Middle Eastern buyers are at the head of the orderbook list for the world's first supersonic business jet - the Aerion SBJ. And this week the programme came a stage closer to fruition.
Hawker Beechcraft is facing a June 30 deadline to file its reorganization plan and disclosure statement, and is expected to confirm its reorganization by November to meet its planned exit from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection by year-end. The Wichita airframer is hoping to emerge from Chapter 11 under new ownership through a restructuring plan that would eliminate $2.5 billion of the company’s debt and $125 million in annual interest expenses.
Lawmakers are threatening to withhold $5 million from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of General Counsel until the agency releases the repair station security final rule. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials have said they plan to issue the rule by year-end after years of delay. But in the version of the DHS fiscal 2013 appropriations bill currently before the U.S. House of Representatives, lawmakers express concern “about the lack of progress made” over the rule, which was mandated by Congress in 2003.
RTCA’s 2012 Annual Symposium opens today with the theme of Advancing the Goals of NextGen. The two-day event, which is taking place at the Washington Convention Center, opens with a keynote address by Michael Huerta, acting FAA Administrator, before JetBlue Airways President and CEO Dave Barger joins with NBAA, FAA, NATCA, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and European officials to present the NextGen Advisory Committee’s ideas on how to successfully implement the program.
Business jet manufacturing is fiercely competitive, operates in a risky and uncertain economic environment and erects exceedingly high barriers to entry, a U.S. government report finds. But while the report allows that foreign makers are gaining ground, it offers no evidence of unfair competition against U.S. airframers.
Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared aviation appreciation months in May, joining the growing alliance of states to officially recognize the importance of aviation. General aviation is estimated to have an annual economic impact of $723 million in Nebraska with 86 airports and more than 2,700 pilots. The air transportation industry as a whole supports more than 5,000 jobs in the state, officials estimate.
RYAN SANDERS has joined Aero Charter, a charter, fixed-base operation and support company based at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport, Chesterfield, Mo. Sanders will be a captain in the company Baron and first officer on the Sabreliner and Cessna Citation CJ2 and Excel airplanes. He also will help steer the company’s safety program. He received a master’s degree in aviation safety from the University of Central Missouri, where he served on the Aviation Safety Committee and helped draft the airport emergency plan for Skyhaven Airport in Warrensburg, Mo.
Jose Antonio Filippo on June 4 will become Embraer’s CFO, filling a position vacated in April with the departure of Paulo Pinto Marques to a previous employer just months after taking the role. Filippo, who Embraer notes is an engineer by training, joins the manufacturer from Brazilian retailer Pao de Acucar, where he was CFO. “Filippo is a great addition to our team. His expertise and experience will be of real value to the process of growth and development of the company,” says Embraer President and CEO Frederico Fleury Curado.
Global business jet manufacturing is fiercely competitive, operates in a risky and uncertain economic environment and erects exceedingly high barriers to entry, a U.S. government report finds. But while the report allows that foreign makers are gaining ground, it offers no evidence of unfair competition.
FAA is forming an Aviation Rulemaking Committee to address its ongoing problems with standardization. The executive committee met Friday (June 1) for the first time, naming National Air Transportation Association Vice President Eric Byer to co-chair the committee with FAA Flight Standards Director John Allen. In the most recent FAA reauthorization bill, Congress directed the agency to establish an advisory panel to develop recommendations to improve consistency and communications in the Flight Standards and Aircraft Certification services.
Lawmakers are threatening to withhold $5 million from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of General Counsel until the agency releases the repair station security final rule. TSA officials plan to issue the rule by year’s end – after years of delay. But in the House version of the DHS fiscal 2013 appropriations bill, lawmakers express concern “about the lack of progress made” on the rule, which was originally mandated by Congress in 2003.
Hawker Beechcraft is facing a June 30 deadline to file its reorganization plan and disclosure statement, and is expected to confirm its reorganization by November to meet its planned exit from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection by year’s end. The Wichita airframer is hoping to emerge from Chapter 11 under new ownership through a restructuring plan that would eliminate $2.5 billion of the company’s debt and $125 million in annual interest expenses.
