CESSNA PLANNING MAJOR EXPANSION OF SERVICE CENTER NETWORK - Cessna Aircraft, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the original Citation business jet's entry into service, is in the midst of a major expansion of its service center network to support a growing fleet that will number 4,000 business jets by the end of next year.
Aerostructures Corporation won a contract extension from Gulfstream to continue supplying Gulfstream IV-SP wing boxes for at least 10 more years. The agreement, which extends the on-going contract through 2014, has a potential value of more than $500 million. Aerostructures has a 37-year relationship with Gulfstream, supplying the wings for the G-II, G-III and G-IV programs. The Nashville, Tenn.-based supplier of large aerospace structures and components has delivered more than 1,000 shipsets to Gulfstream on those three programs.
Vociferous protests from the airline industry convinced the Bush Administration Thursday to back away from plans to ban flights by foreign carriers into the U.S. on Sept. 11, but government officials still planned to implement 30-nautical-mile Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) around Somerset, Pa., New York City and Washington, D.C. that would prohibit Part 91 and 135 operations at various times Sept. 11-13. Details could change and pilots are being urged to check the FAA NOTAM system for the latest information on the TFRs. See article below.
Honeywell signed a strategic supplier agreement with Lockheed Martin Corp. that will establish a long-term business relationship between the two companies. Honeywell said under the agreement, the companies will adopt a common business approach that will be more efficient and reduce costs for military customers.
Professional Aircraft Accessories won a contract to be the exclusive overhauler for Turbine Aircraft Components' Mitsubishi MU-2 landing gear parts. PAA will help support the more than 400 aircraft. PAA is a FAA/JAA 145 repair station based in Titusville, Fla.
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA Model 206L, L-1, L-3 and L-4 helicopters (Docket No. 99-SW-80-AD) revises an earlier AD that would have required inspecting the tailboom skins for a crack, replacing a cracked tailboom with a modified tailboom before further flight, and implementing a recurring inspection of the modified tailboom. That proposal was prompted by several reports of cracks found during mandatory inspections.
CITATIONSHARES CONTINUES RAPID EXPANSION - Despite the sagging economy, fractional ownership provider CitationShares continued to make inroads into the fractional market, more than doubling its business in the past year, the company said last week. Founded in July 2000 through a joint venture between Cessna Aircraft and TAG Aviation, the company's portfolio has grown from 58 shareholders of 11 aircraft after the first year to 250 shareholders of a fleet of 30 aircraft. The company now employs 117 pilots.
General Dynamics acquired Command Systems, Inc. (CSI) of Fort Wayne, Ind. for an undisclosed amount, the company said Aug. 27. CSI, with a work force of 34, provides command and control software and hardware to U.S. and international military markets. The company will become part of General Dynamics C4 Systems, based in Taunton, Mass.
National Business Aviation Association says advance registration figures for next week's convention in Orlando, Fla. are within 10 percent of last September's numbers, which translates to at least 25,000 attendees at this year's event, and organizers say that number is probably conservative. A record 1,008 exhibitors, including 150 new exhibitors, will occupy 4,500 booth spaces spread over 900,000 square feet of exhibit area. More than 140 aircraft will be on view at the static display at Orlando Executive Airport (ORL).
Scott Radcliffe was named vice president of operations at Bii. He will be responsible for manufacturing, engineering and quality assurance programs. Radcliffe has 23 years of experience at Bii, starting on the company's production floor and most recently working as the director of manufacturing.
On a more encouraging note, two Transportation Security Administration officials made an effort last week to learn more about the implications of imposing security rules on the business aviation community. Tom Blank, who steers policy for TSA, and Pam Hamilton, the newly hired general aviation policy-maker for the agency, joined National Business Aviation Association officials on a tour of a "typical" fixed-base operation and "typical" corporate flight departments at Martin State Airport near Baltimore, Md.
Jeanne Muzio was named vice president, sales at FirstFlight Management. She will be responsible for corporate aircraft charter management and aircraft sales. Muzio has more than 19 years of experience in aviation sales, operations and account management and was most recently national director of sales for FlightTime's business jet sales team.
