Briefings ...
Priva Technologies, Inc. - launches its Flex Pass program that provides travelers with fast-track access to airport security checkpoints, after a successful start-up at Jacksonville Int’l Airport. Annual membership costs $150; Flex Day Pass is $20 per day.
FAA - Federal Aviation Administration renews its Part 121 Certification Consultant Agreement with JDA Aviation Technology Solutions, qualified to help new entrant carriers obtain Part 121 certification.
Greenville-Spartanburg Int’l Airport - begins a $102 million renovation project for GSP’s 49-year-old main terminal building, aimed at improving the regional airport’s passenger flow, operational and energy efficiency, and ability to remain in compliance with higher security standards set by TSA.
SeaPort Airlines - launches service between Yakima and Wenatchee in Washington and Portland, OR on March 1.
Velcon Filters, LLC. - of Colorado Springs, CO completes the qualification test for the “EI 1581 Specification and Qualification Procedures for Aviation Jet Fuel Filter/Separators, Fifth Edition”; visit http://www.velcon.com/aviation/Qualifications.html.
NATA - National Air Transportation Assn. establishes the State Advocacy Network (SAN); the network will bring together member representatives from each state whose focus will be on building relationships with state and local government; visit www.nata.aero/SAN.
• NATA also unveils a ground-breaking audit standard specifically for FBOs to promote industry best practices and Safety Management Systems development among ground handling providers in response to member requests for a safety standard and rating for FBOs.
NTSB - National Transportation Safety Board reports that general aviation accidents and fatalities declined in 2010 for the fourth consecutive year; the 1,435 GA accidents marked a 20-year low.
West Star Aviation - of Grand Junction, CO receives STC approval for the installation of the Safe Flight Instrument Corporation Auto Power System in Proline 21 equipped Hawkers.
• West Star Aviation also reports its East Alton, IL facility is names an Authorized Service Center Network of General Electric to the CF34 engine.
AOPA - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association creates seven new, full-time regional manager positions to better build strong local GA communities and strengthen the organization’s relationships with state and local governments across the country.
CAE - of Montreal announces that Mexico’s first business jet and civil helicopter training centre is open and ready for pilot training at Toluca. New full-flight simulators for Bombardier Learjet 40/45 aircraft and the Bell 412 helicopter were recently qualified to Level D-equivalent standards in Mexico.
NC Division of Aviation - awards $300,000 in federal block grant funds to Hickory Regional Airport to construct a fuel farm; $3.65 million to the Cape Fear Regional Airport in Oak Island to construct a full parallel taxiway; $2.09 million to the Macon County Airport in Franklin to reconstruct a parking apron for aircraft; and, $5.46 million to Concord Regional Airport to strengthen the existing taxiway and aircraft parking apron.
Boundary Bay Air Services - opens a full-service FBO at the Boundary Bay Airport in Vancouver.
Tampa Int’l Airport - officials consider a $27.6 million upgrade to an airside terminal to handle up to three wide-body international flights simultaneously. Design work would begin in March, with the entire upgrade completed by September 2013.Airport also plans for $30 million in improvements at its main terminal.
Air-Transport IT Services, Inc. - an Orlando-based provider of IT products and services, contracts to provide the EASE™ Extended Airline System Environment, a platform that allows any equipped ticket counter or gate podium to be utilized by any airline using their own proprietary passenger processing software, at two Alaska airports.
Kissimmee (FL) Gateway Airport - reports that tenant SunState Aviation adds two Cessna 162 Skycatchers to its fleet, giving students an option to begin training for a Sport Pilot license at lower cost and with fewer training hours.
Porter Airlines - begins serving Washington Dulles Int’l Airport on April 16 from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
Hoosier Aviation - formerly the Terre Haute Air Center, is now under the ownership of Jordan and Nicole Brown at Terre Haute Int’l Airport.
Flightstar Corp. - of Savoy, IL purchases the assets of Bloomington Avionics Inc. of Bloomington, IL. Flightstar serves as the Champaign-Urbana Willard Airport’s FBO.
Myrtle Beach Int’l Airport - reports that MSE Branded Foods, the food service operator at MYR, partners with local dining company, Divine Dining Group, to bring Bubba’s Fish Shack and Nacho Hippo to the new terminal facility in the post-security screening area.
Wiley Post Airport - in Oklahoma City unveils a new ILS, the second system installed at PWA and located on the south end of 35R, the airport’s primary runway.
Greater Wichita Economic Development Coalition - teams with the Chamber of Commerce to assemble a task force to attract new aviation companies, following Boeing’s January announcement that it would close its Defense, Space and Security operations in Wichita by the end of 2013.
SENECA COS. - of Des Moines is awarded a $6.5M Fuel Project at Minneapolis-St. Paul Int’l Airport to provide the demolition of the existing Terminal 2-Humphrey Tank Farm and construction of a new fuel facility for jet-A, MOGAS, and diesel, including performance of site utility work, grading, and concrete paving.
