Kansas.com: Aviation

Complaints against airlines drop 12%

HUGO MARTIN — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:03 CST

After hearing Jim Engle of Sierra Madre, Calif., talk about the headaches he and his wife endured on a round trip to Detroit on American Airlines this summer, it might be surprising to hear that U.S. airlines continue to receive great marks in customer service.

The Engles suffered through several delays, an unscheduled stop and airline staff who, he said, were curt and unhelpful.

"And I don't have enough time to tell you about the extra charges for baggage and food and water, which ran out before half the plane was served," he said.

Local Kelly Aerospace division sold

MOLLY MCMILLIN — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:03 CST

First Aviation Services in Westport, Conn., is buying Kelly Aerospace Turbine Rotables in Wichita, the company said.

The agreement is scheduled to close Nov. 24. The Wichita facility's name will change to Aerospace Turbine Rotables.

Kelly Aerospace Turbine Rotables is a division of Kelly Aerospace, based in Montgomery, Ala.

Delays underscore FAA woes

HARRY R. WEBER and JOAN LOWY — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:03 CST

ATLANTA — For the second time in a little more than a year, a glitch at one of the two centers that handle flight plans for the nation's air travel system set off delays and cancellations for passengers around the country.

The snarl Thursday — traced to something as simple as a single circuit board — prompted calls for more money and manpower at the Federal Aviation Administration, which has struggled without success for years to overhaul the air traffic system.

The circuit board, at an FAA center in Salt Lake City, is part of a multibillion-dollar nationwide communications network that the agency has spent years installing as part of plans to modernize air traffic control.

Study: Business jet sales to dip before rebounding

MOLLY MCMillin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:06 CST

A new study by Forecast International predicts that 11,297 business jets worth about $197 billion will be produced from 2009 through 2018.

The business jet market study predicts production to reach 825 planes in 2009 followed by declines in the next two years.

It expects manufacturers to produce 738 aircraft in 2010 followed by 716 planes in 2011. The study predicts production to rise in 2012 and continue to improve over the remainder of the forecast period.

Dubai Airshow orders less than 10 percent of 2007's

ADAM SCHRECK — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:06 CST

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Airbus said Wednesday it agreed to sell six jetliners to newly created Senegal Airlines, giving the European planemaker bragging rights to more than $5 billion worth of orders at a subdued Dubai Airshow.

A slumping aviation market stemming from the economic downturn has kept Airbus and its U.S. rival Boeing Co. from announcing any of the blockbuster deals seen at the last Dubai show two years ago, though both have benefited from the modest expansion plans of growing airlines in the developing world.

Senegal Airlines' deal was a letter of intent — effectively a promise to buy — four A320 and two A330 planes. Airbus valued the deal at $670 million, though buyers typically negotiate discounts below the list price.

Boeing wins appeal

MOLLY MCMILLIN — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:15 CST

A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday reversed a lower court's ruling, paving the way for the Air Force to award a $1.1 billion contract to Boeing to maintain its fleet of KC-135 refueling tankers.

Boeing originally was awarded the contract in September 2007.

Alabama Aircraft Industries, which bid unsuccessfully against Boeing, twice appealed the award to the General Accountability Office but was denied.

Boeing gets orders for 11 jets at Dubai

ADAM SCHRECK — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:05 CST

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Boeing scored its first orders at the Dubai Airshow on Tuesday with requests for 11 737-800 jetliners, while the United Arab Emirates military inked two defense deals with European manufacturers.

The UAE armed forces' requests from Sweden's Saab and Switzerland's Pilatus cover aerial radar and training aircraft worth about $725 million.

Boeing had lagged on commercial orders behind European rival Airbus, which has announced deals every day since the show began Sunday. Airbus picked up additional orders Tuesday, including one for planes that will break occupancy records for packing in well over 800 passengers.

Airbus and Boeing make deals in Dubai

ADAM SCHRECK — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:06 CST

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Airbus on Monday got its second aircraft order at the Dubai Airshow with an agreement to sell 10 A320 planes to Yemen, while Boeing managed to cut a Mideast deal of its own even though it has yet to score a plane order at the region's top aviation meet.

Boeing said it signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi's state investment vehicle Mubadala Development Co. to collaborate on multiple projects designed to help the UAE's largest sheikdom build an aerospace industry as it seeks to diversify its economy beyond the oil patch.

Homaid al-Shemmari, associate director of Mubadala Aerospace, said the agreement could involve joint projects ranging from an aerospace museum and training programs to the production of composite aircraft parts in the emirate.

Boeing would finish tankers in Wichita

MOLLY MCMILLIN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:46 CST

In a departure from previous comments, a Boeing official said finishing work on U.S. Air Force aerial refueling tankers will be done in Wichita if the company wins the contract.

"The finishing work will be there," spokesman William Barksdale said. "Absolutely."

It's too soon to say, however, what the scope of the work would be, he said.

Wichita industry represented at show

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:06 CST

Wichita's general aviation manufacturers will be exhibiting at the Dubai Airshow, which opens Sunday.

