June 5 - National Business Aviation Association Forum and Static Display, Republic Airport, Farmingdale, N.Y., (202) 783-9000 June 15-22 - 45th Paris Air Show, Le Bourget Airport, Paris, France, +33 1 532 33333 June 27-28 - NBAA 8th Annual Flight Attendants Conference, Philadelphia, Pa., (202) 783-9000 July 29-Aug. 4 - Experimental Aircraft Association 51st AirVenture Oshkosh '03, Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, Wis., (920) 426-6523
Gulfstream installed its enhanced vision system on the Gulfstream IV-SP. Gulfstream decided to offer EVS on the GIV-SP after hearing encouraging customer response on the system installed on Gulfstream V aircraft. "Their overwhelming positive response led to our decision to also offer the Gulfstream EVS on our large-cabin, long-range Gulfstream IV-SP business jet," said Bryan Moss, Gulfstream president. Prime Jet LLC and Northrop Grumman are among the customers who recently ordered EVS for their new GIV-SP aircraft, Gulfstream said.
Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority, Fla., is soliciting sealed proposals until 4 p.m. June 20 for a fixed-base operation at the corporate aviation terminal and hangar complex at the Space Coast Regional Airport (TIX), according to the Bidder's Compendium. Contract term is 20 years. A mandatory pre-proposal conference and site visit are scheduled for May 30. For more information, contact David Edwards at (321) 267-8780.
Growth in the fractional ownership market continues to slow - in first quarter 2003, slightly fewer than half as many shares were purchased as in the same 2002 quarter, according to preliminary data released by AvData Inc. of Wichita, Kan. Fractional ownership pioneer NetJets outpaced other providers in terms of number of shares sold to customers, followed by Flight Options and Business JetSolutions, AvData reported. Fractional providers added 21 new and used aircraft to their fleets in the first quarter, down from 31 in the first quarter of 2002.
Delta Airelite Business Jets added a Gulfstream 100, based at the Lunken Airport in Cincinnati, to its charter management agreement. A subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, Delta AirElite has more than 300 business jets available for charter around the U.S.
THOMAS FALCO was named director of maintenance at Atlantic Aviation Flight Services. Based at the company's headquarters in Teterboro, N.J., Falco will manage Atlantic's local Northeastern fleet. Falco has experience with a wide array of airframes and power plants, including Boeing, Gulfstream, Citation, Learjet and Sikorsky.
TEXTRON TAPS HONEYWELL'S REDENBAUGH TO LEAD BELL HELICOPTER - Textron Friday named Honeywell veteran Michael Redenbaugh to lead Bell Helicopter as chief executive officer, reuniting him with his former Honeywell colleague Steven Loranger. Redenbaugh succeeds John Murphey, who was named chairman emeritus of the Fort Worth, Texas rotorcraft producer.
The National Park Service and the First Flight Centennial Foundation Wednesday held ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the First Flight Centennial Pavilion built to commemorate the centennial of powered flight. The pavilion, based at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, N.C., is expected to remain open for five years, providing educational exhibits, a place for speakers and aviation-themed activities.
BE A PILOT recently launched a $1 million television campaign to promote the program. Commercials will air on at least eight national cable channels including 29 airings on the Discovery Channel, 252 airings on ESPN2, ESPN News and ESPN Classic and 445 spots on an aviation-oriented digital cable channel called Discovery Wings. "BE A PILOT is general aviation's first use of regular, national TV advertising to attract consumers to the benefits of flying," said Drew Steketee, president and CEO of BE A PILOT.
Wichita, Kan., officials are sponsoring the Wichita Aviation Festival Sept. 18-21 to celebrate the 100 years of flight. Part of the U.S. Centennial of Flight events, the festival will include local and regional activities, including an air show at McConnell Air Force Base. In addition, the city Arts Council is sponsoring a Plane Crazy art program, which will place airplane sculptures throughout the city. The Plane Crazy program began this month, and the planes will remain on display through September.
POOR WEATHER HURT FIRST QUARTER BUSINESS AT AIR METHODS - Its business affected by poor weather, emergency air medical transportation provider Air Methods posted a net loss of $516,000 in the first quarter of 2003, ended March 31. The losses were within the expected range that the company disclosed in April. "As previously disclosed, our first quarter results were adversely affected by severe weather throughout the country, particularly in February," said George Belsey, Air Methods chairman and CEO.
