U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood declared his solidarity with a federal advisory committee’s emphasis on accelerating and providing more funding for the NextGen air traffic control system as he received the committee’s full list of recommendations Dec. 15.
BRITISH AEROSPACE Jetstream Series 3101 and 3201 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0942; Directorate Identifier 2010-CE-049-AD; Amendment 39-16535; AD 2010-25-02] – Establish the number of landings accumulated since installation of each main landing gear radius-rod mounting shaft assembly, per the instructions of British Aerospace Jetstream Series 3100 & 3200 Service Bulletin 05-JA090143 (dated April 30, 2009).
A Reuters report set off a flurry of speculation that Dubai Aerospace Enterprise might sell StandardAero, which “is not on the auction block, per se,” says Mike Turner, StandardAero’s director-marketing and corporate communications. He says Dubai Aerospace Enterprise has not told the company it plans to sell the large independent engine MRO, which generated revenues of about $1.4 billion in 2008 and 2009. Turner says 2010 “has been a very solid year for us” in revenue, which should be about the same as the last two years and which is above many of its industry peers.
VINCENT ZARRELLA was named director of customer service for Piper Aircraft. Zarrella, who has nearly 25 years of aircraft support experience, has held positions of increasing responsibility at Piper over the past eight years. Most recently he was senior manager of Piper customer operations.
Jet Works Air Center of Denton, Texas, has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract to convert an MD-87 airliner into a 24-seat luxury VIP aircraft for a Middle Eastern client. “It will feature a luxurious cabin with a leading-edge entertainment system and Wi-Fi Internet access,” says President Trey Bryson. The aircraft, the first of the type converted by Jet Works, will arrive at the completions center at the end of January.
ANDREW BOCK has rejoined Pacific Precision Products in Irvine, Calif., as sales and engineering solutions manager. Bock also has held positions with Goodrich Aerospace and AVOX Systems.
Aviation group Rizon is progressing with the development of its new MRO facility and fixed-base operator terminal in Doha, Qatar, expected to open in January. Rizon opened a similar $32 million maintenance facility at London Biggin Hill Airport in September, but its passenger terminal opening has been delayed until April 1 because of late delivery of special internal fittings. Both FBO passenger terminals will have a Middle Eastern flavor.
Emirates-CAE Flight Training (ECFT) is adding a Bombardier Challenger 604 simulator to its facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The CAE 7000 Series Level D full-flight simulator will be ready for training in the first half of 2012, according to officials of the Emirates Group and CAE joint venture. Dassault Falcon 900EX/2000EX EASy and Falcon 7X simulators are to be ready for training in Dubai during 2011.
The Chicago Department of Aviation is seeking a Projects Administrator - Noise to manage noise mitigation projects for the Chicago Airport System. The City of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. For full details and to apply go to: https://chicago.taleo.net/careersection/100/job-search.ftl?lang=en Click here to view the pdf
SIKORSKY S-70A and S-70C helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2010-0490; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-037-AD; Amendment 39-16514; AD 2010-23-24] – Conduct an ultrasonic inspection of the tail gearbox output bevel gear for cracks, per the instructions of Sikorsky Alert Service Bulletin No. 70-06-28A, Rev. A (dated May 21, 2009). If any cracks are found, replace the gear with an airworthy one before further flight.
GENERAL ELECTRIC CT7-9C and -9C3 engines [Docket No. FAA-2010-0732; Directorate Identifier 2010-NE-04-AD; Amendment 39-16509; AD 2010-23-20] – Inspect certain gas generator turbine (GGT) shafts for nonconforming land balance-cuts, per the instructions of GE CT7-TP Alert Service Bulletin 72-A0501, Rev. 01 (dated March 3, 2010). If the land balance-cuts are found to be nonconforming, remove the GGT from service.
Light jets led the decline in used aircraft inventory for the first time since October 2009, according to the December edition of JPMorgan’s Business Jet Monthly report. JP Morgan, which tracks the used market involving in-production models, notes that light jet inventories in November dropped 40 basis points, and medium and heavy jet inventories each dropped 10 basis points.
