LORI KRANS was appointed director of marketing, plans and proposals for Sextant In-Flight Systems. Krans has 18 years of marketing experience with Sony Corporation of America, most recently as senior marketing manager at Sony Trans Com.
UNIVERSAL AVIONICS SYSTEM CORPORATION won authorization under FAA Technical Standard Order C151a for its Class A terrain awareness and warning system. The TAWS unit provides terrain situational awareness for current and predicted airplane position. The look-ahead capability can be displayed from a map, profile or three-dimensional perspective. The TAWS provides visual and aural warnings with terrain conflict graphics.
FAIRCHILD DORNIER is installing the production equipment to build the 728JET fuselage in a modernized 65,000-square-foot hangar at its Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany plant. A key element in the production process will be a gantry riveting machine manufactured by the German firm, Brotje, which is designed to automate the manufacturing of large fuselage components. The numerically-controlled robot will join skin panel sub-assemblies into upper and lower half shells, which will form the passenger cabin during final assembly.
THE WHITE HOUSE last week nominated David Plavin, president of the Airports Council International - North America, to serve on the Federal Aviation Management Advisory Council. Plavin is the ninth member to be nominated to serve on the MAC, but is the first directly from the airports community. As president of ACI-NA, he represents 150 governing bodies that own and operate more than 400 airports worldwide. Plavin also was a former director of aviation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
WORLDWIDE unit shipments of business, personal and regional aircraft are on pace to double in less than four years. Worldwide manufacturers reported deliveries of 1,482 aircraft in the first six months of 2000 - just 71 units shy of what manufacturers reported for all of 1996. Dollars wise, U.S. general aviation manufacturers posted then record billings of $3.1 billion in all of 1996. Through the first six months of this year, the U.S. GA market shipped $4.2 billion in new aircraft. See article on Page 48 and chart on Pages 51 and 52.
FAA is seeking nine people to serve on an Aircraft Repair and Maintenance Advisory Committee the agency is establishing. As specified in the AIR-21 FAA reauthorization legislation passed earlier this year (BA, April 10/163), FAA is seeking: three representatives of labor organizations representing aviation mechanics; and one individual each representing: air cargo carriers; passenger air carriers; aircraft repair facilities; aircraft manufacturers; on-demand passenger air carriers/corporate aircraft operations; and regional passenger air carriers.
Eclipse Aviation Corp. announced an eight percent price increase for its Eclipse 500 and presented slightly lower performance parameters for the five/six-place aircraft, but officials say they will deliver a twin-turbofan light jet for a still "compelling" price of well under $1 million.
BOB NEAL was named outside sales representative for Professional Aviation Associates. Neal, who will represent the South Central U.S., formerly served with Austin Avionics and Aurora Avionics.
TOM CHASTAIN, president of Professional Aviation Associates, added the responsibilities of president of Banner Aerospace Aircraft Services (BAAS). BAAS, based in Georgetown, Texas, is an FAA repair station that provides inspection, repair and support for Beech King Air, Cessna Citation, Fairchild Merlin and Metro and Aero Commander aircraft.
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON said its KingCobra (AH-1Z) was selected by the government of Turkey to fulfill its attack helicopter requirements. Bell now will enter into negotiations on the specifics of the program and applicable agreements. The initial requirement calls for 50 aircraft at a cost of approximately $1.5 billion, with a possible build-up to 145 aircraft. Bell Helicopter Textron will be the primary sub-contractor on the program, with Tusas Aerospace Industries, Inc. of Ankara acting as prime contractor.
Models PA-31, PA-31-300, PA-31-325, PA-31-350, PA-31P, PA-31T, PA-31T1, PA-31T2, PA-31T3, and PA-31P-350 airplanes (Docket No. 99-CE-29-AD) - proposes to supersede three existing ADs that currently require repetitive inspections and/or modifications of the elevator structure. The proposed AD would: initially retain the inspection and modification requirements that are currently required; add certain other airplane models to the AD applicability; and require a modification at a certain time, as terminating action for the currently required repetitive inspections.
