WILLIAM SILVA was named president and chief operating officer of Maytag Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of Mercury Air Group. Silva joined Maytag in 1982 and most recently was executive vice president. He will continue to serve as executive vice president of Mercury Air Group.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION scheduled a series of REACHBAC meetings through July, including: today (April 10) in Indianapolis, Ind.; April 17 in Columbus, Ohio; May 2, in Des Moines/Sioux City, Iowa; May 19 in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Ariz.; June 2 in St. Louis, Mo.; July 13 in Portland, Ore. and Sept. 15 in Oklahoma City, Okla. For details, contact NBAA at (202) 783-9000.
HOW MUCH did the strike by Boeing's engineers and technical workers in the Seattle area cost the company? Boeing said Wednesday it delivered 74 commercial jet transports during the first quarter, down from the 125 deliveries originally planned. The shortfall "reflects delivery delays as the company recovers from a 40-day strike" by members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) that ended March 20, Boeing said. At a conservative estimate of $50 million per plane, the undelivered aircraft would have a value of $2.55 billion.
Triumph Group, Inc., acquired ACR Industries, Inc. of Macomb, Mich., a manufacturer of complex geared assemblies including gas turbine jet engine gearboxes, helicopter transmissions, geared systems for fixed-wing aircraft and other related components. Triumph said ACR, which has about $45 million in annual revenues, will become part of the Triumph Control Systems Group of companies.
MCKINNEY AEROSPACE named David Kitchings as its first chief operating officer. Kitchings, previously in charge of corporate strategy for the McKinney, Texas aircraft refurbishment and completion center, now will be responsible for developing and managing day-to-day operations including production, quality assurance, design, accounting, human resources, legal and information technology. He also will be responsible for developing and implementing strategic planning, developing new business and forming strategic alliances.
A HEAD-UP GUIDANCE SYSTEM on the Challenger 604 business jet won FAA supplemental type certification, the aircraft manufacturer announced Tuesday at the European Business Aviation Association convention in Brussels, Belgium. The Flight Dynamics HGS system on the 604 is a CAT II derivative of the system used on Canadair Regional Jet airliners. It can be used for takeoff, climb, cruise, descent and approach and is certified for use in weather conditions down to CAT II approach minimums - a 100-foot decision height and 1,200-foot runway visual range.
Model 228 series airplanes (Docket No. 99-CE-43-AD; Amdt. 39-11642; AD 2000-06-02) - requires revising the Airplane Flight Manual to include requirements for activation of the airframe pneumatic deicing boots. This AD is the result of reports of in-flight incidents and an accident that occurred in icing conditions in which the airframe pneumatic deicing boots were not activated. The actions specified by this AD are intended to assure that flightcrews activate the pneumatic wing and tail deicing boots at the first signs of ice accumulation.
A new noise monitoring system in operation since November at Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains, N.Y., includes flight-tracking software that can identify violators of local noise policies, said Renee Johns, HPN's noise-abatement officer. Speaking at a noise symposium conducted at the airport last week, she said by gleaning information from IFR flight plans, the technology makes it much easier for airport officials to correlate noise complaints with aircraft arriving or departing from the popular corporate airport.
A final report by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada on the May 18, 1998 crash landing of a Pilatus PC-12 after its engine failed, says "the pilot did not follow the prescribed emergency procedure for low oil pressure," even though the pilot immediately contacted company maintenance personnel via radio and was following their advice to return to St. John's, Newfoundland when severe vibrations forced him to shut down the engine.
Models DC-3 and DC-4 series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-139-AD; Amdt. 39-11585; AD 2000-04-03) - requires an inspection to determine the type of airframe pneumatic deicing boots installed. This amendment also requires revising the Airplane Flight Manual to include requirements for activation of the pneumatic deicing boots for those airplanes equipped with "modern" boots. This amendment is prompted by reports of inflight incidents and an accident that occurred in icing conditions during which the airframe pneumatic deicing boots were not activated.
Models DHC-6-1, DHC-6-100, DHC-6-200, and DHC-6-300 airplanes (Docket No. 99-CE-44-AD; Amdt. 39-11643; AD 2000-06-03) - requires revising the Airplane Flight Manual to include requirements for activation of the airframe pneumatic deicing boots. This AD is the result of reports of in-flight incidents and an accident that occurred in icing conditions in which the airframe pneumatic deicing boots were not activated.
LONG-AWAITED RECONFIRMATION of John Goglia and new confirmation of Carol Carmody to the National Transportation Safety Board could happen as early as this week. Senate Commerce Committee is likely to consider the nominations Thursday, clearing the way for full Senate action. President Clinton announced his intention to renominate Goglia in early August and nominate Carmody in November (BA, Nov. 15/227).
