Cessna recently delivered Europe’s first Citation CJ4 to an operator in the U.K. and plans to ship the first CJ4 to Germany during the second quarter of 2011. FAA approval of the CJ4 was granted this past March, and initial deliveries began in April.
Bombardier has successfully test mated a CSeries composite wing sample to a composite wing box at the company’s Saint Laurent manufacturing facility in Montreal. Meanwhile, the first phase of construction of the 600,000-sq.-ft. facility that will manufacture and assemble the wings for the all-new Bombardier commercial transport has been completed in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The first phase of the new “green” building incorporates a production area, a low-contamination “clean room” and a tool storage area.
London Stansted-based charter operator Titan Airways won for Best Passenger Charter Airline at the recent annual Baltic Air Charter Association (BACA) luncheon awards. It is the third year in five years of the awards that Titan has taken the title, independently voted for by the BACA membership, which includes air brokers, airports, business aircraft operators, suppliers and aviation consultants.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association last week began a formal industry dialog on improving the student pilot numbers with its daylong Flight Training Summit held last week on the eve of its Aviation Summit in Long Beach, Calif. “This is the beginning of a national conversation on growing the pilot population,” says AOPA President and CEO Craig Fuller. “It is something that will affect all of us for years to come.”
Cutter Aviation continues to see some upticks in business at its fixed-base operations despite concerns about the economy and recent federal legislation, Director of Marketing Mike Livezey says. “We are very concerned about the costs of doing business, and we are not seeing any savings in the new health care laws. We continue to look for solutions to control those costs because they may be huge,” Livezey explains.
London-based Harrods Aviation has been authorized by Sikorsky to install modification kits on S-76 helicopters in Europe under the terms of a new two-year agreement between the FBO chain and the aftermarket division of the helicopter manufacturer. Harrods Aviation will purchase kits directly from Sikorsky and install the modifications. Harrods offers rotary-wing aircraft services at its London Stansted location.
Aircell plans shortly to begin shipments of its new Aviator 200 SwiftBroadband system. According to the manufacturer, the reduced antenna size and increased affordability of the system makes satellite-based connectivity practical for smaller aircraft, including light jets and turboprops. The Aviator 200 uses a small, low-gain antenna, weighs about 13 lb. and costs about $55,000, plus installation.
The U.K. and Ireland will have a new TBM 850 distributor starting in January. Daher-Socata, maker of the single-engine turboprop, has an agreement with longtime TBM operator John Merry, who is establishing a new company to not only sell the airplane, but also will provide maintenance, technical support and spare parts from a soon-to-be-announced base. Merry, who in 2009 founded JetBrokers Europe, has owned three TBMs and four TB 20s since 2002. Air Touring previously represented Daher-Socata in the U.K. and Ireland.
Although the buzz says that China – with its geographical size, large population and skyrocketing wealth – will soon unleash an insatiable demand for new business aircraft, it “is not quite realistic yet,” a new analysis about that country says.
Robinson Helicopter’s first turbine-powered model, the R66, has received FAA certification. The five-place, single-engine helicopter is powered by the Rolls-Royce RR300, a derivative of the Rolls-Royce Model 250. The first production R66 (serial number 0004) has been delivered to Helistream Inc., Robinson’s longtime dealer in Costa Mesa, Calif.
Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) has signed a multi-year fleet management program contract with Aramco Associated Company, an affiliate of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco). Under the terms of the contract, P&WC will provide engine support for the Saudi Aramco-operated AgustaWestland AW139 fleet based in Saudi Arabia. The program provides a guaranteed maintenance-cost plan for P&WC PT6 engines.
Eurocopter recently inaugurated its new Indian subsidiary, Eurocopter India Pvt. Ltd., which is headquartered in New Delhi and has an existing facility in Bangalore for the management of industrial activity. An engineering center is to be established in Bangalore next year, along with the opening of a new commercial office in Mumbai.
