Although facing a decline in engine orders and deliveries in 2003, engine-maker Pratt&Whitney Canada is forging ahead with new products and continuing development of its PW800 engine, which will be fully launched by the end of the year.
LEARJET 40 FLIES; EVS PICKED FOR GLOBAL EXPRESS - Moving forward with an ambitious plan to certify four aircraft within the next two years, Bombardier Aerospace announced first flight of its Learjet 40 at the NBAA convention in Orlando last week.
Cessna Aircraft, which already had a solid backlog of orders for its line of business jets, added nearly 400 orders for two new aircraft models introduced at last week's 55th National Business Aviation Association convention in Orlando, Fla.
Bombardier Flexjet won a contract from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to provide fractional jet services under a two-year test program. Congress authorized the program in NASA's fiscal 2002 budget (BA, Aug. 6, 2001/57). Under the contract, NASA will buy a one-half share of a Learjet 31A and a one-sixteenth share of a Learjet 60, which Bombardier says equates to about 450 flight hours per year.
Officials of Eclipse Aviation ended months of secrecy about their order backlog last week, telling reporters at the NBAA convention in Orlando the company has commitments for more than 2,000 of its entry-level Eclipse 500s, including firm orders for 1,752 airplanes that translate into $65 million in non-refundable deposits.
CIRRUS DESIGN CORPORATION Models SR20 and SR22 airplanes [Docket No. 2002-CE-31-AD] - proposes to supersede AD 2002-05-05, which currently requires incorporation of temporary operating limitations into the Limitation Section of the Airplane Flight Manual for certain affected airplanes and installation of a cable clamp external to the cone adapter on the Cirrus Aircraft Parachute System (CAPS) activation cable for all affected airplanes. AD 2002-05-05 resulted from a report from the manufacturer that certain CAPS may not activate in an emergency situation.
ALTHOUGH Bombardier anticipates a decline in aircraft deliveries this year and next, the company remains optimistic about continued growth in its Flexjet fractional operation. Flexjet now has 660 owners and 850 shareholders, up 19 percent over the last year, Bombardier officials said. The fractional provider is operating 105 Bombardier aircraft, including the Learjet 31, 45, 60 and Challenger 604. The company noted that the operation has sustained a 20 percent compound annual growth rate and is "on track for double-digit growth" again this year.
National Aircraft Resale Association last week elected officers to serve on its Associate Member Advisory Council in 2003. The officers are: William Quinn of Aviation Management Systems, Inc. as chairman; Brian McNulty of Apex Property Exchange as vice chairman; and, Ann Lennon of First American Title Insurance Company as secretary.
While FAA has agreed to permit operation of large aircraft such as the Boeing Business Jet under Part 135 as long as they meet weight and seat limitations, DOT has taken a different stance. DOT this month told Birmingham, Ala.-based MEDJet International that it was not authorized to use the BBJ for commercial purposes because it did not have the appropriate certificate authority. MEDJet originally applied to DOT for certificates of public convenience and necessity, saying it intended to operate the BBJ commercially under Part 121.
Federal Aviation Administration last week withdrew a proposed regulation calling for the alteration of certain cargo compartments on Part 135 on-demand airplanes. Released in 1997, the proposal would have mandated installation of fire detection and suppression equipment on Part 121 and 135 "Class D" cargo compartment areas.
New Piper is launching a new insurance brokerage service for Piper aircraft owners and pilots. New Piper President and CEO Chuck Suma said the brokerage firm will allow the company to ensure that all possibilities are checked out and options are available to the customer. Suma noted that most businesses and individuals have gone through renewals and experienced the sharp rate increases that have developed over the past year.
MARION BLAKEY'S nomination as FAA Administrator was approved Wednesday by the Senate by unanimous consent (BA, Sept. 9/109). It was expected that she would be sworn in late last week and officially begin her new job at FAA today (Sept. 16).
Members of the General Aviation Coalition were concerned that the Transportation Security Administration might be planning some widespread restrictions on flight operations last Tuesday when they were notified that Adm. James Loy would be contacting them via a conference call later that day.The heads-up from TSA followed an earlier announcement by Attorney General John Ashcroft and Tom Ridge, head of the Office of Homeland Security, that the government was raising the terror alert level to Code Orange for the first time, which denotes a "high" level of danger.
