Stan Younger was appointed to lead Bombardier’s aircraft service center network. Younger succeeds Michael McQuay, who is retiring in May after a 40-year career in aviation. Younger and McQuay will work closely together during a transitional period. Younger joins Bombardier with more than 20 years of experience in aircraft product support. He most recently was head of Cessna’s 10 company-owned service facilities.
Lord Corporation’s engine mount for the new Embraer 450 /500 business jet recently passed the critical design review stage. The Fluidlastic engine mounts are an integral part of the performance of the new jet. Fluidlastic mounts provide a minimum dynamic stiffness at the key engine driving frequency for optimal engine vibration attenuation that is very important for high-end business jets like the Embraer Legacy 450 and Legacy 500.
National Business Aviation Association President and CEO Ed Bolen remains encouraged that the business aviation community continues to gain allies on Capitol Hill as it continues its fight to combat the Obama administration’s proposals for a $100 per-flight user fee and other additional taxes on business aircraft. “Our industry is beginning to make its size and strength felt on Capitol Hill, and that’s important because the challenges are not going away,” Bolen says.
Oct 17-19—Air Medical Transport Conference, St. Louis, Mo. Oct. 17-20—Lockheed Martin Corp.’s 2011 Hercules Operators Conference, Renaissance Waverly Hotel, Atlanta, www.lockheedmartinpackers.com Oct. 19-20—Heli Power 2011, Five at Farnborough, England, www.shephard.co.uk Oct. 19-21—Seventh Annual International Air Transport Association’s Maintenance Cost Conference, Mandarin Orchard Hotel, Singapore, www.iata.org
All Nippon Helicopter (ANH) is expected to take delivery of the first of two AW139s equipped for electronic news gathering (ENG) and the first of the type to enter Japan’s civil helicopter fleet before the end of the year. The helicopter is already operating in Japan in government roles such as law enforcement and coast guard missions.
Fred George, senior editor at Business & Commercial Aviation magazine, is this year’s recipient of the NBAA David W. Ewald Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement and excellence in journalism. The award was presented last week during the National Business Aviation Association annual meeting and convention.
Hawker Beechcraft Global Customer Support (GCS) broke ground on a new 48,000-sq.-ft., company-owned factory service center at the General Mariano Escobedo International Airport in Monterrey, Mexico. The facility, scheduled to open in the spring, will include a 13,400-sq.-ft. paint hangar in addition to a 24,000-sq.-ft. maintenance hangar and 10,700 sq. ft. of office and customer hospitality space. The new facility will join the previously announced Hawker Beechcraft Services facility in Wilmington, Del.
Piaggio Aero obtained China Civil Aviation Authority (CAAC) approval for its P.180 Avanti and Avanti II aircraft. The approval, which culminates a process that began in 2010, clears the Avanti/Avanti II to be legally registered and operated throughout China and Hong Kong. The certification follows similar recent approvals in Brazil and Russian and Indian certification two years ago.
Wall Street analysts attending last week’s National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA) annual convention offered differing opinions on the future prospects of the industry. As demand for large-cabin business jets continues to outpace that for small- and medium-cabin aircraft, everyone is still waiting for the glimmer of hope that those segments have turned the corner, but the evidence is not yet there on any metric, says a new Bank of America/Merrill Lynch report.
Although substantial progress has been made in the past six months, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is working on two potential pilot programs to address a pair of the biggest impediments for operators to fly into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), says Doug Hofsass, TSA deputy assistant administrator for transportation sector network management.
Dassault Falcon selected the CAE Flightscape/Ruag Aviation partnership to be the preferred provider of flight data monitoring (FDM) service for all new production and in-service aircraft. “This service will enhance safety and provide regulatory compliance where required,” says Jacques Chauvet, senior vice president-customer service for Dassault Aviation.
DASSAULT Falcon 7X airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-1061; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-053-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to replace certain Ram Air Turbine (RAT) Transformer Rectifier Units (TRUs) with a modified RAT TRU, per the instructions of Dassault Aviation Mandatory Service Bulletin 7X-163 (dated Dec. 1, 2010).
