Bombardier Aerospace recently rolled out a new parts satisfaction guarantee program that will waive shipping, labor and restocking charges. Bombardier says it will eliminate restocking fees for any parts ordered for an aircraft-on-ground situation but were not used. Bombardier also will cover shipping and labor costs for parts that were either defective on arrival or that it recommended but did not fix the problem. The guarantee comes as Bombardier says it has been making “substantial headway” in reducing the incidence of “No Fault Found” (NFF) parts in circulation.
StandardAero Business Aviation secured a supplemental type certificate (STC) to replace the aging cockpit displays on Falcon 900C/EX aircraft with the Honeywell Primus Elite suite. The STC was secured through StandardAero’s Organization Design Authorization. The Primus Elite upgrade can be performed at StandardAero’s four maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities in Springfield, Ill., Augusta, Ga., Los Angeles and Houston. Primus Elite provides XM graphical weather, Jeppesen electronic charts and maps, and video displays through a cursor-driven, on-screen interface.
PAUL JONAS was hired as director of environmental test labs and special programs for Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR). Jonas will oversee operations of the labs, which are staffed and equipped to simulate environments for the research and testing of equipment and components. The labs can test susceptibility to temperature, altitude, humidity, shock, vibration, salt fog, magnetic effects, voltage spike, audio frequency, indirect lighting and other factors.
FOKKER F.28 Mark 0070 and 0100 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0220; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-259-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to conduct a one-time general visual inspection to check the route and clamping of the sense line hose and wiring conduit hose to each wing tank overflow valve.
Hawker Beechcraft unveiled an iPad promotion for customers of its Beechcraft turboprop and piston aircraft in North and South America. Customers will receive a custom-configured iPad with free one-year subscriptions to ForeFlight Preflight Intelligence and Jeppesen Mobile TC. ForeFlight Preflight Intelligence displays route information on geo-referenced maps and provides pilots with weather radar, satellite imagery, fuel price, flight rule, wind, temperature, dew point spread, ceiling, sky coverage and lightning information.
Duncan Aviation is enlarging its paint facility at its Lincoln, Neb., headquarters. The expansion will add a new 45,000-sq.-ft. aircraft paint facility to the existing 440,000-sq.-ft. facility located on the east side of Lincoln Airport. Groundbreaking is tentatively scheduled for May 1, and the expansion is to be completed by April 30, 2012.
Eclipse Aerospace secured FAA supplemental type certification for its integrated flight management system (IFMS) for the Eclipse EA500 very light jet (VLJ). The approval is the latest in the series of upgrades that the company has undertaken to support the fleet of 260 Eclipse VLJs.
The third annual Business Aviation Latin America (BALA) Summit on Aug. 12 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, will explore the latest developments in the region’s business aviation sector and new challenges and business opportunities for the future at the Latin American Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition. For more information, visit http://www.aeropodium.com/conferenceprojects/bala.html.
Jordan Hansell last week took over the reins at NetJets as chairman after David Sokol abruptly resigned from Berkshire Hathaway March 30 amid a suspicion of insider trading over the $9.7 billion acquisition of specialty chemical company Lubrizol Corp. Sokol had named Hansell president of the fractional aircraft ownership company in November as part of the beginning of a succession plan. But Sokol had expected to transfer the CEO’s title to Hansell while he retained the chairman position.
Business aviation in Europe was one of the strongest market segments in 2010, with flights growing by 5.5%, according to a new Eurocontrol report. Business aircraft flights increased in France, Germany and the U.K., the report says. The European nation that saw the most new business aircraft flights was Turkey.
DEREK MORRIS was promoted to avionics modifications manager for Constant Aviation. Morris will be responsible for all avionics modifications projects and service and serve as the customer point of contact for the quoting process, design layouts, engineering support and supplemental type certification management. He joined the Cleveland-based aviation services company in 2005.
FlightSafety International is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Al Ueltschi founded the training specialist on March 29, 1951, a time when most business aviation pilots flew converted military aircraft and were not required to undergo formal training, FlightSafety notes. “Al believed that the best safety device in any aircraft is a well-trained crew when he founded the company,” says President and CEO Bruce Whitman. Headquartered in New York, the training firm has since provided more than 1 million hr.
Diamond Aircraft last week furloughed all but a core group of employees on its D-Jet program after the manufacturer failed to receive a response from the Canadian government on its CA$35 million ($36.2 million) loan request. The move, which Diamond President Peter Maurer says is temporary, affects 213 employees, slowing the D-Jet program almost to a standstill.
DASSAULT Falcon 7X airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0259; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-196-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to revise the “Limitations” section of the Airplane Flight Manual to include instructions for how to deal with lock-ups of radio-altimeter No. 1. This proposal, which would supersede an existing directive (AD 2010-02-02), was issued as a result of an MCAI originated by the European Aviation Safety Agency.
FAA has granted type certification for Honeywell’s 7,445-lb. thrust HTF7250G turbofan that powers Gulfstream’s new G250. Engine certification represents a substantial milestone in the development of G250, paving the way for planned aircraft certification at the end of this year.
The HondaJet program recently hit a new milestone when the first FAA-conforming flight test aircraft reached its maximum speed of 425 KTAS at 30,000 ft., Honda Aircraft announced last week. The aircraft, which achieved the maximum speed on March 11, also reached the maximum Mach number of 0.72 above 30,000 ft. The speeds beat the production aircraft’s previous top speed of 420 KTAS. The aircraft first flew in late December. The performance milestone comes as Honda progresses toward expected certification and first deliveries in the third quarter of 2012.
March 29-31—JEC Composites Show 2011: Joint stand for lightweight design from North Rhine-Westphalia, Porte de Versailles, Paris, [email protected] March 30-31—49th Annual Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium, Greenbelt (Md.) Marriott, www.astronautical.org March 31—The Wings Club Luncheon featuring Giovanni Bisignani, Director General, IATA, The Yale Club, New York, (212) 867-1770, [email protected]
Boca Raton, Fla.-based private jet charter operator Paramount Business Jets has unveiled a new four-level jet card membership program with a fixed management fee of 10-15%. Under the program, jet card members can see exactly how much flights actually cost, along with any negotiated discounts.
NG Aircraft, the Dutch company that is developing the new Fokker 70NG and Fokker 100NG, plans to make some aircraft parts in Brazil. NG Aircraft Managing Director Maarten van Eeghen says NG’s wholly owned subsidiary in Brazil, Rekkof Brasil, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the state of Goias, in central Brazil, and plans to establish a factory at an aerospace park in the state’s city of Anapolis. This factory will make aluminum alloy parts for NG, as well as for third-party customers, he says.
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
Weston Aviation will open a new fixed-based operation at the U.K.’s Humberside International Airport. It is the airport’s first FBO and should open in June. The new facility will offer a variety of services, including VIP ground handling, crew and passenger lounges, Wi-Fi and ramp access.
Louisville, Ky.-based Globalair.com has added a free tool to its website that enables users to compare different aircraft models. Site users can compare specific aircraft, such as a Hawker 850XP to a Gulfstream G200 or Learjet 60XR, all at the same time. The company’s clients and website users suggested this capability, says President Jeffrey Carrithers. “They liked our first release, where they could compare specific aircraft, and asked to expand it to be able to match up side by side other types of aircraft for sale,” he says.
