Piper Aircraft is sponsoring the launch of AirNav.com’s new application for the iTouch, iPhone and iPad. The first 2,000 subscribers will have the option of receiving an annual $4.99 subscription to the application for free when they complete a brief online survey from Piper Aircraft. The new application is available at AirNav.com.
Pratt & Whitney Canada has won the 2011 Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific Aerospace & Defense Award for Engine OEM of the Year. Frost & Sullivan praised the engine maker for its continuous investment of millions of dollars annually to ensure that its engines and support services are environmentally sound. The research company said that long before the fuel crisis, P&WC had been advancing green programs through the implementation of innovative technologies to optimize fuel consumption and minimize carbon emissions, noise levels and weight.
Nearly two-thirds of all Part 135 on-demand revenue flights and 63% of certificate-holder, non-revenue flights occurred in visual meteorological conditions, according to the Air Charter Safety Foundation’s (ACSF) updated Part 135 Incident/Accident Review. ACSF recently released the latest update, which details factors surrounding charter incidents and accidents between 2004 and 2010.
A coalition of fixed-base operation (FBO) leaders met with the airports community again last week to discuss possible means to facilitate future investments in airports. The two groups met earlier in June with key House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee members to air their concerns about long-term leases, the ability to secure viable financing packages for investment and public/private competition (BA, June 27/1). Meeting participants agreed to report back within about a month on the progress of the ongoing dialogue between FBO and airport officials.
General Dynamics (GD) has appointed Daniel Clare, who has been senior vice president and CFO of GD subsidiary Gulfstream Aerospace, to succeed Peter Edwards as president of Jet Aviation. The announcement comes a little more than a week after Jet Aviation, also a subsidiary of GD, announced that Edwards was stepping down on July 4, but would support the leadership transition through Aug. 31 (BA, June 27/3).
Halfway through 2011, Bill Boisture, chairman and CEO of Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (HBC), anticipates it will be another stormy year for the troubled general aviation aircraft manufacturer. But he is taking pragmatic steps to boost HBC revenue in the coming years.
Cessna Aircraft has released a new mobile version of its Citation Customer Service website. Customers can go to Cessna.mobi on their smartphone, iPad or tablet to access contact points for technical information, Cessna Service Parts & Programs, Citation Service Centers, field service reps, customer care, authorized service facilities and the Customer Service leadership team. In addition, the site includes a calendar of events staffed by Citation Service Center and Cessna Service Parts & Programs experts.
President Obama reopened barely healed wounds and drew an outcry of protests from the general aviation community and elected officials last week when he pushed for increased taxes on millionaires, billionaires and corporate aircraft users, saying their tax breaks could compromise health, education and safety programs.
EMBRAER EMB-120, -120ER, -120FC, -120QC and -120RT airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0546; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-215-AD; Amendment 39-16659; AD 2011-08-09] – Determine the real fuel quantity in each fuel tank using dripless measuring sticks, comparing the results of the fuel quantity measurement with the fuel master indicator and repeater indicator readings for each tank. Take corrective actions as applicable.
DIAMOND DA 40 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0687; Directorate Identifier 2011-CE-017-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators of aircraft equipped with certain cabin air conditioning systems to deactivate and remove the vapor cycle system (VCS) and revise the airplane’s weight and balance. This proposal, which was prompted by reports of damage around the VCS compressor mounting areas, is designed to prevent the air conditioner compressor from disconnecting in the engine compartment, which could result in engine stoppage or damage to the engine.
AAR Corp. was named the exclusive worldwide aftermarket distributor for Unison Industries’ electrical components, sensors and systems for aircraft and industrial uses. The agreement is valued at more than $600 million over 10 years. AAR will forecast, order, warehouse and provide aftermarket distribution of Unison replacement parts. AAR also will provide a call center to provide rapid-response support services.
The Chinese continue their expansion into general aviation with the completion of China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Company’s (CAIGA) acquisition of Cirrus Aircraft. Terms of the transaction were not released. Cirrus announced the planned acquisition in late February, saying, “This transaction will have a positive impact on our business and our customers because we share a common vision with CAIGA to grow our general aviation enterprise worldwide.”
