London Executive Aviation (LEA) is celebrating its 15th anniversary. Founded on April 1, 1996, with one aircraft, LEA has grown to become one of Europe’s largest executive aircraft operators, flying a diverse charter fleet of 25 jets. The company, which started operations at its headquarters at Stapleford Airport, now operates seven bases around London and holds a worldwide air operator’s certificate.
Diversified Aviation Services, the Miami-based aircraft completions company, has won a new order from Transaero Airlines of Russia for a Boeing 737-500. DAS has begun work on reconfiguring the aircraft with 18 VIP seats in the front half of the cabin and 38 seats in the back. The VIP area will have a private lounge area and a meeting room, a high-definition IFE system, custom cabinetry, hi-low tables and Internet connectivity.
The National Air Transportation Association is holding its 15th annual Day on the Hill on May 5 in Washington. The event coincides with the association’s Annual Meeting and Industry Excellence Awards dinner.
AmSafe has developed its next-generation seatbelt/airbag for use on commercial aircraft. The airbag brings aircraft into compliance with 16G requirements. The seatbelt/airbag incorporates a new lightweight design and construction that AmSafe says will produce fuel savings, improve passenger comfort, ease maintenance and lower life-cycle costs. Available in the third quarter, the airbag is 30% lighter and has a 40% increase in service life, AmSafe says.
During a government shutdown, development of the FAA’s NextGen air traffic control modernization system would grind to a halt. That’s just one element of what would stop if Congress fails to meet its midnight Friday deadline to pass a new spending bill that will keep the government running. And while the bulk of FAA’s employees, 33,550, would continue to provide air traffic control, safety inspections and other essential services, nearly 15,000 wouldn’t be allowed to work – or be paid, according to a 33-page fact sheet issued by the Department of Transportation Friday.
Duncan Aviation recently received a supplemental type certificate enabling Wi-Fi operations aboard Gulfstream IV/ IV-SP aircraft. The certification, completed under Duncan Aviation’s organization designation authorization, covers Wi-Fi access in the cabin using Aircell’s Gogo Biz Inflight Internet service. Gogo Biz Inflight Internet provides high-speed inflight connectivity for iPads, laptops, BlackBerrys, iPhones and other Wi-Fi devices.
Universal Weather & Aviation has added features to its UVflightplanner.com website that enable clients to create, file and review regional and international flight plans on any web-enabled mobile device. The website is Universal’s online flight planning system designed for business jet operators.
The average asking prices for “heavy” business aircraft inched up 0.5% last month to $20.7 million, according to JP Morgan’s latest Business Jet Monthly report. The prices for heavy aircraft have rebounded about 6% since the beginning of the year, the report adds, but are still 32% off the November 2008 peak of $30.5 million. Dassault’s Falcon 2000/EX made the largest gain of 7.6%, with Bombardier’s Global 5000/Express and Gulfstream’s G500/550/V following at 2.5% and 1.9%, respectively.
Diehl Aerosystems signed an agreement to buy German aircraft galley manufacturer Mühlenberg. The cabin interiors supplier expects to close the deal within the next two years. Given the fact that Diehl is not currently in the galley business, its Aerosystems CEO, Rainer von Borstel, does not expect the acquisition to encounter any regulatory hurdles. The deal was announced on the opening day of the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. Mühlenberg is a small company with sales of €20 million in 2010 and about 200 employees.
You’re reading this publication because you’re on the leading edge. Your passion and knowledge of general aviation drives you. Your industry experience, creativity and entrepreneurial marketing skills give you the competitive advantage. Together, these skills make you the ideal candidate to work at Hawker Beechcraft today. HBC is seeking talented general aviation Marketing professionals -- Hawker Senior Product Marketing Manager
Business jet inventory for sale fell 1.4 points to 14.4% in February, according to a new report from aviation consultancy Jetnet. The decline in the percentage of available business jets for sale comes as business jet sales jumped 17.2% in the first two months of the year, compared with the same period in 2010. The business turboprop inventory also dropped from 11.1% in February 2010 to 10.7% in February 2011. The transactions through February, meanwhile, improved 10.4%.
