ASTRONICS BUYING COCKPIT PANEL MANUFACTURER - Astronics Corp., the East Aurora, N.Y.-based manufacturer of high-performance lighting and electronics systems, signed a letter of intent to acquire the assets of FTG Aerospace from Circuit World Corp. FTG Aerospace, located near Toronto, Ontario, manufactures illuminated cockpit panels, keyboards and bezels for original equipment manufacturers of avionics products as well as for airframe manufacturers. FTG, which has approximately 60 employees, had revenues of $7.5 million (Canadian) in the fiscal year ended Nov. 30, 2003.
DOD WANTS TO USE COMANCHE MONEY FOR OTHER AIRCRAFT -The U.S. Defense Department plans to send a proposed budget amendment to Congress "relatively soon" that would take money allocated to the canceled RAH-66 Comanche helicopter program and use it to modernize and buy more than 2,000 military aircraft, the DOD comptroller said March 1.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which co-wrote the four-year reauthorization bill Vision 100 that calls for unprecedented FAA funding, called the Bush Administration's FAA budget for fiscal 2005 "extremely shortsighted." In its annual "Views and Estimates" of the budget, the committee noted the Vision 100 recommendation for a $2.993 billion FAA Facilities & Equipment (F&E) budget in fiscal 2005 was based on the Administration's own reauthorization proposal released last year.
SABRELINER-MIDCOAST REALIGNS SALES TEAM - Sabreliner-Midcoast has made a number of personnel changes in its sales team, moves aimed at creating "a more focused and unified sales approach." Rodger Renaud was promoted to senior director, major modification sales, where he will oversee the interior design department, managing both the staff and the creation and delivery of proposals for interiors, paint, avionics and aircraft completions. Blake Hogge, formerly manager, avionics, was promoted to director, avionics sales. He will report to Renaud.
DELTA CONNECTION INCREASES CRJ FLEET - Long-time Bombardier customer Delta Connection is increasing its fleet of Bombardier regional jets with an order valued at $780 million for 32 50-seat CRJ200s. The order converts 32 of 169 options that Delta Connection carriers held for the aircraft. Delta Connection carriers ASA and Comair operate 279 CRJ200s and 70-passenger CRJ700s. The carriers have placed firm orders for a total of 329 CRJs, about a quarter of the entire CRJ orderbook. Deliveries of the latest order are expected to begin in first quarter of 2005.
Electromech Technologies, a member of the McKechnie Aerospace Electromechanical Group, received Parts Manufacturer Approval for a longer-life ventilation fan for use in all Learjet 20 and 30 series airplanes. The new brushless fan is designed to replace P/N EM608 fans, and Electromech said its new fan has a mean time between failure of more than 2,000 hours, compared with an average of 600 hours for the EM608 model. For more information, contact Encore Sales at (800) 668-6732.
AIA CALLS FOR SHARP INCREASES IN AEROSPACE RESEARCH FUNDING - Troubled by the slow growth of the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic control equipment and research funding, the Aerospace Industries Association rolled out a new five-year aerospace research and development plan last week that calls for dramatically increased spending in those areas as well as in NASA's aeronautics program.
Aircraft Owners And Pilots Association complained that "the other shoe has dropped" after FAA proposed last week to turn a temporary flight restriction over the Kings Bay Naval Base in Georgia into prohibited airspace. AOPA said this proposal came at Department of Defense insistence. "This is a general aviation pilot's worst nightmare and has questionable security benefits," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "The Pentagon is dictating national airspace policy. And it could get worse.
GAO URGES MORE FAA STUDY OF CABIN AIR QUALITY - FAA needs to do more research on the effects of airline cabin air quality on passengers, the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) concluded. GAO also found that little has been done to monitor the effects of cabin air quality on passenger health. House Transportation aviation subcommittee ranking member Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) asked for the report last April after the SARS pneumonia outbreak.
National Aeronautic Association named Phillip Woodruff as the recipient of the 2003 Frank G. Brewer Trophy for aerospace education. Woodruff, 59, a senior manager with FAA in Washington, D.C., was honored for his nearly 40 years of work in promoting aviation programs. Before joining FAA, Woodruff held aviation-education related posts with the U.S. Air Force and Cessna Aircraft Co.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate aviation subcommittee, last week joined other legislators casting doubt on whether general aviation would be granted access to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in the near future. Speaking before the Aero Club of Washington, D.C. Tuesday, Rockefeller said he did not believe that security officials were changing their minds about DCA, and that he could understand their concerns.
General Electric's corporate aircraft financing arm has a new name. What had been GE Corporate Aircraft Group is now GE Corporate Aircraft Finance. The renamed business, based in Danbury, Conn., now includes an inventory finance group that provides floorplan financing for aircraft dealers. The new name "better reflects the market we serve and the innovative products we offer to companies in the U.S. and around the world," said Dave Labrozzi, chief executive officer of GE Corporate Aircraft Finance.
Bombardier Aerospace received a follow-on order for a 50-seat Q300 turboprop from Qantas Airways of Sydney, Australia. The order comes two months after Qantas signed a contract for six of the regional turboprops.
Emirates-CAE Flight Training received European JAA and U.S. FAA approval for a Level D Gulfstream V flight-training simulator based in Dubai. The Dubai center also has Level D approval for a Gulfstream IV trainer. Emirates-CAE said the two Gulfstream simulators are the only ones outside the U.S. CAE and the Emirates Group jointly operate the Emirates-CAE Flight Training facility. The 14-base center, near Dubai International Airport, officially opened last December and trains both commercial and business aircraft customers.
IAN EWING joined Jet Source as vice president of aircraft management sales. Ewing will oversee promotion of Jet Source's aircraft management services to manufacturers, aircraft operators and flight departments and be responsible for the continuing expansion of the aircraft charter fleet. Ewing has nearly 30 years of aviation industry experience, working for Cessna, Learjet and Fairchild Dornier.
FAA REVISES ICING GUIDANCE FOR PART 23 AIRCRAFT - Federal Aviation Administration is proposing to revise its guidance on ice protection and detection systems for Part 23 aircraft. FAA noted that current guidance has proven acceptable and "historically successful," but adds other protective measures could be taken to comply with requirements. "In some cases, highly sophisticated airplanes may require more accurate or substantial solutions," the agency said.
NBAA EXPANDS CONVENTION SERIES INTO ASIA - National Business Aviation Association is continuing to expand its international reach with a new conference and exhibition to be held in Hong Kong this summer. The Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE), scheduled July 15 and 16, is formatted similarly to conferences the association has helped organize in recent years in Europe (EBACE) and Latin America (LABACE).