HONEYWELL won a contract valued at $25 million from Aviation Industries of China to retrofit its fleet of Y-8 cargo planes with the Primus Epic Control Display System/Retrofit. Under the contract, Honeywell will install the system on five airplanes a year over a 10-year period. Honeywell expects to install the first Primus Epic CDS/R system on the Y-8 by November 2000 with Chinese certification in 2001.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT broke ground in Wichita July 21 on a new Citation Parts Distribution (CPD) facility, an 80,000-square-foot building scheduled to open in the fall of 2001 that will more than double the existing CPD's size. Cessna's parts distribution system for the Citation business jet line "is a significant contributor to Cessna's success, as it enhances our ability to sell new Citations and, with the growth of the Citation fleet to over 3,100 aircraft, continued support of our products is a high priority," said Ron Chapman, Sr., vice president of customer service.
ROYAL DANISH AIR FORCE signed a contract for two additional Challenger 604 business jets from Bombardier Aerospace. The new aircraft, like the first 604 delivered to the RDAF in November, will be used for supporting maritime surveillance missions, search and rescue operations and providing long-range VIP transportation and medical evacuation. All three aircraft will be based at Vaerloese, north of Copenhagen.
THE PILOT of an AirNet Systems, Inc. check-carrying flight was killed July 17 after an electrical fire broke out in his Beech Baron 58. The pilot departed the Memphis, Tenn. International Airport (MEM) operating as Star Check Flight 484 and had just been cleared to 6,000 feet when he told the controller he was going to turn off the aircraft's master switch because he had an electrical fire. The controller advised the pilot of an airport about 12 miles from the Baron's position.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT announced an order for 50 Citations for CitationShares, the Cessna/TAG Aviation joint venture fractional ownership program (BA, July 17/23). The order calls for delivery of six CJ1s and six Citation Bravos in 2001, and delivery of 24 aircraft in 2002, with the model mix in the out years to be determined by what CitationShares customers are buying.
CIRRUS DESIGN is conducting flight tests of the SR22 prototype, which will have a bigger engine than the SR20, improved performance and be all-electric, i.e., have no vacuum systems.
ROCKWELL COLLINS formed a strategic alliance with Hamilton Sundstrand to offer "global service solutions" for avionics, instrumentation and utility systems. Collins produces avionics and in-flight entertainment systems and provides technical services, maintenance and repair of electronics and Hamilton Sundstrand provides aircraft utility systems and services.
NEW PIPER AIRCRAFT expects to win certification for its new turbine product, the single-turboprop Meridian, "right on time" within the next few weeks and is hoping to host a formal delivery celebration Aug. 30. Larry Bardon, director of marketing and sales for Piper, said the company has orders for 140 Meridians with the first two and one-half years of production sold out.
JUAN LEON joined Dassault Falcon Jet as director of sales for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Leon previously spent eight years with Gulfstream Aerospace as a senior marketing programs manager and regional sales vice president for Latin America. He previously held roles with KPMG Peat Marwick, Arthur D. Little, SimuFlite Training International, Hangar One, Beech Aircraft Corp. and Opa Locka Flight Center.
Brazilian manufacturer Embraer, with three decades of experience manufacturing regional turboprops and jets, military aircraft and some small general aviation models, announced its entry into the corporate aviation market with introduction of the Legacy, a $19 million version of the ERJ 135 regional airliner.
On-demand and regional operators, who say they are at the "bottom of the food chain" for pilot careers, admit that pilot turnover is a continual challenge and are urging government help - either regulatory or financial - to increase the available pool of student pilots. Linda Barker, vice president of Sioux Falls, S.D.
AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS of the FOARC proposal has been under way by Washington-based consulting firm Phaneuf Associates for several months. While that process is taking longer than originally anticipated - FOARC had initially hoped to deliver that analysis to FAA in early June (BA, Feb. 28/98) - the project is expected to be finished "very, very soon," most likely in August.
SEXTANT IN-FLIGHT SYSTEMS will now be known as Thomson-CSF Sextant In-Flight Systems. The company is part of a newly formed business division called the Thomson-CSF Aerospace Business Group, joining Sextant (avionics) and Auxilec (electrical generation).