National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) officials are hoping to meet with the Internal Revenue Service to further discuss their concerns over the agency’s memorandum that opens the door for aircraft management programs to be treated as commercial operations and taxed accordingly. The March 9 memorandum would reverse past tax practices and substantially increase the costs of operators who have their aircraft managed. NBAA initially aired its concerns during a meeting in April and appealed to the IRS to continue working with industry on the issue.
Gulfstream Aerospace has submitted a city-pair speed record set by its Gulfstream G280 to the National Aeronautic Association for confirmation. The G280 flew from Paris to White Plains, N.Y. in 7 hr., 40 min. on May 17, averaging a speed of Mach 0.80 against an average 23-kt. headwind. After taking off from Paris Le Bourget Airport at maximum takeoff weight, the aircraft climbed to 43,000 ft. in 22 min. Gulfstream expects to obtain full certification for the aircraft in the third quarter.
BELL Model 427 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2012-0084; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-089-AD; Amendment 39-17050; AD 2012-10-01] – requires replacing certain tailboom attachment hardware and at certain intervals thereafter, determining the torque of that tailboom attachment hardware. This AD was prompted by a review of the tailboom attachment installation, which revealed that the torque value of the bolts specified in the BHTC Model 427 Maintenance Manual and applied during manufacturing was incorrect and exceeded the torque range recommended for the bolts.
The Export-Import Bank has adopted a new policy providing access to financing to the aviation aftermarket. The new policy’s goal is to help small businesses in the U.S. expand sales of their aftermarket goods and services — from aircraft windows to aircraft maintenance. It also supports the National Export Initiative, a goal announced by President Obama in 2010 to double U.S. exports by the end of 2014, says an Ex-Im Bank spokesman.
Industry advocates are forming a general aviation working group that will tackle key security issues and develop recommendations for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The working group becomes particularly important as a number of key rulemakings, including the repair station security rule and the Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP) proposal, have been languishing at the agency. And, the future of LASP is in doubt since the Office of Managment and Budget is discouraging rulemakings that are not congressionally mandated.
Honeywell’s business and general aviation division has its eye firmly fixed on indigenous general aviation and business aviation aircraft makers that are emerging in the Asia-Pacific region. Robert Wilson, president of Honeywell Business & General Aviation, says Honeywell sees there are GA and business aviation aircraft being developed in Asia-Pacific to meet the growing demand in the region, and he adds that Honeywell is keen to be involved in these programs as they evolve.
FAA is taking steps to make sure seat belts aboard general aviation aircraft are used properly after at least one accident revealed the possibility of children sharing a single restraint. But a clarification the agency has issued on GA seat belt use stops short of banning shared use.
Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) is testing the high-efficiency compressor for its next generation turboprop engine or NGRT and expects to have the engine ready for entry into service by 2017. The manufacturer is projecting a 15-20% fuel efficiency improvement over current turboprop engines, and like GE Aviation, which is working on a next-generation engine that could be ready as soon as 2015, PWC is talking to aircraft manufacturers about possible programs that would use its NGRT.
JOSEPH HOUGH has joined Dallas Airmotive as program manager for its Honeywell HTF7000 engine service and support operations. He will handle sales as well as customer service on existing HTF7000 accounts. Hough was previously director of new business, sales and customer service for Consolidated Turbine Support (CTS). Dallas Airmotive recently acquired the HTF7000 tooling and inventory assets of CTS. Before joining CTS in 2009, he had 19 years of engineering and program management experience with Honeywell Aerospace, AlliedSignal Aerospace and Garrett Engines.
BELL Model 412, 412EP, and 412CF helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2012-0530; Directorate Identifier 2011-SW-075-AD] – proposes to require, within 25 hr. time-in-service (TIS), cleaning the collective lever and inspecting it for cracks. If there is a crack in the collective lever paint finish, this proposed AD requires removing the collective lever from the swashplate and performing a fluorescent penetrant inspection. If there is a crack in the collective lever, this proposed AD requires replacing the collective lever with an airworthy collective lever before further flight.
Piper Aircraft has begun offering the Kelly Aerospace ThermaCool air conditioning system as an option on twin-engine Piper Seminoles. The system is available for both new aircraft and as a retrofit on used Seminoles. Piper worked with Kelly Aerospace Thermal Systems on the supplemental type certificate for the installation of the system. Aircraft conditioning power is supplied from a 28-volt/60 amp alternator mounted on the left engine. The system can provide ground cooling from a 28-volt power cart.
