News

How much is an FBO chain worth? Well, Allied Capital Corporation’s recent deal to purchase Mercury Air Centers Inc., the FBO chain serving 19 airports around the U.S., rang the cash register at $81 million, according to a press release from Allied Capital. The sale closed on April 12 after its original announcement on Oct. […]

Eclipse Aviation Corporation announced earlier this month long-term contracts with two firms that will manufacture major components of the company’s forthcoming Eclipse 500 microjet. According to Eclipse, Ducommun AeroStructures in California will manufacture all of the fuselage and cockpit skin panels for the airplane while Empresa Nacional de Aeronutica (ENAER) in Chile will be responsible […]

Cessna Aircraft Company announced earlier this month two upgrades to the forthcoming Citation CJ3 model: an improved standard-equipment package and increased payload. According to the company, all Citation CJ3s will now come equipped with a standard FMS performance database making takeoff and landing performance data more readily accessible, while V-speeds will be calculated and posted […]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch and in what must seem like dj vu all over again, the NBAA’s board has formed a new search committee and retained an executive search firm — the same one they used to hire Longmuir — to come up with a new president. Toward that end, the NBAA has established […]

For her part, Longmuir attempted to counter many of those observations in a prepared statement of her own, as previously reported by AVweb and dated April 1, the day of her departure. According to her statement, she had a difference in vision for leadership of the association, something with which no one disagrees. “I am […]

…the next issue of AVweb’s BizAVflash will be e-mailed to you on April 14.

Rarely does the General Accounting Office (GAO), Congress’ watchdog agency, have anything good to say about the agencies and bureaucracies at which it takes a close look. That was true of the FAA in the years before Sept. 11, 2001 — on any subject, including aviation security — and it’s true now when it comes […]

March 25 was the date; Toulon, France, was the location. The event? Signature Flight Support’s groundbreaking ceremony for its newest FBO location at the Toulon-Hyeres Airport (TLN/LFTH). Signature took on the airport’s FBO role in January and is currently operating from space in the main terminal, with exclusive use of the airport’s VIP lounge. Construction […]

Cessna announced March 23 that its Citation XLS upgrade program has received FAA approval. The agency’s action came less than six months since the model’s introduction at the 2003 National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention. The Citation XLS is the successor to the Citation Excel, which Cessna calls the “fastest-selling business jet in the world.” […]