Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) will invest more than $1 billion in research and development over the next 4 1/2 years to develop the next generation of high-performance aircraft engines, the company announced in early December. The investment includes a $300 million repayable contribution from the government of Canada under the Strategic Aerospace and Defense Initiative program.
PAC Seating Systems has been selected by San Antonio cabin completion specialist GDC Technics to provide all seating products for two wide-body BBJ787 programs. The two BBJ787 contracts mark the first time the Palm City, Florida-based company has received a multiple aircraft order. It is the third BBJ787 seating order for PAC, and the company also has a fresh seating contract for a Boeing Business Jet.
Boeing has named David Longridge as president of Boeing Business Jets following the promotion of Capt. Steve Taylor to chief pilot of Boeing’s Flight Services unit. Longridge, a 21-year veteran of Boeing, most recently served as sales director based in the U.K., leading the British Airways, Finnair, Iberia and TUI accounts. He was previously a sales director for BBJ when the group was founded in 1996. Taylor leaves BBJ on a high note. While at BBJ, the organization sold 28 jetliners to be outfitted as VIP aircraft.
Concerned that the air taxi sector accounted for 65% of all commercial aviation fatalities over the past 10 years, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada is planning an in-depth “Safety Issues Investigation” on those operations. Announced last week by TSB Chairman Kathy Fox, the study is set to begin in early 2015, and will cover historical data and case studies in Canada as well as accidents and incidents in other countries.
Airbus has started selling off its share of French combat aircraft and business jet manufacturer Dassault Aviation. The company sold 4% of its share in Dassault back to its majority holder GIMD (Groupement Industriel Marcel Dassault) after trading in Paris closed on Nov. 28. The deal raised €794 million ($987 million) with the share valued at €980 per share, roughly a 9.2% discount over the last trading price of the day, according to Dassault.
1. You have built a foundation for a chain now with five facilities. What are your long-term plans? Levesque: We started the year with two and added facilities in Chicago, Atlanta and Eau Claire, Wisconsin. We would like to grow to 15 or 20 facilities. But we want to grow smartly and in the right way. We are not in a rush. We have looked at a lot more than we have attempted to acquire. 2. What do you look for in a potential acquisition?
Three major airports around Washington, D.C., are using their own NextGen systems. Also, Textron has sold 17 acres where Beechcraft manufactured its piston-powered general aviation aircraft.
Since B&CA began covering Cabin Electronics some 25 years ago, we haven't seen more promise and possibility in what can be done to keep passengers informed, connected, productive and entertained in flight than now. And there has never been greater demand for more bandwidth for cabin and crew connectivity.
Managing external pressures, including meeting passenger expectations, is as key to risk management as mitigating pilot, aircraft and environmental risk factors.
The union representing NetJets pilots says in a lawsuit that the company broke privacy and labor laws. Gama Aviation and Hangar8 will merge and go public. An aviation consultant predicts 2015 will be a positive turning point for business aviation.
We asked operators if they favored keeping their aircraft in original condition or whether they thought upgrading was a cost-effective alternative to prolong their useful service lives. We also took an in-depth look at the airplane and its systems to put those views into perspective.
