http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/index.html en-us Copyright 2012 AVweb. All rights Reserved. editor@avweb.com (AVWeb) webmaster@iproduction.com (iProduction) 1000Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:36:34 CST 1000Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:36:34 CST IPS - www.iproduction.com A Virgin Australia pilot is suing the airline for almost $1 million, claiming he hurt his back hoisting a flight bag stuffed with 40 pounds of charts and manuals. David Kloster, 57, says it never would have happened if the airline had given him an iPad instead. In a filing with the Queensland Supreme Court, Kloster said the airline had an obligation to provide him (and presumably other pilots) with an alternative to lugging around the information he needed to do his job. "The defendant (Virgin Australia) exposed the plaintiff (Mr. Kloster) to a risk of injury which could have been avoided by the exercise of reasonable care," court documents said. "(Virgin Australia) failed to have in place a system of work whereby charts and rules could have been left on board its aircraft or kept electronically on an iPad." http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/PIlot_Sues_For_Lack_Of_IPad_206152-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/PIlot_Sues_For_Lack_Of_IPad_206152-1.html Cessna has increased the range of its new Latitude midsize business jet, leaving little doubt the new aircraft is a direct response to Embraer's entry to that market. When it was introduced at NBAA last October the 2,000-nm range raised eyebrows as it was the shortest of any in that segment. In a news release last week, Cessna said the new number is 2,300 nm, matching the Embraer Legacy 450 and a little better than others in that slot. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Cessna_Matches_Embraer_206150-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Cessna_Matches_Embraer_206150-1.html Hawker Beechcraft's board of directors has named high-profile corporate fix-it man Steve Miller as new CEO of Hawker Beechcraft Inc., shifting former CEO Bill Boisture to the role of chairman of the company's operating subsidiary Hawker Beechcraft Corp. Miller was tapped to take over as chairman of American International Group (AIG) 18 months ago to help it continue its return to profitability and pay back more than $130 billion bailout money to the U.S. government. Known as "The Turnaround Kid" on Wall Street (he's 70), Miller has headed up companies like Bethlehem Steel and Delphi Corp. as they emerged from bankruptcy. Hawker Beech is still solvent but it has asked creditors for concessions on the terms of its operating line of credit. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/New_CEO_At_Hawker_Beechcraft_206149-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/New_CEO_At_Hawker_Beechcraft_206149-1.html The FAA has further delayed publishing rulemaking on access by unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to the National Airspace System (NAS). The agency announced Monday that a proposed rule that was supposed to be ready by the end of January will instead be published "this spring." The FAA did not say why the rule was delayed. This rule will deal with drones that weigh less than 55 pounds and the delay will affect businesses that have already found numerous uses for the increasingly sophisticated and remarkably affordable devices. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/FAA_Delays_UAS_Rulemaking_206119-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/FAA_Delays_UAS_Rulemaking_206119-1.html After working on its foray into aviation for 25 years, Honda can be expected to be looking for a return on its patient investment, but comments made by the head of the company's aviation division to Reuters turned some heads on Tuesday. Michimasa Fujino likened the almost-certified HondaJet to the introduction of the Honda Civic and said the company was going after 25 percent of the worldwide light jet market. "I'm very optimistic about our prospects," Fujino said. "We're doing with HondaJet what the Civic did to American cars from the 1960s. Our competitors are still producing with technology from the 1990s." http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Honda_Wants_Market_206118-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Honda_Wants_Market_206118-1.html Business is picking up for Bombardier, particularly in the business jet sector where it's been ideally positioned for the continuing big jet boom. The Montreal-based company, the world's third-largest aircraft manufacturer, delivered 163 business jets in the 11 months that ended Dec. 31. That compares to 155 delivered in the previous fiscal year and the trend will continue into next year. The company took orders for 249 aircraft (commercial and business) in the 11-month period compared to 201 in the previous fiscal year. "Within this uncertain economic environment, our large business aircraft segment has done extremely well, as seen by our Global business jets family where we have seen continuous growth," Bombardier Aerospace Chief Operating Officer Guy Hachey said in a statement. Bombardier's growth matches industry optimism in other quarters. