The European Union's non-addition rule on hushkitted aircraft, slated to go into effect May 4, and the subsequent U.S. protest of it could impact efforts to reach a consensus on new Stage 4 noise rules, James Erickson, director of FAA's Office of Environment and Energy, said last week. Erickson, who also is the U.S. representative to ICAO's Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP), said there is "concern" in the committee about its ability to keep the two issues separate.
THE MARINE CORPS said there is no indication that mechanical failure caused the crash of an MV-22 Osprey early this month in Arizona (BA, April 17/183). Lt. Gen. Fred McCorkle, deputy chief of staff for aviation, told reporters at the Pentagon that at the time of impact, the MV-22's propellers were turning, the driveshaft appeared to be operating normally, the engines were running above idle and the nacelles were in full helicopter mode. "At this stage, there is not any indication of a mechanical malfunction," he said.
REGIONAL AIRLINE ASSOCIATION named Scott Foose vice president and said he will serve as liaison between RAA and FAA and assume responsibility for a range of operational and security issues. Foose, who will join RAA April 30, has been director of safety and regulatory compliance for Allegheny Airlines/U.S. Airways Express. An Air Transport rated pilot with more than 8,900 hours, he attended Arizona State University, where he majored in aeronautical and astronautical engineering.
LEW SANBORN, who began jumping out of perfectly good airplanes while Harry Truman was still president, marked 50 years of freefall skydiving April 16 with a parachute jump at the Clinton, N.C. Airport. Sanborn, 69, made his first static line jump as an Army private in 1949. A year later, on April 16, 1950, he made his first free fall (delayed parachute deployment) jump. According to the U.S. Parachute Association, Sanborn has skydived every year since, making 5,782 jumps in the past 50 years.
Model G-IV series airplanes (Docket No. 2000-NM-82-AD; Amdt. 39-11680; AD 2000-07-25) - requires modification of the power feeder cable assemblies of the left and right engine alternators. This amendment is prompted by an incident of an in-flight engine fire on a Model G-IV series airplane due to chafing of the power feeder cable assembly of an engine alternator.
SAFE FLIGHT INSTRUMENT CORPORATION won FAA supplemental type certification for its N1 Computer aboard the Cessna Citation Excel. The computer displays real-time N1 thrust settings for takeoff, climb, cruise and go-around to help maximize performance and operating efficiency, Safe Flite said. It also helps lower the risk of overspeed and overtemp conditions.
FAA last week set June 1 as the deadline for airport sponsors to submit grant applications for fiscal 2000. FAA, which this month received authority to begin handing out airport grants after an eight-month hiatus, said the deadline will allow the agency to expedite and prioritize grants for the final quarter of fiscal 2000. The agency added that "absent an acceptable application by June 1, 2000, FAA will defer an airport's entitlement funds until next fiscal year."
GA MANUFACTURERS delivered more than 250 turbine aircraft in the first quarter, a one-third improvement over the 187 business turbines shipped a year ago. Bombardier and Raytheon showed large gains in particular, with Bombardier unleashing its Learjet 45 backlog and Raytheon reporting dramatic boosts in King Air deliveries.
TRUMAN ARNOLD COMPANIES (TAC) acquired and are operating the fixed-base operation formerly owned by Signature Flight Support at Denver's Centennial Airport (APA) in Englewood, Colo. TAC also recently acquired the former Signature/AMR Combs FBO at Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Conn. Signature was required to dispose of those facilities and another FBO in Palm Springs, Calif. (PSP) to win Justice Department approval of its acquisition of the AMR Combs FBO chain from AMR Corp. (BA, March 15, 1999/121).
HARTZELL PROPELLER's four-bladed Lightweight Turbine series propeller system completed flight testing required for certification. The system, recently selected for installation on the Piper Malibu Meridian, is 82.5 inches in diameter and has feathering and reversing capability. The four-bladed system enabled Piper to increase the power ratings of the Pratt&Whitney Canada PT6A-42A turboprop on the Meridian from 400 shaft horsepower to 500 shp on takeoff and the continuous rating increased from 350 shp to 400 shp.
AIR TOUR INTERESTS are incensed about the latest attempt by the National Park Service to manage the airspace over national park lands, a draft "Director's Order...to articulate NPS operational policies that will facilitate, to the fullest extent practicable, the protection, maintenance or restoration of the national soundscape resource in a condition unimpaired by inappropriate sources." NPS directs park superintendents to "address the preservation of natural soundscapes and the elimination, mitigation or minimization of intrusive noise sources...this may also include det
PAT BEGANSKY was appointed regional distribution supervisor for the Dallas sales territory for Superior Air Parts. Begansky joined Superior in 1987 and most recently was an inside sales representative at the Dallas Regional Distribution Center. In his new position, Begansky will cover Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas.
