Monthly Archives: March 2009

More layoffs ahead at Cessna

March 31, 20099:55 a.m.

cessna

Cessna Aircraft told employees this morning that more job cuts are coming as the company experiences more order cancellations and deferrals.

Cessna has revised its production schedules for 2009 and for 2010, said Cessna spokesman Bob Stangarone.

The company also is planning a two-week company-wide shutdown that will run from July 6 through July 17, Stangarone said.

“We continue to see a slowdown, (and) financing continues to be a problem for many customers,” Stangarone said. “As a result, there continues to be a reduction in demand.”

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Kansas City museum lands international airliner

March 26, 20091:10 p.m.

The Airline History Museum in Kansas City, Mo. has acquired a 300-passenger Lockheed L-1011, a plane it says will soon be the last of its kind.

The former TWA aircraft, valued at $1.5 million, will likely be the only one remaining after 2012, museum officials say.

The museum hopes to bring the plane to Kansas City in April. But it first needs to raise $40,000 for its delivery from Roswell, N.M.

The museum hopes to use the plane as an educational exhibit.

Donations will go to the preparation of an eductional exhibit.

The Airline History Museum is in north Kansas City at Wheeler Downtown Airport.

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American Eagle starts service to Manhattan

March 26, 20091:01 p.m.

American Eagle will begin nonstop service from Dallas-Fort Worth to six new cities, including Manhattan, Kan.  The service begins August 25, the carrier said.

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Boeing to help Vietnam with assembly of aircraft components, report says

March 26, 200911:41 a.m.

Boeing will help Vietnam with the development process of aircraft component assembly, the New Hanoi reported.

Boeing will cooperate closely with Vietnam Airlines in the development, it said.

Initially, assembly for aircraft winglets will be at the Hanoi-based Thang Long industrial zone. It will begin in June. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries from Japan will be partially involved with the manufacturing.

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Former Eclipse workers appear to launch maintenance business

March 25, 20092:31 p.m.

A group of former Eclipse Aviation workers seem to have launched a company called Eclipse 500 Services to provide maintenance for Eclipse 500 very light jets, according to Aviation International News.

The contact information lists an Albuquerque phone number, but has no information identifying the principals of the company.

But the company offers maintenance, inspections, service bulletin compliance, downloads, nav databases and upgrades.

Eclipse Aviation is in Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

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NTSB preliminary report on Cessna SkyCatcher accident

March 25, 200910:41 a.m.

The Cessna SkyCatcher that crashed in an open field in Butler County last week did not recover from a planned rapid and disorienting spin during spin testing, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board said. The pilot was uninjured.

Cessna spokesman Doug Oliver said it is too soon to say what this will mean to the plane’s delivery schedule. Deliveries had been slated to begin later this year.

“All I can tell you is that were committed to the program,” Oliver said.

The plane was not required to undergo spin testing for its certification.

“Cessna traditionally tests well above standards, and that’s what we were doing here,” Oliver said.

It’s the second time the SkyCatcher has had problems in spin testing. In September, another test pilot bailed out of the plane after a SkyCatcher had problems during spin test maneuvers. In response, the company had enlarged the plane’s tail.

It’s too soon to say what kinds of changes may now be made in the SkyCatcher’s design, the company said.

The accident occurred on March 18.

The SkyCatcher’s test pilot deployed the plane’s parachute after he applied spin recovery controls, and the airplane continued to spin without response, the NTSB’s report said.

After the parachute deployed, the plane became stabilized. The pilot tried to jettison the parachute several times, but was unsuccessful. He then opened the door to bailout and use a personal parachute, but was the plane was too low to the ground and he elected to stay with the aircraft.

Spin testing was largely the last part of the flight test program.

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Former NetJets, Gulfstream president to head Hawker Beechcraft

March 23, 200911:21 a.m.

As we reported in Saturday’s paper, general aviation veteran Bill Boisture is Hawker Beechcraft’s new chairman and CEO. The company announced the appointment this morning. Boisture replaces Jim Schuster who last November announced that he would retire.

Here’s the company’s announcement. For more on Boisture, check Tuesday’s Wichita Eagle.

Hawker Beechcraft Announces New Chairman and CEO W.W. (Bill) Boisture Jr.

Former Gulfstream and NetJets president brings wealth of industry experience to company

WICHITA, Kan. (March 23, 2009) – Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) today announced its new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer W.W. (Bill) Boisture Jr. The former president of industry-leading companies NetJets and Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation brings more than 30 years of aviation experience to HBC.

“Bill is the right person at exactly the right time,” said Sanjeev Mehra, Managing Director of Goldman Sachs and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hawker Beechcraft Inc. “His proven ability to drive customer satisfaction and value has never been more important than in this challenging economic environment. I am delighted to welcome Bill to HBC.”

Boisture is the former President of NetJets, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation and British Aerospace Corporate Jets (a forerunner to Hawker), and the former Chairman and CEO of Butler Aviation. Most recently, he was the President of Intrepid Aviation, a privately held commercial aircraft lessor, and a senior advisor for aerospace at The Carlyle Group.

