Hawker Beechcraft, which is asking the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for permission to cancel certain warranties and factory-sponsored programs for the Hawker 4000 and Premier 1A, is estimating that the costs of continuing that support over the next five years could exceed $200 million.
EUROCOPTER FRANCE Model SA-365N1, AS-365N2, and AS365N3 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2012-1014; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-058-AD] – proposes to revise the Limitations section of the Rotorcraft Flight Manual (RFM) to prohibit flight in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) or night visual flight rules (VFR) for each helicopter with a vertical gyro unit GV76-1 installed upon a non-reinforced shelf in the rear cargo compartment.
ALPHA AVIATION CONCEPT Model R2160 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-0798; Directorate Identifier 2012-CE-023-AD; Amendment 39-17208; AD 2012-20-02] – requires an inspection of air filters of P/N 57.34.00.010 to determine if a metallic mesh is fitted and replacement if necessary. This AD stems from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the civil aviation authority of New Zealand.
Rolls-Royce will triple the number of its authorized service centers (ASC) around the world by the end of this year in a major expansion spurred by the entry into service of the globe-trotting Gulfstream 650. The company announced in May that it intended to increase its ASC network to 19 by the end of the year. It will now have agreements in place with 34 maintenance providers worldwide by year’s end, says Andy Robinson, senior vice president for customer services. “We had nine ASCs in the beginning of the year,” he says.
Bombardier is expanding its support efforts for its business aircraft customers in the U.S. with plans to install seven dedicated “Mobile Response Parties” (MSP) throughout the country, along with the opening of three regional support offices (RSO). Each MSP will be staffed by an avionics and maintenance technician and equipped with a customized truck carrying tooling to provide scheduled and unscheduled maintenance at an operator’s location. The MSPs will be established over the next two months. They will augment Bombardier’s RSO network.
Honeywell, named the exclusive wireless airtime reseller for Inmarsat’s Global Xpress Ka-band for business aviation, is partnering with Arinc Direct and OnAir to distribute the connectivity services to the market. Honeywell recently signed a five-year agreement to serve as a “master distributor” for Global Xpress, marking the company’s first entry into distribution of the service itself.
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT Model C90GTi (King Air) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-0830; Directorate Identifier 2012-CE-026-AD; Amendment 39-17222; AD 2012-21-06] – requires replacing incorrect gauge wires in certain electrical power wiring bundles, inspecting associated wiring bundles and components for heat damage, and taking all necessary corrective actions. This AD was prompted by reports of incorrect gauge wires used in certain wiring bundles for the cockpit electrical power for backlighting and instrument panel components.
RICHARD GARDNER was appointed regional manager for Duncan Aviation in Australia and New Zealand. Gardner will build and maintain relationships with aircraft operators, management organizations and other service providers in the region, along with closely following regional regulatory issues. Gardner has served as an international representative in New Zealand for Duncan Aviation since 2007. Before that, he served with Air New Zealand and Pacific Turbine. He initially became affiliated with Duncan through his own company, SinglePoint Assist.
Hawker Beechcraft has accumulated 45 flight-test hours on three aircraft for its Hawker 400XPR program and expects to receive the remaining certifications and begin delivery of the first fully upgraded aircraft by the end of first quarter 2013.
Rep. Henry Waxman, the California Democrat who has long sought curbs on operations at Santa Monica Municipal Airport (SMO), is pushing FAA to speed up efforts to eliminate leaded aviation gasoline (avgas), saying the “devastating health effects” of lead are well documented.
Offshore operators of grounded Eurocopter AS332 and EC225 Super Puma helicopters are downloading and reviewing health and usage monitoring system (HUMS) data before determining whether the aircraft can be returned to flight.
Bombardier President and CEO Pierre Beaudoin is calling on the Canadian government to develop a comprehensive strategy to help domestic companies compete with state-funded enterprises in emerging markets. “A recent World Economic Forum report affirmed that both developed and developing countries are pursuing assertive industrial policies to support their domestic manufacturing industries.
