UND AEROSPACE signed an agreement with the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to train cadets to fly army helicopters. UND this summer will begin training West Point cadets. The training is funded through a $1.4 million grant in the fiscal 2003 defense appropriations bill that Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) secured for UND's Air Battle Captain helicopter training program.
STEVE BROUSSARD was appointed team representative for Mooney Aircraft in the central U.S. Previously a factory direct salesman, Broussard is the owner of Midwest Mooney, located at the New Century Airport near Kansas City. ROBERT BRUNING was named vice president of finance and administration at Bii of Los Alamitos, Calif. He was most recently chief financial officer at Skynetix, a high-tech start-up company.
JET AVIATION added four new aircraft to its aircraft management and charter fleets. A Gulfstream V, GIV-SP and Learjet 60 were added to Jet Aviation's European managed fleet. A Bombardier Global Express based in Washington, D.C. was added to the U.S. fleet. The Swiss business aviation services company also added a Falcon 900EX, based in Cologne, Germany, to its charter division.
KEYSTONE HELICOPTER CORPORATION'S Engine Services Division was named a TurboSupport center by Turbomeca. Keystone has supported Turbomeca engines since 1992 and is approved to work on both Arriel and Arrius engines. As a TurboSupport Center, Keystone will perform line and heavy maintenance, engine removal and installation, borescope inspections and designated parts replacement.
The Federal Aviation Administration is calling on air carriers and repair stations to strengthen their hazardous materials handling training and documentation under a proposal the agency released this month. The proposal, printed in the May 8 Federal Register, would cover Part 135, 119 and 121 carriers as well as Part 145 repair stations.
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE moved its Northern/Southern European sales office from Farnborough Airport in the United Kingdom to London Luton Airport, where the aircraft manufacturer has a new aircraft service center. "Good product support and service go hand in hand with business jet aircraft sales," said Larry Flynn, president of Product Support for Gulfstream.
Senior executives of major business jet manufacturers offered a range of scenarios last week as to when the industry will begin to show signs of economic recovery, but none expects to see significant improvement any time soon.
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), co-sponsor of a bill with Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to equip commercial aircraft with anti-missile defense systems, believes that the legislation is gaining support and moving forward.
The Illinois legislature is considering legislation that would both bolster Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's (D) power to expand Chicago O'Hare International Airport and could force the reopening of Meigs Field. Daley surprised state officials and the aviation industry in late March when he ordered the small lakefront airport's only runway destroyed. But state Rep.
BOMBARDIER SKYJET, the Canadian conglomerate's charter reservation business, formed an alliance with Air Canada Jetz, Air Canada's specialty charter business, to jointly market their combined range of charter services. "This strategic alliance builds on each company's unique strengths," said Bombardier Skyjet General Manager Nicholas Houseman.
CAE SIMUFLITE won FAA Level D approval for its S-76 simulator based at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The simulator will be used for initial and recurrent pilot training programs as well as technical training programs. The trainer's cockpit is equipped with a Honeywell SPZ-7600 digital autoflight control system, Universal UNS-1D flight management systems with global positioning navigation, Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System, Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System(TCAS II) and a moving map display.
BOMBARDIER PUTS MCQUAY AT HELM OF FLEXJET - Bombardier Aerospace named Michael McQuay to replace Clifford Dickman as president of its Flexjet fractional ownership enterprise. Dickman left Bombardier to pursue other opportunities, a spokesman said. McQuay joined Bombardier in March 2001 as vice president and general manager of Flexjet North America. A 22-year industry veteran, he formerly was managing director and chief executive officer of Air Pacific Ltd.
Eclipse Aviation has begun the certification process for its Eclipse 500 jet with the European Joint Aviation Authorities. Certification, under JAR-23, is expected in 2003. "From the beginning, we have enjoyed tremendous interest and strong sales in Europe, so formally initiating the JAA certification process is the next logical step," said Eclipse President and CEO Vern Raburn. In addition, Eclipse announced last week that it is including RVSM capability and autothrottle to its guaranteed standard equipment list for the entry-level jet.
