New Piper, which delivered 303 aircraft last year with $120 million in revenues, will increase to 329 aircraft and $145 million in revenues in 1999. Company projections for 2000 call for producing 424 aircraft valued at $200 million. $1,000,000 is the minimum amount the National Business Aviation Association pledged to raise by this time next year to secure a permanent presence for business aviation in the new Dulles Center of the National Air and Space Museum.
Commander Aircraft Company named Rick Rossner vice president of marketing. He will be responsible for the sale of new Commander high-performance aircraft for the western U.S. including California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Rossner, a veteran pilot, has been involved in retail aircraft sales for many years and most recently was a regional manager for Cessna Finance Company. He will report to Dean Thomas, senior vice president of marketing, sales and service for Commander, which is based in Bethany, Okla.
Gulfstream continues to lead the pack in orders for high-end, very-long-range business jets. The Savannah, Ga. manufacturer claims 150 orders for the G-V, Bombardier says it has 105 commitments for the Global Express and Boeing has 56 orders for the BBJ. Airbus trails with 18 A319 Corporate Jetliner orders.
Reports of a shortfall in development funding at Fairchild Aerospace raised concerns with aircraft program partners and customers in recent months, but top officials of the manufacturer say they expect to have a financial package in place by yearend that will see the company through certification of the 428JET and 728JET aircraft.
HOUSE AND SENATE negotiators are slated to begin a conference today on comprehensive FAA reauthorization legislation (BA, Oct. 11/164). At stake are provisions in the House bill to take the Airport and Airway Trust Fund off budget, secure minimum funding levels for the agency and ensure a general fund contribution. FAA Administrator Jane Garvey emphasized the importance of the House and Senate finishing work on the legislation before Congress recesses in November.
The Head-up Guidance System has become a popular option among Falcon Jet customers with more than 60 percent of new Falcon 2000 owners and 80 percent of Falcon 900EX owners selecting the $500,000 system, Jean-Francois Georges, Dassault Aviation's director general for civil aviation, reported.
THE INNOTECH-EXECAIRE AVIATION GROUP, Cessna's authorized sales representative in Canada, ordered five Citation business jets valued at $40 million (U.S.). The deal calls for one Sovereign, Encore and CJ2 and two Citation Excels. Innotech-Execaire, which provides sales, service and aircraft management, will take delivery of the aircraft between 2002 and 2005. "We have placed multiple orders with Cessna in the past, knowing that line positions, far out, would be at a premium," said Ray Kuliavas, Innotech-Execaire vice president, aircraft sales.
Model 328-100 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-112-AD; Amendment 39-11287; AD 99-18-21) - requires a one-time inspection of the propeller de-ice system to verify the proper functioning of the engine indication and crew alert system (EICAS) for the de-ice system; and corrective action, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
Martin-Baker, the renowned United Kingdom manufacturer of aircraft ejection seats, will build its first U.S. plant in Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Ridge announced late last month. The plant, which will assemble and support both ejection seats and helicopter seats for the U.S. market, will be built either in Cambria County, Delaware County or elsewhere in the Philadelphia area. The new plant is expected to be operational by mid- to late-2000. The U.S. Navy, which uses Martin-Baker seats for all its fighters and trainers, is Martin-Baker's biggest customer.
DASSAULT AVIATION expects to receive Category III certification for the Falcon 900EX equipped with a Flight Dynamics HGS-2850 Head-up Guidance System (HGS) from the French DGAC and U.S. FAA by early 2000. Dassault received similar approval for an HGS-equipped Falcon 2000 from the JAA in 1997 and FAA in 1998. SNAM, an Italian corporate flight department, recently acquired a Falcon 2000 with an HGS and is taking steps to win Italian ENAC approval for Cat III operations.
