News & Events

02 Nov

Posted at 15:11h in News & Events
0 Likes

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]According to the FAA, a Cessna 525A Citation CJ2 veered off the right side of Runway 21 after landing at Santa Monica (Calif.) Airport at 6:20 p.m. PDT last night. The twinjet struck a hangar and was destroyed by fire. At press time, the FAA and NTSB did not "have information on the number of people aboard or their conditions," though local news has reported that the sole-occupant pilot perished in the crash. An FAA spokesman was not able to provide the tail number of the accident airplane but did confirm that the aircraft departed from Hailey, Idaho. Data from FlightAware indicates that N194SJ–a 2003 Cessna 525A, S/N 0194–took off from Hailey at 4:20 p.m. PDT and landed at Santa Monica at 6:20 p.m. PDT. Photos taken at the accident scene by local news stations show an aircraft tail marked with N-number N194SJ sitting outside a charred hangar. According to FAA records, that aircraft is registered to Creative Real Estate Exchange, a real-estate company based in Malibu. "NTSB investigators should be on scene again this morning," an NTSB spokesman told AIN. "If they are able to gain access they will begin the physical examination of the aircraft." The airport is closed until further notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]...

02 Nov

Posted at 15:11h in News & Events
0 Likes

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]To boost aftermarket service for operators of its business aircraft in China, Bombardier Aerospace has signed an agreement with Beijing Airlines that will allow the latter to provide technical support for all of the Canadian OEM's business aircraft based at and visiting Beijing Capital International Airport. "Bombardier has long-standing and valued relationships in China, and we are steadily increasing our customer support in strategic locations across the country," said Éric Martel, Bombardier president of customer services and specialized and amphibious aircraft. Bombardier also has a mobile response team to support AOG service in the region and authorized service facilities at four other locations: Metrojet in Hong Kong; Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aircraft Service in Shanghai; ExecuJet Haite Aviation Services China (TSN) in Tianjin; and Staeco (TNA) in Jinan. In the past two years Bombardier has opened regional support offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong and established parts depots in both Beijing and Hong Kong. Bombardier currently has 99 aircraft based in the Greater China region and forecasts a market for 2,420 business jets in China over the next 20 years.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]...

02 Nov

Posted at 15:10h in News & Events
0 Likes

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Lockheed Martin's F-35A Joint Strike Fighter and the Eurofighter Typhoon are back in play for South Korea's F-X III fighter requirement after that country made a sudden decision to reject the last remaining contender, Boeing's F-15SE Silent Eagle, and restart the procurement process. An executive committee of South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), chaired by Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, met on September 24 and determined that the F-15SE "is not suitable as it lacks stealth features," according to Yonhap News Agency. The defense ministry opposed the procurement agency's selection process because it prioritized cost over combat capability, the news service said. A majority of the committee's members "agreed that the South Korean Air Force needs fifth-generation combat jets to keep pace with the latest trends and to deter provocations by North Korea," defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told Yonhap. Under the F-X III program, the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) is seeking 60 more multi-role fighters to complement the 60 F-15K Slam Eagles it selected in 2002, a requirement valued at $7.2 billion. Companies submitted final bids for the program in mid-August. The government has now formed a task force of defense ministry, DAPA and ROKAF officials to consider alternatives such as changing the number of fighters to be acquired, increasing the available funding or combining different types of aircraft. The defense ministry expects the process will take about a year, Yonhap reported. DAPA had earlier ruled out the F-35A and the Eurofighter Typhoon on cost, leaving the F-15SE as the sole contender. As a result of the executive committee's latest decision, manufacturers of both fighters said they will resubmit proposals for the new competition. Lockheed Martin said it is "honored that Republic of Korea is considering the F-35A to meet its national defense requirements. [We] will comply accordingly to meet their F-X restart requirements, once they become known." Similarly, the Eurofighter consortium said it welcomed the DAPA committee's decision to reconsider the selection. "We support the view that a fighter procurement is not a one-off expense, but a strategic investment in Korea's defense capability as well as in development of its own aerospace and defense industry," Eurofighter said. "We intend to support Korea in choosing a proven, reliable and sustainable solution, and one that [provides] major leverage for its own aeronautical development." Boeing offered an updated version of the F-15 equipped with the Raytheon APG-63 active electronically scanned array (AESA) fire control radar, digital electronic warfare suite and fly-by-wire flight controls. The F-15SE would have a conformal weapons bay that could be replaced with conformal fuel tanks if required by the mission. The company issued a statement saying it is "deeply disappointed" by the DAPA executive committee's decision. "We await details from DAPA on its basis for the [program] delay while evaluating our next options," Boeing said.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]...

