JUDI NORTHEY was promoted to the newly created position of vice president of human resources for Cirrus Design Corp. Northey joined Cirrus in May 1996, directing planning, development and organization of the company's recruitment and employment and a host of other human resources activities. She formerly spent 11 years at Polinsky Medical Rehabilitation Center as director of human resources.
PACIFIC AEROSPACE&ELECTRONICS won a contract from Honeywell to provide navigational electronic packaging modules with initial orders for 8,800 devices. Pacific Aerospace&Electronics, Wenatchee, Wash., will make precision electronic ring laser gyro modules for systems using the GPS satellite constellation.
The entire fleet of Hawker business jets must undergo inspections and repairs of the main landing gear - within 10 flights for older aircraft - under the provisions of a Mandatory Service Bulletin (MSB) issued Wednesday by Raytheon Aircraft.
JEFFERSON COUNTY AIRPORT (BJC), the Denver, Colo. reliever, will close its primary runway, 29R/11L for construction Sept. 11-16 and again from Oct. 26-Nov. 5. Both closures are weather-dependent. During the closures, pilots are asked to use the airport's secondary runway, 29L/11R, which is 75 feet wide and 7,004 feet long. A displaced threshold of up to 600 feet may be in effect. Runway 2-20 also will be closed for certain periods, as will some taxiways.
Gulfstream Aerospace, which has a $3 billion backlog of business jet orders, is eliminating the jobs of approximately 10 percent of its management and administrative work force. Most of the cuts will occur at Gulfstream headquarters in Savannah, Ga. The manufacturer, a unit of General Dynamics, has approximately 2,000 management, administrative and support personnel, and about 200, or a few more, of those positions will be eliminated.
Federal Aviation Administration withdrew six proposed airworthiness directives (ADs) stipulating certain operational procedures in icing conditions after manufacturers of affected aircraft demonstrated that the ADs were unnecessary. The proposals, issued late last year, called for revision of the Airplane Flight Manual to add requirements for activation of the airframe pneumatic deicing boots at the first sign of ice accumulation on the airplane. FAA's Small Airplane Directorate called for that requirement in 21 separate proposals, of which 14 have become ADs.
Beech Models A36, B36TC, and 58 airplanes (Docket No. 2000-CE-06-AD) - proposes to require inspection for misrouted rudder control cables; replacement of any worn or damaged guard pins; replacement of any pulley brackets that are damaged or worn; and replacement of any misrouted rudder control cables. Three reports of misrouted cables prompted the proposed action. The actions specified by this proposed AD are intended to correct the misrouted rudder control cable and consequent guard pin wear or fraying of the cables with loss of rudder control.
ADVANCED AERODYNAMICS&STRUCTURES INC. said its Jetcruzer 500 single-engine pusherprop passed company testing for 120-degree Fahrenheit hot field, starts and takeoffs. The aircraft, equipped with a new engine cooling system, underwent testing at Thermal Airport in the Mojave Desert. "The flight test data concluded that the Jetcruzer, with its state-of-the-art oil cooling system, could be operated in the desert and other extremely hot areas," said AASI Aircraft Chairman Carl Chen.
Models PC-12 and PC-12/45 airplanes (Docket No. 2000-CE-03-AD) - proposes to require accomplishment of the following on the torque oil-pressure tubes and py pressure pipe: a one-time inspection for abrasion damage, distortion, and proper clearance; and if necessary, adjustment and replacement of these components. The proposed AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Switzerland.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION has decided against presenting its Award for Meritorious Service this year after its intended recipient, Edward Stimpson, U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization, declined to accept at the request of the State Department. The State Department deemed the award inappropriate for Stimpson since he represents the aviation community at ICAO.
JOHN CONNOLE was appointed account executive for Sage Parts Plus. Connole will be based at Sage's GSE parts distribution facility at Dulles International Airport. Before joining Sage, he was a regional sales manager for Spies Hecker, a manufacturer of automotive paint.
Model 430 helicopters (Docket No. 99-SW-42-AD; Amdt. 39-11858; AD 2000-16-04) - supersedes an existing AD that requires inspecting all four main rotor adapter assemblies for evidence of flapping and lead-lag contact. That AD also requires installing a never-exceed-velocity (VNE) placard with markings on the airspeed indicator glass and instrument case and revising the rotorcraft flight manual (RFM) to reflect the airspeed revision.
