GE Capital is restructuring its operations with the goal of saving $2 billion next year, but the organizational changes are not expected to have a major impact on the company’s Connecticut-based business aircraft finance unit, according to Daniel J. Whitney, director of global communications for GE Commercial Aviation Services.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT received type certification approval for its Citation Mustang Very Light Jet from Transport Canada and the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau, clearing the way for Mustang deliveries to customers in Canada and Japan. Cessna has delivered 130 Mustangs, and the fleet has accumulated more than 19,000 flight hours. The Mustang is now certified in 51 countries, Cessna said.
– Bell Helicopter has dropped out of the running for the Indian army’s program to purchase 197 light helicopters. A Bell spokesman cited India’s 50 percent defense offsets requirement as a reason for the move. Bell was short-listed for the program last year, but lost out to Eurocopter’s AS-550. But that procurement was subsequently scrapped and the request for proposals reissued.
Jim Schuster, who transformed the former Raytheon Aircraft Company (RAC) from a struggling unit of a major corporation into a viable competitor in the business jet market, said he plans to retire as chairman and CEO of Hawker Beechcraft Corp. when a successor is found.
Intense media focus on the fact that the chief executives of the three largest American auto manufacturers used separate business jets to fly to Washington, D.C. last week so they could ask Congress for $25 billion in emergency government loans unleashed a torrent of condemnation from both Republican and Democratic legislators.
BAE SYSTEMS Jetstream 4101 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-1214; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-259-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to update the “Airworthiness Limitations” section of the “Instructions for Continued Airworthiness” to incorporate revised life-limits for structurally significant items. Operators would need to conduct operational and functional tests of certain systems, making sure to follow instructions to retain critical ignition-source prevention features during configuration changes.
ECLIPSE AVIATION, which has been struggling to meet its payroll obligations and get completed aircraft out the door, got some good news Friday when the European Aviation Safety Agency certified the Eclipse 500. The certification is valid for 37 European countries, permitting the buyers of EA-500s to register their aircraft in any of those nations. Eclipse also said FAA certified the Avio NG 1.5, an upgraded configuration of the EA-500’s avionics suite.
Hawker Beechcraft has been awarded a $171.5 million contract by the U.S. Air Force’s Big Safari special-mission modification group to supply 23 King Air 350ER twin-turboprops for ISR missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, with an option for six more.
Esterline Corp. reached an agreement to buy NMC Group (Nylon Molding Corporation), a designer and manufacturer of specialized fasteners for the aerospace and defense industry. Completion of the transaction, which is valued at approximately $90 million, is expected within 30 to 45 days, contingent upon Hart-Scott-Rodino approval and other customary closing conditions. Esterline said it will fund the purchase with available cash.
EXCELAIRE added a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter to its fleet. Based at MacArthur Airport in Islip, N.Y., the helicopter seats five and has a range of more than 350 miles. Excelaire, which operates a range of business aircraft, also operates a Eurocopter Dauphin from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey.
An emergency airworthiness directive has been issued by the FAA requiring operators of certain Boeing Next Generation 737s to immediately test the wiring of a system that automatically shuts off fuel pumps in the center wing tank.
DAVIS FLIGHT SUPPORT completed a remodeling of its 9,000-square-foot terminal facility at Yolo County Airport in Davis, Calif. The refurbishment included the addition of numerous amenities: multiple snooze rooms, showers, HD plasma TVs, WSI satellite weather, wireless Internet, a refreshment center and a pilots lounge. Other features and services offered include an executive conference room, a concierge, catering, transportation and hotel arrangements.
President-Elect Barack Obama’s transition team has picked several Clinton Administration veterans to review the U.S. Transportation Dept. and related agencies. The six-member agency review team includes two top officials at the time of the 9/11 attacks in 2001: former FAA Administrator Jane Garvey and former NTSB Acting Chairman Carol Carmody.
EMBRAER EMB-110P1 and EMB-110P2 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2006-26598, Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-087-AD; Amendment 39-15733; AD 2008-23-12] – Requires visual inspections for corrosion at the wing-to-fuselage attachments, vertical stabilizer-to-fuselage attachments, Rib 1 half-wing and passenger seat tracks, per the instructions of Embraer Service Bulletin S.B. No.: 110-00-0007, Rev. 01 (dated Jan. 12, 2007). Any structure that is cracked or corroded must be repaired before further flight.
