Monthly Archives: April 2012

Mitt Romney hitting campaign trail in Citation CJ4

April 30, 20122:38 p.m.

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.

 

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Cessna | Comments Off

Hawker Beechcraft files with SEC to de-register bonds

April 30, 201212:58 p.m.

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.

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aviation industry, Beechcraft Corp., general aviation | Comments Off

Airbus planning stretched A380 jet

April 30, 201211:21 a.m.

Airbus is planning a stretched version of its mega A380 commercial airplane, the director of the program told an Australian television station.

First deliveries are planned for 2020.

The stretched airplane could carry 100 more passengers than the current A380, which carries from 400 to 600 passengers.

The Airbus A380 director, Richard Carcaillet, told Ten News that the jet is “environmentally more responsible,”  because fewer planes will serve a growing demand for air travel.

“It’s a way to grow without creating more congestion,” Carcaillet told the station.

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Airbus | Comments Off

Groundbreaking at Bombardier Learjet kicks off expansion

April 30, 20129:56 a.m.

Bombardier Learjet marked the expansion of its Wichita facilities with a ground-breaking ceremony this morning.

City, county, state officials, employees and others turned out under overcast skies for the event.

The $52.7 million project to help the site make room for Bombardier’s newest business jet, the Learjet 85, will mean 450 jobs at the facility.

“Fifty years ago, Bill Lear arrived here to the Air Capital of the World with an innovative vision — the very first business jet,” said Ralph Acs, vice president and general manager of Bombardier Learjet. “We’re honored that the legacy of Learjet continues, and we have a very bright future.”

Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer said that Wichita’s greatest asset is the excellence of its aviation work force.

“This project – code name Project Excellence – takes advantage of our strength in aeronautical engineering, flight testing and information technology,” Brewer said. “Our talent pool is deep. And just like it was when Bill Lear first came to Wichita, our work force is the main reason that Wichita is still the best place to build airplanes.”

The expansion is the largest in the company’s history in Wichita. It includes a Flight Test Center, the establishment of Bombardier Centers of Excellence for Engineering and Information Technology, new facilities for paint and production flight testing, a new delivery center and parking lots.

Monday’s ground-breaking is for a new parking lot to replace the current parking areas that will be used to make room for the new delivery center, production finish and paint facility.

So far, the site has vacated and expanded a production hangar to take on final assembly work on the Learjet 85, a composite, eight-passenger, intercontinental airplane.

In mid-2010, Bombardier announced a new Wichita assembly site for the Learjet 85, which would sustain or create 600 jobs in exchange for about $27 million in bond financing from the state. The company also agreed not to move any existing operations out of Wichita during the life of the bonds.

And in January, the state approved $16 million in bonds for the project in a second round of bond financing. The City of Wichita and Sedgwick County each approved $1 million.

The expansion will be completed in 2014.

Bombardier launched the Learjet 85 program in 2007.

 

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, Bombardier Learjet | Comments Off

Spirit AeroSystems in Tulsa seeks 200 mechanics, skilled technicians

April 27, 20129:51 a.m.

Spirit AeroSystem’s Tulsa facility is hosting a job fair on its site next week as it seeks to hire 200 mechanics and skilled technicians, according to a report in the Tulsa World.

Increased demand for aircraft components is driving the need to hire workers, the report said.

Experienced mechanics, bonders and painters wanting to apply should post a resume through http://makeitfly.aero/jobs and follow up with a call to Spirit at 918-832-3012 to schedule an interview, the report said.

Job seekers must have an appointment for the job fair.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, aviation industry, Aviation industry suppliers, Spirit AeroSystems | Comments Off

Aviation photographer Paul Bowen to sell fine art

April 26, 201211:22 a.m.

Paul and Gail Bowen by some of Paul's work

World-renowned aviation photographer Paul Bowen has shot images of aircraft  featured on more than 1,000 magazine covers. He’s long been known for his corporate work.

Now, he’s taking his art in a new direction.

Bowen, based in Wichita, is using a variety of mediums to showcase his images, using metal, canvas, metallic paper and fine art paper.

His fine art business will be marketed through Paul Bowen Photography.

“Before, the choices were satin or glossy” for photos, said Gail Bowen, Paul’s wife. “(Paul) got excited about the new mediums.”

It’s taken six or seven months of planning.

Bowen is also offering a package for airplane owners who want to have their airplanes photographed.

His art work is on display through May 21 at Reuben Saunders’ gallery at Piccadilly Square at Central and Rock.

The gallery will be open from 6  to 8 p.m. on Friday as part of Final Friday.

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, aviation industry | Comments Off

Report: Boeing poised to win large order from United Airlines for more than 100 Boeing 737s

April 24, 201210:05 a.m.

Boeing looks as if it will win a large order from United Airlines for more than 100 single-aisle Boeing 737s, worth more than $5 billion, according to the Seattle Times.

A source from United said an announcement is imminent, but it won’t be made before United’s quarterly earnings report on Thursday, according to the Seattle Times.

The order would boost Boeing’s 737 MAX program, a 737 with new engines, and a competitor to Airbus’ A320neo.

It also would benefit Spirit AeroSystems, which builds the plane’s fuselage, strut, pylons and thrust reversers in Wichita.

 

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Fire at Spirit AeroSystems was debris

April 20, 201210:42 a.m.

A pile of debris caught on fire at Spirit AeroSystems Thursday night.

The debris was old roofing left on top of one of the buildings. Normally, roofers throw the roofing off the building as they work, Spirit spokeswoman Debbie Gann said.

But because of the wind, they left it there temporarily. It was that debris that caught on fire, she said.

Someone at Spirit reported the fire at 8:48 p.m. It was brought under control by 9:30 p.m.

Roofers are still working across the site to fix the roofs damaged or torn off during Saturday night’s tornado, Gann said.

 

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Spirit AeroSystems | Comments Off

Video of recovery efforts at Spirit AeroSystems

April 19, 20124:39 p.m.

Around-the-clock recovery efforts are on-going at Spirit AeroSystems, which took a direct hit from a F-3 tornado late Saturday.

A new video shows some of the efforts as well as a view of the damage. 

Video is courtesy of Spirit AeroSystems.

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, Spirit AeroSystems | Comments Off

Cessna’s Pawnee plant sustains minimal tornado damage; business as usual

April 19, 20123:51 p.m.

Spirit AeroSystems and Boeing Wichita took a direct hit from the F-3 tornado that hit southeast Wichita Saturday.

Cessna Aircraft, which operates its Pawnee facility not that far away, was much luckier.

The company sustained only minimal damage at its facility near Woodlawn and Pawnee.

The main manufacturing facility there suffered some roof damage, and a few roll-up doors will require attention, Cessna spokesman Andy Woodward said in an e-mail.

There was also damage to trees and limbs and to some windows on vehicles in the parking lot.

Still, the damage did not interrupt or delay production this week.

“It was business-as-usual on Monday,” Woodward said in an e-mail. “Given the path and intensity of the storm, we feel pretty fortunate.”

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, aviation industry, Boeing, Cessna, Spirit AeroSystems | Comments Off