Cirrus Aircraft, firmly under the command of its Chinese owners, announced in mid-October that cofounder Dale Klapmeier has been named CEO and that Brent Wouters, previously president and CEO, is no longer with the company, which in July was acquired by China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. (CAIGA). In a statement published on the company's website, Klapmeier said: “At Cirrus, we are passionate about airplanes and flying, and I am passionate about this company.
Sept. 25 — At 1341 local time a Bell 412SP, (Indonesia registry PK-OVC), crashed in a jungle under unknown circumstances 150 km east of Selaparang Airport, Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The helicopter was operated by PT Airfast Indonesia under the provisions of the Indonesia Civil Aviation Regulations and was on a cargo flight. It sustained substantial damage and both crewmembers were fatally injured in the crash. The flight originated at Dodo Camp Airport and was destined for Lemurung Camp.
All Nippon Helicopter is expected to take delivery of the first of two AgustaWestland AW139s equipped for electronic news gathering (ENG) and the first of the type to enter Japan's civil helicopter fleet before the end of the year. The helicopter is already operating in Japan in government roles such as law enforcement and coast guard missions.
Based on its most recent poll of aircraft dealers, Vref Publishing Inc., the Arizona-based provider of data on the resale market, reported in the third quarter edition of its Market Leader newsletter, “There has been a surprising amount of activity. Early this summer, many dealers reported, 'they've never been busier.'”
Hawker Beechcraft Corporation announced at the NBAA Convention that all of its turbine-powered aircraft are now approved to use biofuels — a renewable resource that can help reduce the use of fossil fuels and reduce carbon emissions. To be used in HBC aircraft, fuels must meet ASTM turbine fuel standards.
If you have an accident, you will find that you will quickly be overwhelmed with tasks and communications. One way to help control the chaos is to have an emergency response plan — essentially a playbook to guide you through the process. Your plan should have all of your company contacts, emergency services, the FAA, OSHA and support services necessary to help you through what promises to be an exhausting experience. To learn more visit: www.nbaa.org/member/ops/safety/response
“Cessna Citation M2 Makes Debut” (October 2011, page 86) included a preliminary price estimate furnished by Cessna. The company subsequently set the price for the aircraft at $4.2 million, with the first 47 reduced to $4.0 million.
The FAA has approved a new avgas standard for use in aircraft that now fly on 100 octane low lead (100LL). The new specification, called 100VLL (Very Low Lead), contains 19% less lead than the current specification, according to a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB NE-11-55) issued by the FAA Sept. 14.
Aero Dynamix, Inc., Euless, Texas, announced that test pilot Dwayne Williams has joined their growing team of night vision goggle professionals. The company is an industry leader in NVG cockpit modifications. Aviation Personnel International (API), San Francisco, promoted Colleen Kelly to vice president, Client and Talent Relations, responsible for the retained recruitment of aviation professionals of behalf of Fortune 500 companies and private individuals.
American Eurocopter and Milestone Aviation Group announced at the Air Medical Transport Conference the sale to Milestone of five new Eurocopter EC130B4 helicopters. The order is valued at $17 million. Deliveries will take place in the second half of 2012. Milestone, the first global finance company focused exclusively on the helicopter market, will offer these aircraft for lease to operators.
The first modern autogyro to be certified under current regulations for rotorcraft is the Umbaugh 18. Following FAA type certification, former Fairchild Vice President and General Manager W. L. Landers predicted, “Despite disclaimers from some segments of the aviation industry, we can hold our announced factory price of less than $10,000.
ExecuJet Aviation Group, the Swiss-based aviation management company, reported in September that it has experienced continued growth in new and used aircraft sales since the beginning of the year. The company predicts the trend will continue well into 2012. Year-over-year figures show ExecuJet's deliveries this year increased by almost 100%, with aircraft sales revenues up by 90%.
American Eurocopter said it will donate $250,000 to the MedEvac Foundation to support the Foundation and its research to promote safety within the industry. The mission of the MedEvac Foundation is to advance medical transport worldwide through support of research, education, outreach and other charitable services.
It began as a maker of cast-off airplanes and at one point was near collapse, but Bombardier Aerospace is demonstrating enviable resilience during the market downturn, thanks in large measure to its top end business jets, while investing billions in new models.
Fred George, senior editor at Business & Commercial Aviation and regular contributor to ShowNews and Aviation Week & Space Technology, is this year's recipient of the NBAA David Ewald Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement and excellence in journalism. The award was presented during the NBAA Media Breakfast.
After catastrophic hangar damage under snow load in February 2010, Dulles Jet Center has re-opened with two new hangars and is back to providing full service at Washington Dulles International Airport. Two more hangars are scheduled for completion in November. The newly constructed and upgraded facility now features 160,000 sq. ft. of hangar space with energy efficiencies that include high-efficiency radiant heat, energy management systems and automated climate control.
Kevin Bredenbeck, Sikorsky chief test pilot, who flew the revolutionary X2 Technology demonstrator last year to an unofficial speed record for conventional helicopters, has been recognized by the Society of Experimental Test Pilots with the Iven C. Kincheloe Award for the year's outstanding professional accomplishment in the conduct of flight testing. Bredenbeck, who is also Sikorsky's director of flight operations, accepted the award at a ceremony in California in September.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will hear arguments on Dec. 2 in a case brought by the NBAA and the AOPA that seeks to overturn the restrictions that the government imposed on the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program. NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen remarked, “We look forward to explaining to the Court of Appeals why the government's move to severely limit the BARR program represents an unwarranted invasion of the privacy of aircraft owners and operators, a threat to the competitiveness of U.S.
The city of Taegu slid behind us as we turned east for Tsushima Island, midway across 100-mi. strait separating South Korea and Japan. I was number two in the third flight of LT-6Gs, which we were handing over to the then-new Japanese Air Defense Force, near Nagoya, where they would be overhauled and returned to their intended role as training aircraft.
Blackhawk Modifications delivered the first customer XP42A Caravan on Oct. 7. Blackhawk CEO and president Jim Allmon said replacing the original Cessna Caravan engine with a Pratt & Whitney Canada factory-new PT6A-XP42A 850-shp turboprop engine swinging a new 100-in. Hartzell propeller and with Frakes exhausts required an entirely new cowling — not due to engine size, but to accommodate the engine exhaust and a 40% larger oil cooler. Plus the engine breathes a lot of air.
After three decades in the automotive industry as a top executive with General Motors and Delphi in the U.S. and Europe, Guy Hachey returned to his native Quebec in April 2008 as president and chief operating officer of Bombardier Aerospace. Five months later, the collapse of Lehman Brothers triggered a global financial crisis that decimated the business aviation industry. In a recent interview with BCA Editor-in-Chief William Garvey and Aviation Week & Space Technology's Joseph C.
Last month's NBAA Meeting and Convention closed with 26,077 registered attendees, a 7% jump in attendance over the 2010 gathering. The number of exhibitors at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) was 1,106, a 2% increase over last year's exhibitor count of 1,086. A total of 101 aircraft were on display, with 85 at the sold-out static display at Henderson Executive Airport (HND), five inside the convention center and 11 more at the first-ever outdoor static display adjacent to the LVCC.
Hawker Beechcraft Global Customer Support (GCS) has won certification of a three-display Pro Line 4 to Pro Line 21 upgrade for the Hawker/Beechjet 400. The new system replaces the existing Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 displays and upgrades the flight management system to FMS 6100. Operators now have access to electronic charts, XM weather/data, WAAS/LPV, ADS-B out and VHF data link.
