Discussing the political furor that has delayed final passage of the FAA reauthorization bill - what's been done to that bill is "really shameless" - House Aviation Subcommittee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) reassured attendees at the opening session of the National Business Aviation Association convention in Orlando, Fla. last week that "we will eventually succeed" in achieving passage of the bill. While acknowledging there was work to be done, Mica told the audience, "I'm persistent as hell and we will get an FAA reauthorization bill."
No new clean-sheet aircraft models were introduced at the 2003 National Business Aviation Association convention last week in Orlando, Fla., but original equipment manufacturers demonstrated growing confidence in an impending economic recovery by introducing three new aircraft derivations: Bombardier Global Express XRS, Cessna Excel XLS and Gulfstream 450. Pricing for the aircraft will be especially competitive compared with each of the respective older models in an effort to add more value to new aircraft.
Mica also endorsed NBAA's position that business and general aviation aircraft should be permitted to resume flying into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), which has been closed to essentially all non-airline, non-government flights since the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks. Mica told the NBAA audience that there's nothing more important than security, but said the U.S.
Air Security International teamed with Nationwide Intelligence to enhance the information that it includes about U.S. cities and airports in its ASI Travel Security Manager service. ASI said the partnership combines the strength of ASI's expertise in international security with Nationwide's experience with "environmental" intelligence, including information on airlines, airports and 50 of the busiest travel destinations in the U.S.
Thales ATM won a contract from the Slovak Republic to upgrade the existing Eurocat air traffic management system. The current Thales system provides en route control of the Slovakian airspace. The upgrade involves replacement of the hardware, rehosting the software and adding the ARTAS (ATM Surveillance Tracker And Server) data processing. The upgrade will allow Slovak air navigation services to increase capacity and improve efficiency and quality of services, Thales said.
Elliott Aviation has joined forces with Honeywell to offer reduced vertical separation minima (RVSM)-compliant equipment for the Beechjet 400 and Mitsubishi Diamond 1 and 1A jets. The RVSM system includes Honeywell's AZ-252 advanced air data computer, AM-250 barometric altimeter, BA-250 barometric altimeter display and AL/VN-800 altitude alert controller. Elliott will sell the RVSM modification separately or as part of a package that could include the Honeywell Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System, traffic alert and collision avoidance system and cockpit display.
Innotech-Execaire was named an affiliate partner for Delta AirElite Business Jets. Under the agreement, Innotech-Execaire becomes the first Canadian partner to fly Delta AirElite Fleet Members and charter customers on point-to-point trips within Canada.
Jet Aviation Geneva was recognized as an authorized service facility for Bombardier Global Express aircraft. The authorization allows the company to perform line and base maintenance on Global Express airframes and engines and to perform warranty repairs and modifications. Jet Aviation Geneva also has received authorization to perform work on Boeing, Gulfstream and Raytheon aircraft as well as the Lockheed Jetstar.
Tenzing, the Seattle-based provider of inflight e-mail and text-messaging services for commercial airliners, is offering a new e-mail system tailored for use on business jets. Based on its airline system, the business-jet system operates through a laptop-sized onboard service that incorporates Tenzing software. The server is connected to existing aircraft communications systems. The system has been tested on most major business aircraft communication systems. It will be available for business-jet customers this year.
CITATIONSHARES OFFERS PREPAID PART 135 PROGRAM - Facing a decline in fractional operation growth this year, CitationShares expanded its services with a new jet card program designed to simplify the notoriously complicated billing system of fractional ownership.
BA's KERRY LYNCH WINS NBAA GOLD WING AWARD - Kerry Lynch, managing editor of The Weekly of Business Aviation, is this year's winner of the Gold Wing Award, presented annually by the National Business Aviation Association "for excellent, accurate and insightful reporting on issues related to business aviation." Lynch, who also is Washington Editor of BA's sister publication, Business & Commercial Aviation, was honored for her article, "Ghost Town On the Potomac," about the continued closure of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to business and general aviation f
NICOLE MACMILLAN was promoted to manager of trade shows and promotions at Pilatus Business Aircraft. She will report to Tom Aniello, who also was recently promoted to the position of chief marketing officer. TOM MEKIS was named vice president, aircraft sales, at Piedmont Hawthorne. Most recently the director of aircraft sales at Piedmont's facilities in Winston-Salem, N.C. and Leesburg, Va., Mekis will continue to manage daily operations at the two locations. Mekis worked at Raytheon Aircraft for 10 years before joining Piedmont Hawthorne in 1997.
The Success of bonus depreciation legislation in spurring new aircraft sales has been dramatic, and manufacturers want to see the program extended. John Rosanvallon, president and CEO of Dassault Falcon Jet (DFJ) Corp., acknowledged that orders for new aircraft were very difficult to come by during the first six months of 2003, but said business has improved since the bonus depreciation provision was enacted. "Certainly that has helped us," he said.
CAE SimuFlite is upgrading its GIV and GV ground school training with the installation of a Simfinity virtual simulator and integrated procedures trainer. The trainers are expected to be installed in the first quarter of next year. CAE said Simfinity "provides a seamless transition from ground school to the simulator, allowing pilots and maintenance personnel to be immersed in the cockpit from day one." The trainers are based on the same software used in CAE's Level D full flight simulators. CAE has offered Simfinity training for BBJ pilots for the past year.
Safire Aircraft named Keiler & Company its agency of record. Based in Farmington, Conn., Keiler & Co. will oversee branding, advertising and collateral materials for the Safire Jet. Keiler has a 30-year background of serving aerospace clients, which include Sikorsky, Fairchild Dornier, Garrett Aviation, Goodrich Avionics, Hamilton Standard, British Aerospace, Raytheon Corporation and Textron Lycoming.
Wingspeed Corporation has developed a low-cost, multi-mode data communications system that will provide general aviation aircraft with advanced datalink capability. Wingspeed is working with ARINC and the Iridium Satellite Network to develop its "Open Network In the Sky," which will provide two-way data communications and enable access to real-time information for business and general aviation aircraft.
Safe Flight Instrument Corp. signed a letter of intent with Gulfstream Aerospace to supply its automatic throttle system, AutoPower, for the Gulfstream G200 business jet. Gulfstream will seek FAA supplemental type certificate approval for installation of the system on the G200. The system is slated to be available for production aircraft in the third quarter of 2004. It also will be offered as a retrofit on existing G200s.
GULFSTREAM ADDS G450 TO FAMILY - Gulfstream introduced the Gulfstream 450 last week, filling out a product line that the Savannah, Ga.-based manufacturer expanded considerably last year.
BAE SYSTEMS Jetstream Model 4101 airplanes [Docket No. 2001-NM-270-AD] - proposes to require various inspections of the fuselage nose structure between stations 4 and 11, and corrective actions if necessary. This action is necessary to detect and correct fatigue cracking in the primary structure of the nose of the airplane at the forward avionics bay (Fuselage Stations 4 to 11), which could reduce the structural integrity of the airplane. FAA estimates that 57 airplanes on the U.S.
Messier-Dowty is researching and designing a new low-cost, high-volume, simple landing gear system for Part 23 lightweight aircraft and military unmanned air vehicle applications. Messier-Dowty displayed its Small Aircraft Landing Gear Technology (SALT) demonstrator last week at the NBAA convention in Orlando. SALT is designed to reduce costs by minimizing parts, provide elements of electrical actuation systems for retraction, eliminate traditional torque links and evaluate use of composite materials, among other goals.
