The Senate could begin consideration this week of a bill pushed by general aviation manufacturers to authorize funding for the Export-Import Bank for three more years. The bill, which cleared the House last week, also would raise the Ex-Im Bank’s lending cap to $140 billion by 2014. The bill, a compromise negotiated by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), was hailed as a reasonable compromise by both sides of a long-running dispute over the bank. The bank’s charter is set to expire on May 31.
Max-Viz recently shipped its 250th forward-looking infrared Enhanced Vision System (EVS) for helicopters. The system helps provide improved vision at night, in bad weather and through smoke, smog and haze. The system is in service on helicopters used for emergency medical, military, Coast Guard and fire-attack purposes. Max-Viz increased shipments for helicopters by 35% in 2011 and expects as much as 50% growth this year.
A year after placing general aviation safety on its “Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements,” the National Transportation Safety Board is planning to take a more in-depth look at the causes surrounding a higher number of accidents during a two-day forum. Scheduled for June 19-20 in Washington, the forum will delve into a range of safety issues, from pilot training, performance and access to weather information, aircraft design and certification. Light-sport and experimental aircraft will also likely be covered as part of the forum.
Europe’s business jet fleet total is down and likely to remain diminished for possibly another year due to slow new aircraft sales and used bizjets sold out of Europe to buyers on other continents, aviation consultant Brian Foley says. During the past 12 months, 50 European business jets – about 2% of the total fleet – were sold to buyers on other continents. Outside Europe, the fleets have grown an overall 3%, Foley says. A vast majority, 79%, went to buyers in North America, mostly in the U.S. and Canada. Africa customers took the next highest total, 7%.
FAA must ensure it does not create additional segregated or restricted airspace as it establishes test sites for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association says. AOPA told the agency in comments that any UAS test site must “do no harm” to existing national airspace users.
Cessna, hoping to begin shipment of green Citation Sovereign aircraft for completion in China by the end of 2013, expects its joint venture with China’s Chengdu Aircraft Company will complete and deliver eight-ten Sovereigns per month, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst Ronald Epstein. Government officials and small and medium-sized business owners are the anticipated customer base for the Sovereign, Epstein says. He adds that transfer of technology to China, however, will not occur until Cessna and its Chinese counterpart jointly design a new aircraft.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100 & 440) [Docket No. FAA-2011-1224; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-175-AD; Amendment 39-17021; AD 2012-08-04] – requires installing a new or serviceable air data driven generator (ADG) generator control unit (GCU). This AD was prompted by reports of the ADG failing to power essential buses during functional tests, due to the low threshold setting of the circuit protection on the ADG’s GCU preventing the ADG from supplying power to the essential buses.
Stevens Aviation is expanding its Broomfield (Denver) facility, saying the extra space is necessary to keep up with growing demand. The company is increasing its hangar size at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) to 20,000-sq.-ft. “Over the last several months we continually ran out of space for aircraft in the hangar,” says Randy Smith, general manager of the Broomfield operation. “The new [hangar] location allows us to handle the current growth with room for more.”
Hawker Beechcraft’s Hawker 400XPR engine test article completed its first flight. The first flight keeps the Hawker 400XPR upgrade program on track for certification in September. The Hawker 400XPR is equipped with new Williams International FJ44-4A-32 engines and offered with optional Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics.
United Technologies Corp. (UTC) named company veteran Mick Mauer to succeed Jeffrey Pino as president of its Sikorsky Aircraft unit. Pino is retiring July 1, but will work with Mauer in the next few months on the leadership transition. After that time Pino, who joined Sikorsky in 2002 after spending 17 years with Bell Helicopter, will continue to serve as a consultant. Mauer joined UTC in 1989 at the corporation’s Otis Elevator business. Maurer moved over to Sikorsky in 2000 as vice president, enterprise planning and development.
Dallas Airmotive is acquiring tooling and inventory from Mesa, Ariz.-based Consolidated Turbine Support, in a move that will expand its field service support for the Honeywell HTF7000 engine.
Summer is near in the northern latitudes, which means the return of those warm-season staples: baseball, barbecues, bikinis and the blimps that draw eyeballs skyward. You can't not look at a blimp
Qatar Airways today announced a strategic alliance with fractional jet programme provider Flexjet to offer customers access to over 5,000 destinations beyond the Doha-based airline's four North American gateways.
Middle East business aviation association (MEBAA) is to hold the first of its regional forums in Beirut next April, the Association said at EBACE today.
Al Bateen Executive Airport, the Gulf Region's first and only dedicated private aviation airport operated and managed by Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), announced today a 26% increase in visiting business aviation traffic in the period between January and April 2012 versus the same period last year and a 6% increase in total commercial aircraft movements over the same period.
Qatar-based Rizon Jet has signed a management contract for a brand new Challenger 605 which will be available for VIP charter from Doha later this month.
Hawker Beechcraft Global Customer Support from Chester in the UK has delivered its first modified medical evacuation (Medevac) conversion Hawker 900XP midsize jet to a customer in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabian business aviation specialist Aviation Horizons has formally received its Part 135 approvals from GACA, the Saudi civil aviation authority. At a special event in Jeddah the company also signed a cooperation agreement with Saudia Private Aviation (SPA).
Hawker Beechcraft (HBC) and the Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC)/Embraer team competing once again for a contract to supply light-attack aircraft to Afghanistan may both have reasons for concern with the U.S. Air Force’s revised request for proposals. An amended RFP for the Light Air Support (LAS) program was issued on May 4 after the Air Force decided to restage the competition following its decision to terminate the $355 million contract awarded to SNC in December to supply 20 Embraer AT-29 Super Tucanos.
Military unmanned aerial vehicles are coming to the U.S. National Airspace System, and lawmakers from the House of Representatives want to know how the Defense Department (DOD) plans to keep up training until new safety regulations allow routine access.
