The Virginia Department of Aviation sees general aviation airports as a key to creating jobs and economic development in the state, Director Randall Burdette says. “We remind the public that we provide more than just air service. We provide business access, law enforcement, emergency operations,” Burdette said at the recent FAA Forecast Conference.
THOMAS ACCARDI was named standards manager for the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC). He will be responsible for International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations, starting in mid-April. He has held management positions at FAA and has been a corporate and an airline pilot, an air traffic controller and aviation safety inspector.
BOMBARDIER Regional Jet Series 100 and 440 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-1039; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-002-AD; Amendment 39-16612; AD 2011-05-03] – Incorporate into the Maintenance Manual a new task for checking wear in the throttle control gearbox. This new AD, which supersedes an existing directive (AD 2005-06-04) and resulted from an MCAI originated by Transport Canada, is designed to prevent excessive wear within the throttle control gearbox from altering the rigging position or causing the throttle to jam.
FAR Part 23 rewrite? General Aviation Manufacturers Association President and CEO Pete Bunce says the industry hopes to work with FAA on a potential rewrite of Part 23 regulations governing the certification of light aircraft. “We have not looked at those rules in 40 years,” Bunce said during last week’s “State of the Industry” press conference in Washington. Updating the regulations could help spur the production of new light piston aircraft, which in turn could help encourage new student pilots, he says.
Japan’s Narita International Airport Corporation (NIAC) is planning to build a dedicated business aviation facility as part of an overall expansion, the organization says. NIAC drafted plans for the facility after consulting reports from the Growth Strategy Panel at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and holding discussions with the Committee on Business Aviation Promotion, NIAC says.
The economic downturn has forced a number of general aviation manufacturers to carefully examine how – and where – they build aircraft, says Tom Aniello, VP-marketing for Cessna Aircraft. The dramatic shift in the economy “really exposed a lot of structure that’s not competitive,” Aniello said during FAA’s recent annual Forecast Conference, predicting that the shift of production to lower-cost regions likely will continue. Mexico has become a key region, with many OEMs moving thousands of jobs there. (see article on Page 2).
Bombardier recently delivered its 300th Challenger 300 business jet to an undisclosed customer in North America. The delivery comes 12 years after the program was announced and seven years after the super-midsize aircraft first entered service. Bombardier celebrated the delivery Feb. 17 at its headquarters in Dorval near Montreal with customer representatives, company leaders and employees.
The Senate’s two-year version of the fiscal 2011 FAA reauthorization bill (S.223), which at this point is essentially a six-month funding bill, sailed through to passage in a way that will not be seen in House and conference debate, congressional staffers predict (BA, Feb. 21/3).
General Aviation Manufacturers Association President and CEO Pete Bunce is calling for close collaboration between government and industry, saying partnerships will be crucial to industry growth in an increasing global market. During the economic downturn of the past few years, general aviation manufacturers have continued to innovate and invest in new products to prepare to address global market opportunities as the recession ends.
RICK STINE was named senior VP for StandardAero’s newly formed components sector in Cincinnati. Stine formerly was senior VP-technical operations with Heico Corp. and, before that, spent 12 years with GE Aircraft Engines. While serving with GE, he led a NASA-industry team consisting of members from Pratt and Whitney, Boeing, NASA and GE Aircraft Engines.
Embraer last week officially opened its Florida assembly plant and customer delivery center, a welcome source of jobs on the soon-to-be space shuttle-less Space Coast that drew the Brazilian company’s CEO a standing ovation. The new $50 million complex at Melbourne International Airport is expected to begin turning out Phenom 100 light jets later this year. Ultimately, it could employ 200 workers and produce eight Phenom 100 and 300 business jets a month. Eventually other models could be assembled there, but there is no schedule for doing so.
THIELERT TAE 125-02-99 and TAE 125-02-114 engines [Docket No. FAA-2010-0892; Directorate Identifier 2010-NE-32-AD; Amendment 39-16615; AD 2011-05-06] – Replace the timing chain within 600-910 flight hr. since new. Thereafter, replace the timing chain within every additional 910 flight hr. This AD, which resulted from an MCAI issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency, is designed to prevent wear from causing the timing chain to fracture, which could lead to an inflight engine shutdown and loss of control of the airplane.
