Brian Haines Joins TIMCO Aviation Services as Vice President of Sales and Marketing
March 11, 2010
GREENSBORO, NC — MARCH 11th, 2010 … TIMCO Aviation Services, Inc. announced today that Brian Haines has joined the organization as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. In his new position, Mr. Haines reports directly to John Eichten, Sr. Vice President of Sales and Marketing for TIMCO. Mr. Haines will focus his efforts on continuing the growth of airframe base maintenance activity at TIMCO’s Greensboro, NC, Lake City, FL, and Macon, GA facilities.
Prior to joining TIMCO, Mr. Haines most recently served as Director of Airframe Contracts and Business Operations for Continental Airlines, where he worked for 13 years. In addition, he has held management positions at a number of aircraft maintenance MRO and aerospace companies totaling over 25 years in the industry. Mr. Eichten noted that, “We are extremely pleased to welcome Brian to our Sales team. His experience and unique understanding of customer expectations will be invaluable in developing strong and successful relationships with new and existing customers of TIMCO.”
TIMCO Aviation Services is one of the world’s largest independent aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) providers. TIMCO supports leading global airlines, government operators and aircraft leasing companies with comprehensive, individually-tailored aircraft care services.
Airbus Foundation Coordinates Chile Relief in TAM A319 Ferry Flight
March 10, 2010
Humanitarian supplies collected by the Red Cross and General Consulate of Chile in Hamburg lands in Chile at 10:30 p.m., March 9; LAN Airlines facilitates local logistics in Santiago
In response to the devastating earthquake that struck Chile February 27, Airbus coordinated with Brazilian-based TAM Airlines and Chilean-based LAN Airlines to send three tons of aid to Santiago. The TAM A319 ferry flight filled with humanitarian supplies landed in Sao Paulo on March 9. TAM then transferred the aid to a Santiago-bound A320 flight.
Over the weekend, an Airbus team in Hamburg loaded TAM’s A319 ferry flight with hygienic supplies, blankets and plastic water canisters (for storing and transporting fresh water) collected by the Red Cross and General Consulate of Chile in Hamburg.
Tom Enders, President of the Airbus Foundation and President and CEO of Airbus, said: “The Airbus Foundation together with TAM Airlines identified an opportunity to send humanitarian aid to Chile aboard a TAM Airlines A319 ferry flight this week to support the international relief effort. Many people came together in record time to make this work, including TAM Airlines, which agreed to have their A319 ferry flight filled with humanitarian aid and then transfer it to Santiago; the Red Cross and General Consulate of Chile in Hamburg, which collected tons of vital relief supplies; and LAN Airlines, which agreed to accept goods in Santiago’s International Airport and coordinate necessary logistical requirements. I thank all our partners, our friends and the employees involved for their excellent cooperation.”
In recent years, Airbus has built up a global network of airlines and relief organizations to support international humanitarian help. Ferry flights of new aircraft have been used on numerous occasions to transport goods all over the world.
A leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive product line on the market, Airbus is a global company with design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK and Spain, as well as subsidiaries in the U.S., China, Japan and Middle East.
Bell Helicopter to Modify Final 30 Aircraft in OH-58D Safety Enhancement Program
March 10, 2010
FORT WORTH, TEXAS (Mar. 9, 2010) – Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today that it has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army to modify the final 30 OH-58D aircraft under the Kiowa Warrior Safety Enhancement Program (SEP).
These 30 aircraft will form Lot 13 of the Kiowa Warrior SEP program. Work on the aircraft will begin in March 2010. Completed aircraft are scheduled to be delivered back to the Army at a rate of two per month beginning in July 2010.
Bell is currently modifying aircraft in Lot 12, and is on track to complete all work on that lot of 27 aircraft in May 2010. “We’ve been able to deliver every aircraft in Lot 12 on or ahead of the contract schedule,” said Amy Tedford, Director of Military Fielded Systems at Bell Helicopter. “Every Bell employee on the SEP line understands the great value that the OH-58D provides to America’s warfighters, and we all take great pride in supporting the Kiowa Warrior and its critical role in protecting our troops in the combat zone.”
