Hawker Beechcraft has secured initial court approval that the company says will enable it to continue its ordinary business while the company proceeds with its prearranged Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The court approval enables the Wichita airframer to pay employees, vendors and suppliers. The company is using $400 million of debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing to meet its obligations.
Hawker Beechcraft (HBC) has been given the go-ahead to continue trading through its bankruptcy proceedings having been granted Chapter 11 protection by the US courts.
Cessna Aircraft signed a new agreement with the China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Company Ltd., (Caiga) and the Shijiazhuang Municipal Government that the company says is a framework to deliver Wichita-built Cessna Caravan single-engine turboprop utility aircraft to Caiga’s Shijiazhuang factory for final assembly, painting, production flight tests and sale within China.
Hawker Beechcraft entered Chapter 11 protection late last week with an agreement already in hand from its secured lenders and senior bondholders to eliminate nearly all of the company’s $2.5 billion in debt and $125 million in interest expenses. The restructuring agreement was signed by financial institutions representing more than two-thirds of the company’s bank and senior debt and will take effect once the plan is confirmed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.
Hawker Beechcraft is hoping to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection by the end of the year 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.
Gama Support Services continues to expand its rapidly-growing U.S. maintenance, repair and overhaul business for corporate aircraft. The company, which has Part 145 repair stations in Bridgeport, Conn., Teterboro, N.J. and West Palm Beach, Fla., has expanded authorizations over the past three years to perform base and line maintenance on most models of Gulfstream, Falcon, Bombardier, Cessna and Hawker aircraft. Gama is also focusing on adding technicians at West Palm Beach to provide “concierge”-level service.
Shortcomings in FAA’s program to delegate certification activities are hampering the agency’s oversight of aircraft manufacturers, the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (OIG) has found. FAA needs to provide better guidance and take a more active role steering participants in its Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program, Jeffrey Guzzetti, assistant inspector general for aviation and special programs, says in recent testimony for a House aviation subcommittee hearing on aviation safety.
LILLIAN ZARRELLI RYALS was appointed vice president and deputy general manager of the Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD), the federally funded research and development center that MITRE operates for FAA. Ryals has 30 years of aviation sector experience and has been leading CAASD’s work in air traffic management, communication navigation and surveillance, system operations, safety, and security for the FAA. In her new role, she will focus on strategic planning, sponsor and stakeholder engagement and program oversight.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2B16 (CL-604 Variant) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-1095; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-241-AD; Amendment 39-17032; AD 2012-08-15] – requires replacing or relocating of certain circuit breaker panel (CBP) bus bars on certain airplanes, inspecting for any loose or improperly crimped lugs in certain electrical panel locations and replacement if necessary, and inspection for foreign object damage in certain areas and removal if necessary.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has accepted the airline and airport industries’ voluntary aircraft deicing pollution reduction measures, almost 15 years since it last accepted voluntary measures by any industry. The EPA will mandate that new airports be equipped with its technology-based Effluent Limitation Guidelines, which require a central deicing pad. Established airports, however, will be allowed to adopt other measures that include better application techniques, nozzles and recovery programs.
FAA’s first officer qualification proposal would impose costly and sometimes unworkable requirements, compound a looming pilot shortage and vastly understates costs while overstating benefits, aviation advocates say.
Jet Support Services Inc. (JSSI) has named Neil Book and Susan Marr co-presidents to lead the hourly cost maintenance program specialist. Book and Marr will report to JSSI chairman and CEO Louis Seno. Book joins the firm from Juniper Networks, where he was vice president of mobility, and also had served as president and CEO of SMobile Systems. He will be responsible for sales, marketing and technical services operations at JSSI. Marr is a JSSI veteran, previously serving as executive vice president, chief administrative officer and general counsel.
BELL Model 204B, 205A, 205A-1, [Docket No. FAA-2012-0415; Directorate Identifier 2008-SW-065-AD] – proposes to supersede an existing AD that currently requires conducting various inspections associated with the main rotor grip. If a crack is found, that AD requires replacing the grip before further flight. If delamination of the buffer pad on the grip tang inner surface is found, that AD requires inspecting the grip surface for corrosion or other damage and repairing or replacing the grip if corrosion or other damage is found.
EMBRAER Model ERJ 170 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-1325; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-250-AD; Amendment 39-17014; AD 2012-07-08] – proposes to supersede an AD that currently requires revising the Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA) to incorporate new structural inspection requirements. Since FAA issued that AD, during full-scale fatigue testing, cracks were found in certain structural components of the airplane.
Hawthorne Global Aviation Services opened a fixed-base operation (FBO) at Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) in Islip, N.Y., co-located with ExcelAire, a provider of aircraft management, charter and maintenance services. The Hawthorne-branded FBO, the largest private jet facility on Long Island, is a cornerstone of its developing FBO network across North America, the company says. Hawthorne also announced plans to add up to 32,000 sq. ft.
Field Aviation’s new owner Amavco is eyeing possibilities for growth both organically and through acquisition, including the addition of a new U.S. modification center.
WARREN HOGAN was named chief pilot for JetFlite International. Hogan previously had joined charter and management firm JFI Jets in 2007, and eventually became chief pilot. He later became lead captain on JFI Jets’ G-V, mostly to Europe, Russia and the Far East, flying more than 1,100 hr. He has more than 2,600 hr. of G-IV/G-V flight time combined. He has more than 32 years of professional aviation experience, also serving with Martin Aviation, Flexjet, FlightSafety International and Petersen Aviation.
Max-Viz’s Enhanced Vision System (EVS) is on track for supplemental type certification aboard Hawker business jets within the next two months. Hawker Beechcraft Global Customer Support (HGCS) is working toward STC approval by the end of June for installation of the Max-Viz EVS-1500 on Hawker 750, 800, 850 and 900 series business jets. HGCS factory-owned service centers are offering the installation. The system also is an option on new 900XP aircraft.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2B16 (CL-604 Variant) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-1223; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-173-AD; Amendment 39-17027; AD 2012-08-10] – requires installing a new or serviceable air 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.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-400 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-0036; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-142-AD; Amendment 39-7028; AD 2012-08-11] – requires a detailed inspection for defects and damage of the retract port flexible hose on the left and right MLG retraction actuator and replacement of the flexible hose if needed. This AD was prompted by test reports that showed that failure of a retract port flexible hose of a main landing gear (MLG) retraction actuator could cause excessive hydraulic fluid leakage.
The long-awaited rebound in the used business aircraft market remains elusive, with a mixed bag of market indicators from first-quarter results, market researcher Amstat says in its latest Market Update Report. Inventories are down overall from a year ago, which is welcome news for new aircraft manufacturers finding themselves competing with near-new models on the market at lower prices. But prices also continue to shrink overall. Pricing has been problematic in both the new and used markets.
LEARJET Model 45 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-1069; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-025-AD; Amendment 39-17025; AD 2012-08-08] – requires revising the maintenance program to include new or more restrictive life-limits and inspections. This AD was prompted by changes to the Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) of the maintenance manual, which adds life-limits, revises life-limits, or adds inspections not previously identified.
Cessna Aircraft signed a new agreement with the China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Company Ltd., (Caiga) and the Shijiazhuang Municipal Government that the company says is a framework to deliver Wichita-built Cessna Caravan single-engine turboprop utility aircraft to Caiga’s Shijiazhuang factory for final assembly, painting, production flight tests and sale within China.
