Bombardier’s Flexjet fractional aircraft ownership operation expects to continue to slowly turn over its fleet this year, but a surge of sales late in the fourth quarter is causing company executives to begin to consider expansion for the first time since the economic downturn began. Through November, Flexjet’s fractional shares sales were up 105%, and December turned out to be the strongest month of the year, according to Bruce Peddle, senior vice president of marketing and sales.
The used retail business jet market is showing signs of rebounding, with the number of transactions on the upswing and inventories reaching post-downturn lows. Business turboprop transactions dipped slightly, but inventories also dropped, according to the latest “Market Update Report” from business aviation market analyst Amstat. Industry leaders have closely watched the used market since it is tied to improvements in new aircraft sales and a key indicator of the overall health of the industry.
MICHELE (MIKE) ARCAMONE was named president of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. Arcamone most recently held the position of president and CEO of GM Korea, based in Seoul, where he was responsible for a multibillion dollar organization with export sales to 150 customers. He joined General Motors in 1980.
An air traffic controller’s decision to clear a Cessna 172 and Embraer 145 for takeoff 16 sec. apart led to the aircraft coming within 300 ft. of each other laterally and 0 ft. vertically, the National Transportation Safety Board says. The safety board cites an operational error by the tower controller as the probable cause of the June 19, 2011 near-midair collision at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport (GPT) in Mississippi.
GLASFLUGEL Models Standard Libelle-201B, Club Libelle 205, Mosquito, and Kestrel gliders [Docket No. FAA-2012-0046; Directorate Identifier 2011-CE-040-AD] – proposes to require inspection, repair and replacement of the elevator control rod in the vertical fin. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) for the European Aviation Safety Agency that cites a report of a broken elevator control rod in the vertical fin on a Kestrel sailplane.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is bracing its members for a reintroduction of President Obama’s $100 per-flight user fee proposal when the administration releases its fiscal 2013 budget. “This fee would be a disaster for every pilot,” says AOPA President and CEO Craig Fuller. The White House showed no signs of backing off the proposal when it posted on Jan. 13 its response to a petition asking the White House to “Take Aviation User Fees off the Table” (BA, Jan. 16/1).
West Star Aviation has received FAA supplemental type certification to install Wi-Fi on the Gulfstream V. The certification includes connectivity via both or either Inmarsat Swift Broadband and the Aircell Gogo Biz networks using the Aircell CTR wireless router. West Star completed the installation on a Gulfstream V based on the West Coast and operated under Part 135.
The top executive at Cessna Aircraft’s parent company says the struggling business jet manufacturer needs to stay focused on its core market of small- and medium-sized aircraft and dismisses talk it could revive a project to develop a larger jet anytime soon.
LightSquared has rejected as rigged government testing of the potential for its L-band wireless network to interfere with GPS satellite signals, and vows to fight its case in court, if necessary. After a review of the latest round of tests of the GPS interference potential of LightSquared’s proposed wireless network, the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Executive Committee has found “both LightSquared’s original and modified [plans] would cause harmful interference to many GPS receivers.”
House and Senate leaders have reached an agreement on a labor provision that has been the key stumbling block to passing an FAA reauthorization bill, confirms a spokesman for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The current operating authority for the FAA expires Jan. 31, giving Congress just days to either temporarily extend FAA’s reauthorization, for the 23rd time, or come to an agreement on the long-term FAA reauthorization bill. Negotiations on passing the long-term bill have been stuck on an arcane labor matter.
The Flightstar Corp. in Savoy, Ill., has purchased the assets of Bloomington Avionics based in Bloomington, Ill. Flightstar is transferring the Bloomington staff and its services to the Flightstar fixed-base operation at Champaign-Urbana’s University of Illinois-Willard Airport (KCMI). A Class I and II avionics repair station, Bloomington has provided service and installation for more than 30 years. Flightstar, the sole FBO at KCMI, employs more than 120 people at a 10,000-sq.-ft. corporate terminal facility and 68,000-sq.-ft. maintenance facility.
JOHANNA O’TOOLE was promoted to comptroller for the National Air Transportation Association (NATA). O’Toole joined NATA in 1998 and most recently was director, administration and financial services. She also has served as an account manager at Degnon and Associates, an association management firm in McLean, Va., and manager of membership for the National Business Aviation Association.
NORMAN RAMIREZ has joined Landmark Aviation as general manager of its Oakland International Airport (OAK) facility in California. Ramirez has 15 years of aviation industry experience, most recently as Atlantic Aviation’s Hayward, Calif., facility. He also has held management positions with Signature Flight Support and served with American Airlines.
John Hazlet, a 47-year aviation veteran who currently is vice president and director of safety with Ameriflight, is retiring this month. He has spent 28 years with the Burbank, Calif.-based air cargo carrier, serving as vice president of flight, vice president of maintenance, director of operations and director of training. He has held management positions at three other aviation companies, and spent more than two decades as the chief instructor of the aviation program at Pasadena City College. An FAA-designated pilot examiner, he has amassed more than 20,000 hr.
Lufthansa and NetJets on Monday will unveil an expansion of their Private Jet offering into North America less than a year after reviving their partnership in Europe, Aviation Week has learned. The two operators launched Private Jet in 2005 but dissolved the relationship at the end of 2007 when the German airline decided to purchase its own executive jets. The partnership was revived in March 2011 when NetJets returned to provide small, medium and large business jet capacity across Europe for Lufthansa’s fixed-fee service.
Max-Viz and Helijet of Vancouver, B.C. Canada are collaborating on the installation of the Max-Viz EVS-1500 enhanced vision system on three S-76 helicopters supporting emergency medical service operations under contract with the B.C. government.
NIDAL SAMMUR was promoted to director of engineering for FlightSafety International’s simulation facility in Broken Arrow, Okla. Sammur joined FlightSafety in 1992 and has held positions of increasing responsibility in engineering at the Broken Arrow facility since. He most recently was staff scientist.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-400 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-1418; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-187-AD] – proposes to require installing spring clips and repositioning the lanyard attachment points at the forward end and the forward firefloor of the lower cowl. This proposed AD was prompted by chafing on high pressure fuel lines due to improper installation of an expandable pin on the lower cowl assembly. FAA is proposing this AD to prevent chafing of the high pressure fuel lines, which if not corrected, could cause fuel leakage in a fire zone.
Bombardier received an order from Geneva-based operator PrivatAir for five CS100 airliners and options for five more. The firm order is valued at $309 million, but that could increase to $636 million with options. PrivatAir operates both commercial and business aircraft in charter and private airline services. It provides business class flights on behalf of several major network airlines. PrivatAir says the CS100 will be used for route expansion.
Sikorsky Aircraft selected Spectrum Associates as a member of a newly-formed team to build the S-97 Raider helicopter that is slated for first flight and U.S. military evaluation in 2014. Spectrum will design and integrate fuel system components. Spectrum, which will perform the work at its Milford, Conn., facility, has served as a preferred Sikorsky supplier for more than 40 years.
AGUSTA Model AB139 and AW139 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2012-0013; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-043-AD] – proposes to require, for affected helicopters, replacing a certain generator control unit (GCU) with an airworthy GCU. This proposed AD was prompted by laboratory tests which revealed a potential fault in the overvoltage protection on a certain part-numbered GCU.
MARK DENNEN was appointed CFO for Solairus Aviation. Dennen most recently was CFO for Key Air, and before that was senior vice president of TAG Aviation US and senior vice president and CFO at ACM Aviation. He also has served as an audit supervisor at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
