NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATION increased to more than 2,200 the number of FAA employees that the union has organized this year. The latest group to join NATCA included 532 members of FAA's aircraft certification division. NATCA said 75 percent of the division voted for union representation. Certification employees work in FAA regional offices and include engineers, test pilots, administrative officers and technical support. Also, NATCA added 825 new bargaining members representing airports division and occupational health services personnel.
FAA WARNS THAT BONANZAS, BARONS MAY BE MISSING RIVETS - Hundreds of Beech/Raytheon Bonanza and Baron aircraft may be missing rivets in the fuselage, FAA warned last week, as it proposed an airworthiness directive to address the problem.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION President Jack Olcott was elected to the Aviation Hall of Fame&Museum of New Jersey in recognition of his contributions as an aviator, publisher and president of NBAA. The New Jersey Hall of Fame will host a formal induction dinner in May.
AEROSPACE held grand opening ceremonies last week to celebrate a new $3 million completions and service hangar at its Brunswick, Ga. facility. The new 24,000-foot hangar increases available space by one-third. The Brunswick facility, which has 215 employees, does completions on Gulfstream business jets destined for the Gulfstream Shares fractional ownership program operated by the manufacturer and Executive Jet.
The U.S. government should work toward a new international standard that recognizes Stage 4 or quieter engine technology but should resist calls for an immediate phaseout of the current Stage 3 and Stage 2 requirements, General Aviation Manufacturers Association President Ed Bolen said last week.
CONKLIN&DE DECKER will release a State Tax Guide for General Aviation detailing sales and use taxes as they apply to aircraft sales, ownership, leases, parts and labor in the 50 states. The guide also provides information on common exemptions from state taxes and discusses other charges such as registration fees, personal property taxes, jet fuel and aviation gasoline taxes. The tax guide will be available in October for $395. Conklin&de Decker also will provide reports for individual states for $49.95 for the first state and $24.95 for each additional state.
Raytheon Aircraft officials, who have seen the certification schedule for the company's Premier I business jet become a moving target over the past two years, have been forced to slip the expected certification date again as a result of changes required to ensure the aircraft recovers quickly from wind gusts at altitude. Officials hasten to add, however, that they believe FAA certification for the Premier will be finally completed before yearend, permitting customer deliveries to commence.
Bill Garvey, a veteran aviation journalist with more than 30 years of experience, will take over as editor-in-chief of Business&Commercial Aviation magazine Oct. 2. He replaces Perry Bradley, who accepted another position earlier this year (BA, July 17/29). Dick Aarons, who has been serving as interim editor of the magazine, will return his focus to aircraft safety and operational issues as editor-at-large of B/CA.
BURBANK-GLENDALE-PASADENA AIRPORT AUTHORITY is soliciting statements of qualifications until Oct. 16 from firms to study and provide environmental assessments of proposed projects at Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport. The studies, intended to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act and the National Environmental Protection Act, may include environmental assessments, negative declarations, environmental impact reports and environmental impact statements.
Federal Aviation Administration last week proposed to upgrade the flammability standard for thermal/acoustic insulation materials and require new flammability test methods for Part 25 aircraft. The notice of proposed rulemaking, published in the Sept. 20 Federal Register, would require that insulation materials meet the upgraded flammability standards as they are installed on new aircraft or replaced on existing aircraft. FAA provides a two-year compliance deadline after issuance of a final rule.
The first seven members of the FAA's new Management Advisory Council were sworn in Sept. 18, with only one general aviation representative in the group. Those sworn in were: Ed Bolen, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association; J. Randolph Babbitt, former president of the Air Line Pilots Association; Robert W. Baker, president and CEO of American Airlines; Geoffrey T. Crowley, president and CEO of Air Wisconsin; Robert A. Davis, former Boeing vice president; Deborah Branson, a private attorney; and Kendall W. Wilson, a financial analyst.
HARTZELL PROPELLER received a supplemental type certificate for its two-bladed, 80-inch-diameter propeller on Cessna 170A and 170B aircraft converted to Lycoming O-360 engines. The STC kit includes the propeller, a harmonic damper, polished spinner and STC documents. The conversion kit has a six-year, 2,400-hour time between overhaul and the Hartzell Plus Three warranty, covering parts and service for three years or 1,000 hours. Hartzell is offering the kit for $7,595 and a "sub kit" including the damper, polished spinner and STC documents for $2,495.