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Bombardier_Numbers_Up_206089-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Bombardier_Numbers_Up_206089-1.html The business jet fly-in that is also known as the Super Bowl is shaping up to be an even larger display of shiny aluminum after the event in Dallas last year attracted 600 aircraft. According to The Wall Street Journal, jet charter and brokerage companies are touting private aviation as being more weather-resistant and generally a lot more fun than holding your arms up to ensure an even dose of radiation. Perception issues surrounding the less than 1 percent of folks who will actually be able to get to Indianapolis in this way seem to be ignored as FBOs and even airport governing bodies tap into the financial windfall that accompanies the biggest game of the year. It doesn't hurt that teams from the net worth Meccas of New York and Boston are playing this year. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Indy_Prepares_For_Super_Bowl_FlyIn_206088-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Indy_Prepares_For_Super_Bowl_FlyIn_206088-1.html The FAA has decided against issuing an airworthiness directive (AD) like those issued by Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Administration (CASA) last week grounding most Beech Bonanzas, Barons and Debonairs in the country. In a news release on Tuesday, American Bonanza Society President Tom Turner said that instead the FAA will issue a special airworthiness information bulletin (SAIB) that will serve to remind mechanics to inspect the full length of the elevator control cables at annual inspection. CASA ordered immediate inspection of elevator control cables in the entire fleet of Beech aircraft with single-pole control yokes after an elevator cable broke on one airplane and another was found to be severely frayed. ABS says there have been no reports of cable problems among its members and it was particularly concerned about a cable replacement requirement in the CASA AD. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/No_FAA_Bonanza_Cable_AD_206087-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/No_FAA_Bonanza_Cable_AD_206087-1.html click for photosCessna celebrated the first flight of its Cessna Ten, a faster and updated version of the Citation X that may preserve Cessna's title to the fastest business jet. Cessna says the Ten will do 527 knots at maximum cruise with a maximum range of 3242 nm. Although it looks like a Citation X, it's actually about 15 inches longer and the Rolls Royce AE 3007C2 engines also give it a certified ceiling of 51,000 feet. "Our first flight, today, was a great success. We have a great team working on this project and I know they will take this dominant aircraft up a notch," said Kelly Reich, business leader for the Cessna Citation X and Ten, in a news release. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Citation_Ten_Prototype_Flies_206045-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Citation_Ten_Prototype_Flies_206045-1.html Embraer is planning to bid on at least three more U.S. Air Force contracts as it awaits word on the legal challenge to its recent victory in the competition for a light air support platform. In an interview with Reuters, Luiz Carlos Aguiar was dismissive about Hawker Beechcraft's legal challenge to the contract award, in which the Air Force chose Embraer's Super Tucano after kicking Hawker Beech's AT-6B out of the competition. The Air Force has since suspended work on the LAS project but Aguiar told Reuters he expects a speedy decision by the courts to confirm the contract and allow deliveries of the armed-to-the-teeth turboprop single to begin this year from a plant in Jacksonville. "Our team is totally ready. No one was deactivated," said Aguiar. "You just press the button and we go to work." Aguiar said he expects the $950 million Super Tucano deal to be a springboard for more international defense work for Embraer. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Embraer_Eyes_Military_Contracts_206041-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Embraer_Eyes_Military_Contracts_206041-1.html Canadian airline WestJet is considering creating a spinoff regional carrier in a move seen as a direct challenge to the country's flag carrier Air Canada. WestJet said it's considering buying about 40 turboprop airliners to serve smaller markets and shorter routes. The airline would be competition for Air Canada Express, the big airline's contracted regional carrier, and Porter Airlines, which targets business travelers from its hub at Toronto City Centre Airport, which does not allow jet aircraft. In a news release Monday, WestJet said the regional airline is a "logical extension" in the growth of the company but it will also break a tenet that is cited in its success so far. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/New_Airline_For_Canada_206039-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/New_Airline_For_Canada_206039-1.html AirTran has been ordered to reinstate a pilot who federal authorities determined was fired in 2007 in retaliation for reporting mechanical problems with airplanes. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OHSA) said the action violated whistleblower legislation and told the airline, which was taken over by Southwest last year, to pay the unidentified pilot more than $1 million in back pay and compensatory damages. "Airline workers must be free to raise safety and security concerns, and companies that diminish those rights through intimidation or retaliation must be held accountable," said OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels. "Airline safety is of vital importance, not only to the workers, but to the millions of Americans who use our airways." http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Whistleblower_Pilot_Reinstated_206038-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Whistleblower_Pilot_Reinstated_206038-1.html Hawker Beechcraft CEO Bill Boisture vowed the company will fight vigorously to overturn an Air Force decision to exclude its AT-6B from the bidding for a light air support platform. "We won't go away quietly," Boisture said in an interview. In a podcast interview with AVweb, he said his company has sold hundreds of aircraft to the Department of Defense and it has never handled a bid in the way the LAS competition was dealt with. He said the DOD constantly changed bid criteria and processes without properly notifying Hawker Beechcraft and finally excluded the AT-6B from the competition days before awarding the deal to Embraer and its Super Tucano. Hawker Beechcraft has filed suit in Federal Claims Court alleging the bid was mishandled by the DOD. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Hawker_Beech_Air_Force_Fight_206006-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Hawker_Beech_Air_Force_Fight_206006-1.html Bombardier formally announced expansion plans for its Wichita facilities Tuesday, saying it will add about 450 jobs as it ramps up for production of the Learjet 85. At a news conference, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback said he said the state was providing $16 million in incentives toward the expansion, which will start with a $52.7 million for paint, preflight and delivery facilities. The city and county governments in Wichita are chipping in $1 million each. That's in addition to the $600 million the company has already sunk into development and infrastructure for the Learjet 85. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Bombardier_Wichita_Expansion_Announced_206005-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Bombardier_Wichita_Expansion_Announced_206005-1.html The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) says revisions are needed to the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to ensure it doesn't unfairly burden business aviation. EBAA says the controversial climate change initiative, which was recently changed to include aviation emissions, places a disproportionate cost on so-called "small emitters" like bizjet operators. "Business aviation is treated unfairly compared with other modes of air transport. On average, business aircraft operators must acquire up to 96% of their historical emissions in permits compared with only 15% for airlines," EBAA said in a news release. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Bizjets_Unfairly_Targeted_206004-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Bizjets_Unfairly_Targeted_206004-1.html Bernd MunzenmayerBernd "Munzie" Munzenmayer, a founder of ProStar Aviation, has sold his shares and is now an employee of the company. He's the new Senior Sales Advisor. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/whoswhere/WhosWhere_BerndMunzenmayer_ProStarAviation_206155-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/whoswhere/WhosWhere_BerndMunzenmayer_ProStarAviation_206155-1.html Heidi WilliamsCraig SpenceHeidi Williams is the new Vice President of Air Traffic Services and Modernization. Craig Spence is Vice President of Operations and International Affairs. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/whoswhere/WhosWhere_AOPA_HeidiWilliams_CraigSpence_206154-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/whoswhere/WhosWhere_AOPA_HeidiWilliams_CraigSpence_206154-1.html FlexjetGino Jooyan is the new southwest coast fractional sales director for Flexjet. He's been in the business for 10 years and was most recently V.P. of business development for an aircraft management company. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/whoswhere/WhosWhere_GinoJooyan_Flexjet_Sales_206121-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/whoswhere/WhosWhere_GinoJooyan_Flexjet_Sales_206121-1.html Ryan IsaacRyan Isaac is Lancair's new sales rep for western Canada. He owns Aviate Consulting in Toronto. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/whoswhere/WhosWhere_RyanIsaac_Lancair_WesternCanada_206093-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/whoswhere/WhosWhere_RyanIsaac_Lancair_WesternCanada_206093-1.html Dave HubnerDave Hubner is now a weather services executive at Telvent DTN. He was previously director of products and services at Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/whoswhere/WhosWhere_DaveHubner_TelventDTN_WeatherServices_206092-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/whoswhere/WhosWhere_DaveHubner_TelventDTN_WeatherServices_206092-1.html Richard ZiskindRichard Ziskind is the new vice president of sales and marketing for Dynamic Airways. He was previously at Omni Air International. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/whoswhere/WhosWhere_RichardZiskind_DynamicAirways_206046-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/whoswhere/WhosWhere_RichardZiskind_DynamicAirways_206046-1.html Jonathan J. GreenwayJonathan J. Greenway has been named president of Avemco Insurance. He was director of safety for AOPA prior to his appointment. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/whoswhere/WhosWhere_JonathanJGreenway_AvemcoInsurance_206008-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/whoswhere/WhosWhere_JonathanJGreenway_AvemcoInsurance_206008-1.html