The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting a review of how the agency handles appeals for emergency revocations and other certificate actions. The agency has published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) soliciting comments on its procedures and other issues surrounding the appeal process. The safety board says it has received comments from various parties about the potential need to change the current procedures. NTSB also cites a need to update the rules and accommodate electronic filing capabilities.
London Executive Aviation (LEA) has become the first charter operator in Europe to add the new Embraer Legacy 650 business jet to its air operator’s certificate and charter fleet. LEA used a Legacy 650 to bring a family from St. Petersburg, Russia, to Dubai, then had the aircraft on static display at the recent Middle East Business Aviation show.
FlightSafety International has received FAA Level D qualification for its new Beechcraft King Air 350 full flight simulator based at FlightSafety’s Hawker Beechcraft facility in Wichita, Kan. The simulator displays the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 integrated avionics system and is equipped with FlightSafety’s Vital Visual System and electric motion and control loading technology. Initial training has begun with pilots from Australia, France, the Philippines, Russia, Slovakia, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the U.S.
United Kingdom-based private jet booker PrivateFly.com reports it has seen sales in December skyrocket by up to 80% as dozens of airline flights out of Europe were canceled after a massive snowstorm hit the continent. London Biggin Hill-based operator PremiAir also has experienced a spike in bookings for its Learjet 45 and Premier 1 business jets.
King Aerospace, an Addison, Texas-based aircraft services specialist, named Rod Soret president. Soret, formerly COO for Gore Design Completions in San Antonio, will be based at King’s modification facility in Ardmore, Okla. He will direct large aircraft completions and modifications, along with depot facilities/programs and maintenance, repair and overhaul. In addition to Gore Design, Soret has served with Associated Air Center and The Dee Howard Company.
Hawker Beechcraft Services (HBS) in Chester, United Kingdom, continues to meet key milestones on its first Hawker 800XPR upgrade program and expects to achieve FAA certification in early 2011, with European Aviation Safety Agency approval following after that. HBS announced the program during the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition last spring and named its first customer, JoinJet of Denmark, at the most recent National Business Aviation Association Annual Meeting and Convention.
Two pilots employed by Wisconsin operator Air Cargo Carriers were released from custody after being detained in the Dominican Republic for more than two weeks. The pilots were caught up in a larger drug trafficking investigation that reportedly led to the arrest of 18 Dominican military and government officials. Drug smugglers apparently had stashed 321 lbs. of cocaine behind the ceiling and floor panels of the pilots’ Shorts SD-3-30 after they had arrived in Santo Domingo.
Nordam is realigning its senior management in a move that is part of a long-term succession plan for the company’s leadership, the firm says. Meredith Siegfried, currently COO, will become president of the Tulsa, Okla., manufacturer and repair specialist effective Jan. 1. In addition, T. Hastings Siegfried, who has been COO of Nordam’s Transparency Group, will become vice chairman and chairman of the company’s governance committee, in addition to his current duties. He also will lead government affairs and community relations.
Falcon Aviation Services (FAS) of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, took delivery of its first Lineage 1000. The charter company formally accepted the aircraft during the recent Middle East Business Aviation exhibition. Founded in 2006, FAS ordered two Lineage 1000 jets during the Dubai Air Show in November 2007. The aircraft is certified to carry up to 19 passengers in five distinct cabin zones.
Because of the holiday schedule, The Weekly of Business Aviation will not publish a Dec. 27 edition. The next issue will be dated Jan. 3. Please refer to the Aviation Week Intelligence Network (subscribers only) or AviationWeek.com for additional coverage. And, please accept our best wishes for a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year.
The general aviation industry received a “late-in-the-year shot in the arm” with last week’s passage of a comprehensive tax bill that will extend certain aircraft depreciation benefits into 2013, as well as renew the research and development tax credit, industry leaders say. President Obama signed the bill—the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 (H.R.4853)—into law Dec. 17, just a day after the legislation cleared the House. The Senate had approved the bill earlier last week.
Avantair executives have been encouraged by recent results in the fractional aircraft ownership business. The company, which operates Piaggio P180 twin turboprops in its fractional aircraft ownership program, says the turboprop fractional ownership category was up 2.8% from October 2009 to October 2010. Fractional aircraft activity for all aircraft has increased 13.1% from September of this year, Avantair adds. In addition, the company says it has doubled its sale of flight-hour time cards.
