Volume 2, Number 17 -- September 15, 2004

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The Top Headlines From AVweb's Expanded Business News Coverage At AVweb's Business NewsWire.

FAA'S STEVE BROWN TO JOIN NBAA...
Steve Brown, a longtime aviation-industry veteran and current head of the FAA's air traffic control planning apparatus, will be leaving the agency and joining the National Business Aviation Association as its new senior vice president of operations, the association announced yesterday. Brown will replace Bob Blouin, who resigned his position with the NBAA on Aug. 31. Brown's first day on the job is set for Oct. 4, which means he'll barely have time to find his desk before jetting off to Las Vegas for the NBAA's annual meeting and convention, set for Oct. 12 - 14. "I couldn't be more pleased," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen, the ink on his own NBAA business cards barely dry. "Steve brings tremendous experience and proven leadership qualities to NBAA. He is a great addition to our team." Various industry observers echoed that sentiment yesterday after Brown's appointment was made public. "Good for Ed [Bolen]. He (Brown) is going to be good in that job ... and attract plenty of good talent," the president of an NBAA member company, an operating member who has known and worked with Bolen for years, told AVweb. Brown has been in his current position as the FAA's vice president for operations planning within the agency's air traffic organization (ATO) only since the ATO was established on Feb. 8, 2004. More...

...NBAA: TRANSITION IS OUR MIDDLE NAME
Brown's appointment comes as a tumultuous year at the NBAA heads into its home stretch: the association's annual meeting. With Bolen apparently firmly at the stick, any additional changes will likely be handled with similar deftness. One task remaining to be performed is backfilling the vice president of government and public affairs position, which will be vacated by Pete West on Nov. 1. Once that slot is filled -- a decision on which would be unlikely until the outcome of the U.S. presidential campaign is known (and who knows when that could be ...) -- the NBAA's year of living dangerously could finally be over. Even more interesting, however, will be the extent to which Bolen and Brown seek to transform the NBAA. More...

GULFSTREAM GETS EASA'S G200 TYPE CERTIFICATE...
Gulfstream Aerospace last week announced receiving a type certificate for its G200 business jet from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), enabling the aircraft to be registered in all European Union member countries. Since it acquired the G200, née Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Galaxy, in May 2001, the G200 has undergone significant modifications, including a newly designed interior and an overall weight reduction of more than 450 pounds. Despite being a part of the General Dynamics corporate umbrella, Gulfstream's G200 aircraft are manufactured at IAI in Tel Aviv, Israel, and then flown to Gulfstream’s final phase manufacturing facility in Dallas. More...

...AND ROLLS OUT 100TH COPY
Just before obtaining the EASA type certificate, Gulfstream rolled out the 100th copy of the G200 before it headed off to be completed. The 100th G200 is slated for delivery to fractional aircraft operator NetJets later this year. "Our final phase manufacturing facility, which outfits and completes the G200, has transformed the aircraft into a true Gulfstream business jet," said Bryan Moss, president of Gulfstream. "Our engineers and technicians have succeeded in improving an already sleek and sturdy plane into one that is reliable, more comfortable and performs better than before," he added More...

ECLIPSE ADDS TO MANAGEMENT TEAM
Eclipse Aviation Corporation last week announced adding a former senior manager for organizations such as Dell Computer, Gerber Scientific and Marconi Communications to its management. Bill Bonder, most recently a senior global strategic commodity manager for Dell, joined Eclipse as vice president of supply chain management. According to Eclipse, Bonder will work to optimize the Eclipse 500 global supply chain network during preproduction into volume production. "We have successfully identified the world’s highest-quality suppliers, and now is the time to add an experienced supply chain leader to the Eclipse team," said Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation. More...

AVIATION PARTNERS OBTAINS HAWKER 800SP BLENDED WINGLET STC
Whether you believe the hype -- increased efficiency, higher cruising altitudes and crisper handing -- winglets are all the rage with most modern bizjet manufacturers. Of course, the true effect of such a modification depends on the airframe and the winglet, but one company that has made its mark in the add-on winglet market -- Aviation Partners Inc. -- now is able to sell a new winglet package to operators of one of the most popular mid-size bizjets out there: the Hawker 800. According to Aviation Partners, Hawker 800 operators can now look forward to 7% additional range, faster climb to altitude, higher initial cruise levels and significantly improved performance from high and hot airfields with the company's newly obtained Supplemental Type Certificate (STC), which was announced this week. More...

