Air Lease Corp. is in talks with Boeing about the re-engining plan for the 737NG, but has questions about whether the aircraft can be competitive with the rival Airbus A320NEO (new engine option).
SEOUL, South Korea—Korean Air (KAL) has identified China and Southeast Asia as its top business jet markets, but believes Russia is coming on as an emerging market. Speaking to reporters Aug. 8 in Seoul, Keehong Woo, managing vice president and head of the passenger business division, said that while China is the main market, when it comes to Russia, “We expect more demand there.”
Jet Professionals has opened a new branch office at Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The office will provide aviation staffing services to the Middle East market. “Our Al Bateen presence allows us to better serve and support our Middle East customers and to handle this market’s current and anticipated growth,” says Hani Farag, managing director of Jet Professionals Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) & Asia. The company is working with its affiliate company in the Americas to provide universal staffing and support services.
ROBERT LUMMUS was named vice president and general manager of StandardAero Business Aviation’s Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) facility. Lummus had been acting vice president/general manager since April. He formerly served as director of operations at the facility and was responsible for profitability of engine operations, as well as overall customer satisfaction and engine growth. Before joining StandardAero, Lummus held engineering and leadership roles with McDonnell Douglas and Landmark Aviation.
LYCOMING ENGINES (L)O-360, (L)IO-360, AEIO-360, O-540, IO-540, AEIO-540, (L)TIO-540, IO-580, and IO-720 series engines [Docket No. FAA-2006-24785; Directorate Identifier 2006-NE-20-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to replace certain crankshafts. This proposal would supersede an existing directive (AD 2006-20-09), retaining all its requirements, but changing the start date of affected engine models from March 1, 1997, to Jan. 1, 1997.
Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (HBC) and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) set a template for partnership in the future growth of the company after the IAM approved the company’s five-year contract offer on Aug. 6, says HBC Chairman and CEO Bill Boisture. The contract, approved by 69% of IAM voters, marks a turnaround from the contentious negotiations and contract rejection that the company faced last fall.
Montreal-based Zenith Jet is forecasting that 11,103 business aircraft will be delivered between 2011 and 2020, with total billings of $245 billion. The business aviation management company expects to see a compounded annual growth of new aircraft deliveries from 2011 to 2016 of 15%. “Opportunities exist for OEMs to develop new clean-sheet designs as existing airframe platforms are increasingly unlikely to yield successful derivatives,” the report says.
Precision Castparts has completed its deal announced last month to acquire Primus International—a Bellevue, Wash.-based supplier of aluminum, titanium and composite aerostructure components—for $900 million in cash. Primus, formerly owned by private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners, employs 1,500 workers at sites in the U.S., Thailand, China and the U.K.
STEVE BOWLIN was named general manager of Landmark Aviation’s fixed-base operation (FBO) at Cincinnati Municipal Airport-Lunken Field (LUK). Bowlin has 20 years of general aviation experience and has spent the past four years as vice president of FBO operations for Kaz Aviation. Before that, he was general manager for both Signature Flight Support and Mercury Air Centers.
Business aircraft activity in July was down 3% from the previous month, with Part 91 and 135 segments dropping 5.8% and 0.7% respectively, according to Argus “TraQPAk” data. The fractional segment, however, was up 2.6% over June. The number of flights fell across all aircraft categories, says Argus. Small-cabin aircraft posted the smallest decline, down 1.2%, followed by turboprops, down 2.8%, midsize cabin aircraft, down 3.9%, and large-cabin aircraft, down 5.4%.
ICON Aircraft secured 143 deposits for its A5 amphibious Light Sport Aircraft during the weeklong 2011 EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wis., the company said last week, adding that it experienced “record levels of interest for sport flying.” The latest orders push the order book to position #694 and production into 2015. Icon offered a promotion during the show, lowering the deposit from $5,000 to $2,000 and donating 10% of each deposit value to the EAA Young Eagles. The promotion generated more than $28,000 for the program, which is designed to expose youth to aviation.
COSTRUZIONI AERONAUTICHE TECNAM P2006T airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0816; Directorate Identifier 2011-CE-022-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to inspect the emergency accumulator for cracks, deformities or oil leaks. If any cracks, deformities, or oil leaks were found, operators would need to replace the emergency accumulator with a serviceable part before further flight, per the instructions found in the Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecnam P2006T Maintenance Manual, 2nd Edition, Rev. 1 (dated April 27, 2011).
