Theodore (Teddy) J. Forstmann, the senior founding partner of Forstmann Little & Co. and former owner of Gulfstream Aerospace, died Nov. 20 after a battle with brain cancer. He was 71. Forstmann was a longtime investor and philanthropist, and his firm made 31 major investments, including General Instrument, Dr Pepper, Topps and the sports business firm IMG, where he was chairman and CEO at the time of his death.
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association President Craig Fuller will be the featured speaker at the next meeting of the Atlanta Aero Club, scheduled for Dec. 8 at the Capital City Club in downtown Atlanta. Fuller became the fourth person to hold the position of president of AOPA in 2009 after holding senior public affairs and executive positions in business, association and government, including eight years of White House service. The luncheon costs $40 for club members and $45 for nonmembers.
Piaggio Aero Industries recently celebrated the delivery of its 100th Piaggio Aero P.180 Avanti aircraft in the U.S. The aircraft, an Avanti II, Serial Number 1216, was delivered to the Avanti’s biggest customer—fractional ownership provider Avantair, which has a fleet of more than 55 of the twin pusher-props.
FAA should refrain from creating any equipage mandates for cockpit systems that rely on data feeds from automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), an industry advisory panel recommends. The ADS-B Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) says it supports the use of ADS-B “Out,” but it believes it is far too early to consider requiring ADS-B “In.” ADS-B Out provides surveillance data for ground-based controllers, while ADS-B In provides information for use in cockpit systems.
JASON BLUST was named Learjet team leader at West Star Aviation’s Grand Junction facility in Colorado. Blust will lead maintenance projects on all Learjet aircraft.
BOMBARDIER Challenger 601-3A, 601-3R and 604 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-1223; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-173-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to replace the air-driven generator (ADG) generator control unit (GCU), per the instructions of Bombardier Service Bulletin 605-24-003 and 604-24-023 (both dated April 25, 2011).
Gulfstream’s service center in Appleton, Wis., recently earned an approved maintenance organization designation from Saudi Arabia. With this approval, Saudi-registered aircraft can undergo maintenance, repairs, alterations and inspections at the 275,000-sq.-ft. Part 145 repair station. Gulfstream’s Savannah Service Center in Georgia and Luton Service Center in England are also Saudi-authorized maintenance facilities.
KEN RICE was promoted to director of maintenance for West Star Aviation. Rice previously was Gulfstream/Learjet program manager for West Star. In his new role, he will oversee all maintenance functions at the Grand Junction, Colo., facility.
FAA has issued additional special conditions for the hydrophobic windshield coating that is used on Gulfstream’s new G650 aircraft in place of windshield wipers. The coating is designed to keep the windshield clear during precipitation. “Sole reliance on such a coating, without windshield wipers or a windshield blower, constitutes a novel or unusual design feature for which the applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards,” FAA says.
Piaggio Aero has delivered the first P.180 Avanti II aircraft to JSC FIS, the Russian company that provides flight inspection and calibration services in the Russian Federation. JSC FIS and Piaggio Aero also jointly announced a new contract for five more P.180 Avanti II flight Inspection aircraft with deliveries beginning in 2012. JSC Flight Inspections and Systems is an officially authorized representative of the State Corporation for an AIR traffic management organization and performs flight inspections of ground systems and navigation aids.
Although the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction—the so-called Super Committee—failed to reach agreement last week, setting in motion automatic spending cuts without tax increases, business aviation advocates remain wary of the possibility of user fees resurfacing. The Super Committee had a Nov. 23 deadline for agreeing to recommendations for a $1.2 trillion deficit reduction, either by raising revenue, cutting spending or some combination of the two. But the failure to reach an agreement opens the door to automatic spending cuts and caps.
JEFF PATTERSON was named senior regional sales manager, product support sales, central region for Gulfstream Aerospace. He is responsible for maintenance sales to Gulfstream and non-Gulfstream operators in south Texas, including Houston, San Antonio and Austin. Patterson formerly worked for West Star for nearly eight years, primarily as a regional sales manager and also as a Falcon technical sales manager.
Professional Aviation Associates, which expanded into the rotorcraft market in March with an initial $1 million investment in rotable and airframe parts for a variety of helicopters, has increased its supply with more than $1 million for the Eurocopter EC155 and AS 365 helicopters alone. The inventory includes tail-rotor blades, brakes, wheels, servos, windshields, hardware and tooling. The expansion comes as part of the company’s stated goal to become the largest independent global supplier of parts for the rotary wing market.