BOMBARDIER, BITTEN BY BANKRUPTCIES?
It's way too soon to tell what, if any, long-term impact ongoing financial troubles at two major airlines may mean for Bombardier Inc., but if recent trends are any indication, the company may be in for a bumpy ride. Earlier this week, the airframe manufacturer's stock took a hit on news that a major customer -- US Airways -- once again sought protection from its creditors by filing for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of U.S. law. According to published reports, the company may see its credit rating reduced to that of junk bonds by the financial industry. Those same reports state that some 40 percent of Bombardier's scheduled commercial aircraft deliveries are planned for the bankrupt airline and that another longtime Bombardier customer -- Delta Air Lines -- is considering bankruptcy protection. More...

CESSNA MAKES TAWS SERVICE BULLETINS AVAILABLE FOR LEGACY CITATIONS
Cessna Aircraft Company last week announced it has released Class A Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) Service Bulletins covering a large portion of its Citation fleet. According to Cessna, complying with its bulletins "provide the flight crew with aural and visual alerts to unintended approach to terrain. By incorporating airspeed attitude, crew response time, current flight stage and many other factors, it provides additional crew situational awareness." Covered by the new Service Bulletins are the 525 Citation CJ Mark V and Mark VIII models, the 550 Citation Bravo Mark VII and VIII, the 560 Citation Ultra Mark VIII, the 550 Citation II Mark VIII and the 650 Citation VII. Cessna says new Service Bulletins for Sandel Class A and Class B solutions will be available in October. More...

TSA WATCH: DOES THE WEINER BILL HAVE LEGS?
General aviation's alphabet soup has been positively hyperventilating the last few days in response to a new bill introduced in Congress by U.S. Rep. Anthony D. Weiner (D-N.Y.). Weiner, who apparently never read what Mark Twain wrote about idiots and Members of Congress, last week introduced H.R. 5035, which would "require the ... same [pre-boarding] screening of all passengers and property ... carried aboard a [general aviation] aircraft as is provided for ... a passenger aircraft operated by an air carrier," among other things. Put another way, you'd have to walk through a metal detector and be screened by the TSA before climbing into your sailplane, hot air balloon or LSA, much less your Gulfstream. Despite the sheer impracticality of being screened before taking off your Cub from your own grass strip, there simply aren't enough bucks in Uncle Sugar's bank account -- and never will be -- to make such nonsense happen. Hopefully, according to AOPA, however, the fork may have been stuck into the Weiner (whiner?) bill by the time you read this. More...

RAS TOLUCA EARNS FAA REPAIR STATION PAPERS
Raytheon Aircraft Services' Toluca, Mexico, facility is now an FAA-certified Part 145 Repair Station and capable of legally performing maintenance on any N-registered aircraft on its certificate. The certification allows RAS Toluca to work on all Beechcraft and Hawker products, plus Falcon 50 and Lear 20, 30 and 60 series aircraft. The yearlong certification process began with the facility changing its work processes to bring them into alignment with FAA requirements. FAA inspectors visited the site once, in July, and issued the certificate July 31, 2004. More...

SIGNATURE EXPANDS AGAIN
Signature Flight Support last month announced an agreement to acquire U.K-based Execair, one of Europe’s leading FBO networks, from John Menzies PLC. A traditional FBO chain, Execair has facilities at 10 airports throughout the U.K. and in Europe, all of which will now be operating under the Signature banner. Signature’s latest acquisition expands its network to 57 locations worldwide, with 14 in the fast-growing Pan European market. More...

TURBOMECA PROMOTES, APPOINTS
Turbomeca, one of the leading helicopter engine manufacturers worldwide, recently announced its new "Progress Initiative" division, which is tasked with "deploying, coordinating and steering all the processes directed at progress" within the company and its affiliates from the word go. One of the most visible changes presented by the company's new initiative is the promotion of Max Tulié, formerly vice president of quality, to the new slot of vice president of progress initiative. Additionally, Philippe Larrauri was named to succeed Tulié. More...

WATCH YOUR INBOX...
...the next issue of AVweb's BizAVflash will be e-mailed to you on Sept. 29. Until then! More...

Business AVflash is a twice-monthly summary of the latest business aviation
news, articles, products, features and events featured on AVweb, the
Internet's Aviation Magazine and News Service. http://www.avweb.com

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Today's issue written by Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside:
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