AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION urged the Planning Commission in San Diego to block privatization of Brown Field Municipal Airport, saying that the development plan ignores the needs of general aviation. Plans for the field include the development of 253 acres on the north side of the airport for cargo-handling and development of 173 acres on the south side for non-aviation commercial businesses. Only 38 acres are reserved for GA under the plan.
SIGNATURE FLIGHT SUPPORT eliminated a number of senior management and sales positions in its regional service center organization last week, part of an effort to refocus the business and decentralize operations to be more responsive to customers, according to the company. John Rahilly, vice president of Technical Services, said in response to questions from BA Friday the changes are designed to "run the organization from the field" instead of from company headquarters in Orlando, Fla.
The House national parks and public lands subcommittee Thursday approved legislation that would establish a formal public notification process before a federal land manager could close or purposefully neglect a back-country airstrip in a national park. The legislation adopted last week by a 6-5 vote included an amendment sponsored by subcommittee Chairman Jim Hansen (R-Utah) that attempted to address some key concerns raised about the bill in a hearing last month (BA, April 17/179).
CIRRUS DESIGN CORP. won certification for its SR20 single-engine aircraft from the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority and delivered its first SR20 to a customer based in Australia.
RIC SIMPSON was appointed general manger, Pacific Avionics&Instruments Ltd. Simpson will report directly to Chris Heredia, vice president and general manager for Innotech-Execaire Vancouver.
KIRK ROWE was named vice president and general manager of Innotech-Execaire Montreal. Rowe will manage all Montreal operations, including refurbishing, factory support and maintenance.
LUFTHANSA TECHNIK completed its acquisition of Bizjet International Sales&Support in Tulsa, Okla., providing it an important foothold in North America, the company announced last week (BA, May 1/203). Bizjet President W.L. Butch Walker will continue to lead the overhaul and repair facility with two Lufthansa Technik managers. Lufthansa, which has service contracts to complete Boeing's BBJ long-range business jets and Airbus A319 Corporate Jetliners, revealed plans to add capacity in Tulsa to accommodate maintenance business for those aircraft.
JEFFREY SHANE joined the law firm of Hogan&Hartson as a partner in the Washington, D.C. office, where he will be a member of the firm's aviation group. Shane, following federal government service that included several posts at DOT, including assistant secretary for policy and international affairs, and at the State Department as deputy assistant secretary for transportation affairs, most recently was a partner at Wilmer, Cutler&Pickering.
Docket No.: CE160 Petitioner: Ayres Corporation Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 23.3 Description of Relief Sought: To permit certification of the Ayres Corporation Model LM200 as a Commuter Category airplane with a novel and unusual twin engine, single-propeller propulsion system. Docket No.: 27802 Petitioner: Richmor Aviation Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 21.197(c)(2)
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.
Docket No.: 29577 Petitioner: Bombardier Aerospace Corporation, Bombardier Business Jet Solutions Inc. Section of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR 47.13(g) and 49.13(d)
STELLEX TECHNOLOGIES, INC., which provides aircraft components and subassemblies to original equipment manufacturers, named Christopher C. Bernhardt president and chief executive. Bernhardt had been senior vice president of business area operations and business development for Litton Industries Guidance and Control Systems Division. Bernhardt previously held senior posts with AlliedSignal, Smiths Industries and General Electric.
PRATT&WHITNEY formed a pact with Teledyne Continental Motors to collaborate on small military engine products and services, including engines with up to 16,000 pounds of thrust for unmanned aerial vehicles. The memorandum of agreement, signed earlier this month at P&W's West Palm Beach, Fla.-based Small Military Engines unit, to work with Teledyne's Toledo, Ohio engine operation to "explore potential offerings to the UAV customer across a full range of thrust capability."
SPORTY'S updated its GPS Approaches video to include an eight minute segment on in-flight operation of Garmin's new 430 GPS/Comm/Nav. Written, directed and hosted by aviation author Richard L. Collins, the video takes the viewer along for a flight and demonstrates how and what a pilot should practice before attempting an actual flight using GPS for navigation. The video also covers various approach modes, use of automatic waypoint selection and potential traps on the GPS missed approach.