SuperJet International has launched the Sukhoi Business Jet with a $200 million order for four aircraft from Comlux The Aviation Group, a leading VIP charter services company. The first two aircraft (the second two are options) will be delivered for outfitting to the Comlux Group completion center in Indianapolis early in 2014. Comlux America has been appointed as the first approved completion center for the jet.
San Francisco-based XOJet has placed an order with Hawker Beechcraft Global Customer Support for up to 12 Hawker 800XPR aircraft. The agreement includes firm orders for seven aircraft to be delivered next year and options for five more, for a total value of $50 million.
The German navy will take delivery of its first Ruag Do 228NG special-mission aircraft in the next few weeks, marking the third of the new-production aircraft to roll off the production line at Oberpfaffenhofen, near Munich. Aircraft number six is now on the line, and the seventh and eighth airframes in the first batch ordered from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. will arrive in the next few weeks. Ruag has sold seven Do 228NGs. The first two were delivered to New Central Airservice of Japan and Lufttransport of Norway.
China’s BAA Ltd has signed an investment agreement with the Tianjin Airport Development Zone, covering a 67,000-sq.-meter plot (721,182-sq.-ft.) of land within the airport’s bonded, free-trade zone. BAA plans to invest US$53.3 million in the site to build 1,100 meters (3,609 ft.) of taxiway, maintenance, parking and paint hangars, workshops, a fixed-based operator and offices. Construction is due to begin in April, with completion of all facilities and start-of-service expected by October 2013. BAA will eventually establish its own training center in Tianjin.
Tempe, Ariz.-based StandardAero’s Business Aviation unit is working to diversify the scope of its service offerings and move into international arenas. The unit’s “predominance of business” is in the U.S., concedes Marc McGowan, vice president, strategy and businesses development for Business Aviation. But McGowan adds that the company is poised to expand its international reach, beginning in Europe.
Christophe Degoumois was promoted to vice president of sales for Bombardier Aerospace. Degoumois will be responsible for sales in China, Asia-Pacific, Australia, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. He has served with Bombardier Business Aircraft for more than seven years, most recently as regional vice president-Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and CIS countries. Degoumois takes over as David Dixon retires following 33 years of service with Bombardier.
StandardAero’s Springfield, Ill., facility recently achieved recertification of its supplemental type certificate Organization Designation Authorization (ODA). Recertification is the result of a mandatory audit by FAA earlier this year conducted by FAA’s Chicago Aircraft Certification Office. The audit found the Springfield facility to have “no findings” and recertified the ODA for an additional three years.
Jeppesen has become a founding member of The Lindbergh Foundation’s Aviation Green Alliance, launched earlier this year to address environmental challenges facing the industry. The alliance provides a forum for aviation organizations to share best practices and establish innovative programs to guide environmental stewardship. Jeppesen became the fourth founding member. Other members include Bombardier, Cessna and Hawker Beechcraft.
Hamilton Sundstrand, the auxiliary power unit supplier for the new Bombardier Global 7000 and Global 8000 large, long-range business jets, has partnered with Microturbo of Toulouse, France, to develop a new generation of electrical and bleed-air auxiliary power units for the broader business jet market, as well as the new Globals. Hamilton Sunstrand is designing and developing the overall APU system, and Microturbo is designing, certifying and supplying major modules and components for the APU and its installation system.
Michael Han was promoted to the newly created position of regional vice president, China for Bombardier Aerospace. Han has 15 years of aviation industry experience, most recently as Bombardier Business Aircraft’s sales director for greater China.
GENERAL ELECTRIC CT7-8, CT7-8A, CT7-8A1, CT7-8E and CT7-8F5 engines [Docket No. FAA-2011-0392; Directorate Identifier 2011-NE-12-AD; Amendment 39-16808; AD 2011-19-03] – Install the AGB axis-A oil slinger nut to the axis-A shaft assembly, per the instructions of GE Aircraft Engines CT7-8 Service Bulletin No. CT7-8 S/B 72-0033, Rev. 1 (dated April 28, 2011).
Bell Helicopter will deliver three Model 429s to the Royal Australian Navy. The twin-engine helicopters will be used in the Navy’s Retention and Motivation Initiative, which enables junior qualified aircrew to consolidate and enhance their skills prior to flying operational helicopters. Under the terms of the four-year contract, the Bell 429s will replace existing helicopters and fly a minimum of 1,500 hr. per year.