Model A109A and A109A II helicopters (Docket No. 2000-SW-05-AD; Amdt. 39-11853; AD 2000-15-20) - requires radiographic inspections of the internal surface of each main rotor blade spar for corrosion. This AD is prompted by the discovery of corrosion on the internal surfaces of the spar in the area adjacent to the main rotor blade inertia balance weights. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent failure of a main rotor blade due to corrosion on the internal surface of the spar and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association last week expressed encouragement at FAA's declaration of the Wide Area Augmentation System's (WAAS) availability for visual flight rules and non-aviation use, but said the agency needs to press ahead with a "realistic" certification schedule for the program. FAA announced Aug. 24 that WAAS successfully completed a 21-day stability test, reconfirmed signal accuracy to one to two meters horizontally and two to three meters vertically, and availability nearly full time, except for downtime required for tests or upgrades (BA, Aug.
Textron Lycoming plans to issue an owners advisory for Piper Malibu Mirage aircraft powered by Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A engines calling for certain preventative maintenance measures until the connecting rod bearings are replaced. The advisory, an immediate action that Lycoming expects will be followed by a service bulletin and possibly an airworthiness directive, instructs owners to conduct more frequent oil changes - at 10 hours instead of 50 hours - to check for signs of bearing material.
THE U.S. AIR FORCE halted flights of the Raytheon-built T-6 Texan trainer last week after one of the new trainers crashed Aug. 31 near San Antonio, Texas. The two pilots, a major and a lieutenant colonel, ejected safely but sustained minor injuries. They had been on an aircraft familiarization flight and were conducting instrument procedures at the time of the accident, the Air Force said. "As a result of this...accident...the T-6 Texan II will be stood down for an indeterminate period of time, during the accident investigation," the service said.
Model DHC-8-102, -103, and -301 series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-359-AD) - proposes to supersede an AD that currently requires a one-time inspection for wear and breakage of wire segments of the individual lighting units of the ceiling and sidewall lights, and replacement of any damaged wiring. The existing AD also requires installation of teflon spiral wrap on the wiring of the ceiling and sidewall lights.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION plans to create a General Aviation Center of Excellence to study airport technology, propulsion and structures, aging aircraft, training and flight and fire safety. By teaming with a university in a 50-50 cost share for the 10-year program, FAA hopes to award at least $300,000 a year to the winner of a single-source contract.
DALLAS FINCH was named aerospace coatings facility and technical director for Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings. Finch will oversee daily operations of Sherwin-Williams's new aerospace service and training facility. He joined the company in 1975 as a sales representative in Florida and most recently was vice president and director of the Industrial and Marine Coatings business.
Model BAe.125, Hawker 800 (U-125A), and Hawker 800XP series airplanes (Docket No. 2000-NM-212-AD) - proposes to require removal of existing clamps, bedding tapes, and rubber connecting sleeves at the ends of the turbine air discharge duct and the water separator, and replacement of the clamps and rubber connecting sleeves with new, improved components.
Jetstream Series 200, and Jetstream Models 3101 and 3201 airplanes (Docket No. 2000-CE-12-AD) - proposes to require an inspection of the rudder quadrant support structure for cracks and correct D-washer installation and replacement of any cracked component and incorrectly installed D-washers. The proposed AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for the United Kingdom.
AASI AIRCRAFT is sharing its autoclave with its neighbor Gulfstream Aerospace at Long Beach, Calif. Airport. Gulfstream, which has a service center at the airport, used the autoclave to cure airplane components. AASI installed a controller and processor to run the autoclave in May. The company plans to use the autoclave for fuselages of its Jetcruzer single turboprop and Stratocruzer twin jet.
THOMAS J. COOLING was named chief pilot for Flight Services Group. Cooling will be based at FSG's Stratford, Conn. headquarters and be responsible for day-to-day operations and overall pilot supervision, including training and flight assignments. He has 24 years of experience as a professional pilot with more than 10,500 total flight hours. He most recently served as director of safety and standards for FSG.
Beech Models A36 and B36TC airplanes (Docket No. 2000-CE-15-AD) - proposes to require inspecting for the installation of firewall sealant and installing firewall sealant if not present. The proposed AD is the result of a report that firewall sealant was not found during a routine production inspection. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to correct the absence of sealant and prevent the consequent entry of smoke or fire into the flight compartment or cabin in the event of an engine compartment fire.
CORPORATE ANGEL NETWORK recognized PepsiCo, Inc. for providing more than 100 flights to cancer patients traveling to or from medical facilities for treatment. PepsiCo is one of 14 companies to reach the 100-flight mark for the Corporate Angel Network. Corporate Angel Network has coordinated more than 12,500 flights for cancer patients since 1981 and has more than 500 companies participating.
