June

0

The investigation into the May crash of a Sino Swearingen test aircraft continued in June, as additional details were publicly disclosed. The manufacturer lost its chief test pilot, Carroll Beeler, when the SJ30-2 twinjet he was flying crashed in rugged terrain north of Del Rio, Texas. Beeler, 59, had taken off from San Antonio, and was alone in the airplane at the time of the accident. The preliminary NTSB report included comments from the chase-plane pilot who witnessed the event and communicated with Beeler during the accident. In other news, NBAAs board of directors announced the selection of Shelley A. Longmuir as the next president of the organization. At the same time, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) elected James E. Schuster, an executive vice president of Raytheon Company and chairman and CEO of Raytheon Aircraft Company, as vice chairman. In addition to being GAMA vice chairman, Schuster continues to serve as chairman of GAMA’s Security Issues Committee, a position he has held since November 2002. Yet another high-profile promotion was named in June, as Textron announced that Michael Redenbaugh had been named chief executive officer of Bell Helicopter. Redenbaugh now reports to Textron’s Chief Operating Officer Steven Loranger. Redenbaugh succeeds John Murphy, who has been named chairman emeritus of the Ft. Worth, Texas-based producer of helicopters and tilt rotor aircraft.

LEAVE A REPLY