Phoenix Heliparts and Aspen Avionics expect shortly to receive an FAA supplemental type certificate for the installation of Aspen’s H-series primary flight displays (PFD) and multifunction flight displays (MFD) in the international fleet of MD500 helicopters. Aspen’s H-series PFD and MFD systems are designed and manufactured to meet the unique rigors of helicopter operations. The PFD is a lightweight, compact, all solid-state digital replacement for legacy electro-mechanical flight instruments.
Hawker Beechcraft secured European Aviation Safety Agency approval for its Hawker 800 “XPR” upgrade that includes new TFE731-50R engines and Hawker winglets. The approval follows FAA supplemental type certification in August. Customer deliveries of the Hawker 800XPR have begun, the company says. Hawker Beechcraft offers the upgrade through its factory-owned facilities, including its Chester, U.K. plant. The new -50R engines, which replace TFE731-5BR-1H engines on the Hawker 800XP, are flat-rated to 4,660 lbst and incorporate 70 design and material improvements.
Paul Newman’s estate has put the late movie star’s 1981 Sabre 65 up for sale. The aircraft, serial number 465-56, has a total time of less than 5,000 hr., its TFE731s are on the MSP Gold maintenance plan, and the aircraft was reportedly pampered by Newman, its second owner, since he acquired it in 1995. A placard near the Sabre’s main door identifies it as the official transport of Newman-Haas Racing, a company the Oscar-winning film star co-founded in 1983 with auto racing impresario Carl Haas. The aircraft’s registration is N499NH.
ExecuJet Aviation Group, a Swiss-based aviation management company, reported continued growth in new and used aircraft sales since the beginning of the year, and predicts the trend will continue well into 2012. Year-over-year figures show the company’s deliveries in 2011 increased by almost 100%, with aircraft sales revenues up by 90%. “We’ve never been busier, margins are growing and the amount of aircraft we’re working with is expanding,” says Andrew Hoy, managing director of ExecuJet Aviation Trading, the sales arm of the ExecuJet Aviation Group.
Aviation Industry Corporation of China (Avic) President Lin Zuoming has called on his company to step up its efforts to meet 2020 revenue goals and position itself as a global player.
Flexjet, the fractional ownership and card membership company, has added a debit-card option for its Flexjet 25 Jet Card program. The program, which is operated by air carrier Jet Solutions, enables customers with varied travel requirements to access the hours they need with an unlimited travel calendar aboard Learjet or Challenger aircraft.
August 2011 statistics on the used aircraft markets overall have yielded good news, says aviation information consultancy Jetnet. In the first eight months of 2011, the year-to-date average asking price for business jets rose 3.5%, while the industry maintained double-digit growth (11.4%) for used business jet retail sale transactions.
Shell is planning to present proceeds of donated points from its AeroClass pilot loyalty program to the Corporate Angel Network during next week’s National Business Aviation Association annual meeting and convention in Las Vegas. Shell earlier this year offered the option for pilots participating in AeroClass to donate their points to the Corporate Angel Network. Nearly 200 Shell FBOs are participating in the program across the U.S.
KEITH HUI was named director of HOK’s Aviation + Transportation Group in the Asia-Pacific region. He has relocated from the Seattle office to Hong Kong, where he will direct offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City. He joined HOK in 2008 and has 17 years of planning and designing experience, including modernization programs at Salt Lake City International Airport, Honolulu International Airport and Kona International Airport.
Business aviation internationally needs to work harder to publicize the economic importance of the industry, says Patrick Margetson-Rushmore, chief executive of business jet charter operator London Executive Aviation. “Wouldn’t it be great to see the business aviation industry finally embraced and recognized by the wider community for its true financial worth and contribution?” he asked at the recent Business Aircraft Europe conference. “Our industry is an important enabler to economic growth and a significant employer, directly and indirectly, across Europe.
JAMES KELLEY was promoted to director, Savannah, Ga., service center operations for Gulfstream Aerospace. He is a 25-year Gulfstream employee, most recently serving as senior manager - maintenance, repair and overhaul in Savannah. He is one of three directors who will manage a specific series of lines at the center.
A Chinese customer is set to receive the country’s first Lineage 1000, Embraer’s top-of-the-range executive jet. Embraer recently received Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) type certification for the Lineage 1000, and the managing director of Embraer China, Guan Dongyuan, says the first aircraft will be delivered to an undisclosed Chinese customer later this year. A second aircraft will be delivered to China in 2012’s first quarter, he adds. The Lineage 1000 is based on the Embraer 190 platform, making it Embraer’s largest business jet.
