Dubai Air Show brings announcements

Monday11:23 a.m.

As the Dubai Air Show opened on Sunday, Cessna Aircraft and Hawker Beechcraft had a number of announcements.

Cessna said the company and its line of aircraft is well-positioned to meet the needs of the Middle East over the coming years. The Middle East has felt the impact of the financial crisis, but will continue to grow through its “ambitious development plans.”

Cessna also said it delivered a Citation Sovereign to Arab Wings of Jordan, an executive air charter operator in the Middle East, and a Citation Mustang entry-level aircraft to the Egyptian Aviation Academy. It will deliver three additional Mustangs to the company this month.

It also delivered a Citation XLS+ to the Etablissement National de la Navigation Aerienne of Algeria.

Hawker Beechcraft, meanwhile, said it delivered the 10th Beechcraft King Air B200-series aircraft to Serco Defence, Science and Technology in the United Kingdom for use with the Royal Air Force.

It also said that a King Air completed its first non-stop transatlantic flight. The modified aircraft flew from Wichita to Bournemouth International Airport in the United Kingdom with a single stop in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The more than 4,000 nautical mile trip was completed in less than 12 hours.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aviation industry | Comments (3)

Boeing faces possible class-action suit over 787

Monday11:01 a.m.

The problems just keep on coming.  Boeing is now facing a possible class-action lawsuit over its 787 Dreamliner,  according to Dow Jones Newswires.

The suit is filed on behalf of an institutional investor in federal court in Illinois. It alleges that Boeing executives and directors made misleading statements between May 4 and June 22 about the testing results on the 787 Dreamliner, and the company’s ability to meet its revised schedule.

In June, Boeing postponed the first flight, which had been scheduled for June 30, because it had to reinforce an area in the side-of-body section, the suit said.

The 787 Dreamliner is two years behind schedule.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Boeing | Comments (0)

Boeing modifies two more 787 Dreamliners

Monday10:55 a.m.

dreamlinerBoeing has completed installing reinforcements on “side-of-body” sections of two more 787 Dreamliners. The company also says it is on track to fly the 787 by the end of the year.

Problems have forced the company to  move back the delivery dates for the Dreamliner five times. It’s now two years behind schedule.

Over the weekend, employees finished reinforcing the full-scale static test airframe and the second Dreamliner designated for flight test. Installations on the first flight-test airplane were completed last week.

The modification includes installing new fittings at 34 stringer locations within the joint where the wing is attached to the fuselage.

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Boeing completes changes to sides of 787 body

Nov. 13, 200910:59 a.m.

dreamlinerBoeing said it’s completed modifications to the 787 Dreamliner’s side-of-body section, installing new fittings at 34 stringer locations within the joint where the wing attaches to the fuselage.

The problem delayed test flights earlier this year.  Completion of the work is a “significant step toward first flight,” Boeing vice president and general manager of the 787 program Scott Fancher said in a statement.

Boeing will complete the installations on the static test airframe and the second flight-test airplane in the coming days.

“We will test the modification on the full-scale static test airframe later this month,” Fancher said. “As soon as we confirm the loads are being handled appropriately in the joint we will complete preflight activities on the airplane.”

The company also must reinstall access doors, systems, seals and fasteners removed from the first 787 to prepare it for continued testing.  Other airplanes will be modified in the weeks ahead, the company said.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Boeing | Comments (1)

Bombardier considering competitor to Gulfstream’s G650 jet

Nov. 13, 200910:40 a.m.

Bombardier is considering adding a jet to its line-up in order to compete with Gulfstream’s G650 model, Bombardier’s CEO Pierre Beaudoin told Bloomberg.

Gulfstream plans to deliver the $60 million G650 in 2012.

“Do we intend to leave space to the Gulfstream 650,” Beaudoin told Bloomberg. “Absolutely not.”

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Cessna to rehire 200 people

Nov. 12, 200911:10 a.m.

sovereignCessna Aircraft is recalling close to 200 laid-off workers as it prepares to resume production of its Citation Sovereign business jet and ramp up production of the new Citation CJ4, the company said.

The workers will return in January, said Cessna spokesman Doug Oliver.

Cessna halted production of the Sovereign during the economic downturn that hit the business jet market. Cessna will resume building the Sovereign in January, Oliver said.

