Signature Flight Support, which operates a fixed-base operation (FBO) chain of more than 100 locations worldwide, is expanding its network with a new marketing program targeting independent facilities. Under the program, titled Signature Select, Signature will team with independent brands, providing marketing and sales support, along with its customer rewards program. The facilities will retain their own brand, but display the Signature Select badge alongside their branding.
MARC MCGOWAN has joined StandardAero Business Aviation as vice president of business development, strategy and product management. McGowan will be based in Tempe, Ariz. and be responsible for implementation of a long-term strategy for the Business Aviation group and developing and managing the maintenance, repair and overhaul and upgrade services portfolios. He previously spent 20 years with Honeywell Aerospace, most recently as vice president, international defense & space in Rolle, Switzerland.
The National Transportation Safety Board this week is expected to release its preliminary report on the Oct. 4 crash of a Bell 206 helicopter into the East River in New York. One person was killed and four others injured when the helicopter, 63Q, crashed shortly after lifting off from East 34th Street heliport.
STEVE FUHR was promoted to president and CEO of SkyTrac, a provider of equipment for data, text and voice communications. Fuhr joined the company in 2009 as vice president and director of business development. He succeeds Kathleen Wallace, who remains chairman of the board.
PATRICE CHARMEY was appointed director of sales for the TBM & Co. for Daher-Socata. Charmey will be responsible for sales in Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. He has a 25-year background in the information technology sector, and moved into the aviation industry in 2009, working as director of sales with RUAG Aviation.
The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and the European Regions Airline Association (ERA) have commissioned an independent study to evaluate the potential damage to business aviation and intra-European airlines should the European Commission (EC) go ahead with its plans to amend the current slot-allocation regulation.
Conklin & de Decker will hold its 12th Annual Aircraft Acquisition and Planning Seminar in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Dec. 6-7 at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort. The seminar is designed to help the aircraft buyer, owner or aviation professional understand how to make informed aircraft purchasing and owning decisions. The seminar will cover federal and state taxes associated with aircraft acquisitions, depreciation and like-kind exchanges, as well as the analysis behind the various financing alternatives and ownership structures. Price is $795 for people who register by Nov.
The South African Air Force has awarded ExecuJet South Africa Maintenance the contract for product support services for its fleet of Dassault Falcons. The company has handled the South African Air Force (SAAF) VIP Squadron with maintenance support for their fleet of aircraft for the past 13 years.
Gulfstream Aerospace tapped company veteran Scott Neal to succeed Larry Flynn as senior vice president of marketing. Flynn became president of Gulfstream on Sept. 1. Neal has been with Gulfstream for 17 years and has been a top sales executive in both Gulfstream’s Eastern and Central U.S. regions. “Scott knows the company, the product and the people of Gulfstream and has a superb reputation outside the company,” says Flynn. Neal most recently had served as division vice president for the Central U.S. since early 2010.
Cessna Aircraft is taking aim at Embraer’s Phenom 100 with last week’s unveiling of its newest light business jet, the Citation M2. The M2, the company says, is designed to bridge the gap between the Citation Mustang and the venerable CJ family.
The Quest Kodiak has just finished a three-week demonstration tour in Brazil, the Caribbean and Latin American countries. The aircraft was seen by a variety of potential customers, including government, paramilitary, fire and rescue operations, Part 135 and personal use operators. The executive-configured Kodiak departed from its home base of Sandpoint, Idaho on Aug. 25. After stops in Puerto Rico and Trinidad, the aircraft landed in Manaus, Brazil and began a series of static displays and customer demos.
Embraer’s Executive Operators Meeting for North American Legacy operators allowed for the first time attendees to earn 5.5 hr. of FAA acceptable training toward an Inspector Authorization license renewal. The 10th annual meeting, held in Colorado Springs, Colo., had 110 attendees, including operators, Embraer teams and suppliers.
BRP-POWERTRAIN (Rotax) Model 914 F2, 914 F3 and 914 F4 engines [Docket No. FAA-2011-1022; Directorate Identifier 2011-NE-20-AD] – This proposed AD would require the replacement of certain fuel-pressure regulators with new parts. This proposal, which resulted from an MCAI issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency, was prompted by the discovery of manufacturing deviations on the threads of a certain batch of fuel-pressure regulators installed on Rotax 914 F series engines.
