FlightSafety International has finished building the first Gulfstream G650 flight simulator and plans to deliver the unit to the company’s facility in Savannah, Ga., in December. In addition, the company’s first G250 simulator is nearing completion and is to be delivered to Savannah next April.
John and Martha King this month had their second encounter with the Santa Barbara, Calif., police, but the Nov. 8 meeting was an amicable reunion to discuss lessons learned from their first encounter. The Kings were handcuffed and detained in August by the Santa Barbara police after officers received erroneous registration information about the Kings’ Cessna 172S. The Kings were released after about 20 minutes. The Kings, along with Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) President and CEO Craig Fuller, met Nov.
FAA Friday released the long-anticipated notice of proposed rulemaking requiring the addition of photos on pilot certificates. The proposal was mandated by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevent Act of 2004 (IRTPA). FAA notes that it previously had required pilots to obtain plastic certificates, and says this proposal “furthers the fulfillment” of IRTPA by the addition of a photo requirement.
Kaman Aerostructures officially opened its new manufacturing facility in Chihuahua, Mexico. The facility initially will manufacture extrusions and sheet metal details for aerospace applications. The parts will be shipped either to Kaman Aerostructures’ manufacturing operations in the U.S. for final assembly into structures or directly to end customers. Kaman Aerostructures plans to expand operations at the Chihuahua facility over time, and says it could employ up to 500 workers.
MD HELICOPTERS MD900 helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2010-1126; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-078-AD; Amendment 39-16515; AD 2010-18-52] – Within four hours time in service, visually inspect the main-rotor hub for cracks, paying particular attention to the five flex beam bolthole locations. If any cracks are found, replace, before further flight, the unairworthy hub with an airworthy one and reporting the findings to the FAA.
Dec. 7-9—Middle East Business Aviation, Airport Expo Dubai, United Arab Emirates, +44 (208) 391-0999, www.meba.aero Dec. 15—The Wings Club Luncheon featuring Gary Kelly, Chairman, President & CEO of Southwest Airlines, The Yale Club, New York, (212) 867-1770, [email protected] Dec. 15—Future of Aviation Advisory Committee meeting, Washington, http://www.dot.gov/faac Jan. 20-21, 2011—European Business Aviation Association Regional Forum “One Europe: A Roadmap for Aligning East and West,” Hilton Vienna, Austria, www.ebaa.org
Mooney Aviation Co. last week alerted employees of plans to “eliminate many of the current positions” at the company by yearend. The notification comes a little more than a month after Mooney Aviation took over the assets of the financially ailing Mooney Airplane Co., to shore up its debt. Mooney Aviation stated at the time that it would continue technical support for all aircraft supported by the former Mooney Airplane Co.
Houston-based charter management company Landmark Aviation has signed a deal to buy DB Aviation, a Waukegan, Ill.-based aviation services company. Charlotte Cheatham, VP-marketing for Landmark, confirmed the agreement, but declined to offer any further details. The deal is expected to close on Nov. 30. Landmark Aviation has a network of five fixed-base operators in Europe and Canada, and 35 locations in the U.S. The company provides charter and maintenance, repair and overhaul services, and owns and operates Encore Support Systems.
RICK STOCKS was appointed general manager for Ocean Sky Aircraft Management. Stocks will oversee Ocean Sky’s range of aircraft management activities. He formerly held senior positions with WhiteConcierge and NetJets Europe. He also has served with the Royal Air Force.
Annapolis, Md.-based ARINC Direct has added two new capabilities to its range of business aviation offerings: online aeronautical charts for flight planning and a safety management system template reflecting FAA Advisory Circular 120-192. The online flight-planning tools offered by the business aviation services arm of ARINC now include electronic charts from SkyVector. The new technology will form the basis for several new service developments over the next 12 months.
Business jet handling services is poised to benefit as the increasing population of high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) and improving government regulations are fueling an expansion of the business aviation market in the Asia-Pacific region, says a new Frost & Sullivan report.
ExecuJet Aviation Group, the Zurich-based aircraft services company, and China’s Tianjin Haite have formed a joint venture to launch a full-service business aircraft maintenance and management company in China. ExecuJet Haite Aviation Services China Co. Ltd. will be based at Tianjin Binhai Airport, located 120 km. (74.5 miles) from ExecuJet’s sales office in Beijing. The 6,000-sq.-ft. facility is to be completed by next August. Meanwhile, ExecuJet plans to obtain a Chinese Part 135 aircraft operating certificate, along with a Part 145 maintenance certificate.
