BOEING is studying the feasibility of a joint venture with El Al to establish a security and safety business for airlines, airports and governments worldwide. The partnership would include "developing technology, manufacturing products, designing systems and procedures, and training personnel and staffing," Boeing said. The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding, in effect for 60 days, during which details of setup, each company's contributions, business plans and financial strategies will be examined.
IN ANOTHER SECURITY-RELATED DEVELOPMENT, Virginia Buckingham, executive director of Massport, resigned, after being frozen out by Massachusetts acting governor Jane Swift. Sources say there has been almost no communication between Swift and Buckingham since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, two of which involved the takeover of flights that departed from Boston Logan Airport, Massport's largest aviation facility. Buckingham, 36, leaves Nov. 15; Thomas Kinton will be the interim executive director.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT opened a new 80,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Citation Parts Distribution facility Oct. 25. The new building more than doubles the size of its Citation parts unit. Facility features include multilevel high-bay racking, dense-cube drawers and shelving, and radio frequency picking/stocking, conveyors, elevators and carousel to facilitate parts movement.
GE AIRCRAFT ENGINES signed a contract with CargoLifter Development GmbH in Brand, Germany to power a fleet of new airships now under development there. GE will supply up to 400 CT7-8L installed engines and spares, plus maintenance services for 10 years, at a potential value of $500 million. The CT7-8 engine was co-developed by GE and Fiat Avio of Italy. The first engine deliveries for the CL160 Airships are anticipated in 2003. The first new airship is expected to fly the following year.
Pilots flying for major U.S. airlines today face a much more rapid transition to regional aircraft than before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as their employers fight to maintain market share and resume profit growth, said speakers at a Morten Beyer&Agnew conference on the post-attack outlook for the industry last week in Washington. There is "no question" that United, Delta and American are "off-loading" mainline traffic to regionals, according to Ed Greenslet, publisher of Airline Monitor.
Edsel B. Ford II, purchased DaimlerChrysler Aviation, the Detroit area business jet service center, and reinstated the company's previous name, Pentastar Aviation.
The campaign to save Chicago Meigs Field from its planned closure in February is intensifying as more than 20 aviation and business organizations late last month appealed to both Chicago Mayor Richard Daley (D) and Illinois Gov. George Ryan (R) to keep the lakefront airport open permanently. The organizations - which include air traffic controllers, general aviation, emergency care units and business interests - sent a letter Oct. 26 to the mayor and governor calling Meigs an "important part of the Chicago area airport system."
DORNIER LUFTFAHRT GmbH Models 228-100, 228-101, 228-200, 228-201, 228-202, and 228-212 airplanes (Docket No. 2001-CE-19-AD; Amendment 39-12471; AD 2001-21-01) - requires repetitive inspections of the horizontal stabilizer skin and ribs for damage and cracks and repair of any damaged skin or cracked ribs. This AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Germany. The actions specified by this AD are intended to detect and correct damage and fatigue cracks in the horizontal stabilizer skin and ribs.
AIR CANADA launched a new jet charter business, AC Jetz, aimed at meeting the "special travel needs of sports teams and corporate clients." The carrier, which is cutting back flights in its scheduled airline operations, will reassign up to four of its Boeing 737 aircraft to AC Jetz. Air Canada officials said the new initiative is part of an effort to "pursue new business opportunities at little or no incremental cost" to the airline.
ADAM AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES completed the first parts for the first conforming prototype CarbonAero aircraft. President John Knudsen said workers completed the horizontal stabilizer box and leading edge, with tools for the fuselage, flight control surfaces and tail booms nearing completion. Knudsen said the company expects to build the first fuselage this month. The CarbonAero is a six-place, all-composite, centerline thrust piston twin. It will have a 2,300-pound useful load and a 250-gallon fuel capacity.
Struggling to regain its footing after weeks of airspace constraints, general aviation businesses were dealt another blow last week when the Bush Administration adopted a new round of restrictions. The FAA Tuesday prohibited all general aviation flights within 10 nautical miles of "sensitive" nuclear sites throughout the U.S. The prohibition, effective until Nov. 7, grounded scores of aircraft at up to 500 airports, according to FAA's latest estimates.
