UNITED AUTO WORKERS Local 281 ratified a three-year contract covering employees at the Bell Helicopter Textron plant in Fort Worth, Texas. The contract, which covers about 2,600 workers, was approved by 90 percent of them. The contract includes a three percent wage increase in each year of the contract along with a $1,700 signing bonus. The contract also maintains or improves other benefits.
The Federal Aviation Administration plans to extend the Advanced Qualification Program (AQP), which provides an alternate but currently voluntary method for airlines to train and certify crewmembers, dispatchers and other operating personnel. Air carriers electing not to participate in AQP may continue to operate under traditional FAA provisions for training and checking for now. FAA says that the advantages of the program are "numerous," including the flexibility to tailor training and certification programs to a carrier's particular needs and operations.
FIRST AVIATION SERVICES signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a strategic alliance between AeroV, its e-commerce subsidiary, and ARINC. First Aviation Services also said it will collaborate with FedEx Express by integrating FedEx Express's transportation services into its online marketplace. ARINC, the global aerospace communications company, plans to acquire a 25 percent interest in AeroV.
Atlantic Aviation opened a new $22.5 million flagship fixed-base operation at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) last month under its 20-year lease with the City of Philadelphia. Atlantic, which has operated at PHL for more than 40 years, won the follow-on lease in 1998 and began construction of a new complex in September. The 1998 lease agreement, which includes two additional five-year options, also covers operations at Philadelphia Northeast Airport (PNE), where Atlantic is investing $1 million in refurbishment.
Members of the Canadian Auto Workers walked off the job Thursday morning at the Bombardier Aerospace plant in Toronto after contract talks with the company failed, a development that could affect production of the Global Express and Learjet Model 45 business jets and the de Havilland series of regional turboprops if an accord is not reached soon.
Nearly two years later than anticipated when the program was first announced, Raytheon Aircraft Company officials believe they are now in the final stages of winning FAA certification of the Premier I business jet.
ED KLONOSKI was promoted to center manager for FlightSafety International's training facility at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport. Klonoski most recently spent five years as director of training for the center. He has a broad aviation background, serving as a Naval aviator, business aircraft and airline pilot, and a design engineer.
INNOTECH-EXECAIRE AVIATION GROUP of Montreal named Kirk Rowe vice president and chief operating officer. His appointment follows the recent departure of Dave Miller, who joined Garrett Aviation, The Jet Center in Santa Barbara, Calif. as vice president and general manager (BA, June 5/265). Rowe is a certified accountant who had been vice president of commercial services for the firm, which is based in Montreal.
BOMBARDIER INC. is focusing on expanding and improving the quality of its workforce "and we are constantly striving to strengthen our management team, so that we have the depth required to sustain our growth," President Bob Brown told stockholders Tuesday. To achieve those goals the company spent an amount equivalent to 2.5 percent of total payroll costs last year on training and people development, Brown said. "We are also focusing on leadership and succession planning," he told the stockholders meeting.
Bombardier Aerospace is completing the 500th Challenger business jet, following the rollout of the cardinal Model 604 in late May. The rollout came nearly 20 years after delivery of the original Model 600 Challenger in December 1980.
A NUMBER OF AVIATION associations have intensified efforts to win seed money to launch NASA's Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) initiative.NASA asked Congress for $9 million in fiscal 2001 for the program, which will research ways to increase availability of small airports and more affordable general aviation aircraft (BA, June 12/271). The House Appropriations Committee, which cut NASA's aeronautical research request by some $321 million, provided no money for SATS. Rep.
Texaco Global Aviation Marketing and Statoil Aviation launched Jet Fuel Alliance (JFA), a European aviation services alliance, this month. The two companies will have equal interests in JFA and will "align their European supply services (into-plane), network development activities, operations, logistics and technical services resources, and work together on worldwide marketing activities." A third partner, DEA Mineraloel AG of Hamburg, Germany, may join the alliance later this year after contractual negotiations are concluded.
EXECUTIVE JET MANAGEMENT named Walter Ernst senior vice president of operations and Richard Xifo vice president of operations. Ernst, a 20-year FAA veteran who has worked in Flight Standards District Offices, most recently served as vice president of operations for Jet Solutions, LLC. Xifo has 15 years of experience and most recently was senior manager of the Learjet and Challenger programs for SimuFlite Training International. He also has held senior positions with Executive Aire Express, US Jet Aviation and the National Air Transportation Association.
Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corporation and Mohammed Bin Masaood&Sons have formed a joint venture partnership that will operate Masaood John Brown, Ltd., with a facility located in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The venture will combine the maintenance capabilities of MJB in the Gulf Region and the technological expertise of Chromalloy in the repair and manufacture of gas turbine engine components. Chromalloy Gas Turbine is the largest operating unit of Sequa Corp., a leading independent supplier of advanced component repairs for gas turbine engines.
JETONE, a fractional ownership company based at Oakland County International Airport in Waterford, Mich., signed an exclusive agreement with DaimlerChrysler Aviation for aircraft operations, management and related services. DaimlerChrysler will provide crews, scheduling, aircraft maintenance, servicing, and regulatory compliance services for JetOne clients. JetOne in turn is moving its operations into the 200,000-square-foot DaimlerChrysler facility.
FAA ADMINISTRATOR Jane Garvey underscored the agency's need to receive a $77 million supplemental appropriation at a recent White House briefing. Garvey characterized the need for more money as "urgent" and said if FAA doesn't get the money, "we will not be able to hire 170 more safety inspectors and medical certification staff.
A group of former NASA employees and other aerospace advocates is stepping up the political pressure to reverse the downward trend in NASA's aeronautical research, warning that a crisis is approaching. The group, the NASA Aeronautics Support Team (NAST), plans to release a public opinion poll today on Capitol Hill that emphasizes the importance of aerospace to registered voters and to appeal to congressional leaders to stop the hemorrhaging.
Federal Aviation Administration is proposing new procedures for donning oxygen masks on Learjet 35/36 aircraft after its special certification review (SCR) uncovered potential problems with flightcrew use of the masks. FAA began its SCR of Learjet Model 35 series airplanes in November to determine whether pressurization and oxygen systems were properly certificated and whether inherent design problems existed. That review was precipitated by the Oct. 25 crash of a Learjet Model 35 aircraft in Mina, S.D. that killed golfer Payne Stewart and five others.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT won FAA certification for its Model 525A Citation CJ2, one of four new models the company introduced at the 1998 NBAA convention (BA, Oct. 19, 1998/169). Cessna said the first three CJ2s will be used for customer demonstrations beginning in the third quarter, with the first customer delivery planned for late in the fourth quarter. Cessna has orders for more than 160 CJ2s, with the backlog extending into October 2003.
SCHNELLER, INC., Kent, Ohio, which produces decorative laminates and flooring for the transportation industries, developed two new products for the aviation market. Schneller will produce its Aertrim BD100 decorative laminate for an alternative to decorative fabrics used in bulkhead and dado applications. Aertrim BD100 is designed with a fabric-like look and texture is lightweight and can be custom made to meet the customer's design preference. Schneller also is offering a new flooring product that the company said will improve slip resistance.
ALLISON AE 3007A and AE 3007C series turbofan engines (Docket No. 99-NE-07-AD; Amdt. 39-1171; AD 2000-11-22) - requires revisions to the airworthiness limitations section of the engine manuals to include required enhanced inspection of selected critical life-limited parts at each piece-part exposure. This AD also requires an air carrier's approved continuous airworthiness maintenance program to incorporate these inspection procedures.
DAVID (BEAR) COPELAND joined Midcoast-Little Rock as director of quality control. Copeland, formerly chief quality inspector at Garrett Aviation-Houston, will oversee quality, metrology, non-destructive testing and regulatory compliance for Midcoast. Copeland has served as an A&P mechanic since 1983.
ALPINE AVIATION received approval from the Provo, Utah City Council to build a new 24,000-square-foot maintenance facility at Provo Municipal Airport (PVU). Alpine Aviation, the cargo carrier that does business as Alpine Air, expects to move into the new facilities by January. The facility will include the maintenance hangar, corporate offices and the Airline Flight Training School. The maintenance operation will coordinate efforts with Alpine Air's Montana, Washington, New Mexico and Nevada bases.
AYRES S2R series and Model 600 S2D airplanes (Docket No. 98-CE-56-AD; Amdt. 39-11764; AD 2000-11-16) - supersedes AD 97-17-03, which currently requires inspection of the 1/4-inch and 5/16-inch bolt hole areas on the lower spar caps for fatigue cracking; replacement of any lower spar cap where fatigue cracking is found; and reporting of any fatigue cracking. This AD retains the inspection and replacement (if necessary) requirements of the lower spar caps that are currently required in AD 97-17-03.
SENATE APPROPRIATORS admonished FAA to contain costs, especially in light of the recent FAA reauthorization bill, AIR-21, which protects the agency's capital spending, but not its operations budget. The Appropriations Committee noted that FAA's operations costs have leapt from $3.8 billion in fiscal 1999 to almost $6 billion in fiscal 2000, but the agency still needs additional funds this year to prevent further cuts in its safety and non-safety programs.
