Hawker Beechcraft has named the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Insurance Agency (AOPAIA) as the preferred insurance broker for Beechcraft Baron and Bonanza products in the U.S. AOPAIA will provide Beechcraft piston aircraft owners with advice on aviation insurance, as well as work to source coverage that will provide maximum value and protection, Hawker Beechcraft says.
AgustaWestland has sold three AW169 helicopters to Capitale Helicoptere of Canada, which will utilize the light-intermediate twin-engine rotorcraft to perform charter, VIP transport, utility and medevac missions. This contract marks the first Canadian order for the AW169, which is slated to make its first flight in 2012. Initial deliveries are anticipated in 2015. Headquartered just outside Quebec City, Capitale Helicoptere is building a new 58,000-sq.-ft.
TODD ELLISON was appointed director–original equipment manufacturer sales for International Communications Group (ICG). Ellison is based in ICG’s Dallas office. He joins ICG from Cobham/Chelton in Dallas, where he was satcom sales manager for the past seven years.
Israir has taken delivery of its first ATR 72-500. The aircraft, powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127M engines, is configured to carry 72 passengers. The Israeli airline’s fleet already includes three ATR 42-320s. A second ATR 72-500 was to be delivered to Israir at the end of July.
TWC Aviation, the San Jose, Calif.-based aircraft management and charter operator, has earned NBAA’s Commercial Business Flying Safety Award for compiling 26,838 hr. of accident-free flying over 11 years. Also, six TWC Aviation employees have earned NBAA Flying Safety Awards. Greg Paxson, TWC’s director of maintenance, received the Maintenance/Avionics Technician Flying Safety Award for 21 accident-free years.
TODD SIMMONS was promoted to executive vice president, sales and marketing for Cirrus Aircraft. Simmons is responsible for managing the Cirrus Aircraft brand globally and for all sales and marketing activities. Simmons joined Cirrus in early 2008 as vice president of marketing and has more than 20 years of sales, marketing and business management experience. Cirrus says the appointment coincides with the merger with China Aviation Industry General Aircraft, Co.
JAMES UNIACKE was appointed head of asset management for the International Bureau of Aviation (IBA). Uniacke will be responsible for leading and developing IBA’s managed aircraft portfolio. He comes from Focus Aviation, where he was head of asset management.
Jet Aviation’s facility in Sorocaba, Brazil, recently completed its first “large” inspection on a Gulfstream G200 aircraft. The inspection was completed as the facility expanded its Brazilian Agência Nacional de Aviaçâo civil repair station approvals to cover line maintenance services on G500, G550 and GIV aircraft, in addition to the G200. The first G200 inspection was completed with the support of a Gulfstream supervisor. Based on Sorocaba Airport about 54 mi. from Sao Paulo, Jet Aviation Sorocaba was established in 2009. The remodeled 24,000-sq.-ft.
CESSNA 337 series and F 337 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0450; Directorate Identifier 2011-CE-010-AD; Amendment 39-16758; AD 2011-15-11] – Inspect the wings for internal and external damage, repair any damage, reinforce the wings, install operational limitation placards in the cockpit and add limitations to the Airplane Flight Manual supplement. This AD was issued to detect and correct wing damage and prevent overload failure of the wing due to the installation of Flint Aero, Inc. wing tip auxiliary fuel tanks.
The Gulfstream G650 will be subject to special certification conditions designed to ensure that the airplane’s engine mounts and supporting structures can withstand a limit engine torque load imposed by sudden engine stoppage due to malfunction or structural failure. FAA notes, “Worst-case engine-seizure events have become increasingly more severe with increasing engine size because of the higher inertia of the rotating components.
Mahindra Aerospace and Mahindra Satyam, the aerospace manufacturing and engineering units of India’s Mahindra Group, last week signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a partnership with Eurocopter and its Indian subsidiary, Eurocopter India. The partnership will focus on manufacturing of subassemblies, engineering and customization of civil helicopters, and the joint development of products for specific market segments. Details of the partnership will be decided in the coming months, a Mahindra official says.