The Kiowa Warriors are being upgraded with an improved engine, improved computer control system and related new wiring harnesses. These improvements are part of a series of safety and performance modifications the Army implemented to keep the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter safe and mission effective throughout its lifespan. Once the aircraft in Lot 13 have been modified, the OH-58D Safety Enhancement Program will be complete and a total of 371 Kiowa Warriors will have been upgraded under the program.
Work on Lot 13 aircraft will be accomplished at Bell Helicopter’s Plant 1 facility in Fort Worth, Texas, and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011.
The US Army fleet of Kiowa helicopters has accumulated more than 550,000 combat flight hours and nearly 2 million total flight hours. Despite such high usage rates, daily combat missions and a harsh operating environment, the OH-58D continues to maintain the highest OPTEMPO and highest readiness rates of any Army aircraft in theater.
Cessna Calls for Industry Unity to Defend the Image of Business Aviation
March 10, 2010
LONDON, March 9, 2010 Robert Stangarone, vice president, Corporate Communications, Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, said today at the British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) Annual Conference that the industry needs to keep communicating the value and benefits of business aviation.
Stangarone said: “Everyone in our industry should consider themselves ambassadors. Business aircraft are used in so many valuable ways and have truly become essential to the global transportation system. We need to take every opportunity to spread that message to the world.”
Stangarone stressed the importance and strength of unity. “Protecting our image is a common goal we can all pursue, on both sides of the Atlantic. Through Cessna’s own ‘Rise’ campaign, we’ve seen the power of partnering with our industry allies and associations, with our government officials, with our customers and with other stakeholders.
“Together, we need to make sure the facts are heard. Business aviation supports 1.2 million jobs across the U.S. Equally, thousands of European jobs depend on our industry. And companies that use business aviation are more productive than their competitors.
“It’s not just big business either,” continued Stangarone. “The vast majority of companies that rely on business aviation are small and medium-sized operations. And just as important, business jets are a lifeline for small cities across North America and remote communities in Europe, and they play a critical role in disaster relief efforts following catastrophes such as the earthquake in Haiti.”
Stangarone concluded, “As an industry we’re a force with strong points to make and a solid strategy. We’re making good headway but we have to keep working to protect our image.”
The BBGA is the UK’s national trade body representing companies operating and trading in general and business aviation. The association’s Annual Conference is taking place today at the Sopwell House Hotel (St. Albans), bringing together some 200 leading representatives from industry, politics and regulatory bodies.
Airbus to increase A320 Family production rate
March 10, 2010
2010 total deliveries to match previous year’s record level
Airbus will increase the monthly production rate for its single-aisle A320 Family from the current rate of 34 to 36, starting December 2010. The production rate for the long-range A330/A340 Family will be maintained at the current level of eight per month.
Airbus’ decision to raise its single-aisle production rate is driven by the continuing demand for its eco-efficient aircraft and a record backlog in excess of some 2,300 A320 Family aircraft.
“Leading economic indices and business confidence indicators are showing an upward trend again. We see this reflected in the continuing solid demand for our eco-efficient products and our robust backlog. Thanks to our proactive order book management we have been able to keep production stable during the year of the downturn, but now it is definitely time to think ahead,” said Tom Williams, Executive Vice President, Programmes. “Aviation is a long-term growth industry. With our prudent decision we will be ready when the market recovers.”
Airbus delivered a total of 498 aircraft in 2009, including 402 A320 Family aircraft, both new company records for a single year. The company target for deliveries in 2010 is to remain at a similar level to 2009.
The A320 Family, which includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321, is recognised as the benchmark single-aisle aircraft family. More than 6,500 Airbus A320 Family aircraft have been sold and nearly 4200 delivered to more than 300 customers and operators worldwide, making it the world’s best selling commercial jetliner ever
JSSI® Opens European Headquarters in Farnborough, UK
March 10, 2010
Louis C. Seno, CEO Leading Europe Expansion
Chicago, IL – March 8, 2010 – Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI), the world’s largest, independent provider of hourly cost maintenance programs for the business aviation industry, announced that it is opening a new and vastly expanded European Headquarters in Farnborough, to better serve its extensive and growing client base in Europe.
JSSI continues to strengthen its commitment to the business aviation community in Europe with the establishment of its new headquarters, along with an expanded JSSI support team in the UK. JSSI has been in Europe for over fifteen years. To demonstrate our continued commitment, our CEO and Vice Chairman of JSSI, Mr. Louis C. Seno will oversee all of Europe. In addition to the UK, JSSI clients are supported with Tech Services in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and France. “Mr. Seno leads JSSI around the world”, said Mr. Robert H. Book, Chairman of JSSI. “Lou’s extensive global business aviation experience and unique leadership style will serve all JSSI clients well in Europe and around the globe.”
“We have hundreds of clients in Europe, and we greatly value their business and their loyalty,” stated Seno. “The worldwide JSSI technical support structure is a key component of our client support, and we take it very seriously. Our new headquarters will be the European base for administration, which will enable JSSI to better serve our clients. We are extremely optimistic about the European market recovery, so our primary focus as a company is to further develop our infrastructure, making sure that we continue to implement the best practices that have distinguished JSSI over the years which is why JSSI enjoys a 97% client renewal rate.”
Dassault Falcon Launches Major New Strategy for Its Worldwide Service Center Network
March 10, 2010
(Teterboro, New Jersey, March 5, 2010) — In an effort to deliver an industry leading
service center experience to Falcon customers, Dassault recently undertook a major
review of both its Company Owned and Authorized Service Center (ASC) network.
“Our overall objective is pretty simple,” said Jacques Chauvet, Senior Vice President of
Worldwide Customer Service for Dassault Falcon. “We must improve the service
experience for Falcon owners, no matter where they are based and wherever they fly. To
do this, we will expand what we call our ‘footprint’ of service.”
Currently, Dassault Falcon has five Company Owned Service Centers and 26 Authorized
Service Centers (ASC) strategically located throughout the world. In addition, the
company recently added five Satellite Service Stations with ‘GoTeams’ positioned on
four continents.
At the time the traditional Falcon ASCs were established, the basic philosophy was that
each center needed to meet an ultimate level of requirements in terms of equipment and
services to support all Falcon models, up to and including “C” inspections. While this
philosophy works well in areas with large Falcon populations such as Europe and the
United States, it proved less practical in some of the new, emerging markets for business
jets.
Chauvet continued, “We are now putting in place a stronger, more vibrant network that
will allow ASCs to specialize in one or two aircraft models if they choose or to support
all Falcon models through all phases of maintenance. What our customers will see is a
more specialized approach that will provide a quicker reaction to their needs.”
The new Dassault Falcon ASC structure will be divided into three categories: Heavy,
Major and Line maintenance.
· “Heavy Service Centers” will provide comprehensive customer support for all
Falcon models and hold local regulatory approvals as well as those from the FAA
and EASA. Most of the ASCs in North America and many in Europe fall into this
category offering a complete line of services including all levels of maintenance
and inspections, Rapid Response AOG teams, refurbishments and upgrades.
· “Major Service Centers” will provide comprehensive support for Falcons of a
particular model series and hold local regulatory approvals as well as those from
the FAA and EASA. Services will typically include all maintenance including
AOG service and inspections through a ‘C’ check. Five centers located in
Finland, Germany, Singapore, South Africa, and the U.S. fall into this category.
· “Line Service Centers” will provide support for specific Falcon models and hold a
minimum of local regulatory approvals. Services include what is typically called
line maintenance up through A and A+ checks. Thirteen centers around the globe
fall into this category.
“Under this new approach, a wider group of quality service providers are candidates to be
included in the Falcon ASC network,” said Frank Youngkin, Vice President of Customer
Service for the Western Hemisphere. “We can now add smaller ‘Line Service Centers’ in
areas that experience a high level of transient traffic but with few aircraft based in the
area.”
Satellite Service Stations and More GoTeams Launched
To further enhance Dassault’s “footprint of service” Dassault Falcon has introduced
company owned Satellite Service Stations. These facilities are an extension of an
existing Company owned service center and are staffed with technicians, AOG support
tooling and a targeted inventory of spares.
“This is a valuable new program that will directly and indirectly benefit all of our
operators in many ways,” said Pierre Thielin, Vice President Customer Service for the
Eastern Hemisphere. “It allows us to be closer to our customers and to respond more
rapidly to their needs. It will also increase available resources at our company owned
service centers to respond to AOG situations.”
The Satellite Service Stations will support basic line maintenance up through A
inspections. Each will be staffed with an AOG GoTeam which will provide rapid mobile
response directly to an aircraft location with the parts and tools necessary to get an
operator’s Falcon flying with minimal delay.
The first such facility in the United States was opened recently in St. Louis, Missouri.
Other sites currently in operation are located in Nice, France; Rome, Italy; Moscow,
Russia and London, United Kingdom.
Currently other locations for Satellite Service Stations are being considered in the
Northeast, Southeast and Western United States.
In unveiling the new customer services strategies at Dassault Falcon, Chauvet was quick
to credit the strong guidance coming from the company’s Worldwide Operator Advisory
Board (OAB). “This Board represents a cross section of all Falcon operators from around
the world and has been instrumental in helping us set priorities,” said Chauvet.
Cessna’s Citation Mustang Makes Public Debut at India Aviation
March 9, 2010
HYDERABAD, India, March 3, 2010 Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today the Citation Mustang just completed its first customer demonstration tour throughout India on its way to make its public debut in India at India Aviation 2010 at Begumpet Airport (VOHY) in Hyderabad, India.
“There is a lot of interest in the Mustang around India and it was well received during its first tour in the area,” said Todd Duhnke, Cessna’s director of International Sales. “India is a growing market for general aviation. We believe there is potential growth in the area for the entire line of Cessna products as this region continues to embrace the advantages of general aviation,” he said.
Cessna recently rolled out the 300th Citation Mustang from its facility in Independence, Kan. It will be delivered later this year to a retail customer in Australia.
The Citation Mustang is the world’s first fully certified entry-level business jet. It was announced at the 2002 National Business Aviation Association convention and made its first flight in April 2005. The first Citation Mustang was delivered in April 2007.
Coming in at just over $3 million (2010 delivery), the Mustang features Garmin avionics, Pratt & Whitney Canada engines and boasts a range of 1,200-nautical miles.
Nova Companhia Aerea no Brasil
March 9, 2010
A companhia aérea portuguesa de voos fretados White Airways deve ser a próxima estrangeira a voar entre a Europa e o Nordeste do Brasil. Os pilotos da White Airways treinam para operar o modelo A310, da Airbus, para 200 passageiros. A Anac informou que o Diário Oficial da União publica hoje a autorização para funcionamento jurídico da White, que ainda precisa do certificado operacional e a concessão da Anac.
Major General Chuck Swannack Joins Ranger International as C.O.O. of its U.S. Logistics Subsidiary
March 2, 2010
GREENVILLE, S.C. – March 1, 2010–Ranger International Services Group, a private equity consolidator specializing in government services, announces the appointment of Major General (US Army, retired) Chuck Swannack as the Chief Operating Officer of its wholly owned subsidiary US Logistics. US Logistics is a government outsourcing contractor specialized in tactical vehicle overhauls and repairs, technical staffing, base logistics, and aircraft technical services. General Swannack retired from the US Army in 2005 after 33 years of service, culminating as the Commander of the fabled 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. As the new Chief Operating Officer of US Logistics, Swannack will help guide the continuing aggressive growth of that award winning company, with constant vigilance on quality, safety, and F.A.R. compliance. US Logistics has strong backing from large institutional shareholders, and a deeply experienced management team at multiple levels which Swannack now joins in the COO role.
MG Swannack served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and led elements of the division in the advance to Baghdad and in the succeeding year in western Iraq. MG Swannack is a 1971 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and served in progressive leadership and staff positions throughout his distinguished career. Since leaving active duty, MG Swannack has mentored US Army Reserve and Army National Guard senior military leaders in soon to be deployed units to help prepare them for the rigors of combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Chuck Swannack said: “I am proud and enthused to join this fine organization. Our commitment to our customers and to our own people is simple, to be the best we can be every day. We’re on the move, we’re growing steadily, and US Logistics is very good at its job. I met most of our major customers just last week at an AUSA gathering, and they all know how committed we are to serving their technical services needs with high quality and cost-effective pricing.”
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