BOMBARDIER Regional Jet Series 700, 701, 702, 705, 900 and 1000 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-1228; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-176-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to replace the air driven generator (ADG) generator control unit (GCU), per the instructions of Bombardier Service Bulletin 670BA-24-031 (dated May 30, 2011). This proposal, which resulted from an MCAI originated by Transport Canada, is designed to ensure that the ADG GCU transformer primary winding does not break due to thermal fatigue.
The Transportation Security Administration’s efforts to boost business aircraft operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) continue to show results. Signature Flight Support recently marked its busiest day at DCA (for business aircraft operations) since before 9/11. On Nov. 16 the facility handled 30 operations cleared through the DCA Access Standard Security Program (DASSP). This approaches the TSA’s goal of 48 daily general aviation aircraft operations at the facility and marks a significant jump over the facility’s average of about a handful a day.
40 Years Ago Nov. 29, 1971 – Texas-based Community Savings & Loan posts a foreclosure notice on Butler Aviation’s single-engine Aerostar (Mooney) manufacturing plant at Kerrville, Texas, after Butler failed to meet a $1.29 million payment. 30 Years Ago Nov. 2, 1981 – FAA agrees to changes in the controversial General Aviation Reservation (GAR) system, including a shortened window during the day when the reservations are required and the elimination of GAR filing procedures for flights operating at 29,000 ft. or above.
Diamond Aircraft’s Model DA-40NG single-engine aircraft must meet special conditions for the electronic engine control (EEC). The conditions were issued as part of Diamond’s application to amend the DA-40 type certificate to install the Austro Engine E4 diesel engine on the aircraft and boost maximum takeoff gross weight from 2,532 lb. to 2,816 lb. Diamond is using an EEC, also known as a full-authority digital electronic control, rather than a traditional mechanical control system. EEC standards, however, do not address installation on Part 23 aircraft.
MARK BENNETT was named manager of community relations for Gulfstream Aerospace. Bennett oversees community programs for Gulfstream’s 11,500 employees, such as charitable contributions, volunteering, education outreach and student leadership. Before joining Gulfstream, Bennett served with Alabama Power Company and Delta Air Lines.
FOKKER F.28 Mark 0100 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-1169; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-050-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to modify and reidentify certain main landing gear MLG units, or replace the affected MLG units with modified units. This proposal, which resulted from an MCAI originated by the European Aviation Safety Agency, is designed to prevent MLG failure, which could result in loss of control of the airplane during landing. FAA estimates that this proposed AD would affect four aircraft on the U.S. Registry and cost U.S.
Transair Center, a fixed-base operation (FBO) at Honolulu International Airport, recently opened for business. Currently operating out of a temporary facility while a new passenger terminal and lounge is under construction, Transair Center is providing a range of FBO services, including fueling, oxygen, lav service and domestic and international ground handling. The center is an Avfuel dealer and is participating in the Avfuel contract fuel and AVTRIP rewards programs. The temporary facilities include a lounge and meeting room.
Jet Aviation Dubai is ramping up to provide base maintenance for Dassault Falcon 7X airplanes by the end of this year. The maintenance engineers at the United Arab Emirates firm have completed their training and are Falcon 7X type-rated for base maintenance approval. The tooling necessary to perform such work is expected to be on site in the near future.
StandardAero has received International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001:2004 certification for its Environmental Management System (EMS). The certification covers StandardAero’s service network of 13 primary facilities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Singapore and Australia, along with sales and field service locations. The EMS is expected to yield significant environmental performance improvements, including reduced resource requirements and waste generation throughout the service production cycle.
The latest used-aircraft inventory numbers, combined with year-to-date delivery statistics for new aircraft and downgraded near-term forecasts by several aircraft manufacturers, have convinced some financial analysts that the business jet market recovery may be “losing some steam.”
Apple has issued a software update that is designed to fix a problem that unexpectedly deletes charts, approach plates and other data from iPads. The problem surfaced last month after Apple implemented its mobile operating system (iOS5) upgrade for iPads and iPhones that includes a “cleanup” feature that will delete saved data when the memory becomes low.
