Hawker Beechcraft Defense Company (HBDC) is putting its AT-6 light attack/armed reconnaissance aircraft into low rate initial production (LRIP) in Wichita.
Hawker Beechcraft’s proposed sale to a Chinese firm was not a complete surprise. But that the smaller Superior Aviation Beijing emerged as the possible bidder instead of the larger AVIC or CAIGA leaves some industry experts wondering whether the deal will close at the $1.79 billion asking price. Hawker Beechcraft announced July 9 that it had reached an exclusivity agreement to explore the potential sale of all but its military business to Superior Air Beijing.
Hawker Beechcraft’s proposed $1.79 billion deal with China’s Superior Air Beijing leaves open the fate of its defense business and raises issues about the control and supply of the venerable King Air line that is in special-use roles around the globe. Hawker Beechcraft next week will seek U.S. bankruptcy court clearance to begin exclusive negotiations for the sale of all but its defense business to the Chinese firm.
July 16-17—Airports Council International-North America 2012 Small Airports Conference, JW Marriott Hotel, Grand Rapids, Mich., www.aci-na.org/event/562 July 23-29—Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture, Oshkosh, Wis., www.airventure.org
Republican Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas, who leads a state long known for its aerospace presence, is hoping for a rebound after Boeing’s recent departure from the state.
AgustaWestland and Russian Helicopters have signed a preliminary agreement to jointly develop an all-new, 2.5 metric-ton, single-engine light commercial helicopter. Shared 50-50, the collaborative program builds on the HeliVert joint venture established by the two companies to assemble AgustaWestland’s popular AW139 medium twin in Russia.
DAHER-SOCATA TBM 700 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-0250; Directorate Identifier 2011-CE-043-AD; Amendment 39-17063; AD 2012-10-14] – adopts a new AD that requires repetitive checks of the nose landing gear and replacement of the existing bolt attaching the actuator hinge axle. This action is designed to prevent partial disengagement of the actuator hinge axle, which could lead to collapse of the nose landing gear. FAA estimates that this AD will affect 448 aircraft on the U.S. Registry and cost U.S. operators a total of $53,760, or $120 per airplane.
BOMBARDIER CL-600-2C10 (Regional Jet Series 700, 701, & 702), CL-600-2D15 (Regional Jet Series 705) and CL-600-2D24 (Regional Jet Series 900) airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-0293; Directorate Identifier 2012-NM-034-AD; Amendment 39-17081; AD 2012-12-02] – adopts a new AD that requires installation of new sensing elements in the main landing gear wheel well and the overwing area, protective blankets on the upper surface of the wing box and fuel tubes, and protective shields on the rudder quadrant support-beam in the aft equipment compartment.
July 9-15—Farnborough International Airshow 2012, www.farnborough.com July 15-17—Large Hub Winter Operations & Deicing Conference, Dulles, Va., www.necaaae.org July 16-17—Airports Council International-North America 2012 Small Airports Conference, JW Marriott Hotel, Grand Rapids, Mich., www.aci-na.org/event/562 July 23-29—Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture, Oshkosh, Wis., www.airventure.org Aug. 18-22—54th NEC/AAAE Annual Conference, Providence, Rhode Island, www.necconference.org
The Civil Aviation Administration of China has issued a type certificate for the Avicopter AC311, a key product in the development of China’s rotorcraft industry. Certification came at least six months later than the manufacturer expected. No reason for the delay was given.
Avic and Cessna, which are still negotiating details of a wide-ranging partnership, are aiming to deliver the first Citation Sovereign from their planned Chengdu, China assembly line within 18 months. The plant will supply aircraft to the Chinese market, says Michael Shih, Cessna’s vice president for strategy and business development in China. “Negotiations are going well and we are working toward a joint-venture contract within this year,” Shih says.
Anticipating regulations clearing the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in U.S. airspace, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) is hoping to set a baseline of standards with the release of an “Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations Industry Code of Conduct.” FAA is under congressional mandate to create a plan that would integrate UAS into national airspace by Sept. 30, 2015. The deadline is one of a series regarding UAS that FAA must meet for the gradual integration of the systems.