October is “General Aviation Appreciation Month” in Alabama and West Virginia under proclamations signed by Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley and West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. They join the nearly four dozen states that have recognized the value of aviation and/or general aviation. Alabama estimates general aviation contributes $800 million each year in economic activity. In West Virginia, the general aviation industry is estimated to contribute $616 million annually to the economy.
Private Jet Company is expanding its presence at the Isle of Man Airport, hoping the location – one that has a favorable tax structure including a partial exemption from the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) – will draw inbound international traffic.
Asked whether Embraer would consider purchasing parts of Hawker Beechcraft should they become available, Embraer President and CEO Frederico Curado last week acknowledged that “some assets could be of interest to Embraer. We just have to see how that develops.” Curado says the company would take “a serious look” at how certain assets could leverage the ramp-up of its own executive jets business, and points to infrastructure support as an example. As for the product lines, he says, “It’s not a target in itself.
Iceland’s Isavia has begun site acceptance tests on an automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) network that is expected to be a vital link in the first transatlantic air traffic control corridor. The eight ADS-B ground stations in Iceland will augment existing radar coverage over a vast area of the Northern Atlantic, and ADS-B surveillance eventually will be extended to the east and west thanks to networks that will be established in Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Rockwell Collins has begun flight testing the latest configuration of its Pro Line Fusion avionics suite incorporating touch-screen flight displays. The company is testing the avionics on its Hawker Beechcraft King Air B200GT.
The National Business Aviation Association is planning to focus on the use of iPads in the cockpit during three separate sessions Oct. 30 during its annual meeting and convention in Orlando, Fla. NBAA notes the FltPlan.com claims 50,000 users of its web-based flight planning software with tablet applications. Tablet technologies are “revolutionizing aviation,” the association says adding that tablets can be found in many, if not most business aircraft cockpits.
DASSAULT Model Falcon 2000, Falcon 2000EX, Mystere-Falcon 900 and Falcon 900EX airplanes; and all Model Mystere-Falcon 50 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-1067; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-231-AD] – proposes to require modification of the wing fuel tanks in the area of the wheel well. This proposed AD was prompted by reports that collapse of the main landing gear (MLG) could cause wing tank structure failure, which could result in fuel spillage and consequent fire hazard.
GULFSTREAM (type certificate previously held by Israel Aircraft Industries) Model Galaxy and Gulfstream 200 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-0495; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-236-AD] – withdraws a proposal that would have required determining the lengths of the wear indicating pins of all brake assemblies, shortening the pin if the wear indicating pin is too long, inspecting for normal brake wear, and replacing brakes with new brakes if necessary.
Fred Reid, the former Virgin America executive who has steered Bombardier’s Flexjet unit through the economic downturn, has resigned from his position, effective immediately. Bombardier promoted Deanna White to take the helm of the fractional ownership provider. Bombardier says Reid retired from the post he took in 2008, and Bombardier President and CEO Pierre Beaudoin credits Reid for being a “passionate promoter of Flexjet and fractional jet ownership.”
The U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank) is approving a $50 million guarantee of a loan extended by Apple Bank to Aeroservicios Especializados S.A. DE C.V. (ASESA) of Mexico to finance a fleet of Sikorsky S-76D helicopters. The loan is the first under the Ex-Im Bank’s Business Aircraft and Helicopter Qualified Advisor program that was announced during the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in May. San Francisco-based AirFinance served as the qualified advisor, facilitating the application and authorization process.
Embraer is ramping up for another busy fourth quarter, when the company expects to nearly match the number of executive jet deliveries and revenues brought in through the first three quarters combined. During the third quarter, Embraer delivered 13 business jets, including 11 Phenoms and two of its large business jets – slightly fewer than analyst expectations. J.P.Morgan’s Joseph Nadol notes original estimates were for 19 Phenoms and three of the large business jets, but says Embraer is expected to cover the shortfall in the fourth quarter.
