Gary Freeman was named regional sales manager, maintenance at CAE SimuFlite, covering the Dallas-Fort Worth area and states west of the Mississippi River. He was most recently a regional sales manager at Gulfstream. A certified A&P, Freeman has experience in sales, technical services and as a maintenance technician.
Keith D. Rash was named regional sales director at Wing Aviation in Conroe, Texas. He most recently worked in sales and customer service at BizJet International Sales and Support. Based in Tulsa, Okla., Rash will sell maintenance, avionics upgrades, installations, paint and interior.
FlightSafety International expanded its Savannah, Ga. Learning Center to include a new maintenance technician training center. The 18,000-square foot facility, located next to the FlightSafety Gulfstream Learning Center, includes nine multi-media classrooms, a high-bay workspace and an exterior parking ramp for aircraft to be used in training.
MEXICO DROPS TEXCOCO AIRPORT AFTER REPEATED FARMER PROTESTS - The Mexican government has backed off plans to build a new airport for Mexico City in Texcoco, citing intense local opposition.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2B19 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-346-AD; Amendment 39-12853; AD 2002-16-14) - requires inspection of certain installed electrical relays to determine whether they have certain manufacturing date codes, and replacement of the electrical relays with those date codes with new relays with different manufacturing date codes. This action is necessary to prevent the failure of an electrical relay due to a defective moving blade assembly, which could result in the inability to generate electrical power from the emergency system, if needed.
Eclipse Aviation rolled out its first Eclipse 500 six weeks ago amid expectations that a first flight would follow shortly (BA, July 15/21), but the entry-level jet had not made it into the air by the end of last week. A spokeswoman said test pilots have conducted low- and medium-speed taxi tests, and officials still anticipate a first flight this summer. She emphasized, however, that officials do not want to do anything to jeopardize the program by rushing a first flight before they are sure the aircraft is completely ready.
The Federal Aviation Administration is planning a comprehensive review of rules governing aircraft that operate under Parts 135, 125, 119 and 91, the agency confirmed last week, saying "there is a significant possibility of major revision to Part 135 and 125 to reflect today's environment." FAA's Kathy Perfetti first detailed the agency's plans to a gathering of the National Air Transportation Association's Fractional Aircraft Business Council earlier this month, saying a recent memorandum on the use of certain large aircraft under Part 135 could serve as a springboar
Conklin & De Decker will hold its second annual Aircraft Acquisition Planning seminar in Scottsdale, Ariz., November 14-15, 2002. The seminar will covers topics such as how to determine the best aircraft for the mission, financing and leasing arrangements, ownership alternatives and depreciation.
COMMISSION EXAMINES AVIATION CHALLENGES - The Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry convened its fourth public meeting last week, hearing testimony from industry leaders about the need for more air traffic controllers, expanded runways and prioritizing aviation programs.
Avfuel recently added two new fixed-base operators to its dealers network. Executive Air Center of Orlando, Fla. is an authorized Cessna Service Center. The company offers hangar space, maintenance and repair services and aircraft detailing. Avion Jet Center, located on the southwest side of Orlando, specializes in aircraft rental and sales, charter service, maintenance, line service and fueling. The FBO also houses the Avion Air Academy, which offers private pilot training, college credit courses and professional pilot programs.
CHC Helicopter Corporation's subsidiary CHC Scotia won a five-year contract renewal plus options for another five years from Centrica unit Hydrocarbon Resources Limited and BHP Billiton for the use of two AS365N Dauphin helicopters to support offshore East Irish Sea oil and gas operations. CHC Scotia valued the contract over the five years at $48 million (Canadian).
Glenn MacDonald was named regional sales manager, Northeast Region at CAE SimuFlite, covering Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont. He was formerly vice president at ExcelAire Service and holds a commercial helicopter pilot license.
Aviation General, Inc., the Bethany, Okla. aircraft manufacturer and refurbisher, said it won contracts to refurbish 10 turbine-powered aircraft. The contract covers five Cessna Citation Ultras, two Fairchild turboprops and three Beech King Air 1900Cs. The work will be done by Aviation General's Strategic Jet Services, (SJS) Inc. The contracts will help "substantially increase" the unit's contribution to Aviation General's overall financial results "as we continue to build and expand our aircraft refurbishment services and jet brokerage business," said Keith A.
