Yingling Aviation has opened a maintenance and service facility in a leased 10,000-sq.-ft. hangar at Independence Municipal Airport in Independence, Kan. The facility is adjacent to Cessna’s manufacturing site and is a Cessna authorized service facility. The facility will provide service and warranty support for Cessna’s single-engine lines, including the Skyhawk, Skylane, Stationair and Corvalis models.
Bombardier has sold five Challenger 300 jets valued at $12 million to Donghai Jet Co., a charter and business aircraft services company based in Southern China. The jets will join a Challenger 605 that was handed over to the company Nov. 13 during a special ceremony at Donghai Jet’s headquarters in Shenzhen. Donghai is a joint venture of Shenzhen Donggang Investment Development, East Pacific Holdings and Win Glory Enterprises. In addition to charter, the company provides trading consultation, management and maintenance services.
PIAGGIO P-180 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0778 Directorate Identifier 2010-CE-034-AD; Amendment 39-16490; AD 2010-23-01] – Inspect the elevator hinge fittings for corrosion and the horizontal stabilizer for delamination. If necessary, repair the stabilizer and replace the fittings. Also, install aluminum strips in the stabilizer to improve bonding, per the instructions of Piaggio Service Bulletin 80-0262 Rev. 2 (dated March 17, 2010).
John Rosanvallon, president and CEO of Dassault Falcon and executive vice president of civil aircraft for Dassault Aviation, has been elected chairman of the board of directors of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. Rosanvallon was previously board vice chairman and chairman of the Security Issues Committee. Caroline Daniels, CEO of Aircraft Technical Publishers, has been selected as GAMA’s vice chairman. In addition, the association approved CAV Aerospace as the newest member.
BOMBARDIER Regional Jet Series 700, 701, 702, 705 and 900 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-1109; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-155-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to conduct repetitive inspections of the Rudder Travel Limiter (RTL) return springs. Operators would need to replace any broken return springs with new ones before further flight. In addition, operators would be required to repair or replace any chafed or damaged primary actuators with new actuators, in accordance with the instructions of Bombardier Service Bulletin 670BA-27-055, Rev.
Anticipating an upturn in demand for its business jets, Gulfstream Aerospace says it will invest $500 million during the next seven years to further expand its home base facilities in Savannah, Ga., and add 1,000 new production specialists, engineers and support technicians to its current workforce there of 5,500 employees. The Nov. 15 announcement was a dose of good news for an industry that has been hit with thousands of layoffs during the past two years.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is continuing to protest efforts to attract business to Mexico. The union’s District 751 in Seattle has stated that it “stands ready to protect” if organizers of MexicoNow do not cancel a planned Mexico Aerospace Industry Conference scheduled for Dec. 2 in Seattle. Two similar conferences were canceled when the IAM had threatened to rally in Wichita. District 751 has asked Boeing to withdraw its participation from the event. See related articles on Pages 4 and 8.
The Wichita Aero Club is hosting a second annual “On-Air Summit” Nov. 30 at the Wichita Airport Hilton. The luncheon speakers will be videotaped and broadcast on the Aero Club’s website (www.wichitaaeroclub.org). The inaugural On-Air Summit drew more than 300 attendees. This year’s panelists will discuss the economy, the recent election and other industry issues.
Embraer’s Legacy 450/500 “iron bird,” which will be used to test the fly-by-wire flight controls, avionics, hydraulics and several other system interfaces of the new Legacy 450 and 500 jets, was “powered on” recently. According to the Brazilian airframer, the facility is designed to enable the validation of proper systems integration, thereby contributing to greater aircraft maturity when it enters service. The iron bird was developed by Embraer in cooperation with Parker, which supplies the Legacy 450/500 flight control system.
Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) will take over as co-chair of the House General Aviation Caucus starting in January, outgoing co-Chair Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-Mich.) said at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s Aviation Summit this month.
Spirit AeroSystems has announced plans to offer in a private placement up to $300 million in senior unsecured notes that will be due in 2020. The company will use the proceeds to repay past borrowings, for general corporate purposes and to pay fees and expenses incurred in connection with this offering.
The Air Transport Association, which expressed opposition to several measures included in FAA’s proposed flight and duty-time regulation, complains that the proposed requirements are “highly inflexible” and contradicts FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt’s admonition against a one-size-fits-all approach. While tailored to Part 121 carriers, FAA also has drawn concern from the Part 135 community for its language indicating that the proposal could be a precursor to a similar measure for on-demand carriers. Rep.
Dassault has appointed another Falcon service center for the Middle East. Jeddah-based Saudia Private Aviation Engineering and Maintenance, the business aviation unit of Saudi Arabian Airlines, is a line service center for the Falcon 900 and 7X. The company employs more than 75 technicians and has more than 35 years of experience in maintaining and inspecting all types of business aircraft. Saudia’s 43,000-sq.-ft. facility has two hangars, as well as workshops, storage facilities and a sheet metal, tire and battery servicing shop.
