Grob Aerospace said Thursday it has not been able to secure additional financial backing, meaning that it will lay off most of its 350 employees this week. In a terse announcement, Niall Olver, Grob’s chief executive officer, noted that the company was forced to enter the preliminary insolvency process in mid-August. Since then, “despite a number of ongoing promising negotiations with various parties, we have unfortunately not been able to secure a new investor within the time frame allowed by German law.”
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT Model 390 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2008-1127; Directorate Identifier 2008-CE-061-AD; Amendment 39-15707; AD 2008-22-11] – Inspect certain hydraulic pump pressure output hose assemblies for fluid leaks and replace all affected hose assemblies, per the instructions of Hawker Beechcraft Mandatory Service Bulletin SB 29-3897 (dated August 2008). This AD resulted from reports of hydraulic leaks from the hydraulic pump pressure output hose assemblies.
Boeing Business Jets (BBJ), as well as corporate conversions of airliners ranging from the Bombardier CRJ to the McDonnell Douglas DC-8, are among some 170 aircraft potentially affected by an FAA airworthiness directive (AD) requiring deactivation of auxiliary long-range fuel tanks installed by PATS Aircraft.
GENERAL ELECTRIC CT58 engines [Docket No. FAA-2008-0808; Directorate Identifier 2008-NE-18-AD; Amendment 39-15712; AD 2008-22-16] – Recalculate the lives of certain compressor spools based upon a new repetitive heavy lift (RHL) multiplying factor. This AD, which resulted from reports of cracks originating from the inner faces of the locking screw holes in the compressor spool, is intended to prevent cracks due to RHL missions. Such cracks could result in an uncontained rotor burst and damage to, or loss of, the helicopter.
Gulfstream Aerospace took a step toward bringing Future Air Navigation System (FANS) to business jets with a recent G450 flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The flight, from Savannah, Ga. to London-Luton and back, used Controller-Pilot Data Link Communication with Automatic Dependent Surveillance (CPDLC/ADS), which directly links flight crews with oceanic and remote-area air traffic controllers. The CPDLC/ADS link automatically reports deviations from cleared altitudes and routes and provides meteorological data from sensors.
Industrial Investors, the Russian firm that bought the assets of bankrupt Adam Aircraft, has cut its monthly support from $6 million to $1 million because of the impact of the near-collapse of Russian capital markets that resulted in substantial margin calls, according to a highly placed source at AAI Acquisition. Rather than risk total collapse of AAI Acquisitions, Jack Braly, president and CEO, announced a “strategic realignment” on Oct. 28 to keep the VLJ maker solvent.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION set a Feb. 2, 2009 deadline for airport sponsors to notify the agency whether the airports will use fiscal 2009 entitlement funds. FAA warned that if airport sponsors do not declare their intentions, then the agency will not be able to designate the funds as “protected,” and the funds may not be carried over beyond March 31, 2009, the date the current short-term reauthorization extension is set to expire.
WESTERN AIRCRAFT, the Pilatus PC-12 authorized service and sales center for the Northwest U.S., appointed Aero Air of Hillsoboro, Ore. as a satellite service center for the PC-12. Western Aircraft estimates that some 140 PC-12s operate in the Northwest, and Aero Air, which is near Portland, will provide operators with another option for service in Oregon and southern Washington. Aero Air, which was established in 1956, has 120 employees and 75,000 square feet of hangar space.
ECLIPSE AVIATION began trying to find buyers for 28 of the Eclipse 500 Very Light Jets that it had previously delivered to air taxi operator DayJet, which ceased operations last month (BA, Sept. 29/144). Eclipse said the 28 aircraft have between 150 and 450 flight cycles and are available for immediate purchase. “Each will be sold in different states of operational capability,” Eclipse said, in “As Is” condition.
SCOTT SHATZER joined fractional aircraft provider Flight Options as sales director for the Midwest. Shatzer holds an aviation degree from Central Pennsylvania Business College and formerly was employed by a manufacturer-owned fractional aircraft provider. In his new post with Flight Options, Shatzer will be relocating to Chicago, Ill.
GARY HART recently joined FirstFlight, Inc. as chief operating officer. Hart, a veteran of more than 25 years in executive management and operations experience in aviation, reports to John Dow, FirstFlight’s president and CEO, at the company’s corporate headquarters in Elmira/Corning, N.Y. “Gary has the right background to help lead the company as we continue to increase our fleet and develop a stronger market presence.
