Cessna's Independence, KS, Facility Receives Much Needed Biz

Some welcome news for the folks working at Cessna's Independence (KS) facility was announced Monday morning. Before an enthusiastic crowd of Cessna team members, government officials, and aviation representatives, Cessna Aircraft Company's President and CEO Jack J. Pelton announced that the company's newest business jet, the Citation Mustang, will be assembled in Independence. Cessna officials decided to assemble the Mustang at the Independence facility and manufacture the Mustang wings at their Columbus facility. With over 200 orders already taken, Cessna anticipates Citation Mustang deliveries to be higher than any other Citation model.

Adventurer Is One Step Closer To South Pole

If all goes well, Dr. Gus McLeod will have crossed the South Pole by the time you've finish reading this issue of Propwash. The Maryland-based pilot is trying to make history by becoming the first person ever to fly around the world (over both poles) in a single engine. According to spokesman Josh Brooks, Gus McLeod has crossed Drake Passage and safely touched down Saturday afternoon at Argentina's Mirambio base.  Brooks says he has not had voice contact with McLeod, but he believes the pilot is probably checking for the kind of ice build-up which forced him to fly back to South America after arriving in Antarctica last week. If all went well, McLeod flew over the South Pole and is returning to Argentina to continue his trek nor

It's not the schmaltziest announcement we've ever gotten... but it's close (grin). Extra Aircraft notes that "February is traditionally celebrated as the month of romance, and EXTRA Aircraft has its own heartfelt announcement to make: The world's best loved sport, performance and unlimited category aerobatic aircraft is now available through a newly established, worldwide dealer network." Extra Aircraft has hand-picked three new EA-300L dealers to sell this sweetheart of an airplane, and is committing significant resources to its marketing, sales and support.

Says Legislation To Move Division Makes Sense

The South Carolina Aviation Association said it supports the state's general assembly bill SB 822, which will benefit general aviation by moving the Division of Aeronautics from the Department of Commerce to the Department of Transportation as in most other states. The bill also would allow taxes from jet fuel to be deposited in the state's Aviation Trust Fund and not in the General Fund. Currently only taxes from Avgas go to the Aviation Trust Fund, which is the source of funds for general aviation airport improvements.

Online Career Center Offered During Event

Planning to attend the upcoming WAI Conference? If so, you may want to wear your Sunday best. The 15th Annual WAI Conference will include a Virtual Career Center hosted by Aeroindustryjobs. The event will be held on-line, on the Aeroindustryjobs web site from March 8-14, and will include a WAI Resume Board and WAI Job Board. WAI Conference exhibitors are welcome to post open job positions on the WAI Job Board and view or download resumes from the WAI Resume Board. Resumes will be available for viewing during the event, from March 8th-14th.

Group To Visit American Counterparts

British pilots’ leaders will fly to the United States today for talks on airline security amid continued concern about the number of flights being cancelled on the strength of intelligence information. The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), which has called on the Government to check out information from the US which was leading to so many flight cancellations, said it had a number of outstanding issues to discuss with the American airline pilots’ association. General secretary Jim McAuslan said talks would be held on the way intelligence was gathered and how it was tested.

NASA's Spirit Rover Examines Unusual Rock   

NASA's Spirit rover stopped to examine an unusual, flaky rock on the surface of Mars Sunday as scientists prepared to send it on a trek that would more than double its one-day distance record. The Mars Explorer team hopes the rover will travel about 82 feet by Tuesday morning and make the same distance again during the afternoon. Spirit's longest previous trek was 70 feet in a day, the record for any robot on the Martian surface. Before setting out on Monday's trek, Spirit is examining the flaky rock, dubbed "Mimi."

Evangelical Remarks Not Part Of Flight Plan, Boss Says

The chief of American Airlines apologized for the actions of a proselytizing pilot, an airline spokesman said Saturday. Earlier this month, at the start of a cross-country flight, Captain Roger K. Findiesen asked Christian passengers to identify themselves by raising their hands. He then suggested that those did not raise their hands use the flight time to query those who did.

What's going on at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport? Swiss media report a total of 14 incidents since January 2003 involving near misses between taxiing aircraft, other aircraft on the ground and airport ground vehicles.

