THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE will hold a hearing this week to discuss aviation taxes and the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey is one of four witnesses on the schedule for Thursday with other witnesses including Congressional Budget Office Director Peter Orszag, Government Accountability Office Director of Civil Aviation Issues Gerald Dillingham and Mark Hansen, professor of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.
FIRSTFLIGHT, an aviation services company based at Elmira/Corning Regional Airport in New York, added a Gulfstream G200 and Beechjet 400A to its fleet. The G200 is based in Elmira, and will be used for charters to and from the New York metropolitan area and throughout the Northeast. The Beechjet is based in Stuart, Fla. and will be used for FirstFlight's growing client base in Florida as well as for connections to the Northeast. The G200 and Beechjet follow the recent addition of a Learjet 60 and Hawker 1000 to the company's fleet.
Joined Shadin Avionics as regional sales manager, Western U.S. Griffitts has more than 15 years of sales and marketing experience, most recently as marketing communications manager with Chelton Flight Systems. She also served as MARCOM manager for Oce Groupware, a print management software company, and was an account supervisor for Creative Source International, a marketing firm.
NASA, the contractor team and Delta II Heavy launch managers at Cape Canaveral will decide by July 3 whether preparations for the Dawn mission to launch between July 7th and 11th will proceed or whether technical or advanced weather predictions will delay the launch to September. The flight will be the first NASA planetary mission totally dependent on solar electric propulsion and the first planetary mission ever launched that will orbit two separate bodies in deep space.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected] (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) July 10 - 11 -- Precision Strike Summer Forum, "Joint Perspectives on Precision Engagement," Virginia Beach Resort Hotel, Virginia Beach, Va. For more information go to www.precisionstrike.org. July 8 - 10 -- ALA Miami 2007, Aeronautical Convention & Exposition, Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Miami, Fla. For more information call (817) 284-0431, www.ala.aero.
NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION NEW REVENUE SOURCE FOR DFW - Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport stands to receive hundreds of millions of dollars from a natural gas producer that is drilling for gas on airport property.
KAREN GEBHART was named executive vice president of communications for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. She replaces Jeff Myers, who is leaving AOPA to relocate to the Cape Cod area and resume operation of his own company, Myers Communications. In her new role, she will be responsible for AOPA publications, AOPA e-publishing, public and media relations and the creative services group.
ENHANCED A-10 WING: The U.S. Air Force will award Boeing a $2.02 billion contract for engineering services of an "enhanced A-10 wing" through September 2018, the Defense Department said June 29. To date, $74.2 million has been obligated. The contract's maximum ranges up to the engineering services plus 242 wings.
Joined the staff of Tampa International Jet Center as customer service manager. Silberman previously worked for Galaxy Aviation at two Florida locations and was employed in the hospitality industry in Florida for many years before entering the aviation business. She recently relocated to Tampa, where she previously lived for more than 20 years, from the West Palm Beach area. TIJC President Phil Botana cited Silberman's strong communications skills, outgoing personality and knowledge of the FBO industry in announcing her appointment.
EMB-145XR airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2007-27981; Directorate Identifier 2007-NM-021-AD; Amendment 39-15107; AD 2007-13-03] - Install a bonding jumper between the pilot valve line tube and the pressure refueling system tube after removing ventral fuel tank access panel 196FR, as described in Embraer Service Bulletin 145-28-0026 (dated May 16, 2006). This AD stems from an MCAI originated by the aviation authority of Brazil.
The U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command has chosen BAE Systems Land & Armaments' Ground Systems Division for a $212.4 million order of more Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, the Defense Department said late June 28. The firm-fixed-priced delivery order is for 271 MRAP Category I vehicles, 16 CAT II Ambulances and 154 CAT Is for the Special Operations Command, as well as "sustainment integrated logistics support."
NASA FUNDS ALTERNATIVE FUEL FOR JET ENGINES PROGRAM - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration selected a San Diego firm as part of an effort to develop alternative fuels for use in jet engines.
