AAR Aircraft Services-Oklahoma, based at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City (KOKC), has extended for five more years its contract as a Phillips 66 Aviation branded dealer. The sole FBO at KOKC, AAR supports military, commercial and business aircraft. The FBO participates in WingPoints Rewards, the Phillips 66 Aviation fuel rewards program.
The Greater Washington Aviation Open (GWAO), held April 25 at the Lansdowne Golf Resort outside Washington, raised $104,000 to support the Corporate Angel Network and the Veterans Airlift Command. Raising this amount of money at the 23rd annual golf and tennis tournament in the midst of a soft economy “was extremely satisfying,” says GWAO Chairman Paul Bollinger.
JDA Aviation Technology Solutions (JDA) has partnered with The Head Guard.com on the Head Guard, which was created to prevent passenger, flight crew and service personnel head injuries on entry doors and cargo compartments. Head Guard is designed to custom fit each airplane doorway specification. Head Guard complies with FAA product certification requirements similar to other cabin products, and materials and can be stored in the cabin overhead bin or closet.
DANA COX was named director of sales for the Asia/Pacific region for Piper. Cox has 35 years of aerospace experience, previously as general manager of international sales and operations management at Itochu Aviation. Before that, he held special-mission aircraft and regional marketing positions for Beech Aircraft Corp.
Jet Source in Carlsbad, Calif., has been appointed as a Piper Service Center for Southern California. Jet Source provides routine airframe and avionics maintenance on all Piper products, along with warranty repairs.
While the investigation continues into the cause of the April 2 crash of a test Gulfstream 650, Gulfstream Aerospace is continuing to move forward on all non-flying activity on the G650 program and still expects to deliver 12 of the aircraft this year, Jay Johnson, chairman and CEO of Gulfstream parent General Dynamics, told analysts last week.
UNIVAIR AIRCRAFT Ercoupe 415-C, 415-CD, 415-D, E and G; Forney F-1 and F-1A; Alon A-2 and A2-A; and Mooney M10 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0360; Directorate Identifier 2010-CE-061-AD] – This proposed AD would require inspections of the ailerons, the aileron balance assembly and aileron rigging for looseness or wear. Operators would need to repair or replace parts as necessary and report the inspection results to the FAA.
Quest Aircraft Company has received FAA approval for its external cargo compartment (ECC) and air conditioning system on the Kodiak single-turboprop utility aircraft. Both are offered as options and can be retrofitted on the Kodiak. The ECC provides an additional 65 cubic ft. of storage space. Noting it has orders for both retrofit and new aircraft installations, Quest expects that about 15% of the fleet eventually will be equipped with the ECC. Quest also has a number of orders for the air conditioning system.
Jeppesen has teamed with ETS Aviation to provide a service that helps operators monitor, record, analyze and report flight data within European airspace to facilitate compliance with the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) requirements. Under the partnership, operators can integrate the web-based ETS Aviation Footprinter application with Jeppesen’s International Trip Planning services. Operators can record and monitor plans, as well as company and fleet information, using the Jeppesen/ETS Aviation service.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt has appointed three veteran managers to key positions as part of the agency’s ongoing review of how the U.S. oversees its air traffic control system.
THIELERT TAE 125-01, TAE 125-02-99 and TAE 125-02-114 engines [Docket No. FAA-2010-0820; Directorate Identifier 2010-NE-31-AD; Amendment 39-16646; AD 2011-07-09] – Install full-authority digital electronic control software version 2.91. This AD, which resulted from an MCAI issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency, is designed to prevent an inflight engine shutdown or power loss, which could result in reduced airplane controllability. FAA estimates that this directive will affect 112 engines installed on airplanes on the U.S. Registry and cost U.S.
Duncan Aviation’s center in Lincoln, Neb., has added new authorizations to its Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) repair station. The authorizations cover maintenance of Dassault Falcon 900DX, 2000 and 7X models, making the Lincoln center the only Dassault-authorized service center with such approval from the Chinese, Duncan says. The Cessna Citation 680 and Beechcraft Super King Air B300 also were added to the CAAC certificate. Further authorizations covered the Honeywell GTCP36-100 and GTCP36-150 auxiliary power units.
SAAB 2000 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0307; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-111-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to inspect the nuts and bolts that attach the actuator mounting bracket to the main landing gear shock strut, per the instructions of Saab Service Bulletin 2000-32-073, Rev. 01 (dated Oct. 20, 2009).