The House And Senate late last week approved a tax cut bill that would increase the bonus depreciation percentage from 30 percent to 50 percent. Under the provision, property acquired after May 5, 2003, and before Jan. 1, 2005, would qualify for the 50 percent accelerated depreciation (BA, May 5/209). Both the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and National Business Aviation Association pushed for the increase, hoping to jump-start aircraft sales and provide relief for business aircraft operators.
Strategic Research Institute's 8th Annual Corporate Aircraft Transactions and Fractional Ownership Interests Forum will be held July 10 and 11 at the Metropolitan Hotel in New York City. Dassault Falcon President John Rosanvallon and Boeing Business Jet President Lee Monson will be among the presenters at the forum. A discussion on changes in security, increasing insurance costs and liability issues and new regulations will be led by Kathy Perfetti of the Federal Aviation Administration and Jack Olcott, president of the National Business Aviation Association.
EMBRAER SELLS 12 REGIONAL JETS TO REPUBLIC AIRWAYS - Embraer signed a $240 million contract with Republic Airways Holdings for 12 ERJ 145LR regional jets. The order, announced at the annual Regional Airline Association convention in Phoenix, Ariz. last week, comes just after Embraer received a US Airways order for 85 Embraer 170 aircraft, one of the largest regional jet orders in years (BA, May 19/228).
General Aviation Manufacturers Association elected James Schuster, chairman and CEO of Raytheon Aircraft, as vice chairman of the association. Schuster fills the slot vacated when Rockwell Collins President and CEO Clayton Jones was named chairman on May 1 after former Gulfstream President Bill Boisture stepped down from the post (BA, May 5/208). Schuster joined the GAMA board in 2001 and will continue to chair GAMA's Security Issues Committee.
Northrop Grumman's California Microwave Systems (CMS) unit last week handed over to the U.S. Coast Guard the last of 15 HU-25 Falcon airborne surveillance aircraft on order. CMS won the $44 million contract in March 2000. The first nine Falcons were fitted with Northrop Grumman's AN/APG-66(V)2 radar. The remaining six are equipped with Telephonics AN/APS-143 inverse synthetic aperture radar. All 15 received Wescam MX-15 forward-looking infrared sensors and Raytheon OASIS tactical workstations.
SJ30-2 PLANE SHOWED ANOMALIES DAY BEFORE CRASH - Sino-Swearingen's SJ30-2 Serial Number 002 test aircraft demonstrated certain abnormalities including an uncommanded roll during flutter tests the day before the aircraft crashed on April 26, killing veteran test pilot Carroll Beeler, the National Transportation Safety Board reported (BA, May 5/203). The aircraft was undergoing a second day of flutter tests when it entered a "barrel-roll type maneuver" to the right, continuing a roll until it crashed near Loma Alta, Texas, NTSB said.
Boeing named Yves Galland to the new position of president of Boeing France. Boeing is establishing its French headquarters in Paris this year. Galland will help to bridge the gap between Boeing and its French customers by strengthening local market presence and pursuing revenue-growth opportunities. He was most recently chairman of Europ Assistance and has an extensive public service background, having served as the vice president of the European Parliament and an adviser to the mayor of Paris.
THE POSSIBILITY of adding more commercial slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) was hotly debated at the House aviation subcommittee's consideration of the FAA reauthorization bill last week, with Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) leading the argument against extra positions, saying that they would add more chaos to the airport. Some GA groups also oppose such a move, fearing it could further prevent general aviation from returning to the airport. Norton has been a leading advocate on Capitol Hill of allowing GA operators to use the airport.
World Fuel Services Corporation reported net income of $5.3 million for the first quarter, ended March 31, an 18 percent increase from $4.5 million in the same quarter last year. Revenues jumped 87.3 percent to $658 million from $351.3 million in the prior period. The Miami, Fla.-based company also reported "significant increases in business volumes in the aviation segment and higher fuel prices for both the marine and aviation segments." Paul Stebbins, chairman and CEO, said, "We are very pleased with these results, which validate our business model."
US Airways embarked on its major growth plan not quite two months after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, splitting firm orders for 170 regional jets between rivals Bombardier and Embraer. The carrier ordered 60 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200 and 25 new 75-seat Bombardier CRJ700 Series 705 aircraft. It also ordered 85 Embraer 170s.