Yingling Aviation has opened a maintenance and service facility in a leased 10,000-sq.-ft. hangar at Independence Municipal Airport in Independence, Kan. The facility is adjacent to Cessna’s manufacturing site and is a Cessna authorized service facility. The facility will provide service and warranty support for Cessna’s single-engine lines, including the Skyhawk, Skylane, Stationair and Corvalis models.
Bombardier has sold five Challenger 300 jets valued at $12 million to Donghai Jet Co., a charter and business aircraft services company based in Southern China. The jets will join a Challenger 605 that was handed over to the company Nov. 13 during a special ceremony at Donghai Jet’s headquarters in Shenzhen. Donghai is a joint venture of Shenzhen Donggang Investment Development, East Pacific Holdings and Win Glory Enterprises. In addition to charter, the company provides trading consultation, management and maintenance services.
PIAGGIO P-180 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0778 Directorate Identifier 2010-CE-034-AD; Amendment 39-16490; AD 2010-23-01] – Inspect the elevator hinge fittings for corrosion and the horizontal stabilizer for delamination. If necessary, repair the stabilizer and replace the fittings. Also, install aluminum strips in the stabilizer to improve bonding, per the instructions of Piaggio Service Bulletin 80-0262 Rev. 2 (dated March 17, 2010).
John Rosanvallon, president and CEO of Dassault Falcon and executive vice president of civil aircraft for Dassault Aviation, has been elected chairman of the board of directors of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. Rosanvallon was previously board vice chairman and chairman of the Security Issues Committee. Caroline Daniels, CEO of Aircraft Technical Publishers, has been selected as GAMA’s vice chairman. In addition, the association approved CAV Aerospace as the newest member.
BOMBARDIER Regional Jet Series 700, 701, 702, 705 and 900 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-1109; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-155-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to conduct repetitive inspections of the Rudder Travel Limiter (RTL) return springs. Operators would need to replace any broken return springs with new ones before further flight. In addition, operators would be required to repair or replace any chafed or damaged primary actuators with new actuators, in accordance with the instructions of Bombardier Service Bulletin 670BA-27-055, Rev.
Anticipating an upturn in demand for its business jets, Gulfstream Aerospace says it will invest $500 million during the next seven years to further expand its home base facilities in Savannah, Ga., and add 1,000 new production specialists, engineers and support technicians to its current workforce there of 5,500 employees. The Nov. 15 announcement was a dose of good news for an industry that has been hit with thousands of layoffs during the past two years.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is continuing to protest efforts to attract business to Mexico. The union’s District 751 in Seattle has stated that it “stands ready to protect” if organizers of MexicoNow do not cancel a planned Mexico Aerospace Industry Conference scheduled for Dec. 2 in Seattle. Two similar conferences were canceled when the IAM had threatened to rally in Wichita. District 751 has asked Boeing to withdraw its participation from the event. See related articles on Pages 4 and 8.
The Wichita Aero Club is hosting a second annual “On-Air Summit” Nov. 30 at the Wichita Airport Hilton. The luncheon speakers will be videotaped and broadcast on the Aero Club’s website (www.wichitaaeroclub.org). The inaugural On-Air Summit drew more than 300 attendees. This year’s panelists will discuss the economy, the recent election and other industry issues.
Embraer’s Legacy 450/500 “iron bird,” which will be used to test the fly-by-wire flight controls, avionics, hydraulics and several other system interfaces of the new Legacy 450 and 500 jets, was “powered on” recently. According to the Brazilian airframer, the facility is designed to enable the validation of proper systems integration, thereby contributing to greater aircraft maturity when it enters service. The iron bird was developed by Embraer in cooperation with Parker, which supplies the Legacy 450/500 flight control system.
Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) will take over as co-chair of the House General Aviation Caucus starting in January, outgoing co-Chair Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-Mich.) said at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s Aviation Summit this month.
Spirit AeroSystems has announced plans to offer in a private placement up to $300 million in senior unsecured notes that will be due in 2020. The company will use the proceeds to repay past borrowings, for general corporate purposes and to pay fees and expenses incurred in connection with this offering.
The Air Transport Association, which expressed opposition to several measures included in FAA’s proposed flight and duty-time regulation, complains that the proposed requirements are “highly inflexible” and contradicts FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt’s admonition against a one-size-fits-all approach. While tailored to Part 121 carriers, FAA also has drawn concern from the Part 135 community for its language indicating that the proposal could be a precursor to a similar measure for on-demand carriers. Rep.