RAYTHEON COMPANY realigned its government and defense business to form seven new units. Raytheon formed the units by combining the former Electronic Systems and Command, Control, Communication and Information Systems. The new businesses are: Integrated Defense Systems; Intelligence and Information Systems; Missile Systems; Network Centric Solutions, Space and Airborne Systems; Raytheon Technical Services; and Homeland Security. The realignment does not affect Raytheon Aircraft.
Fewer than 10 percent of U.S. airports won't meet the yearend deadline for 100 percent screening of checked baggage, acting Transportation Security Administration head Adm. James Loy told the Senate Commerce Committee last week.
NetJets Inc. formed a 12-member advisory council led by national accounts Vice Presidents Jim Christiansen and Todd Spangler to serve as a forum for aviation managers to share ideas on transportation needs of corporations. Christiansen said NetJets has used customers such as General Electric and Texaco "on a very informal basis to share with us their perspective on how NetJets can be better attuned to meet their varying needs."
NETJETS PLACES MAJOR ORDERS WITH GULFSTREAM, CESSNA - Fractional aircraft provider NetJets, continuing to drive the business jet market orderbook, placed orders and took options for more than 200 aircraft last week with a total value of nearly $2 billion. The NetJets orders gave major boosts to new products from Cessna Aircraft and Gulfstream Aerospace. NetJets ordered 50 of Cessna's CitationJet 3s and took options for 50 more. It also added orders for 12 more Citation Xs, Cessna's top-of-the-line, Mach .9 business jet.
Delta Airelite Business Jets added two Gulfstream IV-SP business jets to its charter fleet through management agreements. One of the G IV-SPs is based in Grand Junction, Colo., and the other is based in Houston.
Marion Blakey's nomination as FAA Administrator was approved Wednesday by the Senate by unanimous consent (BA, Sept. 9/109).It was expected that she would be sworn in late last week and officially begin her new job at FAA today (Sept. 16).
FAA CLEARS LEGACY FOR U.S. DELIVERIES - Federal Aviation Administration awarded Embraer type approval for its Legacy business jet this month, authorizing the Brazilian plane-maker to begin delivery of the aircraft to corporate customers in the U.S. market. FAA certification followed European Joint Aviation Authorities approval in July 2002 and authorization from the Brazilian aviation authority (CTA) in December. Derived from Embraer's ERJ 135 regional jet, the Legacy can fly 3,100 nautical miles with 10 passengers and NBAA IFR reserves.
Bombardier won Transport Canada approval for its 86-seat CRJ900 regional jet. The Canadian conglomerate expects FAA and European Joint Aviation Authorities approval shortly. The Canadian OK follows a 13-month flight test program that included two aircraft that accumulated 895 hours in 347 flights. The first CRJ900 will enter service in early 2003 with Mesa Air Group. Mesa has firm orders for 20 of the aircraft.
NetJets Inc. formed a 12-member advisory council led by national accounts Vice Presidents Jim Christiansen and Todd Spangler to serve as a forum for aviation managers to share ideas on transportation needs of corporations. Christiansen said NetJets has used customers such as General Electric and Texaco "on a very informal basis to share with us their perspective on how NetJets can be better attuned to meet their varying needs."
NEW PIPER AIRCRAFT is increasing the useful load of its Meridian single-turboprop from 4,850 pounds to 5,092 pounds. New Piper has developed a modification that involves the addition of vortex generators to the wings and horizontal stabilizer as well as structural changes to the airframe. The structural changes are slated for certification by yearend, but will be available only on new aircraft.
BOMBARDIER-ROTAX GMBH Type 912 F and D 914 F series reciprocating engines; correction [Docket No. 2002-NE-08-AD; Amendment 39-12865; AD 2002-16-26] - makes a correction to AD 2002-16-26, applicable to Bombardier-Rotax GmbH type 912 F and 914 F series reciprocating engines. AD 2002-16-26 was published in the Federal Register on Aug. 15, 2002 (67 FR 53296). The effective date in the DATES: section is incorrect. This document corrects that date. In all other respects, the original document remains the same. Effective date is Aug. 30.
WHILE Air Security International did not see a significant surge in interest from corporate flight departments and corporate security directors after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, it did see a dramatic jump in inquiries about ASI services from wealthy individuals who own business jets, said Charlie LeBlanc, vice president-operations for ASI. LeBlanc estimated that business has increased from that segment by as much as 85 percent. Most corporate flight departments were "well established" with their security practices before Sept. 11, he said.
