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ATG Halts Javelin Program
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ATG, which hopes to one day see production of its tandem-seat twin-turbofan executive Javelin jet, announced yesterday that it will
halt the jet's development. "Due to circumstances beyond ATG's control, it is unlikely that adequate funding can be secured in a timely manner," the company said through an e-mail, Tuesday. It seems a
12-month search to secure funding for the high-performance business jet/military trainer has come up short and the company says plans for its future will be decided "after proper communication with
our strategic business partner." In January, ATG announced that Action Aviation had placed firm orders for 40 Javelin jets worth $120 million for delivery over a period of eight years from
certification. The $2.75 million Javelin jet had been designed to cruise near 500 knots and stall near 90 knots, powered by two 1800-lb-thrust Williams FJ33 engines providing a long- range economy
cruise near 1,000 nm. A prototype aircraft first flew in the fall of 2005.
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Meggitt Braking Moves Jobs To Mexico
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Season's Greetings ... you're going to lose your job. Meggitt acquired Aircraft Braking Systems in March and last week announced it
will, over the next two years, shift certain operations from Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems' Akron, Ohio, facility to a new facility in central Mexico. Meggitt's nearly 370 hourly employees working
in Akron learned, through a letter from the company, that they will soon be impacted by a "reduction of employment," the company said. The letter, made available to Akron's The Beacon Journal, tells
employees that Meggitt will be meeting with Mexican officials over the next few weeks to conclude negotiations regarding construction of a second manufacturing facility in Mexico. It states, "This is
not a negative comment on the quality of work or dedication of the employees in Akron, but a decision the company believes is necessary in order to operate efficiently, economically and
competitively." The union representing workers at Meggitt's plant in Akron says its members have a contract with the company through 2010.
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TAG Leases Farnborough
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TAG Aviation signed the head lease in 2003 and has now acquired the freehold for Farnborough Airport (EGLF) -- home of the
Farnborough Air Show -- from the UK's secretary of state for defense. Fans of the Farnborough Air Show need not expect a change of venue; TAG says it intends to keep the airport as the show's
long-term home. TAG says it will invest in the airport to transform it into a full-service business aviation center under a plan to be made public in 2008. Also in 2008, TAG will begin to operate
European air-taxi service Blink Ltd.'s 30 Cessna Mustang VLJs as they are delivered. Stateside, TAG recently agreed to pay $10 million to the FAA as part of a final resolution for its role in the
operations of AMI Jet Charter. TAG has since announced plans to offer a VLJ Flying Club ownership program with investor Rolf Isley.
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Equity Funds Buy Landmark Aviation
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Following on the heels of the largest-ever Dubai Air Show and with strong growth projected for business aviation in the Middle East,
two private U.S. equity funds plan to use $436 million to take over Landmark Aviation from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise to form one of the largest FBO networks, AVweb has learned. The deal is expected
to close early next year. GTCR Golder Rauner and Encore FBO (owned by Platform Parties) are the buyers. "The sale of the Landmark business was a condition on grounds of U.S. national security of DAE's
previous $1.9bn purchase of the Landmark and Standard Aero businesses from the Carlyle group, as part of its ambitious expansion into aircraft and engine maintenance, repair and overhaul," according
to MSNBC. Landmark and Encore are expected to merge under the Landmark Aviation brand, allowing Landmark to make use of Encore's 42 North American and European bases.
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U' Of Illinois Joins Thrust For Supersonic BizJet
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The Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has entered into an agreement with Rolls-Royce
Deutschland and Gulfstream Aerospace to "conduct research relevant to the potential development of a supersonic business jet." While specific details are confidential, "Illinois is involved in
research to mitigate the sonic boom from supersonic business jets," according to Michael Bragg, associate dean for research and administrative affairs in the College of Engineering. Proving that a
supersonic aircraft can produce environmentally acceptable noise levels may be key to development of an aircraft that might one day be allowed by the FAA to fly at supersonic speeds over the
continental U.S. The five-year agreement includes three years of funding to support special facilities to provide computational and experimental work.
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The Falling Dollar And The Global BizAv Boom
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At a summit organized by Canadian think tank Aero Montreal, Pratt & Whitney Canada made it known it is among those concerned that a
falling dollar -- plus strong local currency, rising fuel prices and environmental demands -- is pushing cost-cutting methods for production (outsourcing). At the same time, those pressures are
demanding investment in research for development of new "green" technology and materials. In short, amid a worldwide aviation boom that's seen record orders for new aircraft, the fall of the American
dollar is managing to make long-term viability challenging for companies -- especially those that traditionally produce aerospace products in their own country and pay for labor in native currencies,
but sell their products in American dollars. Pratt & Whitney Canada believes the aerospace labor force in Canada will see a need for 50,000 new workers over the next decade to keep up with a forecast
demand in the aviation sector. But that bill may be a hard one to fill if that country's employers seek to cut production costs by outsourcing jobs -- Mexican workers can produce at roughly an
80-percent discount when compared with Canadian workers and Mexico has absorbed numerous jobs from U.S. aerospace workers in recent years. The solution to sustained viability, according to one summit
attendee, is strong innovation backed by well-financed research and design programs supported by a well-trained labor pool. The road map for how to make that happen wasn't tabled.
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Airbus Corporate Jet Arrives In Florida
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Associated Air Center (AAC) has delivered its tenth Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ) VIP interior -- and the first U.S.-based ACJ -- to a
customer in Florida. The aircraft's interior colors are "similar to the customer's personal DC-9" and boast a spacious master bedroom and lavatory with shower. Other sleeping positions are provided by
sofas in the aircraft; other furnishings are clad in polished wood veneer. The main dining room and lounge area include three-leaf tables and access to office-in-the-sky functionality provided by
Honeywell's full cabin management system. The system allows voice calls to be made from the aircraft's cordless (or corded) handsets to cellphones and landlines. AAC is a part of Dubai Aerospace
Enterprise Engineering division. AVweb's video tour of an Airbus A318 Elite business jet is available
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AVweb Original VideosAn alternative to the Cessna Caravan -- the mission-specific unimproved short-field champion, Quest's Kodiak.... (If you do not see a video, below, click here.)
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Meet the AVwebBiz TeamAVwebBiz is a weekly summary of the latest business aviation news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the internet's aviation magazine and news service.
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