Edited by Paul RichfieldDavid Esler, in Santa Barbara, Calif.
What may be the only completion center dedicated solely to the outfitting of Boeing Business Jets was officially opened November 5 by Garrett Aviation Services (GAS) at Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) in Goleta, Calif. More than 150 business aviation principals and a handful of BBJ owners joined executives and employees of GAS for the opening in one of the Santa Barbara facility's two cavernous hangar bays.
Citing her ``strategic vision, leadership, innovation and effectiveness,'' Gulfstream Aerospace Chief Financial Officer Chris A. Davis was awarded a 1999 CFO Effectiveness Award for her contributions to revenue growth at the aircraft manufacturer. Sponsored by CFO magazine and Arthur Andersen, the annual awards recognize notable achievement in 12 CFO specialties.
Nav Canada reported a C$7 million ``excess of revenue over expenses'' for its financial year ended August 31, compared with a C$6 million excess during its last fiscal year. The private company, which runs Canada's air traffic control system, says the result reflects the transition to a 100-percent user fee system. Criticized for earning a profit last year, Nav Canada reduced its fees by an average of 11 percent in September, and has pledged to spend the excess on infrastructure.
BMW has effectively traded its half of the BMW Rolls-Royce partnership in return for a 10-percent stake in Rolls-Royce. Sir Ralph Robins, chairman of Rolls-Royce, says the stock deal will allow Rolls to streamline its operations while enabling BMW to ``broaden its exposure'' to Rolls' larger jet engine business. BMW Rolls-Royce was created in 1990 to develop the BR700 engine series, which now powers the Gulfstream V, the Bombardier Global Express and the Boeing 717. The company delivered around 100 engines this year, and plans to deliver more than 200 in 2000.
The Mexican government has ordered 24 Bell 206L-4 LongRanger helicopters worth $35 million to locate and destroy marijuana and opium poppy fields in remote mountainous areas.
Pat Epps was the recipient of the 1999 NBAA American Spirit Award. Epps and ;; ghhis family have been involved in Atlanta's business aviation community for several decades.
Pratt&Whitney Canada is proceeding with advanced design studies of a new common-core family of small turboprop and turbofan engines. The PW6XX family will be designed for simplicity, efficiency and reliability to keep acquisition and operating costs low. The turbofan would compete with the Williams FJX-2 and would have between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds of thrust. The turboprop would be in the 600- to 900-shp range with fuel specifics more than 20 percent better than the PT6.
Italy's Piaggio plans to re-enter the U.S. market in fall 2000 with its P.180 Avanti. Details are sketchy, but a company spokesman said the six- to nine-seat turboprop could be built in the United States. The P.180 is a pusher/canard, largely composite design equipped with two Pratt&Whitney Canada PT6A-66 turboprops and Rockwell Collins avionics. Around 50 P.180s have been built since production began in 1986, and Piaggio claims an order backlog of 17 aircraft, including 10 for the Italian Air Force.
Edited by Paul RichfieldBy Perry Bradley, in Fort Worth, Texas
Three years after announcing formation of the company, Galaxy Aerospace has cut the ribbon on its new headquarters, delivered the first Galaxy midsize jets, and is defining its next aircraft. We were starting from scratch, and a lot of people said `Who do these kids think they are kidding?''' Galaxy President Brian Barents said, recalling the 1996 announcement of plans to form Galaxy by combining the forces of Israel Aircraft Industries and the Pritzker family.
Avionics Innovations rolled out its AICD II, an AM-FM-CD player designed for aviation. This unit can drive six headsets or can be directly wired to an intercom. Ancillary products, the AI-Changers for six or 12 discs, enable passengers to enjoy continuous music while in flight. The AICD II has 24 station presets, 14- or 28-volt DC operation, 150 disc-title memory (when connected to the AI-Changer) and electronic volume/bass /treble/balance/fader. The unit is compatible with previous AICD installations. Price: $1,595 (AI-Changers are priced separately)
Bombardier received two additional orders for its 50-seat Canadair Regional Jet: Adria Airways of Slovenia converted an option into a firm order for a fourth aircraft, while Maersk Air ordered its seventh.
Business aircraft operations are increasing in number and becoming more diverse, according to a recent study by J.D. Power and Associates, a market research firm. While the transport of key employees remained the most frequent use of business aircraft, other common uses included customer visits, emergency customer service, customer trips, and market expansion planning and implementation, the study indicated.
President and Mrs. Clinton's purchase of a home in Chappaqua, N.Y., is likely to instigate new restrictions for air traffic using nearby Westchester County Airport (HPN), though the exact details have yet to be determined. According to airport officials, options include the creation of a prohibited area or temporary flight restriction around the dwelling when the Clintons are home, or extending the airport's Class D boundaries to give HPN tower control of the airspace over the house. The Clinton residence is located 1.25 miles northeast of the Runway 16 outer marker.
Why worry about security issues involving the company aircraft and your corporate passengers? After all, the Aviation Crime Prevention Institute (ACPI), of Hagerstown, Md., says aircraft theft is at an all-time low. It reports 21 aircraft stolen and 112 burglarized parts in 1998, compared with 41 stolen aircraft and 217 burglarized parts in 1990. All thefts involved single-engine aircraft.
Companies that provide security equipment are ready to assist you with taking security into your own hands at GA airports. Many of the products are devised to indicate intruder tampering, others are deterrents to keep the wayward honest, and some combine the two features.
Executive Jet has opened the first phase of its new headquarters at Port Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio. The new facility, scheduled for completion in December, will include a new operations center the company says is ``unparalleled in business aviation''.
A team of flight instructors employed by Tokyo-based Alpha Aviation won a gold medal at the 10th annual World Helicopter Championship, held recently at Nordlingen Airfield near Munich, Germany. Flying a Robinson R22, the Japanese team won the Precise Timed Arrival and Drop-Off Load event. The other events, which included Precision Flying, Landing and Slalom, were won by Russian teams flying Mi-2 helicopters.
Saying that its own regulations are overly complex and confusing, and pointing out that human error accounts for 70 percent of all transportation accidents, the FAA has proposed adopting what amounts to a one-size-fits-all flight- and duty-time rule for FAR Part 121 and Part 135. The rule the agency proposes adopting was first published in December 1995, and was one of the most controversial regulatory undertakings the agency has ever launched, if the record number of responses to the rule is a good indicator.
United Technologies subsidiary Hamilton Sundstrand will cut 1,500 jobs in what it calls a ``natural result'' of the merger of Hamilton Standard and Sundstrand earlier this year.
Australia's Explorer Aircraft Co. is seeking a North American partner to construct its family of single-engine utility aircraft. Speaking at the NBAA Convention, Explorer designer Graham Swannell said ``we are in discussion with three or four North American companies with a view to production.'' Explorer brought its proof-of-concept Explorer 350R, which is powered by a Continental TSIO-550, to the NBAA show. The company plans to keep research and development in Australia, and U.S.
Sunjet Aviation has added FBO services to its maintenance, charter and interior refurbishment operations at Orlando/Sanford International Airport. To accommodate FBO customers, the company expanded its facilities to 57,000 square feet.
Rolls-Royce Canada has signed a 10-year/10,000-hour contract to maintain the BMW/Rolls-Royce BR710 engines that will power Executive Jet's fleet of 12 ordered Gulfstream V aircraft. Based on a fixed price per flying hour per engine, the $45 million deal covers all shop maintenance, with the work to be done at Rolls-Royce Canada's Montreal facility. ``This is a full fleet maintenance support contract designed to provide continuous BR710 support,'' says Richard G. Smith III, Executive Jet's executive vice president.
