Gulfstream Aerospace has received FAA approval to retrofit Gulfstream IV, GIV-SP and GV aircraft cockpits with light-emitting diode (LED) lamps. Gulfstream engineers developed the LED lamps to replace up to 700 incandescent bulbs in the cockpit. LED lights have greater lifespan, reduce maintenance and material costs, are more vibrant and operate at temperatures that are about 80 degrees cooler, Gulfstream says.
While many manufacturers have made cuts, Pratt & Whitney Canada has put out a notice that it is seeking experienced engineers to support key aircraft engine development programs for business, regional and helicopter applications. The company is hoping to fill more than 200 positions at its facilities in Longueuil, Quebec, and Mississauga, Ontario.
The Piaggio Avanti fleet has reached a milestone, having amassed more than 500,000 flight hours of time aloft since being certificated in 1990. The worldwide P.180 fleet is composed of more than 200 aircraft, with the highest time twin turboprop (serial number 1007) accruing more than 8,650 flight hours. Fractional ownership company Avantair is the largest operator, with 55 aircraft that have flown more than 225,500 flight hours.
Mexico’s first Embraer authorized service center is Transpais Aereo, which will begin working on Phenom 100 and 300 light jets in the first quarter of next year. Transpais Aereo is a subsidiary of the Lomex Group Aeronautics Division, which has been Embraer’s sales representative in Mexico since March 2008. Transpais, which has two hangars at the Aeropuerto Internacional del Norte (ADN) in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, has been servicing corporate aircraft since 1974. Separately, Embraer has named Aerocardal Ltda. as its authorized sales representative for executive jets in Chile.
CESSNA Model 750 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-1107; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-263-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to replace certain Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) generators with new or serviceable generators before further flight, per the instructions of Cessna Service Letter SL750-24-08 (dated Aug. 13, 2009). In addition, operators would need to revise the “Operating Limitations” of the Airplane Flight Manual to include a temporary change regarding procedures for resetting the APU generator.
Inflight TV access for China is now available for users of Tailwind 500 and 550 multi-region Direct Broadcast Satellite TV systems. The Rockwell Collins airborne TV systems provide business aircraft passengers with more than 475 channels of satellite video and audio programming in multiple geographic regions, including the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, India, Russia, and now China. Rockwell Collins anticipates expanding regional coverage to include Brazil next year.
ELIGIO TROMBETTA was appointed general manager of Piaggio Aero. Trombetta previously served as deputy general manager for Alenia Aermacchi, where he most recently was deputy general manager. He initially joined Alenia Aermacchi in 1979 after graduating in aeronautical engineering at Milan Polytechnic. He became head of the flight test department in 1987 and subsequently held project manager roles on the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System program. He later was named head of procurement and then of systems engineering for the M346 business unit.
Hawker Beechcraft recently rolled out the 2,000th Beechcraft King Air 90 series aircraft at its final assembly site in Wichita, Kan. The aircraft, a King Air C90GTx, will be delivered to a customer later this year. The King Air 90 entered service more than 45 years ago, beginning a series that includes the 90, A90, B90 and C90. The C90GTx includes a number of enhancements, such as an increase in gross weight and the addition of composite winglets.
CAE and Flight Options have signed a five-year contract renewal for pilot training on aircraft operated by the Cleveland-based fractional ownership provider. The $15 million agreement covers six aircraft types — the Beechjet 400A, Cessna Citation X, Hawker Beechcraft 800XP and 800 XPi, Embraer Legacy and Phenom 300. Most training will be conducted at CAE SimuFlite in Dallas and CAE North East Training Center in Morristown, N.J. Embraer CAE Training Services, a joint venture of Embraer and CAE, will provide the Phenom 300 training in Dallas.
Progress has slowed, however, on TSA’s proposed Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP). TSA Administrator John Pistole had hoped to come to last month’s National Business Aviation Association Annual Meeting and Convention in Atlanta with a LASP proposal in hand (BA, Oct. 25/1). He conceded at the time, “The stark reality is we’re not quite there yet.” TSA subsequently has placed a substantial amount of resources into cargo security in light of the recent bomb plots involving cargo aircraft.
Cessna Aircraft has added five more flight training schools to its Cessna Pilot Center (CPCs) network. The latest additions are: Alliance International Aviation in Chino, Calif.; Genesis Flight Academy in Georgetown, Texas; JacksonAir in Thermal, Calif.; North Florida Flight Training in West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Tailwind Flight Center in Appleton, Wis. The network comprises more than 270 CPCs.