THE KIDDE AEROSPACE & DEFENSE unit of Hamilton Standard was selected by Gulfstream Aerospace and Israel Aircraft Industries to supply the integrated fire and overheat protection system for the new Gulfstream G250 business jet. The integrated fire and overheat protection system comprises engine and auxiliary power unit fire detection and extinguishing, cargo bay smoke detection, overheat detection system and an integrated control unit.
John Saabas, a man who has risen through the ranks during his 23 years with Pratt & Whitney Canada, will become the new president of the engine manufacturer, replacing Alain Bellemare, parent company United Technologies (UTC) said last week.
General Dynamics’ Gulfstream Aerospace unit posted strong financial results for the third quarter, but officials warned that the ongoing credit crisis could cause production cuts next year for at least one of the company’s midsize business jet models.
– The Model 60 Learjet that crashed while attempting to take off from the Columbia, S.C. Metropolitan Airport last month was traveling on at least two tires that were apparently completely flat during the latter portion of the takeoff roll. National Transportation Safety Board investigators have confirmed finding hundreds of feet of tire debris and other aircraft components on the runway (BA, Sept. 29/148).
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY added a training program for helicopter pilots. The university is using a Schweizer 300CBi helicopter to train university flight students, law enforcement personnel and private pilots. The Schweizer 300CBi joins a training fleet of 50 aircraft that range from Cessna 172s to the Cessna CitationJet.
Transport Canada has unveiled a new aviation document booklet for air traffic controller licenses, and flight crew licenses and permits. The government did a study of 50 federal documents on risk analysis, said a spokeswoman. “It was determined that current crew documents fell into a high-risk category, and recommendations were made to adjust that risk,” she explained.
The Federal Aviation Administration has begun what is expected to be a wide-reaching personnel transition with the announcement last week of the retirement of two career employees, Nick Sabatini and Ruth Leverenz, who will collectively be taking with them nearly 55 years of agency experience. FAA acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell notified employees last week that Sabatini, the associate administrator for aviation safety, and Leverenz, acting deputy administrator, will leave their roles officially on Jan. 3.
CONKLIN & DE DECKER scheduled an Aircraft Acquisition Planning Seminar Dec. 3-4 in Scottsdale, Ariz. The seminar, to be held at the Scottsdale Cottonwoods Resort & Spa, will discuss selection of the appropriate aircraft for the mission, understanding costs, ownership alternatives, financial analysis and options and federal and state taxes. The seminar is designed for accountants, consultants and attorneys along with owners and prospective owners. For more information, contact Christine Preston at (602) 404-1854 or [email protected].
– JetDirect Aviation Holdings, LLC said its Sunset Aviation, Inc. unit will continue to focus on light jet and turboprop management and charter flights, primarily in California. Sunset was founded in 1992 in Novato, Calif. as a charter, management, sales and acquisition company. JetDirect acquired Sunset last year. Over the years, Sunset developed a particular focus on turboprop and light jet operation in response to market demand, JetDirect said.
Hangar space for lease at the Van Nuys Airport. Maguire Aviation is in the process of developing 460,000 sq. ft. of hangar and offices for single and multiple tenant occupancy. Please contact Mike McDaniel or Tim Wray for more information at 800-451-7270. Click here to view the pdf
MICHAEL O’KEEFE, SR. was elected chairman of the board of the National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA) for the upcoming year. O’Keefe is a vice president at Banyan Air Service, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He also is an active pilot and holds Airline Transport Pilot, instrument, multiengine, land and seaplane ratings along with type ratings in King Air 300/350 turboprops and Citation 500 series business jets. He holds an undergraduate degree in finance and a master’s degree in business administration, both from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
ARINC Direct is offering a package of Web-enabled flight support services for operators of Very Light Jets and other general aviation aircraft with takeoff weights below 12,500 pounds. The package, priced at $1,500, includes flight planning, weather, aircraft tracking, runway analysis and weight and balance applications, all of which are accessible from standard Internet connections or PDA/Blackberry devices.
THREE MORE AIRLINES will each receive more than $500,000 to participate in an FAA trial of cockpit moving-map technology. Atlas Air ($510,000), CommutAir ($544,000) and Shuttle America ($680,000), are getting the money to install electronic flight bags (EFBs) and aural alerting systems in their aircraft. Those systems will be used on flights to or from 21 airports, and will allow FAA to evaluate how effective they are in improving runway safety. The aircraft are scheduled to have the new equipment installed by September 2009.
Pratt & Whitney Canada will spend C$485 million on research and development in the next three years after finalizing a support package with the Quebec government. The investment will include C$360 million of P&WC’s own funds, as well as a C$125 million commitment from Quebec’s economic development agency, Investissement Quebec. This provincial government support is repayable from royalties on sales, notes the manufacturer.