Bombardier celebrated the manufacture of the 1,000th Dash 8/Q series regional turboprop and the 400th Global business jet during a ceremony Nov. 12 at the company’s facility in Toronto, where the aircraft are built. The event included industry leaders, local and federal leaders, customers, suppliers, media, retirees and the nearly 4,000-plus employees at the Toronto site. The Canadian Air & Space Museum presented the site with a Canadian Air & Space Pioneer award in recognition of the Dash 8/Q series.
PAUL KUCHTA was promoted to assistant manager of FlightSafety International’s learning center at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. He will direct the facility’s aircraft maintenance technician training programs, along with other management responsibilities. Kuchta has served with FlightSafety since 1998, initially as a technical analyst and then as a maintenance instructor. Most recently, he has been director of maintenance training.
WILL VAN ZEVENTER was named vice president of business development for BAE Systems Asset Management. He has more than 20 years of experience in the aviation industry covering commercial aircraft leasing and sales, corporate aircraft remarketing and commercial aircraft after-sales support. He comes from Focus Aviation, where he was head of marketing.
General aviation aircraft manufacturing is underway in China, and the country is now contemplating the if, when and how of building a business jet. Zhang Xin Guo, executive vice president of the Aviation Industry Corporation on China, told Aviation Week during a meeting in New York last week that his company “is trying to find a partner to cooperate with” on such a project.
An exclusive license to technology developed by L-3 Communications would cut development risk and time to market on future integrated flight deck programs by Montreal-based Esterline CMC Electronics, according to President Greg Yeldon. “L-3 Communications’ SmartDeck suite of technologies is uniquely synergistic with the concepts we already have in our product development road map,” Yeldon says. “It will allow us to offer more capability in our products, and to address a wider range of markets.”
EMBRAER EMB-500 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0870; Directorate Identifier 2010-CE-045-AD; Amendment 39-16505; AD 2010-23-16] – Replace both flow-control shutoff valves with improved valves, per the instructions of Embraer Phenom Service Bulletin 500-21-0001 (dated Dec. 9, 2009). This AD, which resulted from an MCAI issued by an aviation authority of another country, was prompted by several failures of shutoff valves in the closed position. Failure of both the left and right valves can cause loss of the pneumatic source, leading to loss of cabin pressurization.
Nov. 17-19—ALTA Airline Leaders Forum, Panama City, Panama, www.alta.aero/airlineleaders/2010/ 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, http://www.dot.gov/faac Feb. 7-8, 2011—National Air Transportation Association FBO Leadership Conference, Savanna, Ga., (703) 845-9000, www.nata.aero
BOMBARDIER Regional Jet Series 700, 701, 702, 705 and 900 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0700; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-123-AD; Amendment 39-16500; AD 2010-23-11] – Replace certain Angle of Attack (AOA) transducers with new or serviceable transducers, per the instructions of Bombardier Alert Service Bulletin A670BA-27-054, Rev. A (dated Jan. 18, 2010). This AD, which resulted from an MCAI originated by Transport Canada, was prompted by the discovery that certain resolver stators installed in AOA transducers were not cleaned correctly.
EUROCOPTER FRANCE Model SA-365N, SA-365N1, AS-365N2 and AS 365 N3 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2010-1082; Directorate Identifier 2009-SW-041-AD; Amendment 39-16491; AD 2010-23-02] – Before further flight, amend the “Limitations” section of the Rotorcraft Flight Manual to limit the never-exceed velocity (VNE) to 150 KIAS and to add a 1,500-fpm. rate of descent limitation beyond 140 KIAS. Also, install placards on the cockpit instrument panel in full view of the pilot and co-pilot.
Business and general aviation deliveries continued to reflect the industry malaise in the third quarter, down 23.4% from the third quarter of 2009 and nearly 60% from two years ago, according to the latest General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) report.
BAE Systems is developing a more regionalized African strategy to support the growing number of its aircraft now in operation across the continent. “We are placing growing numbers of our portfolio aircraft into African countries, and third parties are also finding Africa a very receptive market for our products. With such a head of steam building up, we have decided to regionalize our support to provide a more responsive service to African operators,” says Sean McGovern, business director-support for BAE Systems Regional Aircraft.
NetJets posted a 17% increase in sales in the third quarter and first nine months of 2010, reports Berkshire Hathaway, parent of the fractional ownership provider. Berkshire Hathaway credits increases in flight-revenue hours worldwide and fuel cost recoveries. But fewer aircraft in the NetJets program have led to lower management fees, the company says.
