JET AVIATION is expanding its maintenance capabilities in the Middle East, with emphasis on improving service for Gulfstream business jet operators. Jet Aviation has five Gulfstream-trained A&P mechanics and said Gulfstream has provided a sizable consignment stock of parts to reduce aircraft downtime for aircraft operating in the Middle East. Jet Aviation provides maintenance at facilities in Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Federal Aviation Administration late last month proposed requiring airlines to share safety data with the agency if they chose to set up a Flight Operational Quality Assurance program. FAA said it would use the information to "identify industrywide safety trends" so it and the industry could "more effectively target resources and correct potential safety problems." Participation in FOQA is voluntary, and the programs must have FAA approval.
The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upheld a trial court's decision allowing a rural homeowner to continue operating a private, unlicensed airport from his farm in Shippensburg. The decision is another defeat for local authorities attempting to regulate or stop the operation. Troy Beam, a certified flight instructor, has been flying a Cessna 206 from the 1,750-foot private turf strip at his home for three years despite objections by Hopewell Township and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
WILLIAM BEVERSLUIS was named regional sales manager for Galaxy Aerospace. Beversluis will represent the Astra SPX and Galaxy business jets in the Northeast U.S. He formerly was vice president-aviation director for First Union Corp. and spent 20 years with the AT&T corporate flight department.
EMBRAER expects to have all three of its mid-size regional aircraft - the ERJ-145, ERJ-135 and the new ERJ-140 - flying at this month's Farnborough Air Show. The ERJ-140 made a two-hour successful first flight from Embraer headquarters in Sao Jose dos Compos June 27. The 44-seat aircraft, which has a very high parts commonality with the other models, is expected to be certificated and available for customer deliveries in the first quarter of 2001.
Pursuant to FAA's rulemaking provisions governing the application, processing, and disposition of petitions for exemption (14 CFR Part 11), this notice contains a summary of certain petitions seeking relief from specified requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR Chapter I), dispositions of certain petitions previously received, and corrections. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. has teamed with Bombardier Aerospace in a program to offer the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter as a replacement for the Canadian Forces aging fleet of Sea King helicopters. Under terms of the agreement, Bombardier would be responsible for all aspects pertaining to completion of the S-92s, including interior installations, installation and check-out of the mission equipment, exterior painting and support of final acceptance and delivery.
BARRY JOHNSON was appointed to the newly created position of senior vice president-chief technology officer for Honeywell. Johnson formerly served as corporate vice president of Motorola and chief technology officer for its Semiconductor Product Sector. In his new position, Johnson will director Honeywell's research and technology organization.
RALPH ACETI, a veteran aviation marketer, joined Dassault Falcon Jet, where he will succeed John House as director of communications when House retires later this year (BA, June 12/276).
Raytheon Aircraft received orders valued at $101 million for 40 production T-6A Texan II aircraft and ground-based training system hardware for the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System program. The order boosts the total value of the JPATS contract so far to $639 million, including 108 Texan IIs and one manufacturing development aircraft. The program is expected to continue through 2014 and cover more than 700 aircraft. Deliveries of the latest order are expected to begin in May 2002.
Mercury Air Group signed an agreement with Chevron under which the oil company will supply all 18 of Mercury's fixed-base operations with aviation fuel on an exclusive basis and the two companies will conduct coordinated marketing programs.
THE TREND toward criminalization of aviation accidents continues to raise concerns in Washington. Aviation attorney and former FAA Chief Counsel Kenneth Quinn repeatedly has warned that law enforcement's growing involvement in accident investigations is hindering efforts to learn from those accidents and improve safety. National Transportation Safety Board members - notably Chairman Jim Hall as well as John Goglia - have voiced their own concerns as has Flight Safety Foundation Chairman Stuart Matthews (BA, June 26/298).
NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM has not made a formal announcement, but officials plan to name the new Dulles Center facility in honor of Steven F. Udvar-Hazy. Udvar-Hazy, the founder, president and chief executive officer of International Lease Finance Corp., pledged $60 million last year toward construction of the Dulles Center complex (BA, Oct. 11/165). The total fund raising goal for the Dulles facility - which will house nearly 200 aircraft and 100 spacecraft - is $130 million.
