RUDY QUEVEDO was named deputy director of technical programs for the Flight Safety Foundation. Quevedo formerly was director of safety for North American Airlines. He began his career as a mechanic for Eastern Airlines and has held safety roles with USAirways and JetBlue.
Talon Air, a charter and management company based at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, N.Y., has installed a perimeter-warning system in two of its hangars. The Optex system is designed to eliminate risk of damage to the aircraft and hanger during airplane entry or exit. The system uses four Redscan laser-scan detectors to warn pilots and hangar operators when a plane comes within 8 ft. of the hangar walls. The detectors, which pick up only objects 8 ft. off the ground, sense a moving object’s size, speed and distance.
The China market has become so important to Gulfstream that the U.S. aircraft-maker has decided to change the name of the Gulfstream G250 in an effort to do away with the negative connotations associated with that sequence of numbers. Instead the aircraft will be called the G280.
The Fastest Personal Jet Program Planning, conceptual design, preliminary design, systems integration, wind tunnel model, testing (2 entries) and loads analysis done around 2 Williams FJ33. Work has been completed by leading FAA Designated Engineering Representatives in Wichita, KS USA. Next step is detailed structure design. (303) 859-4618 or [email protected] Click here to view the pdf
The Nordam Group officially named Meredith Siegfried CEO, succeeding Bill Peacher and completing a transition announced last month. Peacher will continue to serve on Nordam’s board and as a financial consultant to the company. Ken Lackey, executive chairman, and Hastings Siegfried, vice chairman and COO of the Transparency Group, remain in their current positions. The election of Siegfried as CEO is one of the final pieces of the company’s long-term succession plan for its leadership.
Business aviation advocates received a setback in their efforts to preserve the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program last week after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied their motion to stop the Department of Transportation from severely limiting participation in BARR. The advocates say that they are pushing for a full hearing on the matter expeditiously. In June, DOT announced plans to effectively disable the BARR program on Aug. 2.
WC Aviation has added a 16-seat Gulfstream GV to its charter fleet. The GV is equipped with Wi-Fi installed by Duncan Aviation. The interior was refurbished this year with amenities including Airshow, a DVD/CD entertainment system, fully equipped galley with oven and microwave, and separate crew and passenger lavatories.
A branch of China’s Minsheng Bank has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Embraer for the acquisition of up to 20 business jets. The MoU between Embraer and Minsheng Financial Leasing was signed on July 19 at the aircraft manufacturer’s headquarters in Brazil. The aircraft are expected to be converted into firm orders in the next five years, says Embraer, which adds that initial deliveries could start as early as this year. Embraer has not specified which type of business jets Minsheng plans to buy.
Gulfstream Aerospace received National Aeronautic Association confirmation for a speed record set by its G150 demonstrator on a flight between Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, and Geneva. The flight beat the existing record by 37 min. Gulfstream says. Piloted by International Captains David Steinfeldt and Nick Rose, the aircraft flew the 2,464 nm between the two locations in 5 hr. and 6 min., averaging Mach 0.80. The record was set while the aircraft was en route to the 2011 European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition in May. Four passengers were aboard.
Signature Flight Support has added a base in Puerto Rico with its acquisition of Tropical Aviation Corp. of San Juan. Based at Isla Grande – Fernando L. Rivas Dominicci Airport (TJIG), the facility expands Signature’s reach into the Caribbean. TJIG, a business and general aviation airport, draws traffic that is en route to the U.S. from South America and the Caribbean. The airport includes a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility. Signature’s new base is on the south side of the airport and includes 29,000 sq. ft. of hangars and shade ports, a 6,900-sq.-ft.
Textron Chairman Scott Donnelly reiterates that this year’s National Business Aviation Association annual meeting and convention will serve as a venue for “at least one” of Cessna’s product development programs. He says the company has a number of programs under way – some are upgrades, and others will be new aircraft. But he stresses that Cessna is remaining within its current aircraft range. “It’s not a Columbus-class aircraft,” he says.
SCOTT KACZOR joined West Star Aviation as regional sales manager for the southeast territory. Kaczor will be based in Tequesta, Fla. He has nearly 30 years of corporate aviation sales experience, including serving as sales manager and regional sales manager for Bombardier.
