Millville, N.J. engine maintenance company Airwork has taken a decidedly independent tack since being swept up in General Electric's acquisition of Greenwich Air Services and UNC (March, page 55). While a GE spokesperson declined to comment, sources indicate Airwork, which services Allison, Pratt&Whitney Canada and Rolls-Royce engines, as well as AlliedSignal APUs, is for sale. In addition to outside interest, Airwork's management team apparently is bidding to purchase the unit from GE.
FAA plans to form teams of specialists to examine issues of pilot decision making, loss of control, weather, controlled flight into terrain, crash survivability and runway incursions in an effort to reduce general aviation accidents. Under the new initiative, called "Safer Skies," the FAA said it will work to reduce the number of accidents by 80 percent over the next 10 years. The agency also reiterated its plan to require Enhanced GPWS in all turbine aircraft with more than six passenger seats. (February, page 17).
Russell Purchase, 85, instructor in the Air Transport Command in the 1940s and a pioneering corporate pilot after the end of World War II, died March 20 in Saginaw, Mich. Having earned his private pilot's license in 1936, he went on to start a flight-training program for the Civilian Pilot Training Service in his home community. Purchase was hired as a pilot for Dow Chemical in Houston in 1955, then was transferred back to Saginaw to manage the aviation division for Dow. In 1962, he formed his own charter business, Air-Flite, Inc.
-- November 9: Oxygen masks-Pressurized aircraft that operate above 25,000 feet msl and receive new TCs issued by the JAA after this date must have automatically deploying oxygen masks for each cockpit crewmember. -- December 22: Fuel storage tanks-Underground fuel storage tanks installed before December 31, 1988 must be modified or replaced to ensure corrosion, overfill and spill prevention.
Photograph: The Boeing MD 902 Explorer light twin was not included in the Bell deal and Boeing has said that it will shop for another buyer. The rebound in the helicopter market of the last few years firmly established itself as a trend this year, and the tea leaves promise good things at least through the end of the millennium. Driving the upbeat forecast are two primary factors: a robust global economy, and new helicopters that offer both improved performance and better operating economics.
-- Flight Services Group (Stratford, Conn.)-This aviation services provider made the following additions to its staff after purchasing six new aircraft for its charter/management fleet: in West Palm Beach, Fla., pilots Andrew T. Pratz and Ara Yanikian; in Cleveland, pilots Paul Fiorino, Michael Hoyle and Raymond Proud, and technician Robert Johnson; and in Norwich, N.Y., pilots Duane F. Boyd, Kevin O'Connor and Thomas R. Sovie.
McGraw-Hill's The Aviation Fact Book begins where the publishing company's Aviation&Aerospace Almanac and World Aviation Directory leave off. Its 300 pages of data include specifications of military, commercial and private aircraft, manufacturer's product lines and sales histories, aviation online sites, accident and operational statistics, historic events and more. Price: $24.95. McGraw-Hill, 11 W. 19th St., New York, N.Y. 10011. Phone: (212) 337-5951.
Despite on-the-job stress, air traffic controllers do not suffer from high blood pressure any more frequently than those who work at less taxing jobs, concluded a University of Milan study published in the American Journal of Hypertension. Previous studies have come up with different results, ranging from high blood pressure to no link. But some experts fault those studies because they allegedly didn't take continuous readings while controllers were working.
Boeing says the BBJ's estimated BOW has dropped to 93,000 pounds, a 1,000-pound reduction from original projections. But don't look for many design changes between now and November, when Boeing hopes to obtain FAA certification. This tight certification schedule doesn't leave room for development of additional features. Aerodynamic modifications and performance enhancements are likely to be post-certification programs. One mod still being considered is the addition of winglets (January, page 28).
An inability to match high quality with a competitive price prompted Toyota to discontinue further development of an aircraft version of the V-8 engine that powers Toyota's luxury car, the Lexus, according to a company official. The 360-hp, twin-turbocharged, water-cooled powerplant received FAA approval in February 1996. Hamilton Standard supplied a FADEC and a four-blade, composite propeller.
Illustration: Diagram: Fairchild Dornier 728JET Fairchild Dornier is taking on Bombardier big time in a battle for the European 70-seat market. The German/American manufacturer has accepted "pre-letters of intent" from Crossair of Switzerland and Germany's Lufthansa CityLine for 120 728JET regional transports and its planned 55- and 90-seat derivatives, plus options. The company was withholding comment on the negotiations at B/CA press time and the definition of a pre-letter of intent was not immediately clear.
An active noise control system previously offered on the aftermarket now will be standard on all King Air 350s. The system reduces overall cabin noise to just under 80 dBA, a reduction in some cases of as much as 10 decibels, according to its developers-the U.K.'s Ultra Electronics and Elliott Aviation of Moline, Ill.
An FAR Part 36, Stage 3 hush kit for Gulfstream IIs and IIIs is expected to receive certification in the fall. As previously reported, the $1.5-million (flyaway) kit is being developed by Stage III Technologies and will be marketed and installed by Dallas Airmotive (April 1997, page 14). Dallas Airmotive officials said the hush kit will cause no degradation in takeoff performance and only ``minimum'' change in cruise performance. Stage III and Dallas Airmotive also intend to offer by September 1999 a Stage 3 hush kit for the Rolls-Royce Spey engines on the Fokker 28.
Keene, N.H. officials are reviewing bids from FBOs in response to a request for proposals to expand GA services at Dillant-Hopkins Airport. According to airport manager Ed Mattern, the airport has been without an independent fuel-supplier for about a year, after the city assumed fueling services from an FBO no longer on site. In addition, there is currently only limited corporate aircraft hangar space and maintenance.
Photograph: The Airbus 319 offers interior space and cabin flexibility The emerging aircraft category has been dynamic over the past year as 11 new aircraft took flight, two new business aircraft were unveiled, one aircraft was added to the new-manu- facturers complement, and several models were either rethought or abandoned.
Dallas Airmotive assumed operations of the AlliedSignal authorized TFE731 Engine Major Service Center at the Signature Flight Support Maintenance Facility at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport.
-- Airshow (Tustin, Calif.)-Kerry Farrish was named director of corporate aviation sales for this provider of moving map displays and airborne information services.
NTSB is studying whether the lack of a transponder signal was a factor in the April 4 midair between a Cessna CitationJet and a Cessna Skyhawk. The accident occurred 22 nm north of the Atlanta VOR at about 3,300 feet. Visibility at the time of the accident, 1034 local, was reportedly more than 10 miles. The CitationJet had just taken off from DeKalb-Peachtree Airport on an IFR flight plan and was climbing when the collision occurred. The Skyhawk was VFR.
BridgeNet Consulting Services is leasing a noise monitoring system that includes providing and maintaining the hardware as well as monitoring and analyzing data. The entire system is operated via computer from BridgeNet's Costa Mesa, Calif. base. The company claims that leasing a noise monitoring system is significantly more cost effective than for an airport to purchase equipment and hire and train specialized staff. A BridgeNet leased system is operating at Seattle's SeaTac Airport.
Raytheon Aircraft Services doesn't plan to open its FBO at New Jersey's Atlantic City International Airport until the fall, more than a year beyond the original schedule (July 1996, page 24). Problems over environmental and other issues forced the delay. Meanwhile, Raytheon completed moving its Dallas repair facility from Addison Airport to Love Field, where it has expanded its weekday business hours from 0700 to 2300.