Lockheed Martin's Sanders unit plans to sell its machining center to Precision Grinding and Manufacturing (PGM) of Rochester, N.Y. The two companies signed an agreement June 29 but did not disclose a dollar figure for the transaction. The sale, expected to close by the end of July, was described as a "win-win situation" for both companies, according to a Sanders spokesman. As part of the deal, Sanders will pledge a "significant amount" of business to the company for two years.
FLIGHT OPTIONS launched an "owners only" Web site to permit its fractional share aircraft owners to secure domestic trip scheduling, flight confirmations, trip calculations and related information via the Internet.
THE COAST GUARD appropriation provided Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) another platform to expound his view that corporate jets are "pork." McCain said he was "disturbed" by "some of the really egregious projects" included in the military construction bill.
Model G-1159 (G-II), G-1159A (G-III), and G-1159B (G-IIB) series airplanes (Docket No. 96-NM-90-AD) - withdraws a proposal that would have required inspections to detect cracking and/or corrosion at various locations of the wings, and modification of cracked and/or corroded parts. Since the issuance of the proposal, FAA has received new data verifying that all affected airplanes have complied with the requirements. Accordingly, the proposed rule is withdrawn.
SHANNON McDONOUGH joined the law firm of Fafinski Mark&Johnson, P.A. in Eden Prairie, Minn. McDonough will focus on employment, commercial, aviation, product liability and personal injury litigation. She graduated with honors from Drake University's law school, where she was an editor of the Drake Law Review.
GULFSTREAM appears slated to win another government contract for its Gulfstream V now that Congress has agreed to provide the U.S. Coast Guard with $45 million to acquire a C-37A command and control aircraft to replace the current VC-11A (Gulfstream II). Congress included funding in the recently passed fiscal 2001 military construction appropriations bill and noted in report language that "the existing command and control aircraft is 16 years old and experiencing significant reliability and maintenance problems.
G-1159 (G-II), G-1159A (G-III), and G-1159B (G-IIB) series airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-202-AD) - withdraws a proposal that would have required a one-time inspection to detect corrosion of the material layers of the lower aft fuselage skin in Fuselage Station (FS) 580 bulkhead assembly, and repair, if necessary. The proposal also would have required modification of the aft fuselage area and various follow-on actions. Since the issuance of the proposal, FAA has received new data from the manufacturer verifying that all airplanes have accomplished those actions.
PACIFIC AEROSPACE&ELECTRONICS signed a $1.5 million contract with UPS Aviation Technologies, a subsidiary of United Parcel Service, to provide optically enhanced liquid crystal displays that feature sunlight readable technology. The displays use index-matched, bonded-glass optical filter technologies. UPS Aviation Technologies plans to integrate the display into a guidance and control, multi-function cockpit display system.
Docket No.: 30010 Petitioner: Avcon Industries, Inc. Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 25.857(e)(4) Description of Relief Sought: To certify Learjet Model 20 and 30 series airplanes, to be modified for the carriage of cargo as Class E compartments (an STC project), without meeting the requirements to exclude hazardous quantities of smoke, flames or noxious gases from the flightcrew compartment. Docket No.: 30022 Petitioner: Midway Airlines
Model G-IV series airplanes (Docket No. 92-NM-206-AD) - withdraws a proposal that would have required inspection of the data plate on the bottom of the hydraulic brake control module (HBCM) to verify the part and serial numbers, and replacement of the HBCM, if necessary. Since the issuance of the proposal, FAA has received new data indicating that the proposed actions have been accomplished on all affected airplanes; therefore, the previously identified unsafe condition no longer exists. Accordingly, the proposed rule is withdrawn.
Compass Aerospace named a new president and appointed a new senior vice president of marketing last month. John R. Reimers was named president and chief operating officer of the Long Beach, Calif., company, an appointment announced by Douglas M. Hayes, chairman of the board. Reimers had been executive vice president and chief operating officer.
Docket No.: 29459 Petitioner: Laurel Oaks Career Development Campus Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 65.17(a), 65.19(b), and 65.75(a) and (b) Description
