Dassault Aviation’s business jet unit saw reduced orders and deliveries in 2015, a disappointing year that was offset in part by new export contracts for the company’s Rafale combat jet.
Cabin completion and refurbishment leader GDC Technics has had what General Partner Mohammed Alzeer calls “an excellent year,” and the San Antonio-based center is expecting more of the same.
Finmeccanica-owned companies such as AgustaWestland, Alenia Aermacchi and Selex ES have now been absorbed into the larger Finmeccanica entity and will operate as divisions rather than separate companies.
In observance of Christmas and New Year’s Day, this is the last issue of The Weekly of Business Aviation to be published this year. The next issue will be published on Monday, Jan. 11. Happy holidays from the The Weekly of Business Aviation Team.
FL Technics, a global provider of tailor-made aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, is pleased to announce the further extending of its cooperation with the leading global distributor of raw aerospace materials, Future Metals. Already offering suppliers’ products in 12 countries, FL Technics will now represent the company in the Baltic States and in Mongolia.
Charter company FirstFlight has added a Gulfstream G550 ultra-long-range business jet to its fleet. The aircraft is based at New York’s Elmira Corning Regional Airport and serve airports in the Northeast. The G550 seats up to 16 passengers and has a range of 7,750 nm, with a top cruising speed of 585 mph.
Spirit Aeronautics, based in Columbus, Ohio, has partnered with Manion Aviation for MRO service sales. Manion has joined the Spirit sales team and represents Spirit Aeronautics for MRO service sales on a variety of business-aircraft models.
Air charter operators Judy Tull of Texas and Kay Ellison of Kentucky were indicted in December in U.S. District Court, Newark, New Jersey, on charges of conspiracy, bank fraud and wire fraud for their roles in an alleged multimillion dollar fraud scheme. The two were co-owners of Southern Air & Tours, doing business as Myrtle Beach Direct Air & Tours, or Direct Air, a charter flight operation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Jeffrey Krantz, CEO of Harry Krantz of New York, was sentenced in U.S. District Court of Hartford, Connecticut, to three years of probation and a $100,000 fine and ordered not to be involved an buying or selling electronic parts for two years related to his role in the sale of unapproved aircraft parts. In July, Krantz pleaded guilty to wire fraud for supplying customers with falsely remarked microprocessor chips. Many of them were used in U.S. military and commercial helicopters.
ALPHA AVIATION CONCEPT LIMITED Model R2160 aircraft [Docket No. FAA-2015-3956; Directorate Identifier 2015-CE-032-AD; Amendment 39-18345; AD 2015-25-07] —adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) to supersede AD 2008-09-01 for the Alpha Aviation R2160. This new AD requires revision of the maintenance manual to include revised airworthiness limitations for the internal wing structure and wing attachment inspections.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office in Ft. Myers, Florida, has added a new Airbus H125 AStar helicopter, which increases its AStar fleet from two to three helicopters. Among its missions, the aircraft will be used for law-enforcement patrol and searches for lost and missing persons. It will have a hoist installed to perform additional search-and-rescue missions in the coastal area around Ft. Myers.
AIRBUS HELICOPTERS Model AS332C1, AS332L1, AS332L2, EC225LP, AS-365N2, AS 365 N3, EC 155B, and EC155B1 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2015-2714; Directorate Identifier 2014-SW-052-AD; Amendment 39-18349; AD 2015-26-01] —adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the aforementioned helicopter models that have an energy-absorbing seat. This new AD requires inspection of the seat for the presence of labels that prohibit the stowing away of anything under the seat, as well as the installation of a label if it is not present.
Brad Elliott has been named general manager of Desert Jet Center, a fixed base operation at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in California. Most recently, Elliott served as customer relations manager at Banyan Air Service. Desert Jet Center plans to begin operations in January.
Dallas Brooks has been named director of the Raspet Flight Research Laboratory at Mississippi State University. Brooks most recently was director of UAS R&D at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. Brooks also will serve as associate director of research for the Mississippi State-led Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence.
Trent Corcia has been promoted to manager of FlightSafety International’s Learning Center in Orlando, succeeding Chip White, who has retired. Corcia most recently served as assistant manager of its Learning Center in Wilmington, Delaware.
Daniel MacLellan has been promoted to senior vice president of operations at FlightSafety International. In his role, MacLellan will be responsible for FlightSafety’s global Learning Center operations. He most recently served as vice president of operations.
