After months of gloomy tidings from business jet manufacturers, General Dynamics reported last week that sales by its Gulfstream unit had picked up sharply in June and the first two weeks of July, following two very difficult months. See article below.
CHICAGO OKs $1.5 MILLION TO ERASE MEIGS FIELD FROM LAKEFRONT - The Chicago Parks District last week agreed to award a $1.5 million contract to a local construction company to destroy the remainder of Meigs Field. Work on the demolition of the small lakefront airport is expected to begin within 30 days. The decision on Wednesday to eradicate the airport came despite a last-ditch effort from the local advocacy group, Friends of Meigs Field, to persuade the Park Board to defer action and consider other proposals.
CRASH OF REPLICA AIRCRAFT CLAIMS TWO AIRLINE PILOTS - National Transportation Safety Board said both pilots aboard a replica aircraft were killed this month when it crashed after losing power in one engine. The aircraft, a CASA 2.111, a replica of a Heinkel HE 111, was operated by American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum. The accident happened about 1310 local time July 10 near Cheyenne, Wyo. The aircraft was operating under Part 91 of the FARs, but NTSB said the crew members were an airline transport certificated captain and first officer.
House Appropriations Committee is tentatively scheduled to consider the fiscal 2004 transportation appropriations bill this week, but the matter could be pushed back until September as committee members untangle a controversy surrounding cuts in AMTRAK funding. The bill, approved by the House Appropriations transportation, treasury and independent agencies subcommittee July 11, would provide $14 billion for FAA, a $570 million boost over fiscal 2003 spending levels.
Jet Aviation Engineering Services completed supplemental type certification services for Ozark Aircraft Systems, which reconfigured an A320 interior. Ozark retained Jet Aviation to manage the certification activities, including coordinating with FAA and FAA Designated Engineering Representatives and obtaining FAA approval. "This is a major milestone for us, because it's the first time we were contracted by a third-party modification center to manage an STC project of this magnitude," said Michael Girps, general aviation manager for Jet Aviation Engineering Services.
DECLINE AT CESSNA DRAGS DOWN TEXTRON REVENUES - Sharply lower sales by Cessna Aircraft were blamed for a decline in second quarter revenues by parent company Textron. Second quarter revenues fell from $2.8 billion a year ago to $2.6 billion in the most recent period, Textron said, "as higher revenues at Bell, Fastening Systems, Industrial and Finance were offset by lower revenues at Cessna."
MIKE CROITORU was named manager of FlightSafety's Cessna Learning Center in Wichita, Kan. He will replace Dave Casperson, who is retiring at the end of July. Croitoru previously worked for FlightSafety in several marketing positions and was most recently manager of the company's Learjet Learning Center.
Cessna Aircraft recently delivered a 182T Skylane to the Alabama Department of Conservation Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries for use in conservation law enforcement and wildlife surveys. The aircraft will be used for duck counts and American bald eagle surveys, among others. Since Cessna restarted the single-engine piston line in 1996, the aircraft manufacturer has delivered more than 1,300 Skylanes.
Hawker Pacific of Australia named a replacement for Chairman Christopher Tennant, who died recently. Henrik Von Platen, Tennant's long-time investment partner and a member of the Hawker Pacific board, was named chairman. Alan Smith, the company's chief operating officer, was named acting CEO.
Bombardier's Learjet unit won an amended type certificate this month from FAA for its new Model 40, a derivative of the existing Model 45. The Model 40 is about three feet shorter and $3 million cheaper than the Model 45.
GD SAYS ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE HAS BOOSTED AIRCRAFT SALES - Gulfstream Aerospace reported sharply lower revenues and operating profits in the second quarter, but aircraft sales "were very good in June and that has continued here in the first two weeks of July," according to Nicholas Chabraja, chairman of parent firm General Dynamics.
AVIATION VETERANS FORM BUSINESS AVIATION CONSULTANCY - Three veterans of the business aviation community have combined forces to launch an aviation consultancy, Triax Partners, that will provide a number of services ranging from aircraft brokerage to flight department operations support.
