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.
Satair USA closed on its $30 million acquisition of aviation battery distributor Aero Quality Sales (AQS). National law firm Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry assisted in the sale on behalf of its client Satair, which is a global supplier of aircraft parts and services. AQS will continue operating in its existing sales and service centers in Stamford, Conn., and London for the time being. But its sales activities will be integrated into Satair’s global sales organization.
Jetnet has signed Cessna Aircraft as the launch customer for its Jetnet iQ premium advisory service. Under the deal, Cessna has access to the full range of database details, including quarterly state-of-the-industry reports and the ability to insert unique questions into Jetnet iQ’s Global Business Aviation Surveys.
Kansas State University Salina’s professional pilot program secured a five-year renewal on its accreditation from the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI). AABI is the only professional, specialized accrediting organization approved by the Council on Higher Education to accredit aviation professional programs at universities in the U.S. Only 26 of the more than 100 universities and colleges with aviation programs in the nation have earned the accreditation.
ViaSat was selected by Bombardier Aerospace to provide airborne communications terminal equipment as part of a new high-speed Internet option on Global 5000 and Global 6000 aircraft. The Bombardier option combines the ViaSat VMT-1500 shipset along with the EMS Aviation CNX-200 router to provide an office-in-the-sky connection for business aviation passengers.
Cello Aviation, a U.K.-based charter operator, recently completed a six-week tour of Europe on behalf of the U.S. rock guitarist Carlos Santana. The musician used Cello’s Avro Business Jet for the tour.
Doctor, pilot and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) was selected for the National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA) 2011 Al Ueltschi Award for Humanitarian Leadership in recognition of his life-saving efforts worldwide, and the importance of business aviation to those endeavors. Frist has continued his regular medical mission trips worldwide since his retirement from the Senate in 2007.
Up to eight out of 10 would-be pilots fail to complete their training, says Ken Kaplan, a former King Schools executive who recently joined Vaughn College to head a new Aviation Outreach Initiative. Calling the dropout rate abysmal, Kaplan is hoping to design a flight training program with “innovative technology” to reverse those figures. Flight training retention has been a major focus of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, which has been holding a series of regional meetings throughout the U.S. on the issue since May, including two sessions last week in Chicago.
MILLIE BECKER was named chief development officer at aviation services company FirstFlight. She will spearhead new business initiatives and will be based in Teterboro, N.J. She joins FirstFlight from Teterboro-based First Aviation Services, where she was vice president of business development. She also held executive-level sales and marketing positions with Landmark Aviation, Skyport Flight Services and Westchester Air.