The sluggish general aviation market has forced Hawker Beechcraft to make further product-line changes, including moth-balling its Hawker 400XP for two years, even as the company is unveiling several product enhancements that will position it for the future. Bill Boisture, chairman and CEO of the Wichita, Kan. airframer, acknowledged Friday that the company has decided to put Hawker 400XP production and sales on hold for 2011 and 2012.
BOMBARDIER DHC-8-400 Series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-1041; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-198-AD; Amendment 39-16493; AD 2010-23-04] – Conduct a conductivity check and repetitive detailed visual inspections of the nacelle attachment fittings for cracks. If cracks are found, replace the fitting; if the fittings do not pass the conductivity check, repeat the detailed inspections each day until the fitting is replaced, per the instructions of Bombardier Service Bulletin 84-54-14, Rev. J (dated Sept. 17, 2010).
Cessna recently delivered Europe’s first Citation CJ4 to an operator in the U.K. and plans to ship the first CJ4 to Germany during the second quarter of 2011. FAA approval of the CJ4 was granted this past March, and initial deliveries began in April.
Bombardier has successfully test mated a CSeries composite wing sample to a composite wing box at the company’s Saint Laurent manufacturing facility in Montreal. Meanwhile, the first phase of construction of the 600,000-sq.-ft. facility that will manufacture and assemble the wings for the all-new Bombardier commercial transport has been completed in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The first phase of the new “green” building incorporates a production area, a low-contamination “clean room” and a tool storage area.
London Stansted-based charter operator Titan Airways won for Best Passenger Charter Airline at the recent annual Baltic Air Charter Association (BACA) luncheon awards. It is the third year in five years of the awards that Titan has taken the title, independently voted for by the BACA membership, which includes air brokers, airports, business aircraft operators, suppliers and aviation consultants.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association last week began a formal industry dialog on improving the student pilot numbers with its daylong Flight Training Summit held last week on the eve of its Aviation Summit in Long Beach, Calif. “This is the beginning of a national conversation on growing the pilot population,” says AOPA President and CEO Craig Fuller. “It is something that will affect all of us for years to come.”
Cutter Aviation continues to see some upticks in business at its fixed-base operations despite concerns about the economy and recent federal legislation, Director of Marketing Mike Livezey says. “We are very concerned about the costs of doing business, and we are not seeing any savings in the new health care laws. We continue to look for solutions to control those costs because they may be huge,” Livezey explains.
London-based Harrods Aviation has been authorized by Sikorsky to install modification kits on S-76 helicopters in Europe under the terms of a new two-year agreement between the FBO chain and the aftermarket division of the helicopter manufacturer. Harrods Aviation will purchase kits directly from Sikorsky and install the modifications. Harrods offers rotary-wing aircraft services at its London Stansted location.
Aircell plans shortly to begin shipments of its new Aviator 200 SwiftBroadband system. According to the manufacturer, the reduced antenna size and increased affordability of the system makes satellite-based connectivity practical for smaller aircraft, including light jets and turboprops. The Aviator 200 uses a small, low-gain antenna, weighs about 13 lb. and costs about $55,000, plus installation.
The U.K. and Ireland will have a new TBM 850 distributor starting in January. Daher-Socata, maker of the single-engine turboprop, has an agreement with longtime TBM operator John Merry, who is establishing a new company to not only sell the airplane, but also will provide maintenance, technical support and spare parts from a soon-to-be-announced base. Merry, who in 2009 founded JetBrokers Europe, has owned three TBMs and four TB 20s since 2002. Air Touring previously represented Daher-Socata in the U.K. and Ireland.
Although the buzz says that China – with its geographical size, large population and skyrocketing wealth – will soon unleash an insatiable demand for new business aircraft, it “is not quite realistic yet,” a new analysis about that country says.
Robinson Helicopter’s first turbine-powered model, the R66, has received FAA certification. The five-place, single-engine helicopter is powered by the Rolls-Royce RR300, a derivative of the Rolls-Royce Model 250. The first production R66 (serial number 0004) has been delivered to Helistream Inc., Robinson’s longtime dealer in Costa Mesa, Calif.
Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) has signed a multi-year fleet management program contract with Aramco Associated Company, an affiliate of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco). Under the terms of the contract, P&WC will provide engine support for the Saudi Aramco-operated AgustaWestland AW139 fleet based in Saudi Arabia. The program provides a guaranteed maintenance-cost plan for P&WC PT6 engines.
Eurocopter recently inaugurated its new Indian subsidiary, Eurocopter India Pvt. Ltd., which is headquartered in New Delhi and has an existing facility in Bangalore for the management of industrial activity. An engineering center is to be established in Bangalore next year, along with the opening of a new commercial office in Mumbai.
