The European market remains slow for the business jet industry, but Nextant is viewing the region as a major opportunity of growth for its Nextant 400XT remanufactured light jet. Newly hired Nextant President Sean McGeough is spending the first few weeks on the job demonstrating the aircraft to flying clubs and other potential customers in Europe. From there, he heads to other regions, including the Middle East, as he opens his Rolodex to expand Nextant’s base in international markets.
DAVID HASLETT was named chief operating officer of Avantair. Haslett will oversee day-to-day performance of the company and focus on key financial and performance metrics. He most recently served as managing director of Sportech Racing and also has been managing director of the Horserace Totalisator Board in the U.K.
JARED FOX has been named director of business development for TWC Aviation’s Private Jet Charter Services group. Fox has more than two decades of both business aviation and commercial aviation experience. He has served as vice president of charter sales at Corporate Jets, held flight director and sales positions at a large charter brokerage firm, managed airports in the Los Angeles area, worked for fixed-base operations in California and Florida and was an operations supervisor with Delta Airlines.
Duncan Aviation saw a notable uptick in its parts consignment program last year, increasing the number of cosigners by nearly 30% and selling nearly $1.07 million in consignment parts and rotables to fixed-base operators and flight departments. The program provides a venue for operators to sell excess new parts or reduce their surplus inventories. Duncan Aviation sorts and warehouses the parts until they are sold, but the consigner retains title to their inventory. It provides access to a larger onsite inventory for sale.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court Feb. 1 confirmed Hawker Beechcraft’s joint plan for reorganization Feb. 1 after the company filed an amendment to the plan to address court concerns. Court confirmation is the last major step necessary to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
BELL Model 206L, 206L-1, 206L-3, and 206L-4 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2013-0022; Directorate Identifier 2012-SW-004-AD; Amendment 39-17322; AD 2013-02-01] – requires inspecting certain hydraulic servo actuator assemblies for a loose nut, shaft, and clevis assembly, modifying or replacing the servo as necessary, and reidentifying the servo. This AD is prompted by an investigation after an accident and the determination that there was a loose connection due to improper lock washer installation.
Gulfstream, planning a double-digit ramp up in deliveries in 2013, expects to take a year to iron out a “disequilibrium” between initial production and completion G650 work in part caused by the lengthy certification process, says Phebe Novakovic, the new chairman and CEO of Gulfstream parent General Dynamics.
Business aircraft flight activity continues to put a damper on any significant market rebound, remaining relatively flat overall in 2012, according to statistics from industry market analyst and safety expert Argus. Argus, which tracks business aircraft operations in the U.S. and Canada through its TRAQPak data, found that flight activity was up just 0.3% over 2011. Small business jet activity was up slightly, 1%, for the year, marking the strongest performance of any aircraft category. Turboprop activity also improved 0.7% in 2012.
BELL Model 204B, 205A, 205A-1, 205B, and 212 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2011-1188; Directorate Identifier 2008-SW-46-AD; Amendment 39-17171; AD 2012-17-08] – supersedes an AD requiring inspections and life limits on the main rotor yoke. This AD increases the inspection frequency for certain yokes and expands the inspections and retirement lives to other yokes. This AD is prompted by past reports of cracks in the yoke, another recent report of a cracked yoke, and the decision that other yokes need to be subject to the same inspection requirements and retirement lives.
VARIOUS AIRCRAFT equipped with wing struts [Docket No. FAA-2013-0023; Directorate Identifier 96-CE-072-AD] – proposes to revise an existing AD that currently requires repetitively inspecting the wing lift struts for corrosion; repetitively inspecting the wing lift strut forks for cracks; replacing any corroded wing lift strut; replacing any cracked wing lift strut fork; and repetitively replacing the wing lift strut forks at a specified time for certain airplanes. The existing AD also currently requires incorporating a “NO STEP’’ placard on the wing lift strut.
FAA has released a special airworthiness information bulletin (SAIB) warning about the potential for turbine helicopters to lose power from ice and/or snow ingestion. Ice and snow can accumulate around the airframe engine inlet while the aircraft is on the ground, the SAIB notes. The agency says the issue does not warrant an airworthiness directive, but the SAIB outlines procedures to guard against engine inflight shutdown. The SAIB also stresses that most helicopters are not approved or equipped for flight in icing conditions.
