Beechcraft is increasing its product development spending by 300%, as the company studies the potential for a new single-engine turboprop, derivative diesel variants of its Beechcraft Bonanza and Baron aircraft and upgrades and/or derivatives of its King Air and other models, says Shawn Vick, president of Beechcraft International Services Co.
Confident of its future in Europe despite the continent’s current financial woes, Cessna on May 20 confirmed that it will continue investing in the region to position itself for the eventual return to growth. In doubling its European sales force and offering increased options for customers to use its own OEM-operated service centers as an alternative to longer-established independent providers, Cessna arrives at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) this year in optimistic mood.
Dassault, manufacturer of the Falcon series of business jets, says uncertainty in the U.S. market is holding back the recovery in business aviation, contrary to the interests of the aircraft manufacturers and their customers. On May 20, newly appointed Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier during a press conference at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition, said, “The White House has not been very supportive, and we have to fight to protect the rights of our supporters [in the business aviation community].”
UK charter operator Hangar8 showed it was fair game when it unveiled a distinct zebra-stripe Bombardier Global Express jet at EBACE, highlighting its developing presence in Africa .
ExecuJet aircraft management customers can now locate their aircraft and quickly access information on matters such as fuel consumption, schedules and crew thanks to an iPad app launched at EBACE today
A new jet was born this morning when Swiss manufacturer Pilatus Aircraft revealed its new twin-engine jet, the PC-24, at EBACE. The new jet not only has the ability to use short runways but can also land on unpaved surfaces and will have a cargo door fitted as standard.
VistaJet was in record-breaking mode at EBACE this morning as it enrolled 50 Bombardier aircraft into the JSSI Platinum engine and APU hourly cost maintenance programmes. The deal is valued at more than $205 million.
Airbus is introducing a new corporate jet customer care centre (C4you) for its private jet customers, aimed at providing dedicated access to an experienced team.
Lagos-based Evergreen Apple Nigeria (EAN), is at EBACE in Geneva and is set to announce it has signed a representation agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace to promote and sell the luxury jets in the West African country.
The U.S. Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) this week will begin an audit of the FAA’s runway safety programs to address a growing number of serious runway incursions. The FAA defines runway incursions as any unauthorized intrusion onto a runway, whether by aircraft or vehicle, and categorizes occurrences into four groups, with Category A representing the most severe incidents and Category D the least important. Causes of incursions are classified as controller actions, pilot deviations or vehicle/pedestrian errors.
Atlantic Aviation, which earlier this month filed a lawsuit to halt plans for a Signature Flight Support fixed-base operation at Mineta San Jose Airport citing environmental and safety concerns, is filing a second suit, this time claiming the city had broken its own rules on fair, competitive bidding. Atlantic asks the Santa Clara County Superior Court to order the city to reissue a request for proposals (RFP).
Piper Aircraft received FAA certification for installation of its G1000 avionics suite in its twin-piston-engine Seneca V model. The certification follows similar approval last month for the installation of the G1000 aboard the Archer piston-engine aircraft. Piper, which is moving to expand its presence in the training market, says the G1000 all-glass avionics package has been requested by several flight schools.
The Internal Revenue Service has agreed to suspend audits the agency has been conducting on aircraft management fees and services while the agency drafts new guidance on taxing management activities. The agreement follows another recent meeting agency officials held with industry leaders, who have been appealing to the IRS to hold off on action against management companies until the management-fee tax issue could be resolved.
The Department of Transportation’s decision to continue funding contract air traffic control towers through fiscal 2013 comes as temporary relief for local communities, but backers of the program are continuing their push to preserve the contract tower program in the future.
General aviation groups this summer have agreed to highlight skills to avoid loss-of-control incidents as part of a multi-pronged effort to stem the recent increase in accidents that has raised the concern of industry, FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board. FAA last week held a meeting with a number of general aviation stakeholders to look at both short-term and long-term initiatives to help turn the accident rate, which has been stubbornly flat over the past five years and up in the past six months.
May 21–23—13th Annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE2013), Geneva, Switzerland, (703) 783-9000, www.ebace.aero June 6—National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Regional Forum, White Plains, N.Y., (703) 783-9000, www.nbaa.org June 17-19—National Air Transportation Association 2013 Air Charter Summit, Marriott Dulles, Dulles, Va., 703-845-9000, www.nata.aero
Beechcraft management, in the throes of divesting the Premier and Hawker 4000 programs, wants to make this crystal clear: The Hawker 400 and 800 programs are not for sale.
JOHN HUNT was appointed regional sales manager and director of business development for Cutter Aviation’s Aircraft Services and Avionics business unit in Phoenix. Hunt will focus on supplemental type certificate business development. He has more than 20 years of business aviation industry experience, including holding a sales role representing three original equipment manager manufacturers and general manager positions at a Part 135 charter and Part 121 flight school.
KEOW KEONG (KK) LOW was named regional sales manager for StandardAero’s helicopter programs in Asia. Low will provide marketing and service support on the Rolls-Royce M250 and the Rolls-Royce RR300 product lines for operators in the Asia-Pacific region. He formerly was with the company’s airline and fleets sector, where he also served as a regional sales manager.
A Gulfstream G650 recently set a new city-pair speed record between Shanghai, China and Newark, N.J. The aircraft flew the 6,855-nm trip in 13 hr. and 32 min. The G650 departed Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport at 10:38 p.m. local time on April 18 with five passengers and four crewmembers on board and landed at Newark Liberty International Airport at 12:10 a.m. local time. The aircraft cruised at speeds between Mach 0.85 and 0.88.
PILATUS Model PC-7 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2013-0383; Directorate Identifier 2013-CE-008-AD] – proposes to require additional life limits, revisions to life limits and additional inspections of the emergency fuel control system. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) from the Federal Office of Civil Aviation for Switzerland, citing a need to incorporate new revisions into the Limitations section of the FAA-approved maintenance program (e.g., maintenance manual).
Hawthorne Global Aviation Services is hosting a fly-in June 1-2 at its facility at New Orleans Lakefront Airport. The event takes place as New Orleans Lakefront has slowly renovated and returned to full operations following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Hawthorne acquired the KNEW base – formerly called AeroPremier Jet Center – in July 2012. The facility once housed a National Guard helicopter unit, but sustained critical damage from the Katrina floodwaters, and its fate had become uncertain.
EUROCOPTER DEUTSCHLAND Model MBB-BK 117 C-2 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2013-0020; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-107-AD] – proposes to require inspecting the rigging of the power-boosted control system and, if there is a nonparallel gap between the rigging wedges and the inner sleeves, performing a rigging procedure. This proposed AD is prompted by the discovery, during rigging of the main rotor controls, of movement of the longitudinal main rotor actuator piston after shutdown of the external pump drive. Such movement could cause incorrect rigging results.
