEARJET ACCIDENT - Evidence collected by National Transportation Safety Board investigators indicates that the crew of a Model 35A Learjet that crashed while attempting to land at the Groton/New London Airport (GON) in Groton, Conn. made an unstabilized approach with several abrupt course changes shortly before the aircraft hit several houses and crashed into a river. Both pilots were killed in the Aug. 4 crash. The airplane, N135PT, was being operated by Air East Management, Ltd.
Cessna Aircraft will send out the remaining 300-plus layoff notices to employees by the end of the month. The company announced plans in March to eliminate 1,200 jobs and since that time has reduced its workforce by 900 (BA, March 24/129). The remaining 300 notices are slated for salaried positions. Cessna said the move is necessary "to align our workforce with lower 2003 and 2004 production schedules." The company currently employs 8,300 people in Wichita and 9,900 worldwide.
