Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) Administrator Li Jiaxiang will be a featured speaker at the opening session at ABACE, which will be held late next month in Shanghai. CAAC Deputy Administrator Xia Xinghua will accompany Li to the conference. The two Chinese officials will be joined at the session by U.S. DOT Deputy Secretary John Porcari. “To have these important officials playing leadership roles at the conference clearly demonstrates their support for business aviation,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen.
People
Interviews with people of interest in aerospace, including those in industry, government and AIN’s “Bizav Warriors.” Topics include announcements of personnel changes, awards and final departures.
February 24, 2012 - 12:45pm
Boeing Commercial Airplanes has named Larry Loftis vice president and general manager of the 787 program, replacing Scott Fancher, who has accepted two new assignments on the 777 program.
“Today we are announcing two leadership changes intended to better align our organization for the challenges ahead,” Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said late Thursday.
February 23, 2012 - 2:00pm
Gulfstream Aerospace named Steven Meng as the regional sales manager for product support sales in Southern California yesterday. Based at the company’s Long Beach, Calif. facility, Meng will be responsible for the sale of maintenance, paint and interior upgrades as well as avionics modifications to Gulfstream and non-Gulfstream operators in Los Angeles, San Diego and the surrounding areas. Previously he was a senior internal sales manager for product support sales at the Long Beach facility.
February 14, 2012 - 10:39am
After a moment of silence in respect for members lost in the past year, Jim Kettles, vice president of the venerable Twirly Birds brought to order the association’s annual meeting. It’s tradition, he explained, for the Twirly Birds to convene their meeting during Heli-Expo.
February 13, 2012 - 8:10pm
Ricky Reno has joined Fargo, N.D.- based Spectrum Aeromed as vice president and account representative for military and government initiatives, where he is responsible for global sales and service. “Ricky Reno knows and understands every aspect of helicopter flight operations, most notably HEMS and SAR interior modifications,” said Spectrum CEO Dean Atchison.
February 13, 2012 - 8:08pm
Despite cloudy skies, chilly temperatures and a threat of rain, sunshine broke out just before tee time to signal the start of HAI’s third annual Scholarship Fundraising Golf Tournament. The session represented the perfect kickoff to Heli-Expo 2012 and took place at the Cowboy’s Gold Club, the only NFL-themed facility of its kind in the world.
Prizes were awarded for the four lowest scoring groups, as well as for the most accurate drive for both men and women. Winners were also chosen for nearest the pin on all Par 3s for both men and women.
February 12, 2012 - 10:45pm
NTSB Chair Deborah Hersman, keynote speaker at today’s HAI Membership breakfast and meeting here at Heli-Expo 2011, praised HAI for its creation of the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) and its new Safety Accreditation Program. And she also challenged the HAI membership to continue its efforts to promote Safety Management Systems (SMS) through IHST’s SMS Toolkit.
February 10, 2012 - 7:45am
The crew of a vintage Bell UH-1D Huey had flown their 1965 helicopter from their base in Concord, Calif., to the 2011 National Championship Air Races at Stead Field in Reno, Nev. There, they were to be part of the National Aviation Heritage Invitational static display and competition, which is held annually at the races. It was a chance for the owners and crew of the meticulously restored “25th Infantry” helicopter to win an award for their work.
February 10, 2012 - 7:00am
HAI will present its Salute to Excellence Awards tonight in the categories of safety, maintenance, law enforcement, communications, flight instructor, pilot and Lifetime Achievement.
February 10, 2012 - 6:40am
A UTAir crew will be honored on Monday with the Sikorsky Humanitarian Award for rescuing UN peacekeepers from enemy fire in the Congo. The honor is “presented to the person(s) who best demonstrate(s) the value of helicopters to society by saving lives, protecting property and aiding those in distress.”