02 Nov

Posted at 15:10h in News & Events
0 Likes

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]The effects on demand of a recent oil price spike associated with the crisis in Syria and weaker-than-expected growth in several key emerging markets have prompted the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to adjust its airline industry profit outlook for 2013 downward by $1 billion, to $11.7 billion. Still, 2013's performance should prove considerably better than that of 2012, when the industry turned a net profit of $7.4 billion. "Overall, the story is largely positive," said IATA general director Tony Tyler. "Profitability continues on an improving trajectory. But we have run into a few speed bumps. Cargo growth has not materialized. Emerging markets have slowed. And the oil price spike has had a dampening effect. We do see a more optimistic end to the year. And 2014 is shaping up to see profit more than double compared to 2012." IATA expects airlines this year to post the same 3.2-percent operating margins they registered in 2006, even with a 54-percent hike in jet fuel prices. The industry has proved capable of absorbing the cost increases through consolidation and joint ventures, increased ancillary sales and a reduction of new airline entrants due to tight financial markets, said the report. What IATA called a relatively good year comes despite slow global economic growth, projected to amount to 2 percent this year. Previously, analysts considered 2-percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth the point below which airlines posted losses. IATA projects a $16.4 billion net profit next year, making it the second strongest year this century after 2010, when the industry registered record-breaking profits of $19.2 billion. Rising business and consumer confidence levels should indicate an improvement in the global business cycle, and projections for next year call for 2.7-percent growth in GDP–a direct indicator of airline profitability, said IATA. Meanwhile, analysts expect Brent crude oil prices to fall to $105 per barrel from a projected $109 this year based on reduced geopolitical tensions and an improved U.S. energy outlook. For next year, IATA projects slightly more robust passenger growth, to 5.8 percent from 5 percent, and a significant improvement in cargo growth, to 3.7 percent from 0.9 percent. However, it expects yields for both passenger and cargo markets to continue to fall, by 0.5 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively. Another development in the trend toward the consolidation IATA cites as one of the drivers of improved profitability surfaced last week, when the U.S. Department of Transportation granted Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines antitrust immunity to allow for their planned joint venture on transatlantic routes. The airlines plan to start coordinating schedules in March.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]...

02 Nov

Posted at 15:09h in News & Events
0 Likes

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][rev_slider_vc alias="banner"][vc_column_text]The "partial" U.S. government shutdown that began on Tuesday as a result of a congressional budget impasse has had a more profound effect on business aviation than initially anticipated by industry watchers. What caught observers, including GAMA, off guard was the closure of the aircraft registration office in Oklahoma City, a move that has paralyzed both new and pre-owned aircraft sales transactions. Even the FAA staff at the Oklahoma City office didn't know ahead of time that they were being shut down, so they were surprised, too," Charles "Bucky" Oliver, founder and chairman of aircraft sales brokerage firm Jetcraft, told AIN. "Essential services were supposed to be exempt from the shutdown, but the problem is the interpretation of 'essential.'" He noted that there is a push to get the FAA to recognize aircraft registrations as an essential service, especially since shuttering this function could in fact violate several ICAO treaties, an assertion also echoed to AIN by the National Aircraft Resale Association. But for the time being, without aircraft registration and title search services available, "There can be no aircraft purchases, sales, recording of liens and export/import of any aircraft in the U.S.," Oliver said. GAMA is especially concerned about the registration office closure because 35 percent of annual aircraft deliveries by manufacturers occur in the fourth quarter. So far, GAMA said 12 new aircraft deliveries have been put on hold due to the office's closure; over the next couple of weeks, 123 deliveries worth more than $1.38 billion are at risk if the situation drags on. GAMA is lobbying the FAA to label aircraft registration as an essential function.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]...

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyReturn to Shop
    Continue Shopping