Bob Blouin has returned to Washington in the newly created position of VP of government and industry relations for Hawker Beechcraft. Blouin, who formerly had spent seven years as senior VP-operations for the National Business Aviation Association, joined Hawker Beechcraft in early 2008 as VP of flight operations. The move establishes a presence in Washington for Hawker Beechcraft, which has been stepping up its efforts in the trainer and special-mission arena. Blouin says the Wichita airframer also wants to expand its industry relations in Washington.
RICK RANDALL has shifted responsibilities with Duncan Aviation to become regional manager of the south-central U.S. Randall formerly was the company’s regional manager for the Great Lakes. His new territory includes Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Randall joined Duncan in 1999.
The EADS shareholder structure was debated in a high-level German government meeting, but officials failed to resolve the question of how to deal with a request by Daimler to reduce its stake in the European aerospace and defense giant. Daimler wants to trim its shareholding, which now stands at 15%, but such a move would upset the careful Franco-German balance in EADS unless a new German stakeholder can be found to maintain national parity. There have been discussions as to whether the German government would take the shareholding directly.
Associated Air Center (AAC) received a letter of intent from a customer in the Far East for a VIP completion of a new Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ). The aircraft will be the Dallas facility’s 16th ACJ since 2003. Earlier this year, AAC received a contract from a repeat customer for the completion of that customer’s second new Boeing Business Jet (BBJ). That aircraft, scheduled to arrive at AAC in late August, will become AAC’s 24th BBJ completion project since it was named an authorized BBJ service and completion center in 1998.
Columbus, Ohio-based fractional company NetJets is using the celebration of its 25th anniversary to launch a new advertising campaign that includes a new creative approach, messaging and logo for the company. The new branding comes as NetJets has undergone a series of changes, beginning with the installation of Chairman David Sokol, and plans to evolve into a leaner company that focuses on fewer aircraft models.
Business Jet Center (BJC), a fixed-base operation (FBO) at Oakland International Airport in California, capped off a record year in terms of fuel sales volume with its strongest January since its first full year of operation in 2004. Fuel sales volume increased 28.12% in 2010 compared with gallons sold in 2009. January 2011 fuel sales were up nearly 20% over January 2010, the FBO adds. BJC attributes the increase to several factors, including a greater market share, expanded hangar facilities, an increase in base customers and an increase in transient traffic.
DAN ARRICK was named regional manager for the Great Lakes in the U.S. for Duncan Aviation. Arrick joined Duncan in 1988, originally in the engine shop. He left the company briefly in 2006 to become operations manager in Orlando, Fla., with Pratt & Whitney, but returned to Michigan’s Duncan Aviation Battle Creek facility in 2008 as engine shop manager.
The Senate Commerce Committee last week announced the members of the aviation subcommittee. Chaired by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the other Democrats on the subcommittee are Daniel Inouye (Hawaii), Bill Nelson (Fla.), Frank Lautenberg (N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Tom Udall (N.M.), Mark Warner (Va.), Mark Begich (Alaska) and ex officio member Jay Rockefeller (W.Va.).
Two issues will be key to changes in the business aviation landscape in the coming years, says London-based aviation consultancy Ascend. China, while a slow-growing market for business aircraft, also will become a source of supply and financing, it says. Second, manufacturers will produce more models in increasing numbers, the consultancy adds. “In 1990 there were six OEMs producing 18 models and delivering 250 aircraft per annum. In 2000 there were still six OEMs producing 19 models, but delivering 700 aircraft per annum,” it notes.
Wichita-based Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) last week opened a new 180,000-sq.-ft. facility in Chihuahua, Mexico that will handle sheet metal assembly for King Airs and Hawker jets, along with electrical assembly.
CAE, which has an independent aviation-training center already in place in India, inaugurated a new aerospace and defense center close to Bengaluru International Airport. In the 116,000-sq.-ft. complex, CAE will design and develop defense training systems and operate an engineering center of excellence, where visual databases and other software components for CAE’s simulators will be developed. The facility also houses CAE’s aviation training center.
Vero Beach, Fla.-based Piper Aircraft credits growth in international aircraft deliveries in 2010 with its improved financial outlook in numbers released last week. Exports accounted for more than half of the company’s volume by deliveries and dollars for the first time in its history. In 2010, Piper delivered 160 new aircraft, up more than 75% from the 90 shipped the previous year.
Constant Aviation, a Cleveland-based maintenance, repair and overhaul facility headquartered at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, has opened a new 15,000-sq.-ft. facility to repair and overhaul commercial and business aircraft sheet metal and bonded components. The capabilities also will cover a range of composite materials, including honeycomb, fiberglass, graphite, carbon and hybrids of all these materials.