Global Wings was named a Piper Aircraft dealer for the Caribbean and parts of South America, including Columbia, Ecuador and Venezuela. Global Wings is teaming up with private jet broker TSH aero to reach out to the islands with its dealership network. Global Wings has sold more than $240 million in new Beechcraft and Hawker aircraft in the region over the past 10 years.
Gulfstream Aerospace is taking nominations for its Outstanding Flight Award Program. The award recognizes Gulfstream operators, both commercial and governmental, who use their aircraft in the most outstanding and noteworthy manner each year. Nominations are due June 30.
MARY-LOU MURPHY was named manager, public relations and communications for Jet Aviation, with responsibility for all lines of business in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Murphy formerly has served as a senior editor and marketing manager for Nexus Telecom.
BOMBARDIER Regional Jet Series 100 and 440 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0436; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-230-AD; Amendment 39-16643; AD 2011-07-06] – Revise the “Limitations” and “Normal Procedures” sections of the Airplane Flight Manual and revise the maintenance program by incorporating new inspection requirements following activation of the low-heat detection switches. Also, replace any data concentrator units (DCUs) with modified DCUs, per the instructions of Bombardier Service Bulletin 601R-31-034, Rev. A (dated April 10, 2008).
Air Works, a provider of aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul services in India, has received a contract for the maintenance of Indian Air Force’s (IAF) VIP squadron of three Boeing Business Jets (BBJs), say senior Air Force officials. Operated by the Indian Air Force’s Communication squadron, the aircraft carries the President, the Vice President, the Prime Minister and the other VIPs of the country. The aircraft have a separate state and meeting room, a communication center and seating for at least 48 passengers.
Despite the disruption caused by severe weather on March 31 during the Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In & Expo in Lakeland, Fla., Cessna secured orders for 30 aircraft during the six-day event ending April 3, with a number of them for the company’s newest Corvalis.
Mitsubishi Aircraft and parent Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have confirmed the program schedule for the MRJ regional jet as assembly of the first unit begins in Nagoya. Six months after manufacturing of the first part began, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries ceremonially started the riveting of a frame around the cockpit emergency escape hatch.
The House General Aviation Caucus, which has been recruiting new members after the turnover from last fall’s elections, recently topped the 100-member mark again. The House caucus is chaired by Reps. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and John Barrow (D-Ga.). Meanwhile, Senate GA Caucus co-chairs Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) have begun their own recruiting efforts, sending a “Dear Colleague” letter in March to discuss the value of GA.
Bombardier Aerospace has entered into a strategic alliance with Fokker Services for the launch of FLY, a program designed to improve the availability of components and cut repair costs for Dash 8/Q-Series 100/200/300 aircraft operators. The program will also help operators to better predict and budget for material maintenance, Bombardier says.
COMMANDER 112, 112B, 112TC, 112TCA, 114, 114A, 114B and 114TC airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0302; Directorate Identifier 2011-CE-008-AD; Amendment 39-16650; AD 2011-07-13] – Inspect the elevator spar for cracks. If any cracks are found, replace the spar with a serviceable one. This AD, which was prompted by multiple reports of cracked elevator spars, was issued to prevent structural failure of the spar, which could result in separation of the elevator from the airplane and subsequent loss of control.
ANTHONY SMITH was named VP-sales and marketing for rotating component supplier TECT Power. Smith formerly held business development positions with BAE Systems and has experience with several other aerospace companies, including Gulfstream, Rolls-Royce, General Electric and Timken.
BOMBARDIER Challenger 300 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-1200; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-136-AD; Amendment 39-16647; AD 2011-07-10] – Revise the maintenance schedule for the safety valves of the cabin pressure-sensing port, repetitively cleaning the safety valves and removing foreign material from the area surrounding the valves.
EUROCOPTER FRANCE EC130 B4 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2011-0212; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-055-AD; Amendment 39-16632; AD 2011-06-07] – Inspect and modify certain emergency flotation gear (1G units), per the instructions of Eurocopter Emergency Alert Service Bulletin No. 25A037 (dated April 27, 2010). This AD, which resulted from an MCAI issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency, is intended to prevent an uncommanded inflight deployment of the emergency flotation gear, which could lead to loss of control of the helicopter.