The Transportation Security Administration is continuing its efforts to improve general aviation access to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Brian Delauter, general manager of TSA’s general aviation branch, told the National Air Transportation Association’s Air Charter Summit in June that he has “an open goal of increasing flights into DCA” (BA, June 14/1). Since that time, TSA has cleared additional “gateway” airports that can be used for clearance before flying into DCA.
GINA PELLEGRINO has joined aviation consultancy Airclaims as an aviation surveyor at its Miami office. She has 10 years of experience in general and commercial aviation, holding positions at Southwest Airlines and Pratt & Whitney. She is a member of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators.
Wichita-based Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. posted revenue of $1.002 billion in the third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2010, down from $1.054 billion in the third quarter of 2009. The company blamed fewer large commercial aircraft deliveries and lower non-production revenues.
Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) has received national attention for an apparent landing on a closed runway at Port Isabel-Cameron County Airport in Port Isabel, Texas. FAA is looking into the Oct. 21 incident. Inhofe reportedly has maintained that he did not see markings on the runway that indicated it was closed until shortly before landing his twin-engine Cessna 340. Workers were on the runway at the time, but the senator told the Tulsa World that he attempted to land away from the workers.
EUROCOPTER DEUTSCHLAND MBB-BK 117 C-2 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2010-0780; Directorate Identifier 2009-SW-68-AD; Amendment 39-16486; AD 2010-22-07] – This AD, which supersedes an existing directive (AD 2006-26-51), requires repetitive visual inspections of the tail-rotor control lever for score marks, notches, scratches or cracks.
Recent industry indicators continue to reveal a mixed picture for business aviation, reflecting that questions about recovery still linger even after nine months of 2010 have passed, analysts agree.
Jettech is working toward a supplemental type certificate for installation of Garmin G600 glass-panel avionics on Cessna Citation 501/551 series aircraft. Jettech initially will offer installations at its Denver facilities and subsequently supply kits through Garmin authorized dealers. The new unit will offer features such as synthetic vision, terrain awareness, traffic collision avoidance systems, digital weather radar, satellite weather radar and lightning strike information.
Nov. 11—The Wings Club Luncheon Featuring James McNerney, Jr., Chairman, President & CEO of The Boeing Company, The Yale Club, New York, (212) 867-1770, [email protected] Nov. 17-19—ALTA Airline Leaders Forum, Panama City, Panama, www.alta.aero/airlineleaders/2010/ Nov. 22-24—University of Westminster Aviation Seminar, Air Transport Business and Management, London, +44 (207) 911-5000 ext 3220, fax +44 (207) 911-5171, www.westminster.ac.uk/aviation
Gulfstream Aerospace obtained FAA Stage 4 certification for its large-cabin aircraft. The certification covers the G550, G500, G450, G350, GV, GIV-SP and GIV. These aircraft have been Stage 4 compliant, but the certification formally recognizes that they meet the standard. This may prove an important certification, as several airports around the world consider possible operational restrictions for aircraft that do not meet Stage 4 requirements. Gulfstream is working to obtain similar certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency.
While Cessna gained considerable attention last month for a possible new single-turboprop aircraft, the company maintains that such an aircraft likely will not be announced in the near future. 350CE, the experimental single-engine turboprop registered to Cessna Aircraft seen flying into and out of the company’s Pawnee facility at McConnell AFB, Kan., is not a proof-of-concept aircraft that will precede the launch of a Cessna single-engine turboprop, according to company officials.
The Alliance for Aviation Across America, a coalition formed in early 2007 to represent organizations and individuals with an interest in general aviation, has reached the 5,500-member mark. Members range from the Air Care Alliance and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association to the National Grange and League of Rural Voters, among others. Membership also includes state and local officials.
Zurich-based corporate jet charter and management company Fly Comlux is hoping to open an air bridge between its Almaty, Kazakhstan, base and Beijing with its new partnership with Beijing Capital Airlines (formerly DeerJet). The partnership, formed earlier this year, is one of several steps Comlux has undertaken to expand its traffic in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
