Eurocopter has broken ground on a new development center at its location in Donauworth, Germany. The center is part of Eurocopter’s Systemhaus project, under which the company concentrates all resources, skills and equipment required to develop, manufacture, certify and maintain helicopters in one location. The facility, which will span nearly 323,000 sq. ft. (30,000 sq. meters), will be completed in 2012.
Williams International secured FAA Part 33 type approval for its FJ44-3AP model engine that has been selected to power the PiperJet Altaire, Hawker 200 and Nextant 400XT, the company announced Friday. A follow-on to the FJ44-3A, the FJ44-3AP engine was designed to provide improved thrust-to-weight ratio and fuel economy, Williams says. The engine produces 8% more thrust (to more than 3,000 lb. of thrust), while weight was reduced 3%.
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 departure this month of Brian Delauter, the Transportation Security Administration’s general manager of its general aviation branch, is raising questions about the fate of some key TSA initiatives affecting GA, such as the rewrite of the proposed Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP) and expansion of gateways at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Delauter is expected to leave the agency May 23 to take a corporate security position in the private sector in Nashville.
Precision Castparts is acquiring PB Fasteners, a California-based maker of fasteners with clients in the commercial, defense and space industries. The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of next year. Financial terms of the deal are not being disclosed. However, Webush analyst Kenneth Herbert estimates PB Fasteners had revenues of about $50 million per year. Assuming PB Fasteners has 20% margins before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, Precision Castparts may have paid between $70 million and $100 million for the company.
Hanger8 has increased its charter operator and jet management business with 28 aircraft now under management. The U.K. company has 13 different aircraft types available for charter, including the Bombardier Challenger, Embraer Phenom 100 and Lineage, Hawker and Falcon 2000. The company’s charter fleet has grown 50% since November 2010.
Three new directors have been elected to the National Air Transportation Association’s board: S. Michael Scheeringa, president of Signature Flight Support; Marian Epps, chief financial officer of Epps Aviation; and Ed Kilkeary, Sr., founder and CEO of L.J. Aviation. Separately, NATA recognized Pat Epps, president of Epps Aviation, and James Christiansen, Hawker Beechcraft’s vice president of sales for the Central U.S., at the association’s recent annual Industry Excellence Awards dinner.
With four big issues still awaiting resolution, House leaders introduced another extension to the FAA reauthorization bill on May 13. This one, the 19th, will last just a month, however, giving Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) and Sen.
Guardian Mobility plans to acquire Alakai Technologies, the company that provides flight data monitoring (FDM) and engine trend monitoring (ETM). Alakai has served corporate flight departments and air taxi firms and introduced FDM and ETM into the pilot training market. Guardian Mobility has provided regional airline and utility helicopter operators with real-time flight tracking and communication.
May 16-17—“Introduction to Jet Engines, A Practical Perspective,” Ohio Aerospace Institute, Cleveland, (970) 887-3155, www.practicalaero.com May 16-19—Regional Airline Association Annual Convention, Nashville Convention Center, www.raa.org/AnnualConvention/tabid/171/Default.aspx May 17–19—11th Annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, Geneva, www.ebace.aero
Sikorsky Innovations, the helicopter maker’s new-technology arm, has successfully completed wind tunnel testing of an active rotor system, thereby demonstrating the functionality of using a trailing-edge flap and closed-loop control system on rotorcraft. The system performed well under a variety of forward-flight conditions at speeds up to 140 kt., Sikorsky says. “We have validated the concept of properly controlled, high-authority flaps to favorably impact external rotor noise and vibration,” notes Jim Kagdis, program manager for Sikorsky Advanced Programs.
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has launched its 2011 “May Is Membership Month” drive, including a Benefit of the Day. The association is using the event to not only bring in new members, but also to tell existing members about membership benefits they may not know about, says Aimee Kaufman, the association’s director of marketing for membership. Last year, NBAA launched its first May Is Membership Month, says Kaufman.
CitationAir is recalling all 85 pilots it placed on furlough in 2009, the company says. The company blamed the economic downturn for the furloughs, saying it needed to right-size the business and be in line with customer demand during the recession. Of the 85 pilots on furlough, 53 have returned to CitationAir, bringing its workforce from 307 to 334.
Rockwell Collins and Bombardier Aerospace recently conducted flight tests designed to validate the use of synthetic vision (SV) on a head-up display (HUD) to achieve operational credit for lower landing minima during Special Authorization (SA) CAT I ILS and Wide Area Augmentation System Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance (WAAS LPV) approaches.
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.
