AW139 Simulator
AgustaWestland's Rotorsim training centre has taken delivery of an AW139 full-flight simulator, joining an A109E system in operation at the Sesto Calende, Italy-based facility. A second AW139 simulator is scheduled to be delivered to the training centre in 2008.
Gestair Oorder
Spanish pilot training school Gestair has ordered 11 Cessna 172 Skyhawks. The Garmin G1000-equipped aircraft will be delivered over the coming eight months and will replace the Madrid-based company's older Skyhawks in service. Gestair operates 54 Skyhawks across its schools in the Spanish capital and Cascais, Portugal.
Action Agenda
The general aviation industry group that has been appointed by the Australian government to lead the GA Action Agenda has released an issues paper as the first stage of its work designed to address the decline in Australian GA and revitalise the industry. Meanwhile, a just-released survey by the Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics shows that the total number of hours flown in Australian GA in 2006 was up 4.7% on the previous year. Charter and flying training accounted for over half the hours flown, at 28% and 24.1% respectively, while private and business flying together represented 22.5%.
Production hike
Reims Aviation Industries is planning to use the increased capital available from a stock exchange listing to finance production increases. The French company is in the process of registering documents with the French financial market authority AMF for a listing on the Alternext exchange, which is part of France's Euronext stock exchange. The company says it plans to increase production capacity for its multimission F406 twin-turboprop to take advantage of a market it estimates at 200 aircraft worldwide over the next 10 years.
Source: Flight International