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT established a sales office in Vienna, Austria to work with European customers. Byron Severson, Hawker Beechcraft’s regional sales director of Hawker aircraft for Central and Eastern Europe, will manage the new office. Noting that nearly 65 percent of the company’s new commercial aircraft bookings have come from international markets, Hawker Beechcraft said the office will help the company satisfy a growing demand for its Hawker 400 and 750 along with other products in Europe.
Dassault Aviation has struck a deal to enter exclusive talks to buy the 20.8 percent stake in Thales now owned by Alcatel-Lucent. Details are to be worked out by mid-December. The agreement leaves EADS, which also had ambitions to take over Thales, on the sidelines. Dassault has offered a €38-per-share price for the Thales stake. Dassault already holds 5 percent of Thales and was considering selling its stake before making the bid. The maker of the Rafale fighter and Falcon business jets signaled its wider interest in Thales last month.
AVJET CORPORATION formed an alliance with Executive Aircraft Sales (EAS) of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates to provide a range of aircraft sales and acquisitions, management and large-cabin charter services. Avjet said the alliance will expand its presence in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Moscow. EAS operates offices in Abu Dhabi and Moscow and is opening a new office in Hong Kong.
BOMBARDIER CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100 and 440) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0265; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-349-AD; Amendment 39-15732; AD 2008-23-11] – Requires replacing the main landing gear’s main fittings with new, improved fittings, in accordance with Bombardier Service Bulletin 601R-32-093, Rev. B (dated July 14, 2005). Replacing the main fittings terminates the need for repetitive inspections that were mandated by a previous applicable directive (AD 2003-11-11).
SKYPLAN, a flight operations specialist, is opening a new office in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The facility will complement Skyplan’s operation based in Calgary, Canada. The UAE office will offer all of Skyplan’s services, include Web flight planning, contract flight dispatch, overflight and landing permissions, ground handling and contract jet fuel for customers in the Middle Eastern and Asian markets.
BOMBARDIER CL-600, -601, -601-3A, -601-3R and -604 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-1216; Directorate Identifier 2008-NM-111-AD] – This proposed rule would require operators to revise the “Normal Procedures” and “Abnormal Procedures” sections of the Airplane Flight Manual by inserting temporary instructions that indicate what to do when insufficient heat is generated by the wing anti-ice system. Also, operators would need to check their maintenance records or the aircraft itself to ensure that potentially defective wing anti-ice piccolo ducts are not installed.
DIAMOND AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES GMBH DA 42 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0991 Directorate Identifier 2008-CE-054-AD; Amendment 39-15729; AD 2008-23-08] – Requires operators to repetitively inspect and correct (if needed) the fastening torque of the rear, right-hand engine-support bracket mounting bolts, following the instructions of Diamond Service Bulletin No. MSB-42-058 (dated May 21, 2008). Eventually, replace all of those engine-support bracket-mounting bolts with wire-secured bolts, which terminates the need for the repetitive torque inspections.
The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing special standards for installation of equipment powered by lithium batteries. The proposed special conditions would cover installation of Aircell airborne satcom equipment on Dassault Falcon 2000 series aircraft. Aircell in March 2007 applied for supplemental type approval to install additional equipment on Falcon 2000 series airplanes, including a low-power Wi-Fi handset that contains a single cell lithium polymer rechargeable battery.
EMIRATES-CAE FLIGHT TRAINING (ECFT) signed three-year contracts with Abu Dhabi Aviation, Falcon Aviation Services and Elite Jets to provide customized helicopter pilot training at ECFT’s training center in Dubai. ECFT will train more than 100 Abu Dhabi Aviation pilots using a CAE-built Bell 412 full flight simulator.
SAAB 2000 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-0115; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-240-AD; Amendment 39-15723; AD 2008-23-02] – This AD requires operators to conduct inspections to determine if there are any sharp edges on the aft engine-mounting assembly, and to rework any sharp edges found. In addition, the AD requires repetitive visual inspections, or a combination of visual and fluorescent-penetrant inspections, for cracking of the center bracket of the aft engine-mounting assembly for both engines.