Baker Aviation has expanded its Texas operations with the acquisition of Dallas-based AeroMech. As a result, Baker will operate at two locations – Meacham International Airport (KFTW) in Forth Worth and Addison Airport (ADS) in Dallas. AeroMech, which has been in operation for more than 28 years, is a mobile maintenance specialist that provides aircraft inspection and repair work. Baker says the acquisition will enable the company to provide quicker turn times and additional hangar space for maintenance operation and expansion.
While the preliminary reorganization plan filed June 30 details an exchange under which Hawker Beechcraft’s creditors would take ownership of the company, the company is keeping all options open, including a potential sale of the company, the company told employees in a letter last week.
AgustaWestland is turning its attention to setting up training and support bases in China after suspending talks for private assembly of its helicopters in the country. The company is not rejecting the possibility of eventually coming to an agreement with Chongqing Helicopter over assembly of AgustaWestland helicopters. But, in the meantime, an opportunity exists to train more of the pilots and other specialists who will be needed if manufacturers are to fully exploit the market.
DASSAULT Falcon 7X airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0222; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-056-AD] – withdraws a proposed rule that would have required revising the maintenance program to incorporate a limitation that reduced time between overhauls and required an initial overhaul of the DC generator bearings. Since the proposal was issued, FAA has received new data that confirm the identified unsafe condition is not sufficient to warrant issuance of an AD. Consequently, the proposed AD has been withdrawn.
PEDRO MERCADO was named a national sales manager for product support interior refurbishment sales for Gulfstream Aerospace. Mercado will be responsible for interior refurbishment sales to customers based on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, from South Carolina to Maine. He previously spent five years as a service center supervisor for interior refurbishment at Gulfstream Long Beach in California.
Embraer and partner Avic plan to ramp up Chinese assembly of Legacy 600 and 650 business jets to six a year by 2015, with an initial focus on the local market. The operation will be profitable at that level, even though the plant at Harbin, built for the commercial aircraft from which the business jets are derived, has a capacity of 20 units a year, says Guan Dongyuan, Embraer’s president for China.
Bombardier’s latest announced Global order for eight aircraft valued at $507 million underscores the continued strength of the large-cabin end of the business jet market and the significant boost that the company’s 7000/8000 line has given to the Global family. The announcement, revealed June 30, involved the sale to an undisclosed customer of three Global 6000 aircraft and five Global 8000s. Actual terms of the sale were not disclosed. Bombardier based the transaction value on the 2012 list price for typically equipped aircraft.
CHRIS MAUPIN was appointed director of fixed-base operation (FBO) services for Jet Aviation’s facility at Houston Hobby Airport. Maupin will lead a 45-person team at the facility, which Jet Aviation acquired in February. He previously spent 14 years at Universal Weather and Aviation, where he was an integral part of the team that opened the first FBO in Mumbai, India.
EMBRAER EMB-135 EMB-145, -145ER, -145MR, -145LR, -145MP and -145EP airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2012-0638; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-266-AD] – proposes that operators install or rework, as applicable, metallic diverters and aluminum sheets, modify the lights assembly on the tail boom rear movable fairing, replace the hood assembly with a new hood assembly and reroute its electrical harness. These actions are designed to prevent lightning strikes from causing certain parts to contact the pitch-control system, which could reduce airplane controllability.
The $105 billion highway funding bill, which President Obama signed into law Friday (July 6), provides a compromise on a provision that industry leaders feared could have devastated the air tour industry, but did not provide relief on the so-called fuel fraud jet fuel tax.
FABIO SCIACCA has joined FlightSafety International as director of sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Sciacca previously served with Piaggio Aero Industries, where he held positions of increasing responsibility, including co-production sales representative, business development manager, and program manager of the company’s Pratt & Whitney Canada Turbo PW200 engine program. Most recently, he was international sales director for the Piaggio P.180 Avanti and Avanti II aircraft.
Calling the past four years an “epic correction” of the business aviation market, industry analyst Brian Foley warns that rather than waiting for an uptick, the industry should view the current situation as the “new normal” and adapt accordingly. “The pessimist in me says we’ll be in something of a steady-state situation for the foreseeable future, with occasional setbacks balanced out by spots of growth,” Foley says, adding that companies that have geared for the current time – rather than waiting for an uptick – will have an edge should things pick up.