Raytheon Company's Integrated Terminal Weather System (ITWS) was commissioned last month at Kansas City International Airport. The system is the first production unit to be commissioned. FAA plans to install 34 ITWS systems that will provide coverage to 45 major airports that experience severe weather. The system provides real-time terminal airspace weather information and predictions of weather for 20 minutes into the future.
The Senate last week approved a measure that would provide much sought-after changes to the foreign student pilot flight training background check process, including transferring the program from the Department of Justice to the Transportation Security Administration. Industry groups pushed for the change because they say the DOJ process has proved cumbersome and unreliable (BA, May 5/207).
ARINC is offering a new VHF voice radio network in Mexico, MEXNET, which supports en route communication for operators throughout Mexican airspace. Fourteen VHF air/ground voice stations were deployed at larger airports throughout Mexico to support MEXNET, and ARINC completed the system-wide upgrade of its GLOBALink VHF data link facilities at 23 locations. ARINC moved forward with MEXNET at the request of major U.S. airlines flying to Mexico, including American, Delta, Continental, Northwest, Frontier and America West.
HONEYWELL DEVELOPS PC-BASED AVIONICS TRAINING TOOL - With nine business aviation aircraft and helicopter wins for Honeywell's newest avionics system, the company is introducing PC-based training software for the Primus Epic that would allow pilots to make better use of full flight simulator time.
Bombardier Aerospace launched an online charter reservation system for its Skyjet Europe service. The site allows customers to obtain a price quotation and reserve flights online. "The Internet has opened up a world of possibilities for both businesses and customers in the travel market, fueling demand for quick and easy ways to book flights," said Dan Maiden, managing director of Bombardier Flexjet Europe.
ARINC BOLSTERS BUSINESS AVIATION SERVICES WITH COLORADO FACILITY - ARINC Inc., the Annapolis, Md.-based company known worldwide for its communications and flight support services, is continuing its plans to further penetrate the business aviation market with a new hangar and expanded aircraft servicing facility at Colorado Springs Airport. The announcement came one month after ARINC's business aviation unit, ARINC Direct-Business Aviation Services, opened a 24-hour flight support center for business aviation.
TAG Aviation, which has been attempting to turn Farnborough Airport outside London into a major business aviation center, is getting closer to achieving critical business mass at the airport. FlightSafety International has agreed to build a major business jet training center there and other potential business aviation tenants also are eyeing the airport, which is about two hours from London. See article below.
TRIUMPH BUYING HEAT EXCHANGER LINE FROM PARKER HANNIFIN - Triumph Group, Inc. has signed an agreement to buy the assets of United Aircraft Products from Parker Hannifin Corp. The deal is subject to successful negotiation and ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement between Triumph and the United Auto Workers local at the Forest, Ohio manufacturing facility.
May 13-15 - AS 3/GSE Aviation Services and Suppliers Supershow, National Air Transportation Association/Professional Aviation Maintenance Association, Las Vegas, Nev., (703) 845-9000 or (202) 730-0260 May 17-21 - NBAA Maintenance Management Conference, Charlotte, N.C., (202) 783-9000 May 18-21 - Regional Airline Association Annual Convention, Phoenix, Ariz., (202) 367-1170 June 5 - National Business Aviation Association Forum and Static Display, Republic Airport, Farmingdale, N.Y., (202) 783-9000
RAC REBRANDS BEECHJET 400 AS PART OF HAWKER LINE - In an effort to rationalize its internal branding and to avoid confusing its customers, Raytheon Aircraft Company has renamed the Beechjet BE-400A the Hawker 400 XP.
Bombardier Aerospace began flight-testing its Bombardier Enhanced Vision System (BEVS) for the Global Express business jet. A Global Express test aircraft fitted with a BEVS prototype flew April 24, marking the beginning of a 24-month development program that is expected to culminate in certification in early 2005. BEVS will use infrared sensor technology that will project images onto a head-up flight display system. Thales Avionics and CMC Electronics are coordinating with Bombardier on the project.