Hawker Beechcraft will have a chalet and display five models of its aircraft at the show.

Professional golfer and Hawker 4000 owner Sergio Garcia will be at Hawker Beechcraft's chalet, meeting with customers and prospects.

Airbus transporter in final testing

SLOBODAN LEKIC — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:06 CST

BRUSSELS — The long-delayed prototype of Airbus' first military transport plane has been moved from the factory for final ground tests before its maiden flight next month, a spokeswoman said Friday.

Barbara Kracht said the testing in Seville, Spain, will involve running up problem-plagued turboprop engines to full power, low- and high-speed taxiing, and aborted takeoffs designed to check all aircraft systems before the first flight.

"All this paves the way for the first flight before the end of the year," Kracht said.

Not-so-great expectations for 2009 Dubai Airshow

ADAM SCHRECK — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:40 CST

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Organizers of the Dubai Airshow are putting on a brave face ahead of this year's event, the economic meltdown and a bleak commercial aviation backdrop aside.

Exhibitor numbers are up, they say, as are advance bookings and the size of the exhibition hall for the biennial event, which starts Sunday. Regional first-time flights by aircraft like the F-22 Raptor and Eurofighter Typhoon fighters are another draw.

What no one is talking about, however, is matching the last show's record-breaking order total of $155 billion — a figure that spotlighted the Middle East as an important growing source of business for aerospace and defense manufacturers.

SPEEA protests Spirit's outsourcing

MOLLY McMILLIN — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:59 CST

Spirit AeroSystems' professional and technical union is asking members to contact the Kansas Congressional delegation to protest the company's outsourcing of jobs.

Spirit AeroSystems has outsourced some information technology jobs, most of them on its help desk, to IBM. The change eliminated jobs for 37 Spirit employees and 15 contractors. It was effective Oct. 30.

Another wave of cuts is coming sometime next year, Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace officials say.

Forum to look at airline industry woes

JOAN LOWY — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:07 CST

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is taking its first step toward trying to fix the ailing airline industry, mired in a severe economic slump and facing safety worries.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is holding a forum today to discuss the state of the industry and ways government can help provide economic stability for air carriers. The industry has been rocked by repeated crises in recent years, including the 9/11 terrorism attacks, the SARS virus and the current economic downturn.

"U.S. aviation is facing severe economic uncertainty and an open and frank conversation will help begin a continuing dialogue about the industry's future," transportation spokeswoman Sasha Johnson said.

'Well positioned for growth'

MOLLY McMILLIN — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:33 CST

Difficult market conditions affected Hawker Beechcraft's third-quarter aircraft deliveries and financial performance, the company said Monday.

But there are some encouraging signs.

For one, orders have exceeded cancellations for the second quarter in a row, Hawker Beechcraft CEO Bill Boisture told analysts in a conference call.

Hawker Salina to close

MOLLY McMILLIN — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:31 CST

Hawker Beechcraft said Monday that it will close its Salina plant and move the work, but a timeline and a destination for the jobs have not been determined.

Difficult market conditions and a predicted slow recovery of the business jet market "have forced us literally to look at our entire business, including our footprint," said Hawker Beechcraft vice president for human resources Rich Jiwanlal.

Closing the Salina facilities will take place in stages, Jiwanlal said.

General aviation deliveries down 47%

MOLLY McMILLIN — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:07 CST

Deliveries of general aviation aircraft have fallen 47 percent in the first nine months of 2009 when compared with the same time a year ago.

Planemakers worldwide shipped 1,587 piston aircraft, turboprops and business jets in the first nine months, down from 2,982 a year ago, according to figures released Thursday from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.

Billings, meanwhile, are down 23.5 percent.

Spirit CEO concerned about Airbus, Boeing

MOLLY McMILLIN — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:59 CST

Spirit AeroSystems CEO Jeff Turner says he's concerned that Boeing and Airbus might cut production on single-aisle, narrow-body jetliners.

There are sign that rates should be trimmed, Turner said Thursday during a conference call after the company reported its third-quarter results.

"I felt terrible three months ago and six months ago — terribly worried I should say," Turner said in response to whether he feels better than he did three or six months ago on whether rates will hold. "And I remain that way."

Hawker Beechcraft sees lower sales and income on declining deliveries

MOLLY McMILLIN — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:07 CST

Hawker Beechcraft recorded lower sales and operating income in the third quarter as aircraft deliveries fell, the company said Thursday.

Net sales for the quarter totaled $757.7 million, a decrease of $25.6 million from a year ago.

The decline is due to continued weakness in the general aviation market that has significantly hurt deliveries, the company said.

Gala Saturday will honor role of women in flying

MOLLY McMILLIN — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:34 CST

The Kansas Aviation Museum's annual gala Saturday will recognize the Ninety-Nines, an international association of female pilots, along with Kansans who have made a difference in aviation.

Emily Warner, the nation's first female airline pilot, is the keynote speaker at Saturday's event.

Norman Colvin, who spent years helping owners of Beechcraft Bonanzas keep their planes in top flying condition, will be posthumously inducted into the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame.