The National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) is urging Congress to resist all attempts to “raid” the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, including airline industry calls for new tax breaks, and the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) reiterated its preference for having general aviation contribute to the fund through taxes on aviation fuels.
Aerospace Industry
News and issues concerning aerospace companies, including formations, acquisitions, mergers and financials; and announcements of significant aircraft sales, delivery statistics and personnel appointments.
October 17, 2006 - 10:38am
A UK-based company called Project 1221 is developing a limited-run, high-end sports car powered by a 1,500-shp variant of the Williams International FJ44 engine. The $816,000 (E675,000) jet-powered car will come in two versions–the three-seat MF1 treposti or two-seat MF1 dueposti. Both models are available in an all-wheel- or rear-wheel-drive configuration, and the steering wheel can be installed on the left- or right-hand side.
October 17, 2006 - 10:29am
Quest Aircraft selected the Garmin G1000 as the standard avionics for its under-development Kodiak, a 10-seat STOL turboprop single scheduled to be certified in the first half of next year. The G1000 avionics system has been certified in a variety of piston airplanes and has also been selected by Cessna for the Citation Mustang very light jet. Meanwhile, Quest has opened its 57,000-sq-ft Kodiak production facility in Sandpoint, Idaho.
October 17, 2006 - 10:27am
Gulfstream disagrees with the FAA about the regulatory requirements for a hydrophobic water-repellent coating system instead of windshield wipers for the new G150, which is scheduled to be certified next year. The FAA is requiring Gulfstream to meet “special conditions,” a common regulatory method the agency uses when it determines that a particular design feature is “novel or unusual” and not covered in current airworthiness requirements.
October 17, 2006 - 10:00am
Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-21 engines will power the Evektor EV-55, a 10-seat unpressurized twin turboprop under development. The Czech Republic-made STOL aircraft is scheduled to receive FAA/EASA certification by the end of 2008.
October 17, 2006 - 9:27am
Piper’s new CEO, James Bass, said his company is still considering introducing a very light jet, telling AIN that it is an “important component of our product development strategy.” But as the company has said in the past, it “cannot offer specifics today on timing or configuration.
October 17, 2006 - 9:26am
As Sino Swearingen prepares to shift from flight-testing to full-scale production of the SJ30-2, it has also shifted the CEO title from company president Carl Chen to chairman Ching-Chiang Kuo. Before joining Sino Swearingen, Kuo was responsible for public construction projects through-out Taiwan. But he’s no stranger to the aerospace industry.
October 17, 2006 - 9:24am
Albuquerque, N.M.-based start-up manufacturer Eclipse Aviation said its six-month-old JetMatch program has “more than exceeded our expectations.” JetMatch “facilitates partnerships” in new Eclipse 500s via a password-protected message board on the company’s Web site. An Eclipse spokesman said the service has thus far resulted in two matches for the $1.295 million VLJ.
October 17, 2006 - 9:23am
The mockup Embraer used to design the interiors for its very light jet (VLJ) and light jet (LJ) revealed a lack of room for the passengers’ feet. (Embraer last month tapped BMW Group DesignworksUSA to design the jets’ interiors.) This has prompted a cabin cross-section change from a circular design to an egg-shaped one, resulting in an extra five inches of foot room without compromising any other cabin dimensions.
October 17, 2006 - 9:20am
Embraer reported it delivered eight Legacys in the first nine months of this year compared with five in the same period last year. The Brazilian manufacturer shipped 13 of the business jets last year and in 2003.
