DAVE JOHNSON has joined Willis Lease Finance as senior VP of sales and financing. He most recently was VP of marketing and corporate counsel with International Lease Finance Corp. He also is on the board of directors of the Heritage Flight Museum in Bellingham, Wash.
ExecuJet Middle East has announced that its maintenance facility in Dubai has obtained an extension to its European Aviation Safety Agency approval for the Hawker 400XP, 700, 800, 900 and 4000 series aircraft, and UAE GCAA approval for Hawker 800, 900 and 4000 aircraft. ExecuJet now operates one of the largest business aviation maintenance facilities in Dubai and last year more than doubled its maintenance capacity with the addition of a second hangar.
Debt watcher Fitch Ratings has upgraded its outlook on Bombardier Aerospace to “stable” after the manufacturer was able to manage its leverage and liquidity. Fitch also lauded Bombardier for addressing continued weakness in portions of its aerospace markets and investing in new aircraft programs.
EMBRAER EMB-500 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0088; Directorate Identifier 2010-CE-072-AD] – This proposed AD, which resulted from an MCAI originated by the aviation authority of Brazil, would require operators to replace both Angle of Attack (AOA) sensors and cover plates, inspect the sensor area and, if needed, apply sealant between the AOA covers and the AOA sensors, per the instructions of Phenom Service Bulletin SB No.: 500-27-0006, Rev. No. 02 (dated Jan. 14, 2011).
CESSNA 337 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0450; Directorate Identifier 2011-CE-010-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to 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 proposal, which was prompted by a review of Flint Aero wingtip auxiliary fuel tanks installed in Model 337 airplanes, was issued to detect and correct damage in the wings before it causes an overload failure.
Nearly 100 NATA member representatives met with more than 150 members of Congress and staff on May 5 to discuss a variety of federal, state and local issues, including FAA reauthorization, the Freedom from Government Competition Act and Part 135 flight, duty and rest regulations. Industry participants in the association’s “Day on the Hill” began with a preparatory breakfast that featured a presentation by Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), co-chair of the Senate General Aviation Caucus. They then dispersed for meetings with their elected officials.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) last week reported the first quarterly positive increase in piston aircraft shipments since the fourth quarter of 2006. While an encouraging sign for the industry – piston aircraft shipments have long been considered a leading indicator – the quarterly shipment report revealed a still-struggling market, with business jet shipments down 22% and unit sales overall down nearly 20% in the first quarter.
DOWTY R212/4-30-4/22 and R251/4-30-4/49 Propellers [Docket No. FAA-2011-0033; Directorate Identifier 2011-NE-01-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to conduct repetitive inspections of the buttress threads in the propeller hub and driving center assembly for cracks, per the instructions of Dowty Propellers Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) No. 61-1043, Rev. 6 (dated Jan. 5, 2011). If any cracks were found, operators would need to remove the propeller assembly from service before further flight.
Bombardier is completing the evolution of its Global brand, renaming the last in-production Global “Express” model – the Global Express XRS – as the Global 6000. The name reflects its positioning above the Global 5000 (which is a slightly smaller, short-range version of the original Global Express) and the new Global 7000 and 8000 aircraft that are designed to compete with Gulfstream’s flagship G650. The newly dubbed 6000 has a 6,000-nm range and a cabin that is 48.35-ft. long and 8.17-ft.
Piper Aircraft has expanded is service offering in Southern California with the recent appointments of four centers: Jet Source at McClellan-Palomar Airport, Carlsbad, Calif.; American Aircraft Maintenance, John Wayne Airport, Santa Ana, Calif.; Mather Aviation, Van Nuys Airport, Van Nuys, Calif.; and Loyd’s Aircraft Maintenance, Meadows Field Airport, Bakersfield, Calif.
