Kronos Air Technologies, Inc. signed a development and acquisition agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., under which Kronos will develop, design and produce air movement and purification devices for installation aboard Gulfstream business jets. The devices will be manufactured to meet all FAA safety standards, including environmental, flammability and electromagnetic interference (EMI). The devices will be designed to provide silent air circulation and purification throughout the cabin.
House and Senate leaders this month have begun to lay the ground work for developing a new comprehensive aviation bill that will authorize FAA funding programs beyond fiscal 2003 and likely cover a host of issues such as security and environmental streamlining. The last authorization bill, AIR-21, was considered landmark legislation because it dramatically boosted FAA funding levels, and essentially guaranteed that revenues channeled into the Airport and Airways Trust Fund would be used for their intended purpose - aviation (BA, April 10, 2000/163).
Reports keep circulating that Raytheon has, or will shortly, assume control of the Flight Options fractional ownership program. Raytheon Travel Air combined its fractional program with Flight Options' last March under an agreement which provided for Flight Options to hold a 50.1 percent stake in the joint enterprise while Raytheon got a 49.9 percent stake. But this fall, in a 10Q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Raytheon said Flight Options had been seeking additional equity financing, but had not been able to secure that funding.
FAA ALTERS LONG-RANGE ATC PLANS TO REFLECT INDUSTRY WOES - The Federal Aviation Administration is reshaping some of its long-range goals to upgrade the air traffic control system and reduce airspace congestion to reflect an ailing airline industry that may be unable to keep up with the required equipment and investment necessary for modernization. The agency last week released its latest version of the Operational Evolution Plan, (OEP), Version 5.0, which is a rolling 10-year plan outlining goals for improving the ATC system.
Harvey Smart was appointed senior account manager for the Americas at Cordiem. With more than 20 years of aerospace experience, Smart most recently worked at PriceWaterhouseCooper's Management Consulting Group.
HONEYWELL ADDS CABIN MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS WITH BAKER ACQUISITION - Honeywell acquired the aviation assets of Baker Electronics, Inc. of Sarasota, Fla., a move designed to permit Honeywell to offer integrated cabin management systems to business jet original equipment manufacturers and operators.
Raytheon declined comment on the status of discussions with Flight Options last week. Kenn Ricci, chairman and CEO of Flight Options, told BA Friday he could not discuss details because of a confidentiality agreement, but said the situation is in "the final stages of what's going to transpire." Ricci believes an agreement can be finalized within a couple of weeks, although he said the lawyers involved believe it could take three or four weeks to complete a deal.
JANE GARVEY, the former FAA Administrator, joined APCO Worldwide as executive vice president and chairman of the company's transportation practice. APCO Worldwide is a global public affairs and strategic communications firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. with offices in 23 major cities throughout the world. In addition to her new responsibilities with APCO, Garvey will serve as a lecturer and research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Center for Transportation and Logistics.
Dassault Falcon named aviation veteran John Rahilly vice president of national sales and marketing for its aircraft service network organization. Rahilly has more than 25 years of corporate aviation experience, most recently as vice president of operations for Mercury Air Centers. Rahilly spent most of his career with K-C Aviation where he held a series of management posts and served as president of the Kimberly-Clark subsidiary that provided business aircraft modification, completion and overhaul services.
NTSB FOCUSES ON ELEVATOR IN BEECH 1900 CRASH - The National Transportation Safety Board is closely examining the operation of the elevator of a Beech 1900D that crashed Wednesday morning in Charlotte, N.C., killing all 21 aboard. The aircraft, operated by Mesa Air Group carrier Air Midwest as US Airways Express Flight 5481, crashed about 37 seconds after it began its takeoff roll from Runway 18R at Charlotte en route to Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C. The aircraft took off and climbed, pitching up to an angle of 52 degrees before it rolled and dropped.
Vic Petty was named account manager for the Americas at Cordiem. Formerly Midwest sales manager for Inventory Locator Service, Petty has more than 18 years of sales and managerial experience in commercial, military and corporate aviation. Based in Arlington, Va., Cordiem provides online tools for aviation business.
