Thomas R. Davidson, who has served as FAA's Air Traffic Customer Advocate for nearly a year, will leave that position next month to accept a promotion to Air Traffic Division Manager for the New England Region, based in Boston. Davidson won high marks from the National Business Aviation Association and other groups for his efforts in helping qualified corporate flight departments win waivers from post-9/11 flight restrictions that permitted them to resume normal flight operations.
AVOLAR'S demise came as no surprise to fractional aircraft ownership pioneer Richard Santulli, NetJets chairman and CEO of the company with the world's largest business jet fleet. "The chances of Avolar competing, especially starting at the scale they were talking about starting at, was zero," Santulli told reporters last week at his company's Columbus, Ohio headquarters. Providing fractional ownership is "a business that requires tremendous capital. To think you could start [Avolar] with seven different airplane types, all at the same time...was much too optimistic.
TRIUMPH BUYS CONNECTICUT HYDRAULICS FIRM - Triumph Group, Inc., Wayne, Pa., acquired the assets of Ozone Industries, Inc., East Lyme, Conn., a subsidiary of BBA U.S. Holdings, Inc. Triumph said the assets it purchased are used in conjunction with the design, development, testing and manufacturing of aircraft hydraulic systems and components for the defense and commercial markets. Those products include nose wheel steering assemblies and hydraulic quick-disconnect couplings. Ozone also holds an FAA repair station license.
Models SA226 and SA227 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-CE-47-AD; Amendment 39-12709; AD 2002-08-02) - made the following correcti ons in rule document 02-9574 beginning on Page 19327 in the issue of Friday, April 19, 2002: Sec. 39.13 [Corrected] On page 19329, Sec. 39.13, in the table, under the column, "Compliance", in the third paragraph, in the fifth and sixth lines, "(the effective date of AD 2001-20-154)" should read "(the effective date of AD 2001-20-14)". On page 19329, Sec.
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey tapped Charles Keegan to head the Office of Research and Acquisitions. Keegan succeeds Steven B. Zaidman, who retired from FAA last month. Keegan, who will continue to manage the agency's Operational Evolution Plan, also will oversee the modernization of the nation's airspace system, including research, acquisition, integration, development and deployment of air traffic control systems.
Honeywell's synchronized triplex flight management system (FMS) completed its first flight on a Gulfstream V-SP. Designed to increase reliability and safety and reduce pilot workload, the triplex FMS is integrated into the GV-SP PlaneView cockpit, which uses the Honeywell Primus Epic avionics platform. With the triplex FMS, three multifunction control display units in the PlaneView cockpit provide the crew interface to three separate but synchronized navigation/performance computers.
Although the Bush Administration has kept general aviation restricted far longer than any other industry, senior officials are opposing efforts to compensate businesses devastated by the government's actions, saying enough is being done to help already.
When the V-22 Osprey takes to the air again next month, the event will be treated as if it were the first flight of a new aircraft, according to Chief Test Pilot Tom MacDonald. "That makes us go through a much more detailed planning process and approval process," MacDonald said. "By doing it that way ... we're being incredibly safe and conservative. It'll be a simple flight."
A HOUSE PANEL this week is expected to question Bush Administration officials about why restrictions are still in place for general aviation at Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA). The subcommittee on the District of Columbia, chaired by Rep. Connie Morella (R-Md.), will hold a hearing Wednesday on DCA issues, including noise abatement and the ban on general aviation.
AVOLAR'S demise came as no surprise to fractional aircraft ownership pioneer Richard Santulli, NetJets chairman and CEO of the company with the world's largest business jet fleet. "The chances of Avolar competing, especially starting at the scale they were talking about starting at, was zero," Santulli told reporters last week at his company's Columbus, Ohio headquarters. Providing fractional ownership is "a business that requires tremendous capital. To think you could start [Avolar] with seven different airplane types, all at the same time...was much too optimistic.