PIEDMONT HAWTHORNE continued its expansion with acquisition of Blackbird Aviation's fixed-base operation at Wichita Falls, Texas Municipal Airport. The FBO boosts the number of Piedmont Hawthorne locations to 32. Wichita Falls has a joint-use agreement with Sheppard Air Force Base and is an alternate airport for Dallas/Fort Worth International during bad weather and heavy air traffic congestion, Piedmont Hawthorne said. The FBO includes a terminal, 6,200 square feet of office space and a 69,750-square-foot hangar.
JIM LAIR was promoted to center manager for FlightSafety International's new training facility at DFW/Dallas Airport. Lair will oversee the completion and opening of the facility in the next three months. He formerly served as assistant manager of the FlightSafety facility in Fort Worth. He also has worked with Lockheed Martin Aircraft Systems.
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer posted the best earnings year in its history, the company said, with net profits of $230.4 million on sales of $1.88 billion. Profits were up 111 percent from 1998's $109.2 million while revenues jumped 44.4 percent from the $1.3 billion posted in the previous year. Embraer said the fourth quarter of 1999 marked the company's 10th consecutive quarter of profitability.
N13K, the Piper Twin Comanche flown for years by AOPA pioneer Max Karant, was destroyed in a hangar fire last month at Montgomery County Airport in Gaithersburg, Md. Karant, who died in 1997, was the association's second employee and had crossed the Atlantic in N13K numerous times.
A 1966 MODEL FALCON 20, N175GA, operated by air taxi Grand Aire Express, was substantially damaged during a night gear-up landing April 4 at the Opa Locka, Fla. Airport. The two crew members on board were not injured.
MID-CONTINENT INSTRUMENTS, the Wichita-based avionics manufacturer, promoted J. Todd Winter to president. Winter succeeds John Winter, who will continue as the company's chief technical officer and focus on developing future products. Todd Winter has served as a vice president since 1981 with responsibilities including operations, manufacturing, customer service and marketing. As president, he will oversee strategic planning and company expansion. "Todd is eminently qualified and deserving to take over these duties," said John Winter.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is expected to make a decision by mid-2001 on new, more stringent noise certification standards, predicted Bonnie A. Wilson, the senior director of airport facilities and services for the Airports Council International-North America.
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION developed a Special Event Sightseeing Flight Exemption Package for its members who conduct sightseeing flights at special events, including fly-ins, airport open houses or other charity/community-oriented events. The package assists members in meeting the requirements necessary to conduct sightseeing flights without having to comply with certain drug and alcohol testing requirements.
SIGNATURE FLIGHT SUPPORT filled several key slots in its Regional Maintenance Center network naming Matt Roden national director of sales, Nina Cox sales and marketing research manager, Guy Skinner manager-product supply for the Dallas facility and Robert Hohlowski director of technical services at West Palm Beach. Roden, who has 18 years of corporate aviation experience, most recently was a completion sales executive with Gulfstream Aerospace. Cox spent nine years with K-C Aviation and 10 years with Raytheon in marketing.
Bombardier Aerospace, whose ability to sell and build Global Express long-range business jets has outstripped the manufacturer's ability to get those airplanes completed and delivered, signed on another completion provider. BFGoodrich Aerospace, Everett, Wash., took delivery of a "green" Global Express this month to perform interior and avionics installations, the first of five Global Express aircraft the company will work on this year.
BUSINESS JETS were involved in five accidents during the first quarter - including a fatal CitationJet crash in Texas last month that killed the pilot (BA, April 3/153) - compared with seven during the same period in 1999, according to information compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla. Business turboprops were involved in 10 first-quarter accidents, including three that claimed a total of seven lives. During the first quarter of 1999 there were 10 business turboprop accidents, including four fatal crashes that killed eight people.
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION last week told the Internal Revenue Service that proposed changes to Form 720, used to remit commercial air transportation taxes, "amount to double taxation for Part 135 on-demand air charter operators."NATA strongly opposed provisions in an IRS advance notice of proposed rulemaking to change Form 720 to eliminate the allowance for fuel taxes paid on flights for which the transportation tax also was paid. Any credit or refund on the fuel taxes would have to be made later under the proposal, NATA said.
The General Acounting Office, in a draft report, blamed a "shortage of in-house technical expertise" and cited Federal Aviation Administration statements that the "contractor lacked sufficient expertise" to deal with the integrity issues now troubling the Wide Area Augmentation System program. Earlier, the DOT Inspector General told Congress that FAA recognized that "neither FAA nor Raytheon has the necessary expertise to resolve" WAAS failures.
