IBIS Aerospace appointed Tristar Marketing as a sales representative for the Ae270 turboprop. Based in Bangalore, India, Tristar will represent the Ibis turboprop in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives Islands. The Ae270 is a pressurized multi-mission aircraft that can carry up to eight passengers or transport bulk cargo.
New Piper Aircraft announced that an investor bought the company's $75 million secured bank debt in a deal the airframer believes will help stabilize and propel its business forward in a difficult economy.
Gulfstream Aerospace won Joint Aviation Authorities validation for its Gulfstream G400 and G300 business jets. The validation clears the way for the aircraft models to be certified and registered in the 37 European nations that make up the JAA.
Mineta told McCain that the Administration also opposes provisions that would require foreign repair stations to implement a program of alcohol and drug testing and security audits. Mineta said those provisions "are unnecessary and will negatively impact our relationships with foreign nations as they intrude on national sovereignty."
Mooney Aerospace Group retained the investor relations firm of PMR and Associates, LLC of San Diego, Calif. as part of an effort to improve exposure and communications with existing and potential shareholders. Mooney also redesigned its web site to enable the investment community to learn more about the company. "Our goal is to ensure that current and future investors have a clear channel of communication," said Mooney President J. Nelson Happy.
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. received an order from India's coast guard for 65 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH). The helicopters will be delivered over the next three years under the $155 million contract. India's coast guard will phase out its single-engine Chetak helicopters as it receives the new aircraft. The ALH will provide long over-water hovering capability and be equipped with radar that can spot small smuggling boats.
GD Chairman Nicholas Chabraja credited the bonus depreciation provision of the President's economic stimulus package for helping spur business jet sales. He said both corporate and individual buyers had specifically mentioned the accelerated depreciation schedule as a prominent motivator for buying a new aircraft. Ed Bolen, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, which was in the forefront of those lobbying for the depreciation provision, said he's heard similar reports from other GAMA members who manufacture aircraft.
Ellen Engleman, 100 days into her tenure as chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, has launched a multi-phase action plan aimed at getting NTSB recommendations acted upon and improving the work product of NTSB's 429 employees. Engleman, an attorney by training, espouses a passionate belief that NTSB plays an important role in the national transportation system through its investigations and recommendations and said she sees opportunities to add value to the agency's work.
Aeronautical Accessories, an affiliate of Bell Helicopter Textron, won a supplemental type certificate to install Safe Flight Instrument Corporation's exceedence warning system on the Bell 206B Jet Ranger. The system monitors torque and exhaust gas temperature and has a shaker function to alert the pilot when limits are reached or exceeded. The exceedence warning system is standard on the Bell 430 and offered as an option on the Bell 427. Safe Flight also has an STC to install the system on the Eurocopter SA341G Gazelle.
House of Representatives still has not named its participants on the House-Senate conference committee that will attempt to resolve differences in the two versions of FAA reauthorization legislation, but lobbyists say professional staff members of the pertinent committees have been meeting regularly to discuss unresolved issues and find solutions. One source said congressional leaders want to get nearly all the sticking points resolved at the staff level before conferees begin meeting directly.
July 29-Aug. 4 - Experimental Aircraft Association 51st AirVenture Oshkosh '03, Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, Wis., (920) 426-6523 September 8-12 - Society of Automotive Engineers 2003 Aerospace Congress & Exhibition, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, (724) 772-4081 September 14-17 - Airports Council International - North America 12th Annual Conference & Exhibition, Tampa, Fla., (202) 293-8500 September 20-23 - 72nd National Association of State Aviation Officials Annual Convention and Trade Show, Charlotte, N.C., (301) 588-0587
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA Model 222, 222B, and 222U helicopters (Docket No. 2002-SW-27-AD; Amendment 39-13214; AD 2003-13-13) - requires a one-time inspection of the adjustable stop screws of the magnetic brake assembly; repairing, as appropriate, certain mechanical damage to the cyclic and collective flight control magnetic brake arm assembly, if necessary; and installing the stop screw with the proper adhesive, adjusting the arm assembly travel, and applying slippage marks.
