Walter Pague, 96, a founding member of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) predecessor organization, the Corporation Aircraft Owners Association (CAOA), died in his sleep July 1 at his home in Middletown, Ohio, NBAA reports. Pague was director of aviation for Armco Steel Corp. when he gathered with 12 other individuals at the Wings Club in New York in 1946 to lay the foundation for CAOA. Pague served on the board of directors of the association from 1947-1964 and was the first chairman of the Technical Committee.
General aviation groups last week endorsed FAA’s selection of the agency’s chief counsel, David Grizzle, to head the Air Traffic Organization (ATO) as chief operating officer, saying he has a grasp of industry concerns. FAA announced the appointment on July 7, almost three months after Henry Krakowski resigned the position after a series of embarrassing incidents involving air traffic controllers.
JDA Aviation Technology Solutions (JDA) was selected to provide its 135 Pro certification support services to Small Business Aviation Charter Services, Inc., an Ardmore, Okla.-based start-up charter operator. JDA’s 135 Pro is designed to simplify the process and lower costs associated with obtaining a Part 135 certificate. The program includes a customized web-based application and document manager for storage and support purposes.
PlaneSmart Charter has received a Part 135 certificate from FAA and will begin offering one-way and roundtrip charter flights in central and north Texas. The company is a subsidiary of aircraft ownership program PlaneSmart Aviation, based in Addison, Texas.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and National Business Aviation Association are urging federal regulators to drop a plan that would bar flight below 18,000 ft. mean sea level (MSL) over certain Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP) corridors, saying the proposal could harm aviation safety with little environmental benefit. The associations jointly filed comments on a National Park Service (NPS) Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that outlines the NPS’s preferred alternative for strengthening flight restrictions over GCNP.
Constant Aviation, a Cleveland-based aviation services company, has completed a supplemental type certificate (STC) to install Aircell’s Cabin Wireless Access Point (CWAP) on an Embraer EMB-135 corporate shuttle. CWAP provides in-cabin Wi-Fi service for the Gogo Biz Inflight Internet system. The completion of this STC marks the first Gogo Biz installation in an EMB-135 corporate shuttle.
Saab struck a deal to buy Sensis Corp. in a move to strengthen the company’s activities in the field of air traffic management, but also to expand the company’s footprint in the U.S., where it has been eager to grow. Saab is acquiring Sensis for around $155 million, with another $40 million potentially to be paid by 2014, depending on how the business performs. The Swedish aerospace firm says “the acquisition provides a growth platform from which Saab can build on the combined installed base and skills in systems engineering, design and integration.
GUILLAUME LANDRIVON was appointed vice president of worldwide spares for Dassault Aviation. Landrivon succeeds Jean Kayanakis, who is now general manager of Dassault Falcon Service. Landrivon will report to Jacques Chauvet, senior vice president of worldwide Falcon customer service, where he will lead the spare part strategy and logistics efforts to support the fleet of more than 1,800 Falcons spread throughout the world. He came to Dassault Falcon in 2004, when he was named director of customer relations and field service.
Fixed-base operation (FBO) chain Million Air secured a multiyear lease to build and operate a new FBO at Calgary International Airport. The facility, the third for Million Air in Canada, will become the 31st FBO in the chain and comes as Million Air is planning a new facility in Reno, Nev., and opens a facility in Gulfport, Miss. (BA, May 30/3).
HyperMach Europe Aeronautics is relying on revolutionary engine technology and drastic sonic-boom reduction measures to develop a supersonic business jet (SSBJ) that the firm hopes will meet the stringent regulatory standards that have served as a barrier to supersonic travel. HyperMach used the recent Paris air show to unveil its new supersonic, 10- to 20-seat business aircraft concept, the SonicStar. The company aims for certification within 10 years.
Signature Flight Support London Luton has invested in a new security screening facility that makes it the only fixed-base operator on the airport with this equipment. The system meets all U.K. Department for Transport security regulations, Signature says. The facility was designed to reduce security-screening times for departing passengers by adding an automated metal detector arch and explosive trace detector.
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association President Craig Fuller will be the featured speaker at the Wichita Aero Club’s monthly luncheon, scheduled for noon on July 12 at the Airport Hilton in Wichita.