Bombardier is slowing production of its CRJ line of regional jets to align with market demand. The company says the move will not result in layoffs for what it is calling a “short-term” reduction. “Although several sales campaigns for our CRJ aircraft are making progress and the long-term prospects ... remain positive, the reduced pace of orders has made a review of our production plans necessary,” says Bombardier Aerospace President Guy Hachey. Delivery guidance to stockholders of 90 aircraft this year remains unchanged.
Noted Actor and film producer John Travolta has agreed to serve as brand ambassador for Bombardier Learjet, Challenger and Global jets. An accomplished pilot, Travolta has been an advocate for corporate aviation. “John is both a film icon and knowledgeable aviator,” says Steve Ridolfi, president, Bombardier Business Aircraft.
National Air Transportation Association President James Coyne was one of four men selected to receive the National Aeronautic Association’s (NAA) Wesley McDonald Elder Statesman of Aviation Award, recognizing lifelong achievement in aviation. The awards will be presented during the NAA Fall Awards Banquet Nov. 7 in Arlington, Va. Also selected were Gen. Jack Dailey, a retired U.S.
VistaJet has taken delivery of three new Bombardier Challenger 605 jets. The new deliveries are part of the Swiss company’s $2 billion order backlog. The company’s current order backlog will take its fleet to more than 60 aircraft in four years and help it maintain its average age at less than two years, with no single aircraft being more than three years old.
London Oxford Airport plans to install Thales’ primary and secondary (Mode-S, MSSR) surveillance radar system. The system, which will include project management by the U.K. air traffic management service, NATS, will allow more efficient transits through local airspace as well as increase the throughput of IFR flight activity. The new system will be fully operational well ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games.
Dale Klapmeier, who co-founded Cirrus Aircraft with his brother Alan in 1984, assumed the role of CEO of the company in the wake of the sudden departure of President and CEO Brent Wouters. Dale Klapmeier has been chairman of Cirrus, while his brother Alan heads Kestrel Aircraft in Brunswick, Maine.
JEFF KILGORE has assumed the role of director, Savannah, Ga., service center operations for Gulfstream Aerospace. He has served at Gulfstream Aerospace for 23 years, previously as senior operations manager. He joins Darrell Frey and James Kelley in overseeing the estimated 1,400-1,500 aircraft that are expected to undergo maintenance at the center each year.
The Senate Appropriations Committee last week approved a fiscal 2012 FAA budget that would provide 19% less funding than similar legislation proposed two years earlier. Still, it fully funds the FAA’s Next Generation air traffic modernization program and increases funding for FAA operations. The bill seeks to provide $3.5 billion in Airport Improvement Program funding. That amount is more than the $3.35 billion recommended by the Senate committee’s House of Representatives counterpart. By contrast, President Obama had asked for just $2.4 billion.
Lawmakers continue to back continuation of the full Block Aircraft Registration Request program, which enables private aircraft owners to request that their tail number be withheld from real-time flight tracking programs. Senate appropriators last week approved a measure in the fiscal 2012 transportation appropriations bill that prohibits FAA from implementing “any limitation” on aircraft owners seeking to block their registration numbers from the publicly available Aircraft Situational Display to Industry data.
DARRELL FREY was named a director of Gulfstream Aerospace’s Savannah, Ga., service center operations. He has served with Gulfstream for 24 years, most recently as general manager of the Savannah center. He will report to Charles Celli, vice president of the center, and will oversee a specific series of Gulfstream aircraft models.
Landmark Aviation has expanded its fixed-base operation network to 50 locations with its acquisition of Falcon Trust Air at Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport (TMB) in Miami. Now called Landmark Aviation – TMB, the facilities include an 18,000-sq.-ft. FBO building and 42,000 sq. ft. of hangar space, along with 25 T-hangars and 11 box hangars. The FBO is equipped with a gym, library, media room, pilot’s lounge, flight planning center, passenger lobby and snooze rooms, as well as two VIP suites and an executive conference room.
STEVEN MORRIS was named director of global marketing for HOK’s Aviation + Transportation Group. Based in the Los Angeles office, Morris is overseeing HOK’s aviation and transportation design services for clients worldwide. He has 28 years of industry experience, having led projects at Lisbon International Airport, Abu Dhabi International Airport and Panama City International Airport.
Embraer has signed a deal with Jet Aviation Moscow Vnukovo to establish an enhanced 24/7 maintenance service with certified mechanics, special tools and a readily available on-site spare parts stock. Approved as an Embraer authorized service center at Vnukovo International Airport since 2009 for line support, Jet Aviation will hold a comprehensive stock of parts for Legacy 600 and Legacy 650 executive jets consigned by Embraer.
