TULSA, Okla., 13 April 2012. Paragon Aviation Group, a network of independent general aviation fixed-based operators (FBOs) based in Houston, is adding Legacy Jet Center at Tulsa International Airport in Tulsa, Okla., to its group of individual and small chains of independent FBOs.

WASHINGTON, 4 April 2012. Paul Ryan won the 2012 Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) Lifetime Achievement Award during the opening of the 55th annual AEA international convention and trade show in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, 4 April 2012. Avionics Intelligence editor Courtney E. Howard is on the AEA convention and trade show floor this week, delivering all the latest avionics news from the general aviation event in Washington. Visit Avionics-Intelligence.com daily to keep pace with the fast-moving avionics community and all the latest technologies.

More avionics association news can be found in the Associations topic center at http://www.avionics-intelligence.com/avionics-executive/associations.html

WASHINGTON, 4 April 2012. The 55th annual Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) international convention and trade show is taking place this week in Washington, D.C., with roughly 1,500 avionics manufacturers, dealers, installers, and other general aviation professionals in attendance.

MUNICH, 22 March 2012. TE Connectivity introduces The Future Unleashed Demo Box, which offers high-reliability connectivity solutions for integrated wire cable and advanced connector applications during Avionics Europe 2012 in Booth B14.

SAN JOSE, 19 March 2012. LynuxWorks Inc., a provider of embedded software, has joined the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) Consortium, an industry-government collaboration managed by The Open Group and intended to provide a common airborne computing environment for multiple branches of the U.S. military.

GUNSKIRCHEN, Austria, 16 March 2012. BRP launches its new Rotax 912 iS engine, an evolution of the Rotax 912 engine designed to deliver 38 to 70 percent better fuel efficiency than comparable engines in the light sport aircraft (LAS), ultra-light aircraft, and general aviation industry. 

ARLINGTON, Va., 15 March 2012. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released a request for public comment on the selection process for six unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) test sites. Comments are due by 9 May. Before the FAA issues a request for proposals to select the test sites, the FAA first needs help developing the test site requirements, designation standards, and oversight activities, according to the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI).

WASHINGTON, 14 March 2012. Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for leading U.S. airlines, commends Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood for his efforts to overturn the application of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) to U.S. airlines and aircraft operators.

SEVILLE, Spain, 13 March 2012. The International Aerospace Environmental Group (IAEG), formed in June 2011 with 11 founding members, will be joined during its first annual meeting by nine additional aerospace companies that have applied for membership.

DALLAS, 13 Feb. 2012. The mood at Helicopter Association International’s (HAI’s) Heli-Expo 2012 in Dallas is positive, with all signs and reports pointing to growth. HAI executives revealed that they broke previous attendance records, logging more than 18,000 registered attendees. The record-breaking attendance was achieved one full day before the show is scheduled to close, in the afternoon of 14 Feb.

WASHINGTON, 7 Feb. 2012. The heads of several associations in the avionics community are coming forward to commend the U.S. Congress for approving the FAA Modernization and Reform Act 2012. The bill awaits President Obama’s signature. The legislation would provide funding through 2015—a stark departure from the past several years, in which the House and Senate approved only short-term extensions (23 of them, in fact) to the 2004 funding levels.

Airlines for America (A4A), an industry trade organization for leading U.S. airlines, commends Congress for passing the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. A4A officials call the bill comprehensive and expect it “will help make air travel even more safe and efficient for passengers and shippers, while avoiding further tax increases for customers and airlines.”

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) applauds the U.S. Senate for passing the FAA Modernization and Reform Act 2012. The bill awaits President Obama’s signature before it becomes law. Once enacted, it starts the clock on a number of deadlines the FAA must meet to safely integrate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the national airspace system; chief among them is a deadline for full integration by 30 Sept. 2015, says an AUVSI spokesperson.

Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) officials are pleased that the U.S. Congress has agreed on a four-year authorization for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), running through fiscal year 2015. "This legislation is critical to all United States Aviation, and we are proud that much of the language specific to air medical operations originated from AAMS,” says Timothy Pickering, JD, CMTE, and current AAMS president. "We have worked tirelessly since 2006 to ensure that this language get incorporated into the final package to address significant issues that face our industry." 

Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) President and CEO Marion C. Blakey has issued a statement concerning the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, a bill that awaits President Obama’s signature. “It is critical to FAA operations and offers stability and predictability to the aviation industry instead of the uncertainty fueled by one short-term extension after another,” Blakely says.

BALTIMORE, 11 Nov. 2011. TEK Microsystems Inc. in Chelmsford, Mass., is introducing the Calypso-V6 12-bit digitizer 6U VME or VXS embedded computing board with high-density field-programmable gate array (FPGA) processing for defense, intelligence, and industrial applications such as command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR), signals intelligence, electronic warfare, and radar. Tekmicro made the announcement this week at the AFCEA MILCOM conference and trade show in Baltimore, which highlights technologies in military communications and embedded computing.

BILLERICA, Mass., 6 Nov. 2011. CSP Inc. (NASDAQ:CSPI) MultiComputer Division in Billerica, Mass., is introducing the FastCluster 3000 series OpenVPX rugged embedded computer cluster for digital signal processing applications in radar, sonar, and surveillance. The FastCluster 3000 uses the Mellanox SwitchX Virtual Protocol Interconnect (VPI) to enable InfiniBand, Ethernet, and Fibre Channel data traffic to exist on a one-wire fabric, company officials say. The switched fabric also uses the VITA 66 optical interconnect for VPX standard to improve performance and lighten weight, compared with previous copper wire networking and databus solutions.

LAS VEGAS, 12 Oct. 2011. Airline Transport Professionals (ATP) signed an agreement with Piper Aircraft Inc. for up to 30 Piper Seminoles, valued at $18 million. Piper and ATP jointly announced the transaction at the 2011 National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Annual Meeting and Convention. ATP, specializing in airline pilot training and pilot career development, will initially purchase a fleet of 10 Piper Seminole multi-engine, piston-powered advanced training aircraft for delivery in 2012.