NORDAM TEXAS, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, was named an approved service center for component repairs by Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer. Nordam Texas will repair and overhaul EMB-120, ERJ-135 and ERJ-145 aircraft. Components covered under the agreement include radomes, flight controls and composite components including nose cowls, nacelles and thrust reversers.
FAA launched oceanic data link services over the Caribbean sectors of the Atlantic Ocean. The agency, which has provided the same electronic air/ground communication services in Pacific Ocean airspace for more than a year, began operations in March of the Multi-Sector Oceanic Data Link System through its New York Air Traffic Control Center. That system allows air traffic controllers to have two-way electronic communications with aircraft equipped with data link.
Model R44 helicopters (Docket No. 99-SW-70-AD; Amdt. 39-11690; AD 2000-08-04) - requires replacing certain serial number (S/N) sprag clutches with an airworthy sprag clutch as specified in this AD. This amendment is prompted by several reports of sprag clutch failures. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent a sprag clutch failure, loss of main rotor RPM during autorotation, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. FAA estimates that 200 helicopters will be affected by this proposed AD at a cost of $768,000.
RUSSELL ADAMS, which specializes in aviation software, spread to its third continent with the opening of a Middle East office. V.P. Nazir, a 25-year industry veteran who most recently worked for a Bell Helicopter distribution company, will lead Russell Adams's new office in Bahrain. Russell Adams, based in the United Kingdom, also has a U.S. office in Pennsylvania.
"AN UNPRECEDENTED 15 new models arrived in 1995-1999," Aboulafia said, a wave of new products that he believes "will not be repeated for a long time." Those new model introductions were accompanied by large up-front order books, including discounted bulk purchases from fractional ownership providers. "This has driven the market up to its current peak, and implies a near-'supply push' effect," Aboulafia said.
PRATT&WHITNEY CANADA delivered the first two PT6C7C customer engines to Agusta S.p.A. of Italy in late March for the Bell Agusta Aerospace Corp. for the AB139 helicopter. The AB139 twin-turbine helicopter, designed for a variety of missions, can carry up to 15 passengers. The new helicopter is expected to make its first flight late this year.
NELSON RHODES was appointed the Florida regional representative for Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Rhodes has served as airport director for the Boca Raton Airport Authority for the past 11 years. During that time, Rhodes saw airport revenue increase 800 percent and steered a $10 million capital improvement program. A 20-year Air Force veteran, he also was director of aviation for Waco, Texas.
Bell Helicopter signed a letter of intent to form a strategic alliance with Denver-based Air Methods Corporation's Products Division. The alliance is aimed at improving Bell's emergency medical service product line and expanding Air Methods' business in aerospace markets. "We are very excited about this agreement," said Michael Prieto, vice president of Air Methods Products Division. "This is clearly a very synergistic relationship that is focused on a significant portion of the helicopter market.
FAA ranked above the Environmental Protection Agency, state legislatures, local governments and the U.S. Congress for trustworthiness in a random phone survey of 1,419 people around the nation. A National Air Transportation Association poll found that 68 percent of the respondents had either a lot or some level of trust and confidence in FAA compared with 59 percent in the EPA and 49 percent in Congress. NATA contracted with Ryan McGinn Samples Research and Weber McGinn to conduct the poll, which primarily focused on public attitudes toward airports. (BA, May 8/216)
1999 ANNUAL BUSINESS TURBINE AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT ANALYSIS was published by Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla. The book contains more than 500 pages and provides a detailed review of more than 300 accidents and incidents involving business jets, turboprops and turbine helicopters during 1999, plus numerous statistical comparative data including aircraft and operator accident rates. The reports on each incident/accident identify phase of operation, location and the primary cause. For more information, contact Robert E.
HONEYWELL has begun accelerated mission cycle (AMC) testing with fully conformed AS900 engines that it sent to risk-sharing partners Tech Space Aero in Belgium and Aerospace Industries Development Corp. in Taiwan. The tests will accelerate engine wear at a 4:1 ratio with higher-than-design temperature and speed. Honeywell additionally is continuing tests with a fully conformed engine to measure altitude thrust and fuel performance. The instrumented engine is expected to measure 500 engine and component performance parameters.