TELEDYNE CONTINENTAL MOTORS AND ROLLS-ROYCE MOTORS reciprocating engines [Docket No. FAA-2011-0085; Directorate Identifier 2000-NE-19-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to replace certain magnetos and inspect them to verify that the stop pin is still in place. If the stop pin were not in place, operators would need to inspect the engine gear train, crankcase and accessory case.
Dassault has named three fellow European firms to help develop and produce the SMS, the French airframer’s next-generation super-mid-size business jet that is expected to enter service in 2016. Fokker Aerostructures will be responsible for the design and manufacture of the complete empennage, which will feature advanced lightweight materials involving the Dutch company’s state-of-the-art thermoplastics know-how. Fokker has a longstanding relationship with Dassault, having built wing components for the Falcon 7X.
The Chinese air force plans to open six airfields to joint military and civil use in the current five-year planning period, running to 2015. The newly opened airfields, which have not been identified, join 63 military fields that the air force has made available to civilian use since the 1990s. Military flying takes up 23.51% of China’s usable airspace, the air force says in a statement released under the guise of a Xinhua news agency report. Civil traffic uses 32%, it says, without accounting for the rest.
Piper Aircraft has tapped Circor Aerospace to design and manufacture a fuel system motor-operated component on the manufacturer’s Altaire business jet. The contract’s value was not disclosed. Circor Aerospace will manufacture, assemble and test the component at its Corona, Calif., facilities.
Piper Aircraft recently convened an Altaire Supplier Symposium with 50 attendees as the manufacturer moves toward the first flights of conforming test articles in 2012.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is calling for regulators to increase standards to ensure Sikorsky S-92A helicopters used in offshore operations are able to fly for at least 30 min. after a catastrophic oil loss.
Hampson Aerospace won a contract to supply ailerons for the HondaJet. Hampson Aerospace’s Aerostructures and Composites Division will produce the wing components at its facility in Wigan, U.K. “This builds upon and strengthens the relationship between Hampson Aerospace and the Honda Aircraft Company,” says Hampson Aerospace CEO Norman Jordan, who adds the company also manufactures and supplies the HondaJet empennage.
President Obama last week signed the 20th extension of FAA’s authorization, providing lawmakers until July 22 to reach agreement on a long-term FAA reauthorization bill or face the prospect of needing to pass a 21st short-term extension. The House passed the extension on June 24 (BA, June 27/1) and the Senate followed on June 27. Obama signed the bill— titled “Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2011, Part III”—on June 29, a day before the 19th extension was set to expire.
BOMBARDIER DHC-8-400 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0036; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-230-AD; Amendment 39-16729; AD 2011-13-06] – Perform a series of fuel tank modifications to mitigate unsafe conditions that could result in potential ignition sources within the fuel system. This AD resulted from an MCAI originated by Transport Canada. FAA estimates that this directive will affect 67 aircraft on the U.S. Registry and cost U.S. operators a total of $5.5 million, or $82,406 per airplane. This AD becomes effective Aug. 1.
MICHAEL DOW was named chief of production for Piper Aircraft’s new single-engine business jet, the PiperJet Altaire. Dow was most recently group manager of manufacturing engineering and tooling at Aurora Flight Sciences. Before that, he worked at Bell Helicopter for 11 years, holding leadership positions of increasing responsibility. He reports to Piper Vice President of Operations Simon Caldecott.
Hawker Beechcraft is planning to build and operate a company-owned aircraft maintenance facility at New Castle Airport in Wilmington, Del. The company recently finalized agreements with the Delaware River & Bay Authority and the Delaware Economic Office, clearing the way for the opening of the 60,000-sq.-ft. facility, the company announced last week. The facility, expected to open in the second quarter of 2012, will become Hawker Beechcraft’s Northeast service center.
The Atlanta Aero Club has launched a program designed to encourage pilots to fly in July and help stimulate the recovery of the aviation market. Under the program, called the “Georgia Air Challenge,” pilots who fly at least 3 hr. during July and visit at least three of 104 airports in Georgia will be eligible to win prizes such as a multi-engine pilot rating, 50 gal. of fuel, a set of aviation tires and/or an airline transport pilot rating. To qualify, pilots must register at www.georgiachallenge.com before flying the minimum required hours.