Summary: Pursuant to FAA's rulemaking provisions governing the application, processing, and disposition of petitions for exemption (14 CFR Part 11), this notice contains a summary of certain petitions seeking relief from specified requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR Chapter I), dispositions of certain petitions previously received, and corrections. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities.
Douglas P. Nowinski was named vice president, regional airline accounts at Sinex Aviation Technologies. In his new position, Nowinski, most recently a vice president at AAR Corp., will be responsible for business development and account management for regional airlines worldwide.
A CitationJet full flight simulator manufactured by NLX Corp. of Sterling, Va. won FAA Level D qualification at the CAE SimuFlite Center at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. The CitationJet simulator is the third of five Level D devices on order from CAE SimuFlite to be delivered, and a Falcon 900B/C/EX Level D convertible FFS and a Falcon 2000 Level D FFS will be delivered in the first half of 2003. The contracts for those simulators were issued while SimuFlite Training International was a part of GE Capital.
FAA will begin operational use of controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC) in its Miami en route center in October, and the system is expected to be in use nationwide by 2006. The system, which uses a new ARINC network to enable digital exchange of data between aircraft and controllers, will reduce frequency congestion and controller workload by replacing some voice communications.
Senate Commerce Committee, which didn't act on the nomination of Marion Blakey as FAA Administrator in early August because the Senate recessed a day earlier than originally planned (BA. Aug. 5/57), has scheduled a hearing on Blakey Sept. 3 at 2:30 p.m.
On a more encouraging note, two Transportation Security Administration officials made an effort last week to learn more about the implications of imposing security rules on the business aviation community. Tom Blank, who steers policy for TSA, and Pam Hamilton, the newly hired general aviation policy-maker for the agency, joined National Business Aviation Association officials on a tour of a "typical" fixed-base operation and "typical" corporate flight departments at Martin State Airport near Baltimore, Md.
Summary: Pursuant to FAA's rulemaking provisions governing the application, processing, and disposition of petitions for exemption (14 CFR Part 11), this notice contains a summary of certain petitions seeking relief from specified requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR Chapter I), dispositions of certain petitions previously received, and corrections. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities.
Beset by order cancellations, labor strikes and a weak market, Bombardier Aerospace reported a loss of $24.8 million before taxes (Canadian) during the second quarter ended July 31. The poor performance from its aerospace sector forced parent company Bombardier, Inc., last month to reduce its earnings forecast to $0.70 per share from the previous $0.89 (BA, Aug. 26, 94).
Aircraft manufacturers and exhibitors at international aviation trade shows are finding The European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition is a huge bargain compared with events like the Paris Air Show. Cessna Chairman Russ Meyer told BA that Cessna will not attend the Paris Show June 15-22, but the company does plan to send a significant representation of its products and personnel to EBACE in Geneva, Switzerland May 7-9.
Jeff Yaker was named president of Turbomachinery Products in Chandler, Ariz., a division of the Goodrich Corporation. He will oversee aircraft and industrial gas turbine engine components. Yaker was previously president of Goodrich's Universal Propulsion Company in Phoenix, Ariz.
RAYTHEON 65, 90, 99, 100, 200, and 300 series, and Model 2000 airplanes (Docket No. 2000-CE-80-AD) - proposes to require installation of new exterior operating instruction placards for the airstair door and emergency exits. The proposed AD resulted from Raytheon's improving the visibility and understandability of the door operating instruction placards. This was done as a result of difficulty opening the emergency exits of a similar type design airplane.
B/E Aerospace will be exhibiting a "one-of-a-kind comfort system" at NBAA this month. The aircraft seating and interior manufacturer promises this new system "provides a subtle walking-like motion that stimulates circulation through the upper thighs, buttocks and spine. The comfort system reduces restlessness, fatigue, discomfort, lower back pain and stiffness." There was no indication whether the B/E comfort system is retrofittable into the standard Lazy Boy recliner or is restricted to business jet passenger seats.
Aircraft Owners And Pilots Association vowed to fight apparent efforts of Kent State University officials to close Kent State University Airport (1G3) and redevelop the 300-acre property. Anne Esposito, AOPA vice president of airports, wrote the university late last month that they were obligated to operate the airport for the next 20 years since they had accepted federal grant money to rehabilitate the apron, taxiway and runway. "These agreements are contracts with the federal government that must be honored," Esposito said.
