Safire Aircraft Company terminated its senior marketing and communications executives last week and said it was restructuring "in order to focus on the completion and development of the Safire Jet prototype and to resume aircraft sales."
Federal Aviation Administration issued a type certificate to General Electric Aircraft Engines for the CT7-8 powerplant, the latest version of the turboshaft engine. The CT7-8 is intended to power variants of the Sikorsky S-92, AgustaWestland EH101 and US101 and NH Industries NH90 helicopters, as well as some military helicopters. Delivery of the CT7-8 engines for the S-92 began last month.
Industry representatives hashed out ideas on handling flight and duty time regulations for Part 135 in a three-day meeting last month as part of the larger Part 125/135 Aviation Rulemaking Committee (BA March 29/137). The working group, which met in Dallas, "made more progress in three days than in the last two Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committees," which spent years trying to iron out the contentious labor issue, a participant noted.
CESSNA FLIES MUSTANG ENGINE - Pratt & Whitney Canada's new PW615F engine flew for the first time last week on a Cessna CitationJet test bed at Cessna's Wichita, Kan. facility. The engine will power Cessna's new entry-level Citation Mustang, which is slated for certification and delivery in late 2006. Citation Mustang Program Manager Russ Meyer III called the flight on the CitationJet test bed "the first major milestone" for the Mustang.
FALCON WORKERS AT ILG END STRIKE, SIGN NEW CONTRACT - A strike by union members that disrupted operations at Dassault Falcon Jet's Wilmington, Del. East Coast Service Center for about six weeks ended last week following ratification of a new contract.
SWISSPORT TO ACQUIRE U.K. GROUND HANDLING FIRM - Swissport International of Zurich signed an agreement to acquire Groundstar Ltd., a U.K.-based ground handling company. The acquisition adds five British airports - London's Stansted and Gatwick, Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham - and doubles Swissport's U.K. business volume. The Swiss firm already provides ground handling at London's Heathrow Airport. Groundstar was founded through a management buyout (backed by 3i) in 1999.
Avemco Insurance Company has become a Bronze-level sponsor for BE A PILOT, the industry-sponsored nationwide learn-to-fly program. Avemco plans to use its sponsorship to help educate pilots about renter's insurance in non-owned aircraft operations. BE A PILOT estimates that up to 300,000 pilots fly in rented or borrowed airplanes without insurance coverage to protect themselves. BE A PILOT plans a series of educational features on its Web site (www.beapilot.com), and insurance will be the first subject in the educational series.
Million Air Salt Lake City added a Gulfstream G200 and a Cessna Citation Ultra to its charter operation. The additions boost the operation's fleet to nine aircraft, including Pilatus, Learjet, Raytheon, Cessna and Gulfstream models. Million Air Salt Lake City operates and manages aircraft in Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah. It also provides aircraft sales, maintenance and fuel sales.
Rolls-Royce's AE 3007 engine family reached the 10 million-flight-hour mark some eight years after introduction into service. The AE 3007 engine, which is in the 7,000- to 9,000-pound thrust class, powers the Embraer ERJ 145 regional jet and Cessna Citation X. Nearly 50 civil, military and corporate customers operate more than 750 ERJ aircraft, and Cessna has placed more than 200 Citation X aircraft in service. Rolls-Royce estimated that the AE 3007 engine accumulates more than 275,000 flying hours per month, about one takeoff or landing every 20 seconds.
Lancair last month won FAA certification for its Columbia 400, the third certified aircraft for the Bend, Ore. general aviation manufacturer. Powered by a 310-horsepower turbocharged Continental TSIO 550, the 400 reaches speeds of 220 knots true airspeed at 18,000 feet and 235 KTAS at 25,000 feet. Lancair delivered the first Columbia 400 to customer Paul Duckett and plans additional deliveries beginning this month.
Proavia, the French airport and air traffic control trade association, appointed Jacques Lafay of the European information technology specialist Steria as president. Other newly appointed officers are: SEEE executive Emmanual Barthoux as vice president; CS Communication & Systems executive Philippe Ledoyen as vice president and Coris executive Philippe Vadon as secretary general.
AOPA's arguments before the Minnesota officials follow a counterpoint editorial AOPA wrote in response to a USA Today editorial titled, "Why should overtaxed fliers subsidize private planes?" (BA, April 19/173). That editorial based its rationale in part on Northwest CEO Richard Anderson's comments that commercial fliers are subsidizing private aircraft owners.
Aircraft Owners And Pilots Association last week found itself battling another apparent effort by Northwest Airlines to raise fees on general aviation. Association representatives met with Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) to enlist his support to stem Minneapolis Airports Commission (MAC) proposals to dramatically raise airport fees. The MAC held a special meeting Thursday to discuss fee increases, which AOPA estimates could result in a 700 percent hike in general aviation charges.
May 17-19 - Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association Spring Conference, Radisson Resort and Spa, Scottsdale, Ariz. Contact Stan Bernstein, (508) 747-1430 May 18-20 - AS 3/GSE Aviation Services and Suppliers Supershow, National Air Transportation Association/Professional Aviation Maintenance Association, Las Vegas, Nev. (703) 845-9000 May 25-27 - European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE2004), Geneva, Switzerland, (202) 783-9000
Montreal Jet Center, a new company specializing in business jet interior refurbishing, avionics upgrades and modifications, named Louis Deveault vice president-aircraft maintenance. Deveault will be responsible for all operations functions, including shop loading and scheduling, estimating, pricing and planning. He has more than 20 years' experience and holds an aircraft engineer's license with endorsements for a wide variety of business jets.
WILLIAM BODIE is joining DFI Government Services as vice president for Armed Services programs. Bodie formerly served with the Department of the Air Force as director of Air Force Communications. Before that he was special assistant to the secretary of the Air Force.
National Business Aviation Association last week urged its members to remain vigilant about their security efforts. The association said the Bush Administration fears that terrorist organizations hope to coordinate another attack on the U.S. before the November elections to create an event like the train attacks in Spain just days before national elections there. The Administration is not sure how such an attack would be staged in the U.S.
Sy Sherman, 81, founder and chairman of Aircraft Parts Corp., Holtsville, N.Y., died April 19 after several weeks of complications from pneumonia. Sherman, who stepped aside from his leadership role in 2002 after suffering several strokes, founded the business in 1960 providing small aircraft parts to customers. In 1974, APC purchased the piston-engine product line from Bendix Corp. and began to handle sales, distribution and manufacturing of piston-engine starter products.
AVCRAFT PLANS MAJOR MAINTENANCE, COMPLETION CENTER - Avcraft is opening a new 180,000-square-foot maintenance and completion center at the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The Myrtle Beach facility will be used as the factory-owned service center for the Dornier 328 turboprop and 328JET and support Avcraft's maintenance work with BAE Systems. It also will be the completion center for new corporate 328JET aircraft and provide maintenance and completions for other regional airliners and business aircraft.
