Sportsplanes.com, which has established 20 Sport Aircraft Regional Centers (SARCs), plans to open a few more to attain national coverage. The Salt Lake City-based company is in the process of looking for qualified flight schools to train sport pilots. Each SARC Director has a goal of affiliating with a minimum of five Sport Pilot training […]
News
Mooney’s new CEO to highlight Women in Aviation conference
If there is one constant in aviation, it is that the industry is constantly evolving. The evolution covers not only aircraft and engine design, but also the people who run the businesses. Gretchen Jahn, the CEO of Mooney Airplane Co., is a good example. Jahn, who joined the Kerrville, Texas-based company in late 2004, is […]
Washington seaplane base closes
Despite last minute efforts of the Seaplane Pilots Association and the Washington State Department of Transportation Aviation Division, the city of Lakewood, Washington, has closed American Lake Seaplane Base. According to city officials, the lease with the base’s operator expired in December 2004 and neither the operator nor the city expressed an interest in renewing […]
Commander Aircraft to be liquidated
Troubled times continue at Commander Aircraft Co., as the Bethany, Okla.-based company is set to be liquidated. After two failed attempts to find saviors for the bankrupt company, Commander’s December 2002 Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing has been converted to a Chapter 7 filing by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. All operations at the company […]
Adam A700 making progress
Adam Aircraft is making progress on its A700 AdamJet, according to officials at the Englewood, Colo.-based company. While the company’s focus has been on the development and certification of its twin piston A500, the AdamJet has had more than 200 hours of flight time in the last 18 months, reaching speeds of 300 Ktas and […]
‘I’m saving a life’
On one of his first days as the new president and chief operating officer of Ballistic Recovery Systems Inc., Larry Williams was walking through the company’s South St. Paul, Minn., plant. He stopped to watch one of the firm’s employees pack a parachute. Intrigued by the process, he asked the young woman what she was […]
ATG working on first flight details
Meanwhile, another Englewood, Colo.-based company in the personal jet business, Aviation Technology Group, is working with the FAA to hammer out details for the first flight of the Javelin Executive Jet. In the last two months, engineers and mechanics have reached many milestones in building the Javelin. The fuel tank, ejection seats and landing gear […]
Ranger Jet rebuilding from Charlie
Ranger Jet Center, an FBO at Florida’s Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM), is rapidly rebuilding facilities destroyed by Hurricane Charley. Despite the loss of more than 30,000 square feet of hangar space, Ranger is building back 42,000 square feet of new corporate aircraft storage space, which is scheduled for completion in mid-March. Ranger also is in […]
Global Flyer launch still uncertain
Launch date for the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer’s world-record attempt remains uncertain. As of press time, the launch date had been set for sometime between Feb. 8 and 11, moved up from Feb. 6 because of weather and “other unfavorable takeoff conditions,” according to officials at the Salina Municipal Airport in Kansas, where Steve Fossett is […]