National Carrier To Carry Defensive Technology

Singapore's government says it plans to install anti-missile defenses on passenger jets flown by national carrier Singapore Airlines and a subsidiary. Authorities are developing a defensive device that they hope to have ready for use by Singapore Airlines and SilkAir planes in two years, Ministry of Defense spokesman Alex Tan said Sunday. The government has not yet determined how it will spread the cost between the government and the airline, Tan said.

Worker Action Grounds Flights At Paris Orly

A strike by French air traffic controllers caused the mass cancellation of flights at Orly airport, south of Paris Monday. Charles de Gaulle airport, to the north of the capital, was unaffected. However, the national civil aviation agency (DGAC) says the strike over reorganization of air traffic control could spread as the week goes on. The focus of the labor conflict is a plan to relocate more staff in the Roissy region where Charles de Gaulle airport is located, around 35km north of the capital.

DFW Airport is being recognized by the FAA Southwest Region Office for an unprecedented safety performance over the past year -- the FAA found DFW in full compliance with all federal rules and regulations, with zero discrepancies for the third consecutive year. More than 300 Airport employees are involved in DFW's safety operations.

Team US101 Delivers Marine One Helicopter Proposal To Navy

If we were only so lucky. A combat proven EH101 helicopter landed last week at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), Patuxent River (MD) bearing Lockheed Martin's proposal to provide the president of the United States with a new Marine One helicopter fleet. The 5,000-page proposal describes the US101 team's technical solution for a Marine One helicopter. The aircraft delivering the proposal is one of two Royal Air Force helicopters that served in Bosnia last year in support of the United Nations security force. Four countries currently operate 92 aircraft in a variety of mission roles. The US101 medium-lift platform offered by the US101 team will be an American-built variant of that proven platform.

Investors woke up in a bad mood last week, quickly dumping shares of Garmin for not living up to lofty expectations. Shares in the maker of global positioning (GPS) equipment were smacked down over 10% to $46.82. While Garmin's fourth-quarter performance outpaced expectations, its forward guidance didn't sit well with analysts.

Some projects just take a while to accomplish, such as Iran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA). The airport officially opened on Sunday, some three decades after construction began.

FAA Advisor Wins Brewer Trophy For Education

The National Aeronautic Association awarded the 2003 Frank G. Brewer Trophy for aerospace education to Phillip Woodruff, for nearly 40 years of work in promotion of aviation programs. Woodruff, 59, a senior manager with the Federal Aviation Administration headquarters in Washington, D.C. — has also held aviation education-related posts with the U.S. Air Force and Cessna Aircraft Company. Woodruff’s greatest contributions have come as an aviation and space education advisor and program director, and in his work fostering lasting partnerships among government, industry and education.

Aero-News: Quote of the Day

Just given the history of what's happened on planes in this country, anything can happen at this point. So we weren't sure if something was going to happen at takeoff, if he was going to wait until JFK to do something. Source: American Airlines passenger Karla Austin commenting about the recent flight where the Captain Roger K. Findiesen asked Christian passengers to identify themselves by raising their hands. He then suggested that those did not raise their hands use the flight time to query those who did. THe airlines has apologized for his actions.

Brandon Psencik has joined American Jet International, Inc. (AJI) as director of maintenance. In his new position, Psencik will oversee the maintenance requirements for all 18 of the company’s aircraft fleet. He will also supervise two mechanics and one assistant.

New VP, Engineering And Maintenance

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) announced the recent promotion of Walter L. Desrosier to the position of Vice President, Engineering & Maintenance. Desrosier was previously GAMA’s Director, Engineering & Maintenance. In his new capacity, Desrosier will continue to work with Bill Schultz, GAMA’s Special Technical Advisor and a recognized certification expert.

New Sr. Vice President, Operations

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) announced the promotion of Ronald L. Swanda to the position of Sr. Vice President, Operations. Swanda previously served as GAMA’s Vice President, Operations. Swanda is the only representative of the U. S. aviation industry granted approval to participate in the European Joint Aviation Authorities' deliberations on operational rules and regulations. He was also designated as a member of the U.S. delegation to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s 12th Air Navigation Conference on implementation of the Global Navigation System.