Alaska Airlines - is adding daily nonstop service from San Diego to Monterey and Santa Rosa and twice daily service to Fresno, CA, beginning in June.
EagleMed - opens a base at Greenville (SC) Downtown Airport in S.C., providing air ambulance services.
Hawthorne Global Aviation Services - acquires ExcelAire LLC, an aircraft charter/management company at MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, NY. Moelis Capital Partners and Hawthorne Corp. formed Hawthorne Global Aviation Services in November 2011 to build a network of FBOs across North America.
Southwest Airlines - will convert AirTran Airways operations at 22 domestic and international airports to Southwest operations over time. Of the 69 cities AirTran served when Southwest acquired it on May 2, 2011, 53 cities are planned to convert to full Southwest Airlines service. Effective Aug. 12, 2012, AirTran will cease operations at Allentown, PA; Lexington, KY; Harrisburg, PA; Sarasota, FL; Huntsville, AL; and White Plains, NY.
Silver Airways Corp. - is relocating its maintenance department from its home base in Fort Lauderdale to a new, state-of-the-art 61,000-sq. ft. facility at Gainesville Regional Airport.
Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood Int’l Airport - breaks ground on a $791 million runway expansion; project will extend, shift, and lengthen Runway 9R/27L from 5,276 feet to 8,000 feet, giving the airport two parallel runways that can accommodate air carrier flights.
Hawker Beechcraft Corp. - receives type certification for the Hawker 900XP midsize business jet from the Interstate Aviation Committee Aviation Registry in Russia.
Lufthansa Cargo - begins operating its first-ever flights between Frankfurt and Detroit using an MD-11 freighter.
Jacksonville Aviation Authority - approves a lease with KCI Aviation for the construction of a new 30,000-square-foot hangar facility at Cecil Airport. KCI, based in Bridgeport, WV, specializes in inspection, maintenance, and repair of business jets and turboprops.
San Antonio - selects SpawGlass Contractors, Inc as the Construction Manager at Risk (CMR) for the Terminal A renovations at San Antonio Int’l Airport. SpawGlass will collaborate with the city and architectural and engineering firm Reynolds, Smith, and Hills Inc., during the finalization of design and construction documents.
Jet Support Services, Inc - is setting up a new West Coast facility at Van Nuys (CA) airport.
NetJets - and Lufthansa reportedly will expand their Private Jet joint venture, linking up business and commercial aviation and providing NetJets customers access to Lufthansa’s and Swiss International Air Lines’ 21 gateways in the U.S.
Phillips 66 Aviation - expands its network of branded dealers with the addition of 85 fixed base operators formerly with Exxon, which announced in 2011 its intent to exit the GA fuels market in North America.World Fuel Services will service the former Exxon FBOs for Phillips.
Kestrel Aircraft - a start-up manufacturer led by Cirrus founder Alan Klapmeier, is moving operations from Brunswick Landing, ME to Superior, WI, after receiving an incentives package of some $116 million in financing, grants, loans, and tax credits. Construction of a composite plant is set for 2013.
MASSPORT - approves Bedford-MA based Rectrix Aviation to develop FBO facilities at Worcester Regional Airport and L.G. Hanscom Field.
PASSUR Aerospace, Inc. - of Stamford, CT launches the National Airport Information Network, a national site where airlines, airports, FAA, and other aviation firms can manage disruptions due to weather, congestion, and other irregular operations.
• PASSUR also contracts with Atlantic Aviation to use its FBO Fuel Portal at its entire FBO network, providing provide real-time, archived, and data mining capabilities for customer service, line operations, and marketing; www.passur.com.
Castle Aviation - of Akron, OH reports that Cessna has approved Castle AM, a division of Castle Aviation, as its latest single-engine service facility.
Emirates - begins service from DFW Int’l to Dubai, using a Boeing 777 aircraft.
GE Aviation - and StandardAero open a $50 million, 122,500-sq. ft. aircraft engine testing, research, and development center in Winnipeg.
The Berger Group - of Morristown, NJ acquires Ranger International Services Group of Greenville, SC.
ACPA - American Concrete Pavement Association releases “Best Practices for Airport Concrete Pavement Construction” and “Life-Cycle Cost Analysis: A Tool for Better Pavement Investment and Engineering Decisions”; visit www.pavement.com.
ACC - Airport Consultants Council reports that Aspen-Pitkin County Director of Aviation Jim Elwood is the 2012 recipient of the Jay Hollingsworth Speas Airport Award for leadership in developing a cooperative relationship with the community surrounding the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport by designing and implementing aggressive environmental protection programs while achieving airport expansion.
Summit Aviation - a Greenwich AeroGroup Co. based at Middletown, DE adds Aircraft Sales and Leasing.
Neubert Aero Corp.- teams with LED International Lighting Inc. to develop the next generation of runway closure systems, deployed by airports when runways are undergoing maintenance or repair.
Precision Aviation Group - of Atlanta launches a Rotorcraft Services Division at its subsidiary Gardner Aviation Servics to provide Helicopter MRO services at the Atlanta Regional Airport in Peachtree City.