“As a former leader of NetJets, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation and British Aerospace Corporate Jets, Bill has the unique experience of having been an HBC customer, competitor and leader,” said Nigel Wright, managing director of ONEX Corporation and a member of the Board of Directors of Hawker Beechcraft Inc. “In addition, as a graduate of the Air Force Academy and a decorated Air Force veteran, he brings expertise and insight to the government business aspect of our company.”

“This is an outstanding opportunity,” said Boisture. “Hawker Beechcraft has the broadest product line-up in the industry, is a leader in advanced technology with its composite aircraft and is well-positioned to succeed coming out of this downturn. Further, I have already seen incredible support from our owners, Goldman Sachs and Onex, and am confident this will be a wonderful partnership.”

Boisture was a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and graduated from the USAF Fighter Weapons School and the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School (“Topgun” school). He was honorably discharged as a major after 11 years of service. Boisture also has a commercial instrument rating and continues to be an active pilot logging more than 500 hours in the past two years.

Boisture earned his bachelor’s in engineering management from the U.S. Air Force Academy and his master’s in business administration from the University of New Haven. He was on the board of directors for the Association of Graduates of the Air Force Academy for eight years and continues as a trustee of the Falcon Foundation and a member of World Presidents’ Organization.

Boisture succeeds Jim Schuster, who announced his retirement in November.

“We thank Jim for his service and contributions to HBC during his nearly eight years as CEO,” said Mehra. “During his tenure, the company achieved a record order backlog, certified more new models than any other general aviation company and delivered the first Hawker 4000 – HBC’s flagship aircraft and the world’s first composite super-midsize business jet. We wish Jim all the best in his retirement.”

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation is a world-leading manufacturer of business, special mission and trainer aircraft – designing, marketing and supporting aviation products and services for businesses, governments and individuals worldwide. The company’s headquarters and major facilities are located in Wichita, Kan., with operations in Salina, Kan.; Little Rock, Ark.; Chester, England, U.K.; and Chihuahua, Mexico. The company leads the industry with the largest number of factory-owned service centers and has a global network of more than 100 factory-owned and authorized service centers. For more information, visit www.hawkerbeechcraft.com.

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Trade groups respond to JetBlue’s “Welcome Bigwigs” ad campaign

March 23, 200911:15 a.m.

The Alliance for Aviation and the National Business Aviation Association are reacting to JetBlue’s new ad campaign called “Welcome Bigwigs” that argues that traveling on JetBlue is a better option to general aviation.

There’s a glaring omission in the ad, the Alliance for Aviation said. JetBlue serves only 44 big city airports in the country, mostly on the East and West coasts. General aviation serves 5,000 U.S. communities.

“JetBlue does not seem to realize that small and medium-sized businesses that rely on general aviation every day are the backbone of America’s industry,” said Alliance spokeswoman Selena Shilad. “Until JetBlue decides to send its flights to Hot Springs, Arkansas and Gallup, New Mexico, general aviation will remain the lifeline to those communities and  countless others all across America.”

The NBAA is calling for JetBlue to pull the ad campaign.

The ad overlooks the fact that the vast majority of companies that use business aviation also use commercial airlines on trips when it makes sense, said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen in a statement.  NBAA members buy more than $11 billion worth of commercial airline tickets a year.

“I ask that you please immediately pull your ads in recognition of the fact that they amount to nothing more than an attention-grabbing stunt to fill airline seats by maligning the people and businesses who spend billions with your airline and others every year, while also generating more than a million jobs and providing a lifeline for towns across the country,” Bolen said in a letter to JetBlue.

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Hawker Beechcraft nears announcing new chief executive

March 20, 200911:29 a.m.

Hawker Beechcraft is getting close announcing who will replace its chief executive Jim Schuster, sources say. In November, Schuster announced plans to retire, but said he would stay with the company until a replacement could be named.

The replacement is someone who has been in the industry, sources say.

The company did not immediately return a call for comment.

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Reader: The only time aircraft ever cost me any money was when I did not have one

March 20, 200910:31 a.m.

The criticism by Congress and others about the use of private aircraft for business — and how that is hurting Wichita’s aviation industry — fueled the ire of a reader who lives in San Diego.

“It is ironic to think that the cradle of aviation is threatened by short-sightedness at a time when Europe is preparing for the VLJ (very light jet) and China is building airports in areas where there is not yet anything but earth to support them,” he said in an e-mail.

He has  owned and used a dozen light aircraft over the years, including five Bonanzas, two Barons and one Hughes helicopter, he said.

“People have suggested to me that owning aircraft must have been expensive,” he said in the e-mail. “I always tell them that the only time aircraft ever cost me any money was when I did not have one. There is no doubt that general aviation has allowed me to double the activities of not just my business, but my life experiences.”

Ample data supports the fact that businesses swarm around smaller airports, he said. That kind of activity will grow exponentially when the new very light jets provide a new conduit of commerce, he said.

Makes sense to me……………

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