London Oxford Airport reports that jet movements rose year over year by 31% and overall business aviation movements increased 18% in the past 12 months. The airport’s results contrast with the average 5% increase recorded by the 27 European states during the same period. Jet fuel sales at its business aviation facility, Oxfordjet, were up 19% during the period.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) named Amanda Joyner as director of government affairs. Joyner formerly served as senior legislative assistant for Rep. Howard Coble (R-N.C.), where she worked with the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on aviation, highway and Coast Guard issues. She also has experience with the congressional appropriations process, along with transportation security, energy and tax issues.
Rizon Jet has opened a new two-level fixed-base operation and VIP lounge at London Biggin Hill Airport. The FBO/VIP lounge at the U.K. airport will cater to an international clientele, as well as Middle Eastern families and business travelers. The ground floor includes a mixture of five open and semi-private seating areas, and the mezzanine floor offers semi-enclosed lounge areas, as well as meeting facilities, including a boardroom with a video conferencing capability, a private office and a children’s corner. The entire facility comprises an area of 130,000 sq. ft.
Holland Sheltair Aviation in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has unified its fixed-base operation, property leasing and facility construction divisions under one brand – Sheltair. As part of the rebranding effort, Sheltair redesigned the company logo, collateral materials and website, www.sheltairaviation.com. The company was previously segmented into three lines of business – Sheltair Aviation Services, Sheltair Aviation Facilities and Holland Builders, Inc.
Tom Aniello, VP of marketing for Cessna, is leaving the company, effective immediately, as part of a shake-up of the aircraft manufacturer’s sales and marketing team, according to an internal email sent by Mark Paolucci, senior VP sales and marketing. The changes come a little more than a week after Textron’s first quarter 2011 earnings call disclosed that Cessna posted a $38 million loss during the first three months of the year.
The Maine Supreme Court last week ruled that the Maine State Tax Assessor had to return nearly $26,000 in taxes levied against an out-of-state company, Blue Yonder, for briefly operating a Cirrus SR22 in the state during the first year after purchasing the light airplane.
FRANK GRAHAM was appointed director of commercial business development for Air Methods. Graham will lead the company’s Products Division commercial sales in both the helicopter and fixed-wing markets, including eamergency medical service, airborne law enforcement, search and rescue, corporate, utility and special missions. He previously spent 16 years with LifePort, most recently as chief operating officer of the Aircraft Medical and Aircraft Seating business units.
SAAB 340A, SF340A and 340B airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0042; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-010-AD; Amendment 39-16664; AD 2011-09-02] – Inspect the fuselage for corrosion and cracking behind the external adapter plate of the antennae installation and make repairs, if necessary. This AD is designed to detect and correct corrosion and cracking behind the external adapter plate of the antennae before it reduces the structural integrity of the fuselage, which could lead to rapid depressurization of the airplane. This directive will affect 201 airplanes on the U.S.
Internal evaluations and safety management system (SMS) training have proved to be trouble spots for many corporate and charter operators, according to a new audit report released by Argus subsidiary Professional Resources In System Management (PRISM). PRISM released its 2010 SMS Audit Results report, which focuses on SMS and Emergency Response Planning (ERP) that were found by auditors to have the highest number of deficiencies.
Mexican aviation authorities and FAA have announced a two-phase plan for more efficient operations over the Gulf of Mexico. Current separation requirements are 90 nm in the Miami sector and 100 nm elsewhere over the Gulf. The first phase, set to begin on Oct. 20, will reduce lateral separation requirements to 50 nm for aircraft authorized for RNP 10 or RNP 4 operations. Aircraft not approved for at least RNP 10 will still be allowed to operate over the Gulf of Mexico, but they may receive less direct routings.
CESSNA 172 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-1243; Directorate Identifier 2010-CE-058-AD; Amendment 39-16626; AD 2011-06-02] – For certain airplanes powered by Thielert engines, install a full-authority digital engine control (FADEC) backup battery, replace the FADEC backup battery every 12 calendar months, and replace the Pilot’s Operating Handbook and FAA-approved Airplane Flight Manual.
The audit committee for NetJets parent Berkshire Hathaway has concluded that former NetJets Chairman and CEO David Sokol violated the company’s business ethics standards amid a suspicion of insider trading over the $9.7 billion acquisition of specialty chemical company Lubrizol Corp.