GALAXY AEROSPACE delivered a Galaxy business jet late last month to Swiss charter Lions Air. Lions Air, which also operates two Astra SPX business jets, plans to take delivery of a third SPX in May and a second Galaxy in October. Galaxy is delivering Galaxy aircraft at a rate of one per month but plans to boost that rate to two per month by mid-year, Galaxy Aerospace President and CEO Brian Barents said.
GEORGE Y. ONO was named senior vice president and general manager of M&M Machine&Tool Company. A veteran of 20 years in the aerospace industry, Ono was most recently vice president-business development for Compass Aerospace Corp. M&M Machine is owned by The Fairchild Company. Robert E. McGuire, cofounder and president of M&M, will remain with the company during a transition period as a consultant to Ono and Fairchild.
BFGoodrich, in an apparent about-face, decided to close its landing gear facility in Euless, Texas. Last January, the company appealed to union workers at the plant to begin negotiations over consolidation plans that would allow it to remain open, despite the decline in demand for landing gear. After months of talks with union representatives, BFGoodrich now has decided to implement its contingency plan - shutting the plant. The Euless facility, which manufactures landing gear for commercial and military aircraft, will cease operations shortly after Oct.
SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS will hold its first international Spring Fuels&Lubricants conference June 19-22 at Le Palais de Congres, Paris, France. The meeting is co-sponsored by the Coordinating European Council and the Japan Society of Automotive Engineers and will include speakers from international oil companies and government officials. The conference also will include more than 40 technical panels and sessions on fuels, lubricants, combustion, emissions, statistical applications and environmental issues.
CRAIG ELLINGTON was promoted to vice president of investment control for Cessna Finance Corp. Ellington, who joined CFC in 1989 as a credit representative, most recently was domestic Citation sales manager.
AVIATION RESEARCH GROUP/U.S. is offering a new streamlined pilot background check process for Part 91 operators. The new Pre-Hire Report will include prior employment checks, medical certificate verification, pilot certificate and type ratings verification, check of the FAA accident and incident database, National Driver Register check, federal and local criminal records check, social security and address verification and a credit history check. ARG/US will launch its Pre-Hire Report services during this week's Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar in San Antonio, Texas.
Model DHC-8-100 and -300 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-380-AD) - proposes to require revising the Aircraft Log Book to correct the airplane Production Modification List; performing an inspection to determine which bonded skin panels on the airplane require bonding integrity inspections (BII); and revising the Airworthiness Limitations List of the Approved Maintenance Plan to include the BII requirements.
Model 407 helicopters (Docket No. 99-SW-75-AD; Amdt. 39-11651; AD 2000-06-10) - requires preflight checking and repetitively inspecting the tail boom for a crack and replacing the tail boom if a crack is found. This amendment is prompted by four reports of cracks on the tail boom in the area of the horizontal stabilizer. The actions specified in this AD are intended to prevent separation of the tail boom and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. FAA estimates that 200 helicopters will be affected by this AD at a cost of $48,000 assuming no tail boom is replaced.
Business aircraft operators are considering filing a lawsuit and a formal complaint with the FAA after the Los Angeles City Council Tuesday unanimously adopted a Stage 2 non-addition rule for Van Nuys Airport, which will limit the number of Stage 2 aircraft allowed to use VNY. Tuesday's action came as a surprise to business jet operators because the City Council a month earlier agreed to delay action to accommodate discussions that FAA sought and mediated in an attempt to find a compromise solution (BA, March 27/146).
Raytheon Company, beset with numerous financial problems and in the midst of a restructuring of its core business units, reported a loss of $181 million in the first quarter, nearly a $400 million negative turnaround from the $205 million in net income in the same period a year ago.
Cessna Aircraft rolled out the 100th Citation Excel last week, just two years after winning FAA type certification for the aircraft (BA, April 27, 1998/183).
AVIATION GENERAL, INC. reported net income of $38,183 on revenues of $3.9 million for the quarter ended March 31. That compares with a loss of $379,565 on revenues of $2.25 million a year earlier. "Aviation General, Inc. delivered 15 new and pre-owned aircraft during the first quarter," said Chairman and CEO Wirt D. Walker, III. "The company has a strong backlog, and we expect financial results for year 2000 will be the best in the company's history," he said (BA, April 3/155).
JEPPESEN released the fifth upgrade to its flight planning and moving map programs, FlightStar and FliteMap version 8.1. The latest revision includes enhanced weather graphics viewing capabilities under which information from DTC DUATS can be overlaid on the Chart View. METAR information is available on a new tab and users now can add or remove landing points after a route is planned in Route Wizard.
