KARIN-JOYCE TJON was appointed CFO for Hawker Beechcraft, where she will be responsible for the management and direction of the company’s finance and accounting organization. She comes from Alvarez & Marsal, a global professional services firm, where she was a managing director.
DEREK ZIMMERMAN was named to the newly created position of vice president, product support materials for Gulfstream Aerospace, where he will oversee the material supply chain, parts sales and worldwide parts distribution for the company’s product support organization. He formerly served with Piper Aircraft, where he was vice president of supply chain and aftermarket development.
Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) is expected to propose an extension to the FAA’s operating authority, changing the expiration date to the end of the calendar year in a bill that does not immediately appear controversial.
A House panel is recommending $12.6 billion for the FAA in fiscal 2012, increasing the agency’s budget by $233 million over fiscal 2011 and fully funding the next generation air traffic modernization system, according to the House transportation appropriations subcommittee. And although it is a $485 million cut relative to what President Obama proposed in February, any kind of increase over fiscal 2011 seems remarkable in an environment where deficit reduction has become the focus of Capitol Hill.
Diamond Aircraft has resumed flight-testing of its D-Jet prototypes, following the temporary grounding in late March that stemmed from a cash shortfall and led to furloughs of most people working on the single-jet program. The one-hour flight of D-Jet 003, its first flight since March 27, included shakedown of aircraft systems, control sweeps, gear cycling, flap cycling, verification of navigation equipment and software, several touch-and-goes and completion of some control-system test points, according to the company.
KEN MOON was appointed regional manager, aircraft sales division for Innotech-Execaire Aviation Group. He will oversee Cessna Citation sales and brokerage of used aircraft worldwide. He has worked with several business aircraft companies, both as an employee and owner. He joins Innotech with a background in business aircraft operations and technical support, particularly in Western Canada.
FAA has approved modifications to a $1.16 billion, three-part plan for terminal construction and runway expansion at Broward County’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Demolition of properties to extend the South Runway (9R-27L) to 8,000 ft. and widen it to 150 ft. is scheduled for later this year or early 2012. The runway extension will require construction of bridges over a railroad and U.S. Highway 1. The bridges will be about 60 ft. high at the eastern end and offer a 45-ft. clearance for the rail cars.
JONATHAN BURLS was named director of maintenance for Miami-based aircraft charter and management company Executive Air Services. He previously had founded Reliable Jet Maintenance, a Part 145 repair station located in Boca Raton, Fla.
Comlux Aruba N.V. registered a Boeing 767-200ER in Aruba under registration marks P4-CLA. The aircraft will be based in Zurich, Switzerland, as part of Comlux VVIP fleet. This aircraft is the fourth aircraft registered by Comlux in Aruba as part of their strategic cooperation with The Registry of Aruba. The aircraft will later be added to Comlux Aruba AOC, which is pending certification from the Department of Civil Aviation of Aruba.
General aviation groups were urging members to be on the alert as the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 drew near. That warning stemmed in part from the Sept. 3 alert issued by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which stated, “While there is no specific or credible intelligence that al-Qaida or its affiliates are plotting attacks in the U.S.
The bi-partisan “super committee” kick off last week appeared mostly pro forma with little discussion of specific possible deficit-reduction measures or ways to raise revenue. General and business aviation advocates plan to closely watch the progress of the committee because user fees and possible lengthening of corporate aircraft depreciation periods had been on the table as possible ways to raise revenue to help the nation reduce its debt. The White House in particular had backed a change in the corporate aircraft depreciation schedule, from five years to seven years.
LYCOMING reciprocating engines [Docket No. FAA-2011-0533; Directorate Identifier 2011-NE-16-AD] – This proposed AD would require removing certain “machined-from-billet” HA-6 carburetors, inspecting them for a loose mixture control sleeve or for a sleeve that may become loose, per the instructions of Marvel-Schebler Aircraft Carburetors LLC Emergency Service Bulletin SB-18 (dated Oct. 14, 2010). Operators would need to repair or replace faulty carburetors.
Piper Aircraft is earning dividends from its efforts to increase its international reach though the recent appointments of a number of new dealers and agents, says Executive Vice President Randy Groom. The company so far has appointed nine affiliates this year, plans to name two more and is in discussions with several others in a number of regions.
Piper Aircraft is planning to lock down the design on its new single-jet Altaire in the fourth quarter, a final step before the first conforming test article flies next year. Executive Vice President Randy Groom says the project’s critical design review is “imminent,” and that no real surprises have cropped up and no significant changes have been necessary since the company revamped the design a year ago.
DOWTY R321/4-82-F/8, R324/4-82-F/9, R333/4-82-F/12, and R334/4-82-F/13 propeller assemblies [Docket No. FAA-2010-1270; Directorate Identifier 2001-NE-50-AD; Amendment 39-16788; AD 2005-25-10R1] – Perform repetitive ultrasonic inspections of the rear wall of the rear half of the propeller hub for cracks. An optional terminating action to the repetitive inspections is installation of a new hub assembly. This AD was issued to prevent propeller hub failure due to cracks in the hub, which could result in loss of control of the airplane.
DORNIER 328-100 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0912; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-035-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to modify the power-lever control box and revise certain procedures in the Airplane Flight Manual. This proposal, which resulted from an MCAI originated by the European Aviation Safety Agency, was prompted by several runway-excursion incidents and an accident in which the power lever could not be operated as intended during the landing rollout. FAA estimates that this proposed AD would affect 20 aircraft on the U.S. Registry and cost U.S.
Magellan Jets is expanding into the Chinese market with its private jet and concierge services. Magellan initially is offering a “Cultural Education” charter service, designed for the transport of Chinese citizens. Magellan Jets also will provide help with personal letters of invitation and consultations for U.S. visa applications and EB-5 investor immigration business opportunities, which provide green cards for Magellan’s clients. Magellan Jets appointed Stephen Huntsman as global advisor and chief business development-director of sales for the Asia market.
PAUL PFAFFENBERGER has joined Phoenix Heliparts as engineering program manager. He will oversee all engineering projects, his focus areas being Phoenix’s STC and PMA projects for MD500 helicopters. He was a founder and engineering director of FAA-PMA parts manufacturer Extex (now a unit of Timken) that held more than 300 turbine engine approvals. Most recently, he completed contracts with Southwest Turbines, a repair station and PMA manufacturer in Phoenix.
JAMIE FIELDS was promoted to the newly created position of director, repair and overhaul services for Gulfstream Aerospace, where he will be responsible for expanding and enhancing the company’s repair and overhaul capabilities worldwide, particularly for components. Fields, who has been at Gulfstream for 26 years, was most recently senior manager of maintenance, repair and overhaul.
Embraer has partnered with Aircraft Performance Group (APG) to expand the iPreFlight operations software for the iPad by including in the service a new region and new aircraft from the Embraer Executive Jets portfolio. Embraer launched iPreFlight in May for North American customers operating the Phenom 100 and 300, and now the tool is available to Brazilian customers at Apple App Stores.
Hawker Beechcraft Global Customer Support (GCS) has chosen the sites for the West Coast and Northeast bases for its Mobile Technical Support team’s current fleet of ground support vehicles. The company announced the addition of support vehicles earlier this year. The West Coast base will cover Arizona, Nevada and California, while a second unit in the Northeast will support operators in New York, New Jersey and Virginia. The vehicles, in addition to a dedicated support aircraft, are equipped to provide quick response to unexpected service issues with customer aircraft.
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