Field Aviation, which recently completed its first major flight deck modernization on a Dash 8 Q300 maritime surveillance aircraft for the Icelandic Coast Guard, has received a contract from Air Iceland to modernize the flight decks on two “classic” series Bombardier Dash 8 Q200 aircraft. The upgrade package will include five Universal Avionics EFI-890R large-format flat-panel displays with dual Vision-1 synthetic vision systems. More than 40 existing mechanical instruments will be replaced in Air Iceland’s instrument panel and center pedestal.
LYCOMING ENGINES AND TELEDYNE CONTINENTAL MOTORS turbocharged reciprocating engines [Docket No. FAA-2011-0126; Directorate Identifier 2011-NE-03-AD; Amendment 39-16726; AD 2011-13-03] – For engines with certain Hartzell Engine Technologies, LLC (HET) turbochargers installed, disassemble and clean the center housing and rotating assembly (CHRA) cavities of affected turbochargers, per the instructions of HET Service Bulletin 040, Rev. A (dated Dec. 22, 2010).
ROB FOX was named regional sales director for StandardAero’s Business Aviation sector, where he will direct the company’s western region sales. Fox also will oversee Business Aviation’s regional sales team, which is responsible for daily interaction and support of StandardAero’s Business Aviation customers. He has served in different positions since joining the company, formerly Garrett Aviation, in 1990.
A group of California-based fixed-base operators and fuel distributors last week sought a federal court injunction to halt an effort by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) to seek enforcement actions for the distribution of leaded aviation gasoline. The FBO and fuel distributors coalition is suing CEH and the California attorney general in response to a notice of intended lawsuit against the fuel providers for violating the California Safe Drinking & Water Toxic Enforcement Act (Proposition 65).
Talon Air has added a Gulfstream V to its charter fleet. The jet will be based at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, N.Y. during the summer months and Florida’s Palm Beach International Airport during the winter season. The jet will enable Talon to better serve international destinations and offer more nonstop long-range travel options, the company says.
The National Business Aviation Association last week strengthened its ties with the Shanghai Airport Authority with the signing of a five-year agreement to hold the Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE) at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. NBAA notes that since ABACE was last held four years ago, the association has received numerous requests from cities and countries seeking to host the event. The next ABACE is scheduled for March 27-29, 2012 and is expected to attract more than 5,000 attendees and 200 exhibitors.
ConocoPhillips and Horizon Business Concepts have rolled out a new process designed to standardize and simplify dealer point-of-sale (POS) credit-card processing for ConocoPhillips branded fixed-base-operations (FBOs). The process, the culmination of a two-year joint project, enables Horizon’s TotalFBO software to be used as the single-source, single-entry POS. This is designed to speed up customer transactions and provide greater accuracy, the companies say.
BOMBARDIER DHC-8-400 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0260; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-242-AD; Amendment 39-16731; AD 2011-13-08] – Conduct a free-play check of the shaft swaged bearing installed in the elevator power control tailstock end. Replace the shaft swaged bearings if excessive free-play is found.
July 14—National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Regional Forum, San Jose, Calif., (202) 783-9000, www.nbaa.org July 17-19—Aviation Suppliers Associations’ 2011 Annual Conference, Washington, (D.C.) Marriott at Metro Center, www.aviationsuppliers.org July 23-24—Dayton Air Show, Dayton Int’l Airport, Dayton, Ohio July 25-31—Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture Oshkosh 2011, Oshkosh, Wis., www.eaa.org
StandardAero Business Aviation has expanded its services at its Omaha, Neb., center to include line support for the Honeywell TFE731 engine. The new service, combined with StandardAero’s Mobile Service Team (MST) support network, will enable StandardAero to offer nose-to-tail service to Omaha-based operators. The addition also is part of an overall expansion of StandardAero’s TFE731 support. Last year the company reopened its TFE731 shop at Springfield, Ill.
CAE has targeted the civil helicopter market as a growth area. In 2010, it acquired the training activities of CHC Helicopter, a leading offshore helicopter company, and now provides those services for its 2,000 pilots and maintenance staff. It also formed a joint venture with Lider, Brazil’s largest helicopter company, for training there. In addition, CAE launched a helicopter ab initio training program with the Airports Authority of India at the CAE Global Academy in Gondia.
FlightSafety International has delivered new flight simulators for Bombardier and Embraer aircraft. The ninth Bombardier Q400 aircraft full-flight simulator has been installed at the company’s learning center in Tokyo and is expected to receive Level D qualification from the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau this month. Meanwhile, Azul Brazilian Airlines has taken delivery of its second Embraer 190 simulator, which has been installed at the air carrier’s training facility in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