Bell Helicopter is selling TrueView Enhanced Vision Systems products worldwide under its Aeronautical Accessories brand. TrueView’s infrared thermal-imaging system, which is designed for use in darkness or low-light/low-visibility conditions, is certificated in the U.S. and Canada for installation on Bell 206B and 206L rotorcraft. TrueView is developing similar systems for other helicopters, including the Bell 407 and 429.
Hawker Beechcraft Global Customer Support has partnered with KPAK and AC Systems to offer an improved automatic cabin climate control system for the Beechcraft Bonanza. Hawker Beechcraft says CabinComfortPlus “brings automotive-style cabin climate control to our piston product line.” The aircraft maker notes that the new system, which weighs 40 lb. less than the Bonanza’s existing cooling unit, automatically switches between heating and cooling to maintain the desired temperature.
DENNIS HILDRETH was named manager of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) sales for Aircell. Hildreth will be responsible for managing the company’s ongoing relationship with business aircraft manufacturers. He comes from Rockwell Collins, where he was principal marketing manager of light information solutions.
OSHKOSH, Wis.—Last week’s Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture marked the end of an era as EAA Chairman Tom Poberezny announced his retirement, effective Aug. 1, from the organization his father Paul started in 1958. Poberezny was named president and CEO of the organization in 1989, and has served as chairman of AirVenture since 1977. His accomplishments at EAA include overseeing the organization’s first major capital campaign, created to build the current EAA Aviation Center headquarters and museum complex at Wittman Regional Airport.
Kestrel Aircraft founder and CEO Alan Klapmeier estimates that it will be three years before the startup company brings its high-speed business aviation turboprop to market. The aircraft, based on the platform of the now-defunct Farnborough F1 high-speed turboprop, will be built at a former U.S. Navy base in Brunswick, Maine, in a leased 170,000-sq.-ft., state-of-the-art hangar built by the U.S. government in 2004.
A draft advisory circular (AC) is drawing concerns that FAA may be expanding electronic flight bag (EFB) approval requirements to more Part 91 operations. The draft AC 120-76B is designed to provide guidance on approval and use of EFBs for aircraft operating under Part 91, Subpart F (large turbine multi-engine aircraft) and suggests that other Part 91 operators review the guidance.
The National Business Aviation Association warned members Friday that the Transportation Department’s new limits on the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program likely would take effect Tuesday (Aug. 2), enabling real-time public tracking of most business aircraft by tail numbers. The association, along with Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, are still pushing forward with their lawsuit to overturn the DOT program changes to the program.
General Dynamics Chairman Jay Johnson, noting that Gulfstream’s four G650 test aircraft “are busily progressing toward certification,” remains optimistic that Gulfstream will meet its goal of delivering 10-12 green G650s this year.
PAULO PENIDO PINTO MARQUES joined Embraer as chief financial officer. He takes over for Cynthia Marcondes Ferreira Benedetto, who left the company to pursue personal endeavors. Marques has worked with a range of financial organizations, such as Citibank, BankBoston, and J.P. Morgan, and large Brazilian industries, including Usiminas, Cosipa and CSN.
LYCOMING/SUPERIOR AIR PARTS engines [Docket No. FAA-2011-0547; Directorate Identifier 2011-NE-13-AD; Amendment 39-16757; AD 2011-15-10] – Remove certain fuel servos from service, as specified in AVStar Fuel Systems Mandatory Service Bulletin AFS-SB6, Rev. 2 (dated April 6, 2011). This AD, which was prompted by an accident involving a Piper PA32R-301, is intended to prevent an inflight engine shutdown due to a failed fuel servo diaphragm. FAA estimates that this directive will affect 60,000 engines installed on aircraft on the U.S. Registry and cost U.S.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is expecting to receive a final contract offer from Hawker Beechcraft early this week. The existing contract is set to expire Aug. 7.
Soloy Aviation Solutions has been awarded a contract by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to outfit two of the agency’s Cessna 206 aircraft with Soloy’s wing-mount observation camera platform. The CHP contract is Soloy’s first for the new camera mount, which provides cameras with an unobstructed 360-degree view, according to the manufacturer. The mount also enables the camera to be placed outboard of the wing strut in a location that is away from the hot exhaust trail and minimizes vibration to and from the airframe.