Piedmont Hawthorne, in the midst of an aggressive program to expand its network of fixed-base operations, said last week it is in the process of acquiring Shell Aerocentre FBOs at Vancouver, British Columbia, Calgary, Alberta and Toronto, Ontario.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT expects to fly the first pre-production Cessna Citation CJ2 by the end of the month. The aircraft, serial number 001, joins the prototype in the flight test program, which began in April. Cessna will add S/N 002 to the program in November on schedule for a May 2000 certification. Cessna said its production-conformed prototype is averaging eight flight hours per day and has logged more than 350 hours.
RICHARD N. AARONS, former editor and now editor-at-large of Business&Commercial Aviation magazine, last week received the National Business Aviation Association's Platinum Wing award for lifetime achievement in business aviation reporting.
DAVE STEPHENSON was promoted to vice president, tactical radio business unit for Harris Corporation. Stephenson, who joined Harris in August 1997, previously was director of the air traffic control communications business unit. In his new post, Stephenson will oversee manufacturing and engineering for the tactical radio business unit, including the air traffic control communications product line.
Galaxy Aerospace had 17 employees in Texas when the company began operations at Alliance Airport a little over two years ago, but that total is now "well over 200" and is expected to reach 300 by the end of 2000 as production of the Galaxy super mid-size business jet ramps up to two units per month.
Boeing Business Jets lists BBJ interior dimensions at 79 feet, two inches long, seven feet, one inch high, 11 feet, seven inches wide and a floor area of 807 square feet. By comparison, the BBJ 2 will be 98 feet, four inches long, seven feet, one inch high, 11 feet, seven inches wide with a floor area of 1,004 square feet. The interior completion allowance is 12,400 pounds for the BBJ, and 15,500 pounds for the BBJ 2.
GALAXY AEROSPACE will participate in next month's Dubai Air Show "and we think we're going to sell some airplanes in that region," said President Brian Barents.
Model SD3-SHERPA, SD3-60 SHERPA, SD3-30, and SD3-60 series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-12-AD; Amdt. 39-11277; AD 99-18-11) - requires replacement of the existing bolts that secure the elevator control torque tube bearing housing retaining plate with hex head bolts. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
Model 328-100 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-366-AD; Amdt. 39-11323; AD 99-19-36) - requires a one-time inspection to measure the offset of the de-icing tubing adjacent to the refueling panel on the right-hand wing, and replacement with new improved tubing, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent a blockage in the de-icing tubing which could result in a malfunction of the de-icing boot.
Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100) series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-92-AD; Amdt. 39-11326; AD 99-19-39) - requires removal of the insulation blankets surrounding the emergency overwing exit hatches. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
Model SF340A and 340B series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-200-AD) - proposes to require repetitive inspections of the control quadrant for loose screws, and replacement of the control quadrant with a modified part, which constitutes terminating action for the repetitive inspections. This proposal is promoted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
CHEVRON signed a processing contract with Multi Service to enable it to offer electronic credit card processing at 350 Chevron fixed-base operations across the country. Multi Service will install the electronic equipment and provide the processing capabilities.
Sino Swearingen officials, saying the SJ30-2 aircraft program is "off and running, and doing well," expects to fly the first production entry-level business jet in late March with certification to follow in 2001. The company has received the forward fuselage assembly from supplier Gamesa Aeronautica in Vitoria, Spain. The mid- and aft-fuselage assemblies are expected to follow in early November with the wing assemblies due in December, the company said.
New Piper Aircraft has put its single-engine jet project on the shelf while it positions itself for an initial public offering. President and Chief Executive Officer Chuck Suma told reporters last week during the NBAA convention that the company is deferring plans for a single-engine jet "until we can determine the ideal time." Advisers counseled that "embarking on a jet project prior to going public may not be in the long-term best interest of the company," he said (BA, July 27, 1998/35).
Cessna says it has a healthy backlog of 1,000 units worth $4.25 billion. The company's jet line is slated to hit a number of milestones including production and delivery of the 3,000th Citation, 100th Citation X, 100th Bravo and 500th 560.