The callbacks are not an indication that business is picking up at Cessna, Oliver said.

“This is simply a resumption of a product line that’s been shuttered for a while,” he said. “It’s not an indication that business has changed nor is it an indication that we’re hiring.”

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Salina looking beyond Hawker Beechcraft’s closing

Nov. 10, 20092:49 p.m.

The news out of Hawker Beechcraft Monday was a blow to the Salina community. The company has done business in Salina since 1966.

Salina officials will begin marketing the facilities.

The Salina Airport Authority has received multiple calls from potential tenants asking about buildings at the Airport Industrial Center, officials said. They offered to work with them on putting up new buildings, but many prefer “move-in ready” buildings that up to now haven’t been available.

The buildings and hangars now leased by Hawker Beechcraft will be ideal for businesses that need access to the airport’s 12,300 foot-long runway, said Salina Airport Authority’s Tim Rogers.

The facilities would be ideal for military operations, unmanned aerial systems firms, aircraft modification shops, avionics installation, completion centers and aircraft maintenance, repair and overall businesses, he said.

Hawker Beechcraft’s lease expires Feb. 28, 2012. The Salina Airport Authority will work with Hawker Beechcraft as it reduces and closes down its operations between now and then.

“This is not the first, nor the worst closure Salina has faced,” Airport Authority officials said. When the Schilling Air Force Base closed, Salina turned the site into the Salina Municipal Airport, the Salina Airport Industrial Center and the Salina Aviation Service Center.

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Hawker Beechcraft to close Salina plant; timeline not determined

Nov. 9, 200910:32 a.m.

Hawker Beechcraft will close its Salina plant and move the work, the company told employees and the Machinists union today.

“We were informed today that the decision has been made to close the Salina facility,” Machinists union District 70 president Steve Rooney said this morning. “The union will be in discussions with the company to see if there’s things we can do to help save and preserve jobs in Kansas.”

A timeline has not been established for the closure.

The union wants to meet with the company to determine the possibility of moving a significant number of the jobs to Wichita, Rooney said.

The company issued a statement saying that formal conversations with the Machinists will continue. It has asked the union to “actively partner in making a viable business case and exploring opportunities for relocating jobs to Wichita,” the statement said.  The union’s leadership has committed to responding in the next few  weeks.

Hawker Beechcraft employs about 240 people in Salina, down from about 500 a year ago. The plant builds wings, spar assemblies and other subassemblies.

Hawker Beechcraft CEO Bill Boisture said in an interview last month that the company likely would close the plant and move the work to Wichita.

The move is a blow to the Salina community, where Hawker Beechcraft is one of the city’s largest employers. It’s had operations in Salina since 1966.

“It’s a very significant loss to the community — the jobs and the payroll,” said Salina Airport Authority executive director Tim Rogers in a news conference in Salina this afternoon.

Hawker Beechcraft leases 490,000 square feet of space in 13 buildings and pays $424,200 a year in rent. Its lease expires Feb. 28, 2012.

Local officials say they will work hard to market the buildings to bring in other tenants and jobs to the community.

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Boeing may lose $1 billion 787 order if schedule slips further

Nov. 6, 20094:04 p.m.

Boeing dreamlinermay lose a $1 billion order from Oman Air for its 787 Dreamliner if the schedule for the 787 slips any further, the Gulf carrier said, according to Bloomberg.

Oman has ordered six Dreamliners for delivery starting in the first half of 2014. It may turn to the Airbus A330 widebody if a two-year delay for the 787 is extended, Oman CEO Peter Hill told Bloomberg.

“I really hope they get their act together,” Hill said. “Further delays might mean that we’d have to look elsewhere.”

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Wife of Cessna CEO to get first Skycatcher

Nov. 6, 200910:27 a.m.

Rose Pelton, the wife of Cessna Aircraft’s chairman and CEO Jack Pelton,  will be the first customer to take delivery of Cessna’s new light sport aircraft, the Skycatcher.

She’ll receive the plane before the end of the year.  Rose Pelton plans to use the two-place, single-engine aircraft to pursue her private pilot’s license.

“I couldn’t be more excited to own the first Skycatcher,” she said in a statement.

Go Rose!

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