WHAT'S IN A NAME? When asked why Dassault Falcon Jet's new trijet is called the 7X, Chairman Charles Edelstenne responded with a smile, "Seven is a lucky number and we feel this will be a lucky airplane." A different answer was offered by DFJ President John Rosanvallon, who said the name refers to seven parameters that shaped the aircraft's design - high speed and range; cabin comfort; value; technology; reliability; the three-engine design and airport access and versatility. The final word, however, was contained in a company press release.
TOM MAJOR was named director of maintenance and flight administration at Dassault Falcon Jet in Teterboro. Major will be responsible for the department's budget and the maintenance and dispatch of DFJ's demonstrator aircraft. He started at DFJ as a mechanic in 1977 and has more than 30 years' aviation experience.
Dassault Falcon Jet officials have letters of intent (LOIs) for 41 of the company's new 5,700-nautical-mile Falcon 7X business jets, the first of a new family of business jet aircraft the company plans to offer using the new 7X wing design. Dassault announced the new trijet, then designated as the FNX, this past summer at the Paris Air Show, and said at the time it had letters of intent for 20.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL won Level D certification for the Embraer ERJ-145/135 regional jet simulator located at Le Bourget Airport in Paris. The simulator previously won approval from the certification authorities.
ROCKWELL COLLINS anticipates receipt of more than $2 billion in contracts over the life of the Joint Strike Fighter program, with more than $130 million from the full-scale development portion of the program alone. Partnered with Lockheed Martin on the JSF, Collins will provide displays, both cockpit and helmet-mounted, and communication navigation integration systems.
Despite an economic slump, Boeing Business Jets has accumulated orders and commitments for 83 aircraft and business is going strong, said the company. In addition to individual orders, the BBJ program is benefitting from a partnership with Executive Jet's NetJets fractional ownership program, which was established early in the BBJ program (BAV, Oct. 27, 1997/178).
DERCO AEROSPACE won a one-year, $8.5 million contract from the Venezuelan Air Force for spare parts, repair services and maintenance kits for aircraft. The spares will include ground support equipment, consumables, major components from OEMs, special equipment for engines, propeller parts and hydraulic, propeller and avionics test equipment. "Our extensive inventory of C-130 spares and relationships with the world's premier OEMs helped make this contract possible," said Angel Flores, regional director of sales.
AMERICAN AMMUNITION filed a patent application for bullets that will not pierce an aircraft fuselage. The company has been assigned serial number 60/325,046 from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its provisional patent application filed on Sept. 26. "The product has been specifically designed for use inside the cabin of a commercial aircraft, with additional applications such as nuclear power plants, hazardous materials storage facilities, and home defenses," said American Ammunition.
Longstanding problems in aviation security are evident even after Sept. 11, according to testimony from DOT Inspector General Kenneth Mead, who spoke at a House Transportation aviation subcommittee hearing last month.
General aviation groups expressed relief that sweeping security legislation is headed toward a House/Senate showdown where certain controversial measures - including a provision calling for background checks on non-U.S. citizens who want to buy or charter aircraft - can be debated. The House late Thursday forced that showdown when it adopted the Airport Security Federalization Act, H.R.3150, by a 286 to 139 margin after an unsuccessful attempt by House Democrats to win approval of security legislation already passed by the Senate.
AMONG THE new restrictions issued last week was a temporary flight restriction banning visual flight rule operations below 3,000 feet in a semicircle extending 1.5 miles east of the Sears Tower. The restriction comes at the request of the City of Chicago, which is concerned about the vulnerability of the nation's tallest building. But, FAA's action did not assuage the city's concerns. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley reportedly had asked for a no-fly zone that extended at least five miles from the Sears building.
KOREA AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES rolled out its first T-50 Golden Eagle aircraft Oct. 31. The T-50 is a supersonic training aircraft to prepare pilots to fly fighters like the F-16, the F-22, and the Joint Strike Fighter. First flight for the first full-scale development aircraft is scheduled for mid-2002 with first production expected in late 2005. "This aircraft is expected to not only serve the advanced training needs of the Korean Air Force, but also a number of other major air forces around the world.
DASSAULT FALCON JET'S new Falcon 2000EX business jet made its first flight Oct. 25 from the company's production facility in Merignac, France. Powered by two Pratt&Whitney Canada Corp. PW308C powerplants, the aircraft flew for nearly two hours and reached an altitude of 35,000 feet and a top speed of Mach .82. The 2000EX, a larger, longer-legged version of the company's successful Falcon 2000 twin jet, will have a range of 3,800 nautical miles.