PETER RUTHERFORD was appointed regional manager of technical sales for Innotech Aviation Group. Rutherford, who has a 33-year aerospace background, will represent Innotech in Europe, CIS and Africa. He previously served as aerospace manager for Bombardier Aerospace’s international customer response team.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) has issued a proclamation declaring June as General Aviation Appreciation Month. The proclamation comes just before the Colorado Aviation Business Association’s second annual “Aviation Saves” open house, June 10-11 at Centennial Airport in Englewood, Colo. The proclamation lauds GA for being home to 75 airports serving 24,118 pilots and 8,074 GA aircraft, while those airports contribute $2.1 billion, or $479 per capita, to the state’s economy annually.
GENERAL ELECTRIC CF34-10E2A1; CF34-10E5, CF34-10E5A1; CF34-10E6; CF34-10E6A1; CF34-10E7; and CF34-10E7-B engines [Docket No. FAA-2011-0187; Directorate Identifier 2011-NE-07-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to remove from service certain fan rotor blade retainers, along with the fan rotor spinner supports that were installed with those fan rotor blade retainers, per the instructions of GE Service Bulletin No. CF34-10E-S/B 72-0186 (dated Jan. 31, 2011).
The National Air Transportation Association has released a new fact book, General Aviation in the U.S., which details various aspects of the general aviation and airline services industry. The book provides information on U.S. government agencies that affect the day-to-day operation of aviation businesses, as well as statistics on fuel consumption, fractional ownership companies, active pilots and airports. The fact book is available for free at http://www.nata.aero/data/files/nata%20publications/2011natafactbook.pdf.
Vero Beach, Fla.-based Piper Aircraft reported new aircraft billings of $26.1 million in the first quarter, up 40% compared to the same quarter last year.
NationAir Aviation Insurance has added two safety specialist partners – Air Safety Dynamics and Crisis Advisors – to its portfolio of advisors, providing NationAir clients with expertise in safety management systems (SMS) and emergency response programs. Air Safety Dynamics provides International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) audits and SMS development, and is led by accredited IS-BAO auditor Rob Little. Crisis Advisors, led by Jason Kelly, provides planning and training for emergency response systems.
Three GA associations—the National Business Aviation Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and Experimental Aircraft Association—on May 13 wrote Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), urging his support to preserve a measure in the House-passed reauthorization legislation that would require FAA to maintain the current FAA Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program.
General aviation organizations vowed last week to fight a looming lawsuit in California against 50 fuel retailers and suppliers for distributing leaded aviation gasoline. The Center for Environmental Health (CEH), based in Oakland, Calif., served notice early last week that it plans to sue for violation of California’s drinking water and toxic enforcement law (Proposition 65).
Stéphane Mayer will become president and CEO of Daher-Socata on June 1. Mayer is replacing François Lépinoy, who is moving on to become president of the executive board for the Air Caraïbes Group. Mayer joined the Daher Group in September 2010 as CEO of Daher-Socata. In his new role, Mayer will retain his CEO duties, while adding the responsibilities of president of the organization. Mayer, who has been a pilot for 20 years, began his career in external auditing and has held executive posts at Lagardère Group, EADS Socata and ATR.
TIM RIDDEL was tapped to serve as the new chief pilot for Gulfstream Aerospace’s Airborne Product Support (APS) program. Riddell has served on the APS team for nearly five years.
FAA is evolving Part 121 training requirements with a greater emphasis on full-motion flight simulators and real-world scenarios under a sweeping proposal released last week. The supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) was revamped from a January 2009 proposal to respond to 3,000 pages of public comments and to fold in congressional mandates stemming from the February 2009 Colgan Air crash.
Recovery of the business aviation market remains slow, with economic indicators mixed, according to the latest reports from financial analysts UBS and JPMorgan. UBS’s latest Business Jet Market Index, which measures market conditions on a scale to 100, came in at 49, down from 51 in the prior survey. “While slightly lower, we view this result as relatively positive given higher oil [prices] and Middle East unrest,” writes analyst David Strauss.
A new FAA advisory circular provides guidance and recommendations for training experience for pilots of experimental aircraft. AC 90-109 is designed for flight instructors, owners and pilots of experimental airplanes. FAA says the AC should be used to help develop skills and knowledge necessary for testing of newly built experimental aircraft. The AC also can be helpful for pilots transitioning to fixed-wing aircraft with which they are not familiar, including those that are type certificated.