A 77% jump in operations in the second half of 2012 led Xojet, the San Francisco-based “closed fleet” on-demand carrier, to reach its target of 50,000 flight hours for the year. This is up from 30,000 in 2011 and comes as the carrier has grown into one of the larger operators in the country. The increase in operations comes as Xojet has increased its fleet to more than 50 aircraft – up from a little more than 40 a year ago. The company last year added a fleet of Hawker 800s as a third type, joining Citation Xs and Challenger 300s.
Two International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) groups charged with mitigating aviation’s greenhouse gas emissions will meet next week in Montreal. A meeting of the High-Level Working Group, comprising delegations of transport and climate experts from 17 countries, will take place Jan. 29-Feb. 1 in Montreal. Immediately following this meeting, the Technical Group will convene.
BELL Model 206L, 206L-1, 206L-3, and 206L-4 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2013-0022; Directorate Identifier 2012-SW-004-AD; Amendment 39-17322; AD 2013-02-01] – requires inspecting certain hydraulic servo actuator assemblies for a loose nut, shaft, and clevis assembly, modifying or replacing the servo as necessary, and reidentifying the servo. This AD is prompted by an investigation after an accident and the determination that there was a loose connection due to improper lock washer installation.
DANNY WILSON was named director, supplier performance and development for Gulfstream Aerospace. Wilson will oversee supplier delivery and quality. He has served with Gulfstream since 1996, acting as a senior buyer, subcontract administrator, purchasing and materials project manager and procurement supervisor.
Embraer has selected PTC to supply its product life cycle management (PLM) technology programs to help bring aircraft to market faster and more efficiently, PTC says. PTC is the supplier of record for Embraer’s entire aircraft development program, including commercial, executive and defense.
Middle East aviation services company Rizon Jet is publicly escalating its dispute with Qatar officials over its executive terminal in Doha, saying the Civil Aviation Authority is blocking its ability to operate and is taking steps to create unfair competition with rival company Qatar Airways.
EUROCOPTER Model MBB-BK 117 C-2 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2013-0018; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-060-AD] – proposes to require determining if a certain serial-numbered bevel gear is installed in the tailrotor intermediate gear box (IGB). If such a bevel gear is installed in the IGB, this AD would require recording the bevel gear’s reduced life limit in the Airworthiness Limitations section of the maintenance manual and on the component history card or equivalent IGB record.
General Dynamics (GD) executives are confident that the issues plaguing Jet Aviation’s completion business are in the past and that the “completions processes are dependable going forward,” says Chairman Phebe Novakovic. At the same time, GD’s Jet Aviation unit was forced to take some aggressive moves in its maintenance facilities in Europe that led to a $191 million fourth-quarter impairment charge.
Bombardier Aerospace’s Global 6000 has received certification from the Brazilian Agencia Nacional de Aviacao Civil. With the approval, Bombardier has obtained Brazilian certification for its entire Learjet, Challenger and Global families.
CESSNA Models 172RG, R182, TR182, FR182, 210N, T210N, 210R, T210R, P210N, P210R, and T303 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-0962; Directorate Identifier 2012-CE-033-AD] – withdraws a proposal that would have required inspection of the aircraft’s hydraulic power pack wiring for incorrect installation, and if needed, correct the installation. Since issuance of the NPRM, the FAA has re-evaluated this airworthiness concern and determined that an unsafe condition does not exist that would warrant AD action.
40 Years Ago Jan. 1, 1973 – General Aviation Manufacturers Association calls 1972 a year of rebound with shipments of 9,700 aircraft valued at $530 million. 30 Years Ago Jan. 10, 1983 – Dwane Wallace, the nephew of Clyde Cessna, abruptly resigns from Cessna Aircraft board of directors after holding a role with the company since 1934. 20 Years Ago
Rockwell Collins has added dynamic flight tracking and an electronic Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) to its FlightManager.com website, which is part of its Ascend flight information portfolio. The flight tracker uses a Google Maps platform to provide Rockwell Collins data link subscribers with a worldwide view of their aircraft’s position in flight, along with flight paths of completed and upcoming flights. The page further enables an overlay of weather radar data to help users track an aircraft’s proximity to poor weather.
GEORGE KELEMEN was named senior vice president of government and political affairs for Airports Council International-North America. He currently is senior director of external affairs for the American Cancer Society. In his new role he will be ACI-NA’s chief lobbyist, managing the Government Affairs department.
GEOFF HECK was promoted to senior vice president, sales and marketing, for Signature Flight Support. Heck has served with Signature since 1995, and most recently was regional vice president, Midwest responsible for Signature St. Paul (STP) and Signature Minneapolis (MSP). In his new role, he will manage global sales and marketing, along with the Brand Extension department.