A Beechcraft 1900D aircraft operated by Nepal’s Buddha Air crashed in the Kathmandu Valley on Sept. 25, killing all 19 people on board. Flight BHA-103 lost contact with the Tribhuvan International Airport tower in the capital of Kathmandu at 7:31 a.m. local time, soon after it had made a flight around Mount Everest. It crashed 4 min. later about 15 km (9.5 mi.) south of the airfield, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). The twin turboprop plane was broken into pieces, and the rescue efforts were hampered by bad weather.
The Wichita Aero Club wants to ensure the world knows that the Midwestern city is still the air capital of the world. To that end, the club is creating a new logo that will be unveiled at the upcoming National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) annual convention. The old logo is dated, says club Executive Director David Franson. “We saw an opportunity had arisen, with an uptick in business aviation, and we wanted to take advantage of that,” he says.
Avfuel Corporation has expanded its branded dealer network to include Monterey Jet Center at California’s Monterey Peninsula Airport, providing the FBO with fuel and service solutions, as well as marketing and branding support. Monterey Jet Center’s facility includes 200,000 sq. ft. of hangar space with the ability to house aircraft up to the size of a DC-9. The 10-acre ramp can accommodate the largest corporate aircraft. A variety of amenities are available to pilots and passengers.
The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) has become a member of the Air Charter Association of North America (ACANA), which was founded to foster the air charter industry by promoting best practices and educating consumers about the benefits of private aviation. “While ACANA membership includes leading Part 135 and Part 121 air carriers, it was originally founded for and continues to consist predominantly of air charter brokers,” says ACANA Chairman David McCown.
Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) is offering new interiors in its Beechcraft Baron and Bonanza airplanes. The new interiors are designed to improve cabin comfort and functionality, the company says, adding that features found in luxury automobiles inspired them. The interior upgrade includes an automatic climate control system and an LED external lighting package. New interior features will be phased into production in the second quarter of 2012.
GULFSTREAM Galaxy and Gulfstream 200 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0646; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-224-AD; Amendment 39-16814; AD 2011-20-04] – Replace certain nuts and conduct a one-time radiographic inspection of certain airframe locations for cracked nuts, replacing any damaged nuts found. This AD, which resulted from an MCAI originated by the civil aviation authority of Israel, was prompted by the discovery of cracked nuts on the aircraft production line during a routine post-assembly inspection.
FAA will be “knocking on some of your doors very soon” seeking participation in a new aviation rulemaking committee (ARC) on aeronautical knowledge training and testing materials, says FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. FAA is forming the ARC to obtain recommendations on improving the materials. The effort is part of the agency’s five-year plan to transform GA safety, Babbitt says. “We don’t have all the answers for GA safety, so we need your help,” he says.
PIPER AIRCRAFT PA-23, PA-31 and PA-42 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0218; Directorate Identifier 2009-CE-006-AD; Amendment 39-16820; AD 2009-13-06 R1] – Lubricate all nose baggage door latching and locking components and inspect for damage, wear, corrosion or non-conformity of these components. Replace life-limited components and install or inspect, as applicable, the nose baggage compartment placard. Verify that the baggage door key can only be removed from the lock while in the locked position.
The Harbin Aircraft Y12F, which has completed several test flights, is expected to achieve Chinese certification next September, according to Li Xiaodong, senior business manager for marketing of Harbin parent company Avicopter. The Y12F is substantially different from the Y12E model. The latest model has a new wing, with no external struts, and a new fuselage with a more spacious cabin that is 1.8 meters high and 1.9 meters wide. Li says earlier models of the Y12 had no overhead luggage bins, but the Y12F does along one side.
Opposition continues to grow against President Obama’s proposed $100 air traffic control per-flight fee as a grass-roots petition, “Take User Fees Off the Table,” generates thousands of signatures, dozens of mayors express their concerns about the user fee to the president and a cargo association estimates that the fee could cost its members $20 million.
DWAYNE WILLIAMS joined night-vision goggle specialist Aero Dynamix. He has 28 years of experience with Bell Helicopter Textron as an experimental test pilot, director of flight operations and chief pilot. He also has served as chief pilot for Heritage Aviation and MD Helicopters. His aviation career began as a warrant officer in the U.S. Army.
Representatives from 21 countries signed a declaration opposing the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). The declaration, signed in New Delhi on Sept. 30, included representatives from North and South America, Asia and Africa, including the U.S., Japan, India, Russia, China, Argentina and the U.A.E.
