Macquarie Infrastructure Co.’s Atlantic Aviation subsidiary has sold its fixed-base operations at Fresno Yosemite International Airport and Cleveland Cuyahoga County Airport. The Fresno facility was sold to a subsidiary of Ross Aviation. The Cleveland facility was sold to a subsidiary of The Cleveland Jet Center. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.
Cessna, which is still fighting through a slow business jet market, is using the excess capacity at its Wichita paint shop to bring new paint capabilities to its Citation Service Center in Wichita. The service center did not have paint facilities, but has encountered increasing demand for those services.
The Transportation Security Administration continues to tweak the DCA Access Standard Security Program (DAASP), with the latest changes slated to take effect March 1, Brian Delauter, TSA general manager of general aviation security, told the National Air Transportation Association’s FBO Leadership Conference last week. Delauter last year had stated his “open goal” of increasing flights into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), and the agency since has made some small changes to the program.
JEFFREY ANGELOS was appointed director of commercial sales for North America for Bell Helicopter. Angelos is responsible for planning and direction of sales, marketing and after-sales support for the North American region. He formerly spent 19 years with the FBI, most recently as section chief of the aviation branch. There, he managed all facets of the FBI’s aviation operations, including policies and procedures, strategic planning for foreign operations, program development and contract performance. He is an FAA commercial, instrument fixed-wing and rotor pilot.
The Clean Sky program has issued it largest call for proposals yet, in the Europe Union’s largest aviation research and development project. This is the eighth round of solicitations, with around €31.9 million ($43.1 million) in research funds up for grabs. Clean Sky managers are asking for ideas on 58 topics, with responses by companies, academic institutions or consortia due May 3.
General aviation recently received a strong endorsement from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in his blog post entitled “General Aviation Pulling its Economic, Safety Weight; Building Aircraft Helps America.” The blog points to FAA Deputy Administrator Michael Huerta’s recent visit to Wichita, saying he saw “general aviation is doing its part to get America’s economy back on track.” LaHood acknowledges the industry’s economic woes, but also that some of the jobs are starting to return.
MARGIE BRICKER was promoted to VP of finance for Arcadia Aviation. Bricker leads the accounting and human resource teams across Arcadia’s locations. She has more than 30 years of experience in accounting and management, and helped integrate the human resources and accounting functions of Wayfarer Aviation into Arcadia Aviation. She also has served as VP of finance for Bentley Graphic Communications.
Feb. 14-17—University of California Los Angeles Short Course: “Airframe Stress Analysis and Sizing,” UCLA Extension Building, www.uclaextension.edu/shortcourses Feb. 15-16—36th Annual FAA Aviation Forecast Conference, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C., http://www.faa.gov/news/conferences_events/aviation_forecast_2011/ Feb. 17—National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Regional Forum, Boca Raton, Fla., (202) 783-9000, www.nbaa.org
GREG KINSELLA was promoted to chief operating officer for Arcadia Aviation. Kinsella formerly was co-president at Wayfarer Aviation and joined Arcadia through its acquisition of Wayfarer. He has a background in aviation sales, marketing, business development, charter/management operations, consulting and senior management positions, holding posts with companies including British Aerospace, Saab Aircraft, American Eagle, Fairchild Dornier, Flight Works, Vista Aviation Services and DeltaFox Aviation.
JetFlite International (JFI), the aircraft management and charter operation based in Long Beach, Calif., reports that charter revenues jumped 37% in 2010 over 2009. JFI believes revenues will grow another 30% this year. “Having major facilities now on both coasts and international flights accounting for nearly 55% of JFI’s total aircraft charter business has contributed to this growth,” says JFI President Albert Pod. The company opened a new operation at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, N.Y., basing a Gulfstream IV and Bombardier Challenger 601 there.
CESSNA LC40-550FG, LC41-550FG and LC42-550FG airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-1186; Directorate Identifier 2009-CE-065-AD; Amendment 39-16588; AD 2011-03-04] – This new AD supersedes an existing directive (AD 2009-09-09), which requires repetitive inspections of the rudder hinges and the rudder hinge brackets for cracking, deformation and discoloration, and replacement of any damaged components.
Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft and Embraer remain locked in competitive battles for the few new-aircraft orders that have surfaced in recent months, says aviation consultancy Rolland Vincent Associates, adding it is hopeful that the manufacturers will be able to work through their existing backlogs and “hold on” until the underlying economic fundamentals translate into signed orders. The picture, however, is brighter at the higher end of the market.
Industry analysts are becoming increasingly optimistic about the prospects for a business aviation recovery now that corporate profits are rebounding, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is flirting with 12,000 and pent-up demand may soon be released.
Abu Dhabi’s Al Bateen Executive Airport reported a 36% increase in civil operations in 2010, compared with 2009. Officials credit the increase to their success in attracting corporate and VIP clients to the only business aviation airport in the region. “The year-end performance report for Al Bateen Executive Airport indicated that the airport registered 7,970 commercial aircraft movements in 2010,” says General Manager Steve Jones.
Sunday’s episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” was slated to have a complementary makeover target: an airplane. The home of the Hurston family of Cocoa, Fla., was selected for the makeover, as was their 1970 Cessna SkyMaster. In 1978 Joe Hurston, a pilot, founded Air Mobile Ministries, a volunteer group that transports medical supplies, food and clothing to disaster victims. Since 2004, the organization has been specializing in delivering water purifiers to devastated regions.
Cincinnati-based nonprofit Impact Player Partners (IPP) is reaching out to business aviation for travel help at its seventh annual Impact A Hero weekend June 4-6 in Sugarland, Texas, as part of its efforts to help provide emotional and financial support for severely wounded and disabled veterans.
CLAYTON LACKEY was named line service manager for Tampa International Jet Center in Florida. He will be responsible for all day-to-day operations of the line department, including hiring, scheduling, planning, training and equipment. Lackey joined Tampa Jet in 2007.
Two new Bank of America Merrill Lynch reports are optimistic about business aviation’s continued recovery, based on recent financial results from Cessna and Bell Helicopter parent Textron and Gulfstream parent General Dynamics (BA, Jan. 31/3, 4). Analyst Ronald Epstein writes that revenue growth of 11.2% year-over-year in Textron’s fourth quarter comes as sales recover, particularly with commercial helicopters gaining traction.
FAA’s proposed rulemaking requiring safety management systems (SMS) to be implemented at all airports certificated under Part 139 is causing confusion and concern among airport directors regarding costs and training responsibilities. For example, when catering or fueling trucks drive onto the airside, who is responsible for training the drivers, airport directors ask. Airports with large numbers of general aviation pilots also would have to train each pilot on SMS.
FAA is giving JetBlue Airways $4.2 million toward equipping up to 35 of its Airbus A320s with automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) avionics in exchange for data on flights of these aircraft along the East Coast and to the Caribbean.
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
SimCom Training Centers has expanded its capacity to provide simulator training for widely used business aircraft types with the acquisition of PrestoSIM, located near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Texas. The former PrestoSIM center provides training on the Cessna Citation 500 and Beechcraft King Air 200 series. SimCom plans to add training devices for the King Air C90A and B, Cessna 421, Piper Cheyenne and Cheyenne II, and turboprop-powered Twin Commanders. The King Air 200 and Turbo Commander simulators have been upgraded with 180-deg.
Wichita, Kan.-based Yingling Aviation has expanded its Aviator’s Attic shop into a website (www.aviatorsattic.com) that sells items in 18 different categories. The Aviator’s Attic has an online inventory of flight gear, pilot apparel, aviation books, videos and electronic devices. The website also includes aircraft and pilot supplies, flight planning and cockpit tools, radios and scanners, flashlights and flight cases.
Business aircraft retail transactions trended up in the fourth quarter of 2010, with a little more than 2.6% of the worldwide jet fleet and 2.5% of the worldwide turboprop fleet changing hands, a new report says. Fourth-quarter transactions were up over third-quarter transactions by 2.3% and 2% for jets and turboprops, respectively, according to the quarterly Market Update report released by aviation consultancy AMSTAT.