Dec. 15—The Wings Club Luncheon, featuring Gary Kelly, Chairman, President & CEO of Southwest Airlines, The Yale Club, New York, (212) 867-1770, [email protected] Dec. 15—Future of Aviation Advisory Committee Meetings, Washington, D.C., http://www.dot.gov/faac Jan. 20-21, 2011—European Business Aviation Association Regional Forum “One Europe: A Roadmap for Aligning East and West,” Hilton Vienna, www.ebaa.org Feb. 7-8, 2011—National Air Transportation Association FBO Leadership Conference, Savannah, Ga., (703) 845-9000, www.nata.aero
Last week’s fourth annual Middle East Business Aviation (MEBA) show was likely to be the biggest ever. According to show organizers, 338 companies signed on as exhibitors – a 40% increase over the previous gathering – and hailed from 33 countries. Additionally, 55 aircraft – including for the first time an Embraer Lineage 1000 – were on view in the static display. The three-day event drew some 7,000 visitors from more than 70 countries. Some 2,500 VIPs received personal invitations to attend and more than 300 accepted before the opening date.
Dassault’s Falcon 2000LX was recently granted approval to operate out of London City Airport. The approval means European-registered 2000LXs can fly from London City. Dassault is developing a program to gain FAA steep-approach certification, which will allow U.S.-registered aircraft to operate at London City. To obtain approval to use London City’s short runway (4,327 ft. on landing and 3,934 ft. on takeoff), the aircraft must demonstrate certain performance capabilities.
Financial analyst JPMorgan paints a mixed picture for business aviation’s fledgling recovery in its December edition of Business Jet Monthly report. During November, inventories of used business aircraft decreased for the first time in three months, to 11.7% of the active fleet. But demand for airplanes remains weak, and average asking prices continue to slide, says JPMorgan. Another sign of the tepid market is that growth in business flight operations moderated in October, and the fractional fleet continued to shrink that month, albeit by only two aircraft.
Of the roughly 550 business jets based in Middle Eastern countries, nearly 90% are considered medium- or large-size jets, says Brian Foley of Brian Foley Associates. “This fleet perspective is significant, because the worldwide average is closer to 60%,” he says. “And it is a measure of utility, not just luxury and prestige. All these Gulfstreams, Falcons and Globals (along with the occasional Boeing and Airbus models) fill a need for range and comfort reaching far beyond the Middle East that smaller jets can’t match.”
FAA is extending the comment period on a proposed policy to clarify the term “actively engaged” for the purposes of inspection authorization (IA) applicants. FAA requires IA applicants to have been “actively engaged” in maintaining aircraft for at least two years before they apply for the authorization. On Nov. 5, FAA proposed the clarification, citing “widespread confusion and inconsistent interpretation” of the term by agency inspectors.
Delays in the Boeing 747-8 program “are quite disconcerting, to say the least,” says Peter Edwards, president of Jet Aviation. The company has won the contract to complete the first VIP 747-8 and is bidding to do more. “Delays cause us to rejuggle completion slots and capacity, and may involve some resequencing. They do have quite a knock-on effect,” he says. “At that point, there will be people we have to say ‘no’ to, and some of them will be very difficult to say ‘no’ to.” See related article on Page 9.
The Chicago Department of Aviation is seeking a Projects Administrator - Noise to manage noise mitigation projects for the Chicago Airport System. The City of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. For full details and to apply go to: https://chicago.taleo.net/careersection/100/job-search.ftl?lang=en Click here to view the pdf
Qatar-based Rizon Jet will become an operator of an Airbus Corporate Jetliner, which it will manage on behalf of a new customer from the Gulf region. The aircraft, which will be completed using the designs of London-based Andrew Winch Design, will be delivered in 2011 and handed over to the customer in 2012.
Rizon Jet has opened its new hangar at London Biggin Hill Airport. The Rizon facility has received approval to provide maintenance on the Citation 560 series; Hawker 780, 800, 800XP, 850XP, 900XP and 1000; plus the Bombardier Challenger 600 series. Rizon says it is in talks with several original equipment manufacturers to offer support on a number of other aircraft types. The company also plans to open a two-level fixed-base operation in April, just ahead of the European Business Aviation Convention & Exposition in Geneva in May.