T-Bird Aviation, a Chicago area charter operator, moved into new facilities this month at the DuPage County Airport in West Chicago, Ill. The telephone and fax numbers and e-mail addresses remain the same, but all correspondence should now be addressed to: T-Bird Aviation, 2722 International Drive, DuPage Airport, West Chicago, Ill. 60185. The new facility includes 48,000 square feet of hangar space and consolidates all aircraft and personnel under one roof with a state-of-the-art security system.
New Piper President Chuck Suma plans to make a "major business announcement regarding the future of New Piper" Tuesday at The Yale Club of New York City.
Duncan Aviation, Lincoln, Neb., acquired an auxiliary power unit (APU) test stand to make it easier for technicians to perform work on Honeywell and Sundstrand APUs used in business jets. Because APUs are typically tightly positioned in the tail of business jets where access is difficult, Duncan said the ability to remove the units and work on them on a test stand helps technicians perform troubleshooting and maintenance without tight space limitations.
Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, still recovering from serious medical problems that have plagued him since early last year, will lose three of his senior executives at the Transportation Department next month.
FAA FLIPS SWITCH ON WAAS GPS SYSTEM - In a move that will soon allow precision approaches to more than 200 U.S. airports, the Federal Aviation Administration turned on the Wide Area Augmentation System to the global positioning system last week.
Timco Aviation Services outsource maintenance facility in Lake City, Fla. earned AS9100A and ISO 9001:2000 certification. The certification is earned by meeting industry and international standards for quality, safety, reliability, efficiency and interchangeability. The Lake City facility, which employs 350, performs heavy jet aircraft maintenance in six hangars and a two-bay strip and paint hangar. TIMCO also oversees the taxiways, parking ramps and engine run-up areas at the Lake City Airport.
W. WILLIAM COON was named to the board of directors of Willis Lease Finance Corporation. He will hold the board seat nominated by FlightTechnics, LLC. Coon was previously an executive at GE Aircraft Engines and is currently president, CEO and director of SR Technics America. Willis Lease Finance leases spare commercial aircraft engines, rotable parts and aircraft to commercial airlines, aircraft engine manufacturers and overhaul/repair facilities. FlightTechnics acquired a 15 percent ownership stake in Willis Lease Finance in November 2000.
TRADE GROUPS LOBBY CONGRESS OVER 'BUY AMERICAN' PROVISIONS - "Buy American" provisions in the House version of the fiscal 2004 Defense Authorization Act drew both criticism and praise on Capitol Hill last week. The controversial provisions were introduced by Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. They say that within four years, prime contractors and subcontractors should use machine tools, dies, and industrial molds made in America when working on defense acquisition programs of more than $5 million.
ADAM AIRCRAFT APPOINTS THREE VICE PRESIDENTS - Colo.-based manufacturer Adam Aircraft promoted three staff members to vice president last week. Joe Wilding was named vice president for advanced development. He will be responsible for overall design and structure of the Adam A700. Before joining Adam Aircraft as a lead engineer in 2000, Wilding was a lead engineer at Scaled Technology Works.
Lou Churchville, the veteran aviation marketing and communications executive, joined Thunder Aviation near St. Louis last week as vice president, sales and marketing. Churchville, who has nearly 30 years' experience in aircraft maintenance, fixed-base operations and the air charter business, will be responsible for continuing to expand the company's growing avionics and maintenance service for operators of Falcon, Citation and Learjet business jets and corporate turboprops.
TURBINE OPERATORS INVOLVED IN MORE FATAL ACCIDENTS IN FIRST HALF - U.S. business jet and turboprop operators were involved in substantially more fatal accidents in the first six months of the year than they were in the same period last year.
LA AIRPORTS COMMISSION TO BAN CHARTER OPERATOR FOR NOISE VIOLATIONS - The City of Los Angeles, on behalf of the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners, will pursue legal action to ban Pacific Jet, Inc. from Van Nuys Airport (VNY) for repeated noise violations. The city said the jet charter company has seven violations during the last 18 months of the Non-Addition Rule, which limits the number of Stage 2 jets that can be used or based at VNY. The rule, upheld in U.S. District Court in August 2001, also limits the use of VNY by non-based Stage 2 aircraft.
