Mexican officials are in Dallas this week holding a Mexico aviation conference aimed at recruiting aviation work south of the border.
The government and business officials were met by picketing Machinists union members who were protesting job losses, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The Dallas conference is sponsored by Mexico Now magazine, the same group that had tried to hold a similar conference in Wichita last April. The Machinists union had planned to protest here. But planners canceled the event, saying there wasn’t enough interest.
The U.S. Navy’s 10th C-40A jet arrived at Boeing Wichita from Renton, Wash., this week for modifications and militarization of the aircraft, Boeing said.
The aircraft is based on a 737 commercial airliner. Wichita workers will modify the interior so the Navy can use the plane in three ways: as an all-cargo, all passenger or a combination of cargo and passengers.
The seeds of the tropical plant, jatropha, could become a source of jet fuel.
Scientists at the University of Florida manipulated samples of the plant, then sent them into space to become genetically altered. The plants were sent to the International Space Station. A commercial developer in South Florida wants to develop a strain that can be more suitable for commercial use, according to Florida Today.
The plants seeds are rich with oil. But there are some problems: the plant does not grow at uniform heights, which make it difficult to harvest commercially, and it doesn’t like temperatures below 50 degrees.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution to permanently establish the third week in September as National Aerospace Week. A similar bill is expected to be introduced in the Senate this month, according to the Aerospace Industries Association.
Technicians at Yingling Aviation near Wichita Mid-Continent Airport are reassembling Cessna 162 Skycatchers to prepare them for customer delivery.
The $112,250 planes, which are built in China and shipped to the U.S., are Cessna’s entry into the light sport aircraft category of airplanes.
Photo is courtesy of Cessna.
U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback will be the keynote speaker Tuesday at the Wichita Aero Club’s luncheon at the Wichita Airport Hilton.
Brownback will discuss opportunities for Kansas aviation companies with the expansion of the commercial space industry and the future of aeronautics and space travel. He’ll be accompanied by Dr. Alan Weston from NASA Ames.
The luncheon begins at noon. For information or reservations, call 641-5962.
Boeing is expanding its St. Louis-area operations with the addition of a manufacturing facility at MidAmerica Airport in Mascoutah, Ill.
The facility for assembly and subassembly is tentatively set to open late this year or early next year in 50,000 square-feet of leased space. Initially, it will mean 75 new manufacturing jobs.
“This facility’s proximity to (Boeing Defense, Space & Security) headquarters, the presence of an established, skilled work force, and the infrastructure at MidAmerica Airport make it an ideal choicd as Boeing looks for opportunities to expand our core business and ensure our St. Louis site remains competitive as we meet the high-value, low-cost needs of our customers,” said BDS president and CEO Dennis Muilenburg.
Boeing employs about 16,000 employees in St. Louis.
An astute reader sent an e-mail this morning pointing out that National Aviation Day is tomorrow. It’s a national observation celebrating the development of aviation.
According to Wikipedia, the holiday was established in 1939 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who issued a presidential proclamation designating the anniversary of Orville Wright’s birthday as National Aviation Day.
What better place to acknowledge the day than in Wichita.
Cessna’s Citation customer service was voted best in the industry by Citation operators in Professional Pilot magazine’s annual product support survey. Results were out this month.
Cessna’s scores improved in six of seven categories compared to 2009.
Gulfstream ranked second, followed by Hawker Beechcraft, Dassault and Bombardier.
Cessna said new service delivery methods were vital in winning this year’s award. The company started an Air Response Team, which includes a Citation CJ2 for response to aircraft-on-the-ground situations and added six mobile service units. The mobile units are full-size service trucks equipped with tooling to perform a variety of diagnostic and maintenance functions.
Hawker Beechcraft Corp. has started an extensive sales and marketing tour of its Hawker 4000, Hawker 900XP and Beechcraft Premier IA in Central and South America.
The planes will make stops in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and Mexico. The Beechcraft King Air 350i will tour a variety of countries in South America, and the King Air C90GTx and Baron G58 will stay in Brazil after the Latin American Business Aircraft Convention and Exhibition for demonstration flights.
The company is receiving strong interest from Latin America, the company said. Besides showcasing the planes to prospective customers, the tours help maintain customer and dealer relationships.
It’s the company’s second aircraft demonstration tour this year. Earlier, Hawker Beechcraft completed a tour of its Hawker 900XP in Central and South America. The aircraft flew 13,000 miles and made stops in seven countries.