Lincoln, Neb.-based aircraft supplier Duncan Aviation has created an iPad app to provide wireless control of all the cabin systems in a Falcon 900. The app uses an Aircell CTR Wi-Fi source and an interface unit to communicate instructions to the aircraft’s Honeywell MH cabin management system.
EMMANUEL FANTUZZI has joined Pacific Precision Products as engineering manager. He will oversee development work, entry into service and integration of new technologies. He formerly served with the French Advanced Technology Division of Air Liquide.
While literally overshadowed by the towering fins crowding the Dubai International static display ramp, the single Eclipse 500 at the recent Middle East Business Aviation (MEBA) show in Dubai had a steady stream of attendees looking at the eye-level windscreen and sliding into the compact cabin.
China’s Avic International is buying U.S. general aviation engine manufacturer Continental Motors from Teledyne Technologies for $186 million in cash. Anticipated growth in the Chinese general aviation market is cited as the reason for the purchase. The acquisition of Mobile, Ala.-based Continental and its service centers requires U.S. government antitrust and foreign-investment clearance, as well as Chinese government approval, but the deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2011, says Teledyne.
Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association (RACCA) is discussing with its members the possibility of withholding air freight service to the Dominican Republic after officials from the country imprisoned two pilots from a member airline, Air Cargo Carriers. According to the association, the pilots, flying a Shorts SD-3-30, were detained and their aircraft seized as part of a larger drug trafficking investigation.
Germany’s 328 Support Services is hoping its new 328DBJ replacement for the Envoy will carve out a niche in the shorter-haul, but still higher-end used market. Announced at the Middle East Business Aviation show this month in Dubai, the 328DBJ upgrades the interior of the former Envoy, providing increased cabin space, electric window shades and improved cabin-management systems (BA, Dec. 13/9).
Israeli products and systems provider Elbit Systems is expanding its aerospace operations in the U.S. with the $85 million cash acquisition of San Antonio-based M7 Aerospace. Elbit will fold M7 into its Elbit Systems of America Services and Support Solutions business unit, and says the acquisition is part of a strategy to increase its support and maintenance capabilities in the U.S. market.
Aviation information provider Jetnet LLC has unveiled a web-based “Customer Relationship Management” (CRM) system, which provides subscribers access to the company’s database of aviation contacts and aircraft. CRM also enables users to add their own contact records, notes, action items and other CRM data. Jetnet, which has been in the business since 1988, says customers wanted a CRM designed to their specific needs, according to Paul Cardarelli, the company’s director of sales and marketing.
Bombardier has opened a regional support office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to serve Learjet, Challenger and Global customers in the Middle East and Africa. The new office, the sixth Bombardier regional support office to open outside North America in the past three years, is part of the manufacturer’s drive to bring aircraft technical expertise, flight operations support and customer account management functions closer to its customers.
Embraer has appointed Dubai-based ExecuJet Aviation Group as an Embraer authorized service center (EASC) for the Legacy 600 and 650 executive jets. ExecuJet Dubai will provide scheduled and unscheduled maintenance services at Dubai International Airport. The appointment comes as Embraer’s fleet of super midsize and large executive jets has grown to nearly 25 in the Middle East, Embraer notes.
Private jet operator JetSuite has unveiled a “SuiteKey” customer loyalty membership program that provides flight bonus credits on purchased travel that can be redeemed for future travel. The membership program is a fully refundable, prepaid account that can be used to purchase flights on JetSuite’s fleet of Embraer Phenom 100s.
Avocet Aviation Services expects to complete construction of a new 55,000-sq.-ft. hangar at Orlando-Sanford International Airport by Jan. 31, the company says. The new facility will be a full-service, commercial aircraft maintenance operation at the airport.
The elevators of a Piaggio P180 seized up on arrival to Port Columbus International Airport on Dec. 13, but the pilots were able to safely land the twin turboprop without damage to the aircraft or injury to the four occupants onboard. A subsequent investigation of the airplane revealed ice in the bays around the elevator’s control cables, the National Transportation Safety Board reports. Marginal visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the incident, NTSB says.
