Women in Aerospace will hold a forum Sept. 8 to discuss how safety and security has changed for both commercial and general aviation since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The forum is being held at Washington Reagan National Airport’s Terminal A from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The panel will be moderated by Lillian Ryals, executive director, next generation air transportation system for The MITRE Corp., which along with Boeing is sponsoring the event.
MONTREAL—Interiors and heavy maintenance company Avianor is considering breaking into the aircraft recycling business by building a multimillion-dollar facility at Montreal Mirabel International Airport in Quebec.
RICHARD EFFORD was named assistant vice president of legislative affairs for the Aerospace Industries Association. Efford formerly served as a staff member on the House Appropriations Committee, where he helped develop Transportation Department appropriations legislation. He also oversaw elements of the Navy budget, including aircraft procurement. Efford most recently was a partner at Flagship Government Relations of Arlington, Va., where he focused on defense, homeland security and transportation issues.
Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) has begun working with owner clubs to establish a user-friendly, operations data-sharing service. NIAR is rolling out the effort after working with the American Bonanza Society (ABS) on a pilot program.
West Star Aviation’s facility in East Alton, Ill., was appointed an authorized service center for Embraer Phenom 100 and 300 aircraft. West Star Aviation’s St. Louis location also is covered by the appointment. They join West Star Aviation’s Dallas and Grand Junction, Colo. facilities, which were among the initial Phenom service centers appointed by Embraer 2006.
Rockwell Collins is in talks with Inmarsat to become the sole lead to develop, produce and distribute user terminals for the satellite communications provider’s proposed Ka-band inflight connectivity system. The system, dubbed Global Xpress (GX), is scheduled for rollout in 2014, a year after the launch of the first Inmarsat-5 satellite, which is scheduled for mid-2013. The two companies, meanwhile, expect their agreement in principle to become a definitive deal later this year.
The list of approved gateway locations for direct business aircraft flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) continues to expand with the recent Transportation Security Administration approval of Cutter Aviation’s facility at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Cutter Aviation is the second fixed-base operation in Arizona to be approved to serve as a gateway as part of the DCA Access Standard Security Program. The addition pushed the total approved gateways to nearly 80 facilities nationwide. The approval was formally granted Aug.
California’s Senate followed an Assembly vote last week and approved a bill to exempt state flight training organizations from fees and reporting requirements recently implemented by the Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education. The California Senate approved its version of the bill, SB 619, back in May, but had to vote on a version of the bill that included some technical corrections, including a clause making the bill effective immediately after being signed by Gov. Jerry Brown (D).
Skynet, which this spring developed an online platform for fixed-base operation (FBO) and handling agent services pricing, has expanded the application to ease the trip-request process and management of services. The company launched the platform earlier this year, signing on Jet Aviation as one of its initial clients.
Russia’s Upcast Media has released JetBook, a dedicated iPad app designed to enable users to evaluate and compare business jets. Upcast, which has a background in business aviation and publishing, found the comparison process cumbersome, says co-founder Ivan Veretennikov. The JetBook app provides mobility, detailed information and one-touch comparisons, he says. The Lite version of JetBook was designed to let people explore the functions before buying the full version, says Veretennikov.
Scott Beale, former president, founder and co-owner of FlightWorks, acquired Waterford, Mich.-based business jet service provider Aerodynamics, Inc. (ADI), and its subsidiary ADI Shuttle Group. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. ADI provides a variety of services, including corporate shuttles, charter, aircraft management and maintenance, repair and overhaul. The headquarters will remain at Oakland County International Airport, but plans call for expansion into the Atlanta region in the fall.
Carmanah Technologies was selected to provide its solar LED lighting systems for a remote airfield in British Columbia, Canada. The Northern Canadian Tsay Keh Dene First Nation, a rural Canadian First Nations community, opted for the airfield lights to help supply and medevac aircraft navigate to a remote 4,500-ft. runway located on the northern end of the Williston Reservoir in British Columbia. The solar-powered airfield project was one of two efforts funded by the Canadian government’s Innovative Clean Energy Fund.
Although Bombardier’s business aircraft backlogs remain healthy, the Learjet line continues to face headwinds as worldwide economic uncertainty continues. “High-net-worth individuals remained in the market,” says Bombardier Aerospace President Guy Hachey during an earnings call last week. “The Challenger and Global series are doing quite well.” Backlog for the Global series stood at 36 months of production in the second quarter, while those for the Challenger series were at 15 months of production.
DAVID LASKOWSKI was appointed North Sea development manager for Bristow Helicopters. Based in Aberdeen, Scotland, Laskowski will be responsible for day-to-day management of up to 250,000 passenger movements annually through the Integrated Aviation Consortium (IAC) contract. He has held management roles in safety, commercial and helicopter operations. He joined Bristow in 2001 as a facilities and special projects officer in the Gulf of Mexico. Most recently, he was regional sales manager for Bristow’s North American business unit.
TheJetService.com has launched a web-based company designed to simplify all aspects of arranging airport and ground support services. The new company is the brainchild of aviation specialist Gary Langhorn, who has worked at Servisair, First Choice Airways and Harrods Aviation.
FRANCIS (CHIP) SHELLER has joined Aerospace Industries Association as vice president of communications. Sheller has more than 20 years of experience, most recently as vice president of communications and government relations for Thales USA. He also was senior vice president at Hill & Knowlton, where he represented clients including Lockheed Martin Corporation, L-3 and the Nuclear Energy Institute.
AGUSTA A109A and A109AII helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2011-0861; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-092-AD; Amendment 39-16778; AD 2011-17-14] – Conduct a one-time inspection to determine the tightening torque value of the tail-rotor hub plug, per the instructions of Agusta Mandatory Alert Bulletin No. 109-132 (dated Oct. 22, 2010). Depending on the inspection results, replace certain parts or disassemble the tail-rotor hub and blades assembly and inspect for damage.
Christopher Hart was sworn in late last month for a second two-year term as National Transportation Safety Board vice chairman. His new term as vice chairman runs through Aug. 24, 2013. His current five-year term on the board, however, is set to expire Dec. 31, 2012. A longtime pilot, Hart first served with the NTSB from 1990-1993 and rejoined the agency in August 2009. He also has served with FAA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
JOEY CRAWFORD has joined Jet Source as chief inspector for the aircraft maintenance and avionics department. Crawford has more than 36 years of industry experience, having served with PSA/USAir, Flight Trails, West Coast Jets and most recently Crownair Aviation. He also has operated a Bonanza service facility.
Hawaii is benefitting from U.S. government efforts to kick-start an advanced biofuels industry and reduce its dependence on imported oil. While Honeywell company UOP has begun construction of a biofuel demonstration plant in Hawaii, backed by $25 million in funding from the Department of Energy, a $510 million government initiative to produce aviation and marine biofuels has highlighted the need to create a supply chain on the island state. On behalf of the U.S.
Hawker Beechcraft appointed ExecuJet in Lanseria, South Africa, as an authorized service center for Beechcraft King Air products. The appointment builds on the Wichita airframer’s existing relationship with ExecuJet. In 2010, Hawker Beechcraft appointed ExecuJet Lanseria an authorized service center for its Hawker product line. ExecuJet also serves as an authorized service center for Hawker Beechcraft in Dubai, UAE and Sydney, Australia.
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) have asked the U.S. Court of Appeals to find that FAA acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” when the agency decided to dramatically scale back the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program. The associations made that request in opening briefs filed last week with the court as part of their lawsuit to overturn the BARR policy change, which enables flight-tracking programs to display near-real-time movements of business aircraft.