BOMBARDIER-ROTAX Type 912 F and 914 F series reciprocating engines (Docket No. 2002-NE-08-AD; Amendment 39-12865; AD 2002-16-26) - requires initial and repetitive visual inspections of the engine crankcase for cracks. This amendment is prompted by reports of several instances of engine crankcases found cracked. The actions specified in this AD are intended to prevent oil loss caused by cracks in the engine crankcase, which could lead to in-flight failure of the engine and forced landing. The AD is effective Sept.
Bombardier, Inc. will not meet its financial targets for the 2002-2003 fiscal year, the company said Friday. The Canadian manufacturer, which is scheduled to release its results for the quarter ended July 31, 2002 on Aug. 27, said its "10 percent earnings per share growth target will not be achieved.
DynCorp of Reston, Va. won an eight-year, $59 million contract to support the Air Force Armament Center's 46th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. DynCorp will perform aircraft maintenance services, including back shop and heavy maintenance, phase inspection and aircraft recovery services. The work will be done by DynCorp. Technical Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of DynCorp.
Newark International Airport (EWR) would be renamed Liberty International Airport to commemorate the events of Sept. 11, under a proposal that surfaced last week. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said it supports the name change, adding that it "will work with Governors McGreevy and Pataki, our Board of Commissioners and the city of Newark to see that this fitting tribute becomes a reality."
Arnoni Aviation Inc. of Houston, Texas and Raytheon Aircraft Parts Inventory & Distribution Co. (RAPID) signed an agreement under which AAI will sell Raytheon Aircraft's excess and inactive inventory of parts for Hawker business jets, which includes some 21,000 line items. The inventory for sale, which includes structural components, hardware, consumables, rotables and kits, are listed on AAI's web site at www.125parts.com. For more information, contact AAI at (281) 590-1431.
AOPA also is concerned by reports that Chicago Mayor Richard Daley once again is trying to convince FAA to impose a sizeable TFR over Chicago. AOPA President Phil Boyer wrote FAA and TSA that without a specific credible threat, it would be "inappropriate for the federal government to institute arbitrary airspace restrictions."
FlightSafety's Sikorsky Learning Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., won JAA approval for its Sikorsky S-76 pilot training program. The center is a factory-approved training organization for the Sikorsky S-76.
FAA SEEKS INTERIM RADAR DISPLAY SYSTEM FOR SMALLER AIRPORTS - FAA announced a contract solicitation for stand-alone tower display systems (SATDS) at smaller airports, and said it will accept only Raytheon or Lockheed Martin products, currently being certified.
FAA announced a contract solicitation for stand-alone tower display systems (SATDS) at smaller airports, and said it will accept only Raytheon or Lockheed Martin products, currently being certified.
Aviation General, Inc., the Bethany, Okla. aircraft manufacturer and refurbisher, said it won contracts to refurbish 10 turbine-powered aircraft. The contract covers five Cessna Citation Ultras, two Fairchild turboprops and three Beech King Air 1900Cs. The work will be done by Aviation General's Strategic Jet Services, (SJS) Inc. The contracts will help "substantially increase" the unit's contribution to Aviation General's overall financial results "as we continue to build and expand our aircraft refurbishment services and jet brokerage business," said Keith A.
The South Korean Air Force conducted a successful first flight of its T-50 advanced fighter trainer Aug. 20, ending two months of delays with a 39-minute flight. The first T-50 Golden Eagle, designed and built by Lockheed Martin and Korea Aerospace Industries, was supposed to have flown in June, but software glitches and wiring problems postponed the event. The takeoff and landing were performed at the KAI plant in Sachon, Korea. The new trainer is designed for top speeds of Mach 1.4.
The Transportation Security Administration is expected to extend the comment deadline for the "Twelve-Five" security programs until the end of September.The original deadline was Aug. 19, but as of last week only about 50 percent of the affected charter companies had received copies of the confidential program. TSA began distributing the programs through FAA principal operations inspectors in mid-July (BA, July 15/23). The POIs, however, apparently have been slow to get the programs out, sources note.