DeCrane Aerospace has signed an agreement to sell the assets and certain liabilities of its cabin management business to Goodrich Corp. for approximately $280 million. The DeCrane unit has been a provider of seating, furniture, veneers, interior composites and cabin management systems for business jets.
Argus has given Timsa, a Part 135 charter operator and aircraft management company based at Washington Dulles International Airport, a Platinum rating, Argus’ highest quality rating. Argus says the award only goes to “those air charter operators who have demonstrated successful implementation of industry best safety practices relative to their operations and maintenance.” Argus currently has 88 Platinum-rated operators and more than 330 Gold Plus and Gold-rated operators.
Europe has more than 3,000 airports, but only 10% of them are served by scheduled flights, says a new report by jet booker PrivateFly.com. The company lists the top 10 busiest European airports that serve business aircraft, including: Paris LeBourget, Geneva, Nice, London Luton and Rome. (See U.S. top business aviation airports on right.)
Business aviation groups lauded the recent Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA) between Canada and the European Union (EU), saying it will reduce the costs of providing and maintaining aircraft and parts in both regions. The EU and Canada exchanged diplomatic notes late last month, marking the agreement’s enactment. The accord follows the BASA that the EU and the U.S. enacted in March and began to formally implement in May.
Business aviation advocates last week were anxiously watching the appointments of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, also called the “super committee,” since the members will develop recommendations for either budget cuts or revenue-raising measures to meet debt-ceiling reduction targets. At stake are possible aviation user fees, which were discussed during the recent debt-ceiling negotiation. Also, senior congressional and administration officials have targeted business jet depreciation has been cited as an example of an “egregious” tax loophole.
Aspen Avionics has unveiled its “Connected Panel” technology, designed to integrate aviation application data from personal hand-held devices on the iPhone and Android platforms with certified avionics installed in an aircraft’s panel. The technology includes hardware, software and application components that provide two-way wireless communications between panel avionics and personal smart devices to streamline flight-related activities. This technology is enabled via Aspen’s Evolution flight displays.
The recently formed Caribbean Fixed-Base Operators Alliance (CFBOA) is hoping to raise the visibility of FBOs in the Caribbean, as well as coordinate efforts between the businesses in regional marketing, organizers say. CFBOA began to organize with nine members after last year’s National Business Aviation Association meeting in Atlanta, says Debby Aharon, general manager and vice president of business development for the Provo Air Center, based in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos.
Cutter Flight Management has added a Challenger 604 to its charter fleet, reportedly in response to client demand for large, long-range aircraft to support nonstop coast-to-coast, transoceanic and international flights. The aircraft, operating under Cutter Flight Management’s Part 135 air carrier operating certificate, is based at Cutter Aviation’s facility at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, although the aircraft will support departures from most regional and national airport locations, based on availability.
A delay in setting a fuel-efficiency metric to measure aircraft CO2 emissions could open the door for environmental groups to push for stricter standards. An International Civil Aviation Organization working group has sent rival metric proposals to a steering group that meets in September, and is now targeting 2015 instead of 2013 as the date for completing a standard.
DON EHLER is joining West Star Aviation as technical sales manager. Ehler will be based at West Star’s newest facility at Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS) in Chesterfield, Mo. He has 30 years of experience, most recently as parts and components/regional sales manager for Avmats.
An Iowa congressional delegation—including Sen. Charles Grassley (R) and Reps. Tom Latham (R), Leonard Boswell (D), Steve King (R) and Bruce Braley (D)—plan to spend at least one morning of their August recess promoting general aviation. They are scheduled to appear at a GA rally that the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) is staging Aug. 17 in concert with Rockwell Collins. Rockwell Collins President and CEO Clay Jones will host the event and will be joined by Daphne Falletti, president of Goodrich Corp.’s Engine Components division.
FAA is reintroducing cockpit familiarization education for air traffic controllers on a voluntary basis. Under the Flight Deck Training program, controllers will be permitted to ride with commercial pilots in aircraft cockpits to gain a better understanding of the pilots’ experience and cockpit workload. “This program gives our new generation of air traffic controllers a chance to see and hear what the pilot is experiencing so they know exactly what is happening on the other end of the microphone,” says FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt.