TURBOMECA Arriel 1 engines [Docket No. FAA-2010-0710; Directorate Identifier 2010-NE-26-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to remove from service certain gas generator second-stage turbine discs before they exceed 4,000 cycles-in-service (CIS) since new. Also, operators would need to remove from service certain other gas generator second-stage turbine discs before they exceed 6,500 CIS since new.
STEPHAN KRENZ was appointed senior vice president and general manager for Jet Aviation Basel. Krenz will lead the Jet Aviation Basel facility and oversee the entire completions business in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia regions. Krenz has served as interim general manager of the Basel facility since March, and before that was with Bombardier Transportation.
A day after Wichita, Kan.-based Spirit AeroSystems announced a $53 million pre-tax charge, the company last week unveiled a major shake-up of its top management team, effectively immediately. Spirit AeroSystems named David Coleal as senior VP/general manager of the company’s fuselage segment. He will report to President and CEO Jeff Turner. He comes from Bombardier Aerospace, where he was vice president and general manager of Learjet.
AJ Walter Aviation has extended and its mechanical and avionics component repair and supply agreement with Honeywell International for five years. AJ Walter says the newest agreement has been enhanced to ensure predictable repair costs, as well as improved component availability.
A House Homeland Security Committee delegation will be making road trips in the near future to various airports to look into strengthening airport perimeter security. Rep. William Keating (D-Mass.) is spearheading these trips. The Government Accountability Office on July 13 released a report finding that the Transportation Security Administration needs to do more to ensure access controls at airports.
GAL Aviation was awarded AS9100B Quality Management Systems certification by ANAB’s / National Quality Assurance Canada. GAL produces aircraft interior parts from its 40,000-sq.-ft. facility in St. Joseph de Beauce, near Quebec City. The company specializes in customized woodwork, monuments and concepts for large-cabin business and commercial aircraft.
KETAN DESAI was promoted to vice president of sales and marketing for Precision Aviation Group (PAG). Desai joined PAG subsidiary Precision Accessories & Instruments in 2005, and most recently was director of sales and marketing. He previously was director of sales and marketing for PAG.
The issue of a single audit standard heated up recently after Joe Moeggenberg, head of one of the largest, most established audit companies, issued an “Open Letter” disputing the need for the Air Charter Safety Foundation’s (ACSF) Industry Audit Standard (IAS) as the single standard.
FlightSafety International is expanding its simulator-based night vision goggle training through a collaborative agreement with Aviation Specialties Unlimited (ASU), a company that specializes in night vision systems. The instruction—which is being added to FlightSafety’s initial, recurrent, specialty and enhancement courses designed specifically for helicopter operators— is available at FlightSafety’s learning center in Tucson, Ariz. using the new FAA Level 7-qualified AS350 Flight Training Device.
TOM LIESER was named manager of Duncan Aviation-St. Paul, the company’s avionics satellite facility in St. Paul, Minn. Lieser joined Duncan in 2003 as an avionics technician in St. Paul, and transferred to the company’s avionics satellite shop in Chicago in 2010.
July 25-31—Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture Oshkosh 2011, Oshkosh, Wis., www.eaa.org July 26-27—American Association of Airline Executives’ Seventh Annual Aviation Air Quality Conference, Embassy Suites Portland (Ore.) Downtown, www.aaae.org July 31-Aug. 2—Northeast Chapter Winter Operations & Deicing Conference and Exhibition, Renaissance Hotel, Seattle, www.aaae.org Aug. 11-13—Eighth Annual Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition, Congonhas Airport, Sao Paulo, www.abag.org.br/labace2011/
As the so-called “Gang of Six” U.S. senators continued to hammer out a compromise agreement on the debt ceiling last week in Washington, general aviation groups escalated their fight against the possibility that aviation user fees would become part of that agreement. Aviation user fees surfaced this month as possible revenue raisers to help reduce the nation’s debt, but details of what fees are under consideration remain sketchy (BA, July 18/1).
Increases in its aftermarket business, along with improved deliveries of its larger aircraft, helped Cessna Aircraft earn a $5 million profit in the second quarter, a turnaround from the $38 million loss reported in the first quarter, Cessna parent Textron said last week. But a drop off in Mustang deliveries caused the number of jet deliveries overall to fall from 43 in the second quarter of 2010 to 38 in the most recent quarter.