MEMPHIS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (MEM) opened a new 11,100-foot runway Friday. Of the total 11,100-foot length, 8,400 feet represents a complete rebuilding of the previous Runway 18C-36C, with an additional 2,700 feet to accommodate fully loaded, widebody aircraft. The $110 million project includes taxiways, a bridge for airplanes over Winchester Road and a lowering of Shelby Road. Airport officials are calling the new two-mile-long landing pavement the "World Runway."
SA226-T, SA226-T(B), SA226-AT, and SA226-TC airplanes (Docket No. 99-CE-04-AD) -- withdraws a NPRM that would have required replacement of the existing brake master cylinders with improved brake master cylinders. The proposed AD stemmed from an accident involving a Model SA226-TC airplane in which it was believed that the master cylinder did not allow the brake hydraulic pressure to totally release at the beginning of the takeoff roll. The result of this incident was dragging brakes and overheating left-hand main wheel brakes with a fire in the wheel well area.
Model BO 105 LS A-3 helicopters (Docket No. 99-SW-68-AD; Amendment 39-11899; AD 2000-18-13) - supersedes an existing AD that currently requires, before further flight, creating a component log card or equivalent record and determining the calendar age and number of flights on each tension-torsion (TT) strap, and inspecting and removing, as necessary, certain unairworthy TT straps. This amendment establishes a life limit for certain main rotor TT straps.
John Martin, president of BFGoodrich Aerospace's Aviation Services Division, resigned to become president and chief executive of Aviation Management Systems, Inc., (AMS), an aircraft overhauler based in Phoenix, Ariz. Jim Russell, vice president and general manager of BFG's components business unit, was named acting president of the Aviation Services Division, reporting to Bud Wexler, president of Aerostructures and Aviation Services Group.
DESPITE COMPLAINTS from air carriers and repair stations, FAA is amending reporting requirements concerning failures, malfunctions and defects reported on Service Difficulty Reports (SDRs). The agency heard from a number of operators who questioned the value of SDRs and complained that the new procedures will be more complicated and time consuming to deal with. FAA set a Jan. 16 effective date for the new procedures, but said it will accept another round of comments if submitted before Nov. 14.
JOHN MARK GARRETT was appointed branch manager for Sage Parts Plus. Garrett, who formerly was director of aftermarket sales for the TUG manufacturing division of Stewart&Stevenson, will manage Sage's distribution facility at Dulles International Airport.
JOHN BARBERA was named branch manager for Sage Parts Plus. Barbera will be responsible for Sage's distribution facility at Los Angeles International Airport. He formerly managed aircraft ground support equipment replacement part procurement for Continental Airlines.
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION released a fact book - Aviation Business and the Services They Provide - which provides information and statistics about on-demand air charter, ground services, flight training and technical services. The publication also discusses the economic impact of general aviation and pressing airport issues and lists government agencies of note to the aviation service businesses. To obtain a copy of the free publication, call NATA at (800) 808-6282.
EMBRAER EMB-145 AND EMB-135 airplanes are the subject of two emergency airworthiness directives issued last week because of concern about potential fuel leaks that could cause fires. FAA ordered one-time inspections of the coupling hinge and locking fastener of the Gamah couplings of the fuel system tubing located in the wing dry bay to detect discrepancies. The inspections are necessary to prevent rivet failures in the couplings that could lead to fuel leakage and consequent fire in or around the wing.
Federal Aviation Administration, which this month issued an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) potentially covering 3,000 Textron Lycoming-powered piston aircraft, drew a round of objections from operator groups who fear the AD will effectively ground the affected aircraft until parts become available. The AD, issued Sept. 5, calls for inspections and replacement of faulty oil filter converter plate gaskets on a variety of Lycoming engine models -- O-320, (L)O-360, IO-360, TIO-360, (L)HIO-360, O-430, IO-440, (L)TIO-540, AEIO-540, TIO-541, TIGO-541 and IO-720.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT SERVICES received Honeywell approval to perform line maintenance services for TFE731 series engines and auxiliary power units at five more of its Hawker Service Centers. With the most recent approval, Raytheon Aircraft Services has eight facilities designated as authorized service centers for Honeywell.