General Dynamics, the parent firm of Gulfstream Aerospace, signed a definitive agreement to acquire all of the nearly six million shares of Advanced Technical Products (ATP) for a purchase price of $33.50 million per share, or about $197 million. In addition GD would assume $26.2 million of ATP's net debt and retire approximately $16.2 million in ATP stock options, bringing the transaction's value to approximately $250 million. The acquisition would be immediately accretive to GD's earnings, the company said.
ALDON COLBY was named director of maintenance at Schubach Aviation. He will be responsible for all maintenance records and updates. Colby has 26 years of aircraft maintenance experience and was most recently a technician for General Dynamics in San Diego.
Tag Aviation opened a charter sales office in the Chicago area. Barry T. Gray, Vernon Hill, Ill., was named to head the new office. He has more than 15 years experience in the corporate aviation industry, having served as national sales and marketing director of DB Aviation and regional vice president of Vance & Engles Aircraft Brokers, Inc.
WHILE THE GENERAL AVIATION industry is struggling to convince key government officials of the need for compensation for losses stemming from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the airline community, which already has secured nearly $15 billion in compensation and guaranteed loans, is approaching Capitol Hill for more money.
DAVE NAKATA was named vice president, consulting services group, at Sinex Aviation Technologies. He has 35 years of aviation experience with TWA and Northwest Airlines. Nakata also has served as a member and chairman of several subcommittees of the Air Transport Association of America.
FRED SNOW was appointed to the newly created position of Chicago Rapid Response Sales Manager for Duncan Aviation. He will establish a new mobile engine line service team that will provide on-call support in the Chicago metro area. Snow previously worked at Garrett Aviation for 19 years in engine customer service.
ALDON COLBY was named director of maintenance at Schubach Aviation. He will be responsible for all maintenance records and updates. Colby has 26 years of aircraft maintenance experience and was most recently a technician for General Dynamics in San Diego. DAVE NAKATA was named vice president, consulting services group, at Sinex Aviation Technologies. He has 35 years of aviation experience with TWA and Northwest Airlines. Nakata also has served as a member and chairman of several subcommittees of the Air Transport Association of America.
The U.S. Navy declared it will sell the former El Toro Marine air base for mixed-land use instead of releasing it for use as a commercial airport as some Orange County, Calif. officials had planned. The decision follows a series of reversals for airport supporters during elections March 5, when voters passed a referendum to alter El Toro's zoning requiring non-airport uses. Airport supporters also lost an essential swing vote on the county board.
GA BILLINGS, SHIPMENTS DROP IN FIRST QUARTER - General aviation billings dropped 20 percent as shipments fell 18.8 percent in the first three months of 2002, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported last week, calling the decline predictable in the post-Sept. 11 economy. General aviation plane-makers shipped 521 airplanes worldwide in the first three months of 2002, down from the 642 shipped during the same period in 2001. U.S. manufacturers alone reported a 23.2 percent drop in deliveries, GAMA said.
EUROPE's Joint Aviation Authorities recently approved Learjet training for European pilots at FlightSafety International's Tucson, Atlanta, Wichita and West Palm Beach learning centers, but the approval isn't going to help new European students who want to begin training there. Foreign students seeking initial training in aircraft weighing 12,500 pounds or more are still barred from training in the U.S. and may be for some time. See article below.
Cirrus Design Corp. raised prices for its two single-engine models. Base price of the 200-horsepower SR20 went from $197,600 to $207,800, while the base price for the 310-horsepower SR22 rose from $276,600 to $289,400.
Jet Aviation's Biggin Hill facility near London won approval from the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority to operate as a JAR-145 approved maintenance facility. The new status permits the Biggin Hill operation to perform maintenance, repairs, defect rectifications, inspections and avionics modification on Citation, Challenger, Falcon, Gulfstream and Hawker business jets. The Biggin Hill operation includes two hangars totaling more than 55,000 square feet.