HOOPER HARRIS, manager of FAA's Commuter, On-Demand and Training Center Branch, conceded that Operations Specification A008 covering Part 135 operational control has had some unintended consequences. Harris told NATA's Air Charter Summit that a few operators have opted to relinquish their Part 135 certificate and fly under Part 91, while some Part 91 operators are finding it more advantageous to obtain their own Part 135 certificate rather than worry about the potential for entering an arrangement that is later deemed illegal.
A DIESEL-POWERED CESSNA airplane could be part of the Wichita aircraft manufacturer's product line before long, following an agreement with a German diesel engine manufacturer. See article below.
A long-awaited RAND Corp. study over supposed cost savings to buy F-22 Raptors under a multiyear contract says the U.S. Air Force could save $270 million to $640 million, with the most likely amount being about $410 million. Savings from one three-year award - rather than three one-year awards - would come from spurring competition among parts suppliers, better manufacturing scheduling and streamlining acquisition process costs due to fewer contracts, according to RAND researchers.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION is continuing to sift through the 140 recommendations developed by the industry-based Part 135/125 Aviation Rulemaking Committee and has divided those comments into six "buckets" that will lead to separate rulemakings, according to James Ballough, director of FAA's Flight Standards Service. Ballough told attendees at the National Air Transportation Association's Air Charter Summit last week that the agency is first turning its attention to a rule to facilitate the use of Very Light Jets in commuter operations.
MACQUARIE ADDING MORE CALIFORNIA FBO LOCATIONS - Macquarie Infrastructure Co. (MIC), which has been on a fixed-base operation buying spree for the past three years, is adding two more California facilities.
Promoted to vice president, product development for the Beechcraft product line for Hawker Beechcraft Corp. Masher, who has been with the company and its predecessors for nearly 25 years, previously was director of new product development. He also served as director of special mission programs for Lockheed Martin, senior engineer, loads and dynamics, for Lear Fan Corporation and engineer, loads and dynamics, for Boeing Military Aircraft. He has a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University.
COLUMBIA AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURING CORP. recalled the remaining employees who were furloughed in late March and boosted production to three aircraft per week (BA, March 26/143). "We made a lot of dramatic moves earlier this year with the objective of increasing our efficiency and strengthening Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation," said Company President Wan Abd Majid, who replaced Bing Lantis as president this spring.
EMBRAER rolled out the first Phenom 100 at the company's headquarters in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil last month. The Phenom was moved to the paint shop before beginning a series of ground tests in preparation for the first flight. Embraer has dedicated more than 400 engineers to the Phenom 100 program, which was launched in two years ago (BA, May 9, 2005/207). Embraer cut metal for the first Phenom in May. Subassembly manufacturing of the Phenom 100 was completed at Embraer's Botucatu facility and delivered to Sao Jose dos Campos for assembly.
EXPERIENCED AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION WORKERS can be difficult to find, but Boeing is laying off nearly 300 veteran employees at the company's parts production facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn. as part of an initiative to consolidate parts manufacturing capacity across its Fabrication organization. The 265 Boeing workers at Oak Ridge previously produced flight deck consoles, forward instrument panels, aisle stands and other machined parts for the company's Commercial Airplanes unit. Boeing will begin issuing a series of 60-day layoff notices to employees this month.
GALES INDUSTRIES INC., a Bay Shore, N.Y. holding company that is consolidating manufacturers, engineering integrators and specialized service providers in the commercial aviation/aerospace markets, changed its named to Air Industries Group, Inc. The company employs more than 200 people in its two operating subsidiaries at various sites on Long Island.
EADS SOCATA delivered a new TBM 850 to a customer in Jackson Hole, Wyo. The aircraft, Serial No. 400, is the 55th Model 850 since deliveries began a year ago when the speedier 850 replaced the original TBM 700 in the company's product line. Priced at $2.63 million, the 850 is equipped with the Garmin GMX 200 multifunction display.
