Caroline Daniels, chairman and CEO of ATP, has been selected chairman of the Washington-based General Aviation Manufacturers Association for 2012. Vice chairman will be Brad Mottier, VP and general manager of business and general aviation at GE Aviation.
This single-turboprop-powered utility/passenger aircraft first flew in December 1982. Through 2010, Cessna produced 2,015 Caravans of all types. Designed with the small-package delivery segment in mind, the two models currently in production, the Caravan 675 and 208B Grand Caravan, have maximum useful loads of 1,898 kg (4,200 lb.) and 2,041 kg, respectively. Power for both aircraft is provided by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A turboprop engine rated at 675 shp. Cessna is forecast to deliver 1,004 Caravans in 2011-20.
USMC Maj. Gen. (ret.) Andrew B. Davis has been appointed executive director of the Washington-based Reserve Officers Association, succeeding U.S. Army Maj. Gen. David Bockel, who stepped down in September. Davis's final assignment was as leader of the Marine Corps Mobilization Command.
John Paskell has been named airport administrator in Salem, Ore. He was executive director and chief operating officer of the Mohave County (Ariz.) Airport Authority.
David Ufen (see photo) has been appointed director of avionics for J.A. Air Center, Sugar Grove, Ill. His background includes experience with Elliott Aviation, Universal Avionics, AirCell, Rockwell Collins and Honeywell product lines.
The small impact of global economic turmoil and regional political unrest on business jet sales in the Middle East demonstrates just how insulated buyers in this region are from the rest of the world. But that is not to say that the upheaval of recent months has passed the corporate and private jet sector by. Europe's economic troubles and the overall slow recovery globally are leading Embraer to give more credence to its “downturn” market forecast for business aviation rather than a rosier projection.
The euro zone may be in turmoil, fuel prices may be skyrocketing and their financial results hurting, but Middle Eastern airlines are continuing to add capacity. By 2030, traffic in the region will have tripled, mirroring that of Europe, Asia or North America today, according to Airbus forecasts. Emirates has made a fundamental strategy decision to continue growing despite a rather dramatic earnings slump in the first half of 2011. “We have been held back too many times and we have always regretted that we slowed down,” says Emirates President Tim Clark.
Pilot and business aviation executive Clay Lacy has been inducted into the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame in Wichita. He also recently received the National Business Aviation Association's Meritorious Service to Aviation Award for his dedication to building the business aviation industry.
The CRJ series is a family of twin-engine, 44-100-seat regional jets. The initial model was the 50-seat CRJ100, which is no longer in production. It first flew in May 1991 and deliveries started in October 1992. The CRJ100 was replaced by the 50-seat CRJ200, which is powered by a pair of 9,220-lb.-thrust GE CF34-3B1 turbofans. Other variants have included the 44-seat CRJ440, which is also powered by CF34-3B1s; the 64-78-seat CRJ700, powered by two 13,790-lb.-thrust CF34-8C5 turbofans; and the 86-90-seat CRJ900, powered by two 14,255-lb.-thrust CF34-8C5s.
Currently in development, the A350XWB is a twin-engine, widebody jetliner intended to compete with Boeing's 787 and 777. The XWB will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines rated at 74,000-92,000 lb. thrust and will have a cruise speed around Mach 0.85. Three basic versions are being marketed: the -800, -900 and -1000. Depending on version, the XWB seats 270-350 and will have a range of 8,000-8,500 nm. An ultra-long-range -900R and freighter, -900F, are also to be available. The A350XWB is scheduled to fly in 2013 and enter service in 2014.
Airbus is scheduled to deliver the final A340 soon, bringing to a close a 24-year program that has a special meaning for Europeans. The A340 was intended to enable Airbus, which was still a loose industrial grouping in the mid-1980s, to meet the airline industry's long-haul segment needs, after decades of unsuccessful attempts by airframe designers and producers in Europe.
This pressurized, single-turboprop-powered, corporate/utility transport aircraft first flew in May 1991 and received Swiss and U.S. certification in 1994. It has seating for nine passengers in its standard layout. Portugal's OGMA assembles green aircraft and also manufactures some components. The current PC-12 production version, the PC-12 NG (Next Generation), is powered by the 1,200-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67P. A total of 1,041 PC-12s, in all versions, were built through 2010. Production of 944 units is expected in 2011-20.
By year-end, Airbus plans to strengthen its corporate jet unit (ACJ), so it “will be able to provide the same packages as our competition,” says Airbus Middle East President Habib Fekih. ACJ will include engineering, program management, and sales and service, with Airbus Chief Operating Officer-Customers John Leahy saying it will get “a new level of attentiveness.” Airbus sold its first ever ACJ321 to Comlux at the Dubai Air Show last week and now has orders for the corporate versions of all of its passenger aircraft.
A recent letter from reader Norman Kellman regarding pilot training (AW&ST Nov. 7, p. 8) referenced a letter from Roger Waldman that ran in the Sept. 6, 1999, issue. I would appreciate it if you could reprint that letter. Kailua, Hawaii (Waldman's letter follows—Ed.)
Capt. (ret.) Roger H. Waldman (Bellingham, Wash. )
The article “Boeing Safety Tool Provides Insight Into Human Factors Errors” (AW&ST June 21, [1999] p. 51) points to an element of the human factors equation that has proven to be thorny for airlines.
I think we will hear more about the LOT Airlines gear-up landing (AW&ST Nov. 7, p. 16). I have read the Boeing 767 emergency gear extension procedure and unless gravity was not working that day, the gear should have extended. Is it possible the pilot did not run that procedure? Also, why was the first officer allowed to make the decision to continue to Warsaw? Pelham Manor, N.Y.
Regarding “Power Play” (AW&ST Oct. 24/31, p. 97), F-16s look more like they're grown than manufactured. No other front-line jet looks so sleek, sexy, supersonic, dangerous. At least one writer has described the design as timeless. It's true. I'm pretty sure I saw my first F-16 at Farnborough in 1974. It still looks cool. And scary. We may not be able to launch astronauts into space on our own vehicles anymore, but we can still transfix the Chinese by selling F-16s to Taiwan.
BananaPeal commented: How about we skip replacing ICBMs and just use subs and bombers for our deterrent? Or perhaps at least bring the numbers way down. What's the point of 5,000 missiles? Just by counting the missiles on the submarine fleet, there are almost 300 or so Tridents. How many nukes do we need to blow up our enemies, or the world? Executive Editor James R. Asker replies:
Stephanie Pope has been appointed VP-investor relations of Chicago-based Boeing, effective Feb. 1. She will succeed Scott Fitterer, who will become VP-financial planning and analysis. Pope is CFO for the Integrated Logistics business of Boeing Defense, Space & Security.
Larry Kellner has joined Boeing's board of directors. He is president of private equity firm Emerald Creek Group and was chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines.
Ruedi Kraft (see photos) has been appointed VP-market development and completions sales at Jet Aviation, Basel, Switzerland. He comes from Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., where he was VP for the Middle East and North Africa. Company veteran Abdullah Al-Ghamdi is the new customer relations manager and sales representative for aircraft management and charter services for Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
George Puthoff and Glenn Gray have joined the maintenance and avionics department of San Diego-based Jet Source. Puthoff was parts manager at Air Resorts and Crownair, and Gray, a returning Jet Source employee, held positions in corporate aircraft procurement.
