Aviation International News
April 2015
PUBLICATIONS Vol. 47 No.4 $9.00
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Guidelines for OSA screening provide options for pilots, docs by Kerry Lynch and Matt Thurber
Sikorsky is not performing as well as other companies on UTC’s balance sheet, prompting the parent to consider all options for the helicopter maker.
UTC considers disposing of Sikorsky by Thierry Dubois UTC is considering selling or (more appealing from a tax perspective) spinning off Sikorsky. The helicopter manufacturer’s growth is too slow and its margin too small when compared with those of other businesses in the group, according to UTC president and CEO Gregory Hayes. In a presentation on March 12, Sikorsky appears to be behind, with a margin slightly greater than 10 percent for last year and projected growth of about 3 percent through 2023. “This is not just quite the kind of business we want in terms of margin potential and long-term growth,” Hayes said. With $7.5 billion of revenue last year, Sikorsky is also the smallest of UTC’s five businesses–the other four being aircraft engines (Pratt & Whitney), aerospace systems (UTAS), air conditioning (Carrier) and elevators (Otis). Moreover, the company’s heavy dependence on military sales creates a level of
uncertainty. “Looking to the future, we are evaluating whether Sikorsky’s unique business as a rotorcraft OEM with a predominantly military customer base is best positioned as a standalone company, and whether a separation would allow United Technologies to better focus on providing high-technology systems and services to the aerospace and building industries,” Hayes said the day before. He classified Sikorsky as a “platform integrator,” and
the company’s other businesses as system providers. He noted that an independent Sikorsky would still be a Fortune 500 company. However, Forecast International analysts believe that the long-term business potential for the Stratford, Conn.-based helicopter builder is bright. “Despite an anticipated downturn in the military helicopter market, Sikorsky’s long-term Continues on page 47 u
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Airports
Rotorcraft
Regulations
Aircraft
Pressure mounts on noise
Heli-Expo report
Hangar-use policy
Hawker 4000 resurrected?
As the FAA embarks on a long-promised study of helicopter noise in the Los Angeles Basin, on the East Coast it is addressing noise complaints resulting from new mandatory routes. page 4
The event generally yields some $2 billion in sales, according to organizers, and they were not disappointed this year, as the industry’s major players logged plenty of sales last month. page 66
The FAA is sifting through some 2,500 comments on its NPRM governing non-aeronautical use of hangars, and expects to issue a final rule on the subject later this year. page 14
A winglet-equipped Hawker 4000 has been undergoing flight tests at Beech Factory Airport, raising questions about whether Textron has plans for a new aircraft. page 18
The FAA issued new medical guidelines on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to its aviation medical examiners on March 2. Revising earlier plans to require OSA screening for all pilots with a body mass index of 40 or greater before issuance of a medical certificate, the new guidelines instead factor in an integrated assessment of history, symptoms and physical/clinical findings. When announced in January, the new guidelines were lauded by aviation organizations as a practical approach that addressed their concerns without compromising safety. NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said the guidance “combines common sense with clinical discipline.” The guidelines require the aviation medical examiners (AME) to “triage the applicant into one of six groups”: (1) already issued a special issuance for OSA; (2) pilot has been diagnosed Continues on page 40 u