Bombardier Aerospace says it plans to build a new final assembly facility for the CRJ900 in Montreal. Citing the ``high degree of commonality,'' Bombardier said the $170 million plant also may be used to support CRJ700 production. Construction is slated to begin this month and should be completed by spring 2000. The manufacturer formally launched the CRJ900 at the Farnborough Air Show this summer, claiming 34 firm orders and 28 options.
With the GNS 530, Garmin has taken the functionality of the GNS 430 and increased the viewing area to 5.5 inches. The avionics system combines an IFR GPS, comm, VOR, LOC, glideslope and color moving map into a 4.3-x-6.25-inch package that complements most panels. A built-in Jeppesen database contains important information including airports, VORs and intersections, and can be updated through a front-loading data card. The GNS 530 is upgradeable to WAAS TSO C146 for stand-alone approach procedures. Price: $14,995
The market for new turbofan engines is expected to remain strong for the remainder of the decade, according to a recent Forecast International/DMS study. ``Booming demand for corporate and larger regional jets'' will fuel the demand for about 4,500 new engines annually through 2009. The light jet transport segment will account for about 39 percent of the engine market during the study period.
Explorer Aircraft selected Hartzell, S-TEC/Meggitt and Garmin International to provide components for its proposed single-engine 500T utility aircraft. The PT6A-135B-powered aircraft will be equipped with a four-blade, 94-inch Hartzell propeller. Explorer also has outfitted its first test aircraft with a Garmin avionics suite, including dual GNS 430s, a GMA 340 audio panel, GTX 327 digital transponder and a GI 106A course deviation indicator. An S-TEC/Meggitt System 55 autopilot also is installed on the 500T.
Edited By Paul RichfieldBy Paul Richfield, in Farnborough, England
CitationShares, the new fractional ownership venture between Cessna Aircraft and charter provider TAG Aviation, has placed a firm order for 50 new Cessna Citation business jets. The order will be divided more or less evenly between the two entry-level jets that will form the core of the CitationShares fleet: the upgraded CJ1 CitationJet and the Citation Bravo -- the current evolution of the Citation II.
Allen E. Paulson, a man who rose from humble beginnings to bring Gulfstream to the forefront of business jet manufacturing, has died in California at age 78 after a long battle with cancer. Paulson created the modern Gulf-stream Aerospace in 1978, by com- bining Rockwell's Oklahoma City-based general aviation division with Grumman Aerospace's corporate jet division in a $52 million deal.
Cambata Aviation International has opened its newly renovated ``StarPort'' FBO facility at Orlando-Sanford Airport (SFB) in Florida. Designated a Phillips 66 Aviation Performance Center, StarPort offers 24-hour fuel services, two 30,000-square-foot hangars and 18-hour on-site maintenance with 24-hour on-call service. The FBO will operate two jet fuel re-fuelers -- one with 3,000-gallon capacity, the other with 2,200 gallons -- and one avgas truck holding 1,200 gallons.
In an effort to raise funds for ERJ 170/190 development, Embraer began trading on the New York Stock Exchange this summer. The Brazilian manufacturer sold almost 19 million American Depositary Shares (ADRs) -- each of which represents four preferred shares of non-voting stock. The stock price soared in mid-August after the company posted a 35-percent increase in net income and a 65-percent increase in aircraft deliveries for the second quarter. Embraer shares trade under the ticker symbol ``ERJ.''
BFGoodrich is joining fellow aerospace giants United Technologies and Honeywell as a part owner of online parts and services marketplace MyAircraft.com. The site is designed as a parts and information clearinghouse, allowing participants to view technical publications, comparison shop, conduct auctions, and order parts and services using a standard Web browser.
Atlantic Coast Jet -- the new Atlantic Coast Airlines unit that will operate in Delta Connection colors -- has received its FAA operating certificate. This was the final step in the airline's certification process, and cleared the way for ACJet to begin revenue service on August 1. ACJet now has five Fairchild 328JETs, and firm orders for 20 additional 328JETs and 20 Bombardier Canadair Regional Jets.
Online charter booking service eJets.com has declared a marketing war, of sorts, on NetJets, and fractional ownership in general. In Wall Street Journal ads declaring ``50 percent off NetJets,'' the upstart takes aim at the cost of fractional ownership versus the cost of air charter.
Raytheon Aircraft also enjoyed a strong first half of this year, delivering 282 aircraft, including 34 Hawker 800XPs, 26 Beechjet 400As and 89 King Airs. Military aircraft, Bonanzas and Barons accounted for the remaining deliveries. The manufacturer delivered 50 percent more aircraft than in the same period in 1999.
The Irish Coast Guard has renewed its contract with CHC Helicopter division Scotia Helicopter Services to provide search and rescue-equipped helicopters based in Shannon and Dublin. Under the terms of the agreements, Scotia will provide four specially equipped Sikorsky S-61N helicopters through January 1, 2007.
A recent hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Aviation Subcommittee devoted to the pilot shortage issue turned into a de facto hearing on the age 60 rule. National Air Transportation Association (NATA) chair Linda Barker said their group is among those hardest hit by the shortage, with perhaps the most to gain from a change in the mandatory retirement rule. When asked the inevitable age 60 question at the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture in Oshkosh, FAA Administrator Jane Garvey deferred to U.S. Sen.
When business jets first were offered in the late 1950s, many chief pilots initially were excited by the prospect of being able to fly at speeds never before possible. But some flight department managers wondered whether the new, sophisticated corporate turbojets would be as easy to maintain as their piston-powered Beech 18s, Douglas DC-3s and Lockheed Lodestars.
SimuFlite's QuickTurn division has introduced Cessna 400 series pilot training at its Grapevine, Texas facility. QuickTurn also offers Cessna Citation I/II and Beech King Air training.
The future of Concorde passenger service grew uncertain in mid-August as British and French regulators suspended the supersonic transport's airworthiness certificate. Having concluded that a burst tire caused the July crash of an Air France Concorde shortly after takeoff, killing 109 people aboard the aircraft and four on the ground, safety officials called for ``appropriate measures'' to be taken to prevent a recurrence. Airline officials now must decide whether any such fix is economically justifiable given Concorde's age and reportedly thin profit margins.
Mercury Air Group plans to cut around 20 administrative jobs and delegate their functions down to the FBO level, as part of a bid to save up to $3 million per year. The action is part of a major restructuring of the Los Angeles-based FBO chain, which includes the retirement of Chairman Seymour Kahn, and the acquisition of Kahn's $11.4 million equity stake by three Mercury board members.
U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Daniel C. Burbank has become the second Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University graduate to become an astronaut. He's slated to fly on the space shuttle Atlantis this month.
Photograph: EAA members get acquainted under the Wisconsin sun. Clear prop! EAA Masses of faithful flying enthusiasts made their annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh, Wis., from July 26 to August 1, renewing old friendships, spending time with their families and also exploring what's newest and oldest in aircraft technology. The Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture has become an 1,800-acre aviation expo with a much broader based constituency than in its early years.