NATA URGES OMB TO ORDER REVIEW OF DOMESTIC RVSM RULES - National Air Transportation Association President James Coyne asked the Office of Management and Budget to order the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct a more thorough review of whether a rule to reduce the vertical separation standards in domestic airspace would harm small businesses. The final rule to reduce vertical separation minimums in domestic airspace (DRVSM) from 2,000 feet to 1,000 feet between Flight Levels 290 and 410 went to OMB for review last week.
CAE SimuFlite received a multi-year contract from Skyservice Aviation to train pilots at its Dallas/Fort Worth facility. SimuFlite will train Skyservice pilots on several business aircraft including the Challenger 601, Learjet 35/36, Gulfstream II, Falcon 50, Hawker 700 and 800, King Air 350 and Citation I, II and III. CAE SimuFlite will provide a range of training from ground school through full flight simulator. Skyservice, one of the largest corporate flight departments in Canada, operates more than 30 corporate aircraft.
Raytheon Aircraft Services won a three-year extension from All Nippon Airways (ANA) to support the airline's pilot training program in Bakersfield, Calif. RAS has provided maintenance and support for ANA's fleet of 19 Beechcraft Bonanzas and eight Barons since the program began in 1992. The 27 aircraft fly about 10,500 hours per year and have accumulated nearly 123,500 hours and 290,000 landings to date. ANA's International Flight Training Academy in Bakersfield has trained more than 630 pilots.
Safe Flight Instrument Corporation's Exceedence Warning System won supplemental type certification on the Bell 206B JetRanger. Aeronautical Accessories, Inc., an affiliate of Bell Helicopter Textron, secured the STC and will be the sole distributor of the system and Safe Flight will seek government applications for it. The Exceedence Warning System continually monitors torque and exhaust gas temperature to ensure that the helicopter is within normal operating limits.
Meigs Field could begin to disappear within a month after the Chicago Park Board approved a contract last week for removal of the remainder of the lakefront airport's runway and other infrastructure. Supporters of the airport have generally concluded there isn't much they can do to stop Chicago Mayor Richard Daley from converting the downtown business airport into another of Chicago's many parks. See article below.
Skyway Communications, which specializes in in-flight aircraft communications, reached an agreement with Dallas, Texas-based Airbase Services under which Airbase will negotiate to provide necessary installation and other services for equipment that will implement the SkyWay Communication systems on corporate and commercial aircraft.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100 & 440) airplanes (Docket No. 2003-NM-143-AD) - proposes to require revising the airworthiness limitations section of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness by incorporating new structural inspection intervals for the vertical beams of the pressure bulkheads at fuselage stations 409+128 and 559; repairing the vertical beams if necessary; and submitting inspection findings to the airplane manufacturer.
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services affirmed its 'BBB-' long-term corporate credit rating on Bombardier, Inc., and its subsidiaries, following a review of the company's current and expected liquidity and prospects for its key aerospace and transportation segments. The company's ratings also were removed from S&P's CreditWatch, where they were placed last December. "In the past three months, Bombardier has made good progress in its various initiatives to restore its balance sheet and improve its financial flexibility," said S&P's Kenton Freitag.
Airport Lobbyists are hoping to ward off language in a House aviation security bill that would require all airport workers to pass through security screening checkpoints before entering sterile areas. The language, included in the Aviation Technical Corrections and Improvement Act, was authored by House aviation subcommittee ranking Democrat Peter DeFazio (Ore.), who wants to close a loophole that he noticed when he toured an airport, an aide said. DeFazio saw that concessionaires were not being screened before walking into secured areas.
Transporation Secretary Norman Mineta has warned again that President Bush's staff will recommend he veto FAA reauthorization legislation if it contains provisions that would "prohibit the transfer of FAA facilities or functions from the federal government to the private sector." In a letter last Wednesday to Sen.
