Developments in the technology of aircraft flight decks and engines will be the focus of discussion at this month’s Wichita Aero Club luncheon.
Representatives from Garmin Aviation and Honeywell Engines will lead the discussion, moderated by Aviation International News senior editor Matt Thurber.
The luncheon will be held May 22 at the Doubletree Hotel by Hilton at the Wichita airport.
A reception begins at 11:45 with the lunch at noon.
Reservations can be made on-line at wichitaaeroclub.org or by calling 641-5962. For additional information call 681-4491 or 681-4471.
Kestrel Aircraft Co. is hosting a job fair this week in Wichita.
The company has offices in Brunswick, Maine, and Superior, Wisc. and has openings for a variety of engineering specialities.
The company makes the six-to-eight passenger Kestrel turboprop and is led by Cirrus Aircraft founder Alan Klapmeier.
An information session will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Holiday Inn at 549 S. Rock Road.
Open recruiting sessions will be held Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the same location.
To submit an application, go to hr@kestrel.aero
Frank Molina has been elected president and directing business representative of the Machinists Union District 70, replacing Steve Rooney, who has held the position for about a dozen years.
The change is the result of a vote by Machinist union members. Results are posted on the union’s website.
Lynne Strickland was elected District 70 secretary-treasurer.
District 70 business representatives elected or re-elected include Becky Ledbetter, Tony Larkin, Rita Rogers, Steve Elder, Greg Treadwell and Brent Allen.
Molina is a former union business representative for Cessna Aircraft.
Bombardier, which operates a Learjet plant in Wichita, recorded first quarter revenue of $3.5 billion, down from $4.7 billion a year ago on lower deliveries of commercial aircraft.
The company missed analysts expectations for the quarter with net income of $190 million, compared to $220 million for the quarter.
It delivered 37 planes in the quarter, compared to 61 a year ago. At the same time it received 68 net order, including 40 for business aircraft.
That included a firm order for five Global 6000 jets from AvWest of Australia.
Bombardier’s aerospace division recorded first quarter revenue of $1.5 billion, compared to $2.2 billion a year ago.
The division’s backlog rose from $22 billion on Dec. 31 to $23.3 billion on March 31.
Spirit AeroSystems recognized 13 companies this week as 2011 Platinum Suppliers for customer satisfaction and performance.
Suppliers were selected for quality, on-time delivery, support and willingness to partner with Spirit for “overall improvement in value.”
They were honored at an event Tuesday.
Three of the suppliers are based in Kansas, including Complexx Machining and Exacta Aerospace in Wichita and Valent Aerostructures in Cottonwood Falls.
Courtesy photo
Hawker Beechcraft announced the successful first flight of a Hawker 400XPR with upgraded Williams International engines.
The upgrade includes the increased power of the FJ44-4A-32 engines and winglets.
Optional upgraded avionics and other enhancements improve the plane’s performance, operating cost and resale value, the company said.
Certification is expected in September with deliveries beginning this year.
“The first flight of the Hawker 400XPR engine test article is a major milestone and significant achievement for our design and production teams,” Christi Tannahill, senior vice president, Hawker Beechcraft Global Customer Service, said in a statement. “Hawker Beechcraft and its partners spent countless hours and great effort to ensure the Hawker 400XPR exceeds the needs our customers require in their light-jet aircraft. We continue to see great demand for this upgrade in the market and look forward to certification and deliveries commencing later in the year.”
Upgrade packages are also available for existing Hawker 400 and Beechjet 400 airplanes.
Hawker Beechcraft could file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as early as Thursday, according to a Wall Street Journal article today.
The company is in the final stages of preparing a “pre-arranged bankruptcy” and will hand ownership over to several hedge funds, sources told the Wall Street Journal.
It’s negotiated a restructuring deal with lenders. A filing could come as soon as Thursday, depending on how quickly lawyers can finish up documents.
The company has more than $2.3 billion in debt.
In a pre-arranged bankruptcy, creditors would agree to a deal ahead of time.
The creditors would convert more than $2 billion of its debt to equity in a restructured company, which would eliminate nearly all the debt on its balance sheet, the article said.
Hawker Beechcraft would continue to operate and employees would continue to get paid, it said.
During the proceedings, Hawker could also explore its alternatives, including the possible sale of its business lines, the article said.
A tabulating problem has delayed results of elections Saturday for leaders of the Machinists union District 70.
Members of the Machinists union vote for the staff every four years.
Up for election were president and directing business representative, a post held by Steve Rooney; assistant directing business representative, held by Rita Rogers; and five business representatives, positions held by Mike Burleigh, Steve Groom, Tony Larkin, Becky Ledbetter and Shaun Junkins. The secretary/treasurer’s position was also up for election, a position held by Judy Pierce, who is retiring.
“The votes … will be counted and the final results of the elections will be posted as soon as possible,” the union said on its District 70 website.
Mitt Romney has been hitting the campaign trail in a Wichita-built Cessna CJ4, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The campaign has spent more than $483,000 since Jan. 19 to charter the plane from Easterly Capital LLC, a private investment company registered to Darrell W. Crate, the campaign’s treasurer, the report said.
The midsize jet was produced last year at Cessna and seats eight passengers plus two pilots.
The campaign pays Easterly at a charter rate, a Romney spokeswoman told the Wall Street Journal. It uses the CJ4, or charters a jet of a similar size from another company, when traveling as a small group.
Hawker Beechcraft has filed a form 15-D to de-register bonds with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
That means the bonds will no longer be registered with the commission.
And it means Hawker Beechcraft will no longer be required to disclose its financial results with the SEC every three months.
That’s a positive move for the company, said one analyst who did not want to be named because he is not allowed to speak publicly for his company.
It saves money and time and no longer provides its competitors with information about the company, he said.
Filing obligations to the SEC can be suspended when the company has fewer than 300 shareholders of the class of securities offered, or fewer than 500 shareholders of the class of securities offered and less than $10 million in total assets for each of its last three fiscal years, according to the SEC’s website.
Hawker Beechcraft filed its 10K annual report for 2011 on April 13.
The company applied to de-register its 8.5 percent fixed rate notes due 2015; 8.875 percent/9.625 percent senior PIK-election notes due 2015; and 8.75 percent senior subordinated notes due 2017, the filing said.