General Dynamics Decision Systems won a contract to supply up to 20,000 UHF CM-300 series air traffic control radios to FAA over the next 10 years. The contract, which has a potential value of $119 million, calls for the delivery of a minimum of 1,000 radios with the possibility for more. GD had previously delivered more than 20,000 CM-200 radios to FAA over the past 10 years. The CM-300, an enhanced version of the CM-200, provides more efficient use of the radio spectrum and improved protection from interference from other radios, GD said.
LANCAIR COMPLETES SHAREHOLDER BUYOUT - Lancair completed a buyout of its smaller shareholders as part of a new deal in the works to bring back the Oregon-based company from five months of dormancy.
BUSINESS TURBINE FLEET POSTS IMPROVED SAFETY NUMBERS FOR 2002 - Operators of the U.S. business jet and turboprop fleet posted significantly improved safety numbers for 2002, according to data compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla. The fleet was involved in 60 accidents, including 19 fatal accidents, that claimed 47 passenger and crew lives. That compares with 2001, when there were 68 accidents, including 24 fatal accidents and a total of 80 fatalities.
Honeywell named William Birtcil vice president of communications for its Aerospace business unit. Birtcil replaces Dennis Signorovitch, who retired from Honeywell after 25 years with the company. Birtcil will report directly to Bob Johnson, president and chief executive of the Aerospace unit. He also will have a functional reporting relationship to Tom Buckmaster, Honeywell's vice president for corporate communications.
FAA gave Guyana a Category 2 rating after finding that the South American country does not comply with international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization. The agency said it will continue to work with the civil aviation authority of Guyana and periodically review the situation. The determination follows a reassessment of Guyana's civil aviation authority as part of the agency's International Aviation Safety Assessment program.
Goodrich appointed Lisa Bottle vice president of corporate communications. Bottle joins Goodrich from TRW Aeronautical Systems, following its recent acquisition by Goodrich. Bottle has served with TRW Aeronautical Systems since 2001, and before that spent six years with Thales.
Todd McGahey was named vice president and general manager of Dassault Falcon Jet's facility in Wilmington, Del. He will be responsible for managing 200 employees at Wilmington and overseeing future development and expansion programs. McGahey most recently worked for General Electric Services, where he was responsible for Garrett Aviation Services in Springfield, Ill., and three satellite facilities, managing 475 employees in four states.
GERMAN MAN ARRESTED AFTER STEALING AIRCRAFT - An armed man who stole a small aircraft from an airfield near Frankfurt last week was arrested by German police after the plane landed safely. Franz-Stephan Strambach, a 32-year-old student, signed up for a sightseeing tour at Babenhausen airfield. Before take-off he used a gun to force the pilot out and stole the aircraft.
AIR TRACTOR Models AT-502, AT-502A, AT-502B, and AT-503A airplanes (Docket No. 2002-CE-54-AD; Amendment 39-12991; AD 2002-26-05) - supersedes AD 2002-11-03, which applies to certain Air Tractor Models AT-502, AT-502A, AT-502B, and AT-503A airplanes. AD 2002-11-03 lowered the safe life for the wing lower spar cap and further reduced the safe life for airplanes that incorporate or have incorporated Marburger Enterprises, Inc. winglets.
Keystone Helicopter completed the acquisition of 15 acres bordering Chester County Airport in Coatesville, Pa., as part of Phase One of its plans for a Heliplex complex. The acquisition included a 52,000-square-foot industrial building that will be refurbished to house Keystone's shop operations. The company is negotiating further for more acreage to accommodate additional hangar facilities.
Cessna Aircraft, which has logged orders for more than 160 of its CJ3 business jets, boosted the price by $100,000 to $5.895 million and doubled the initial deposit requirement to $150,000, effective Jan. 1. The Wichita manufacturer now has a backlog of nearly 500 orders for the two aircraft it introduced at the NBAA convention in Orlando, Fla. in September, a remarkable performance during a period when other manufacturers were complaining that the business jet market was in the dumper. See article below.
