JEFF BUZZELL joined Regent Aviation as director of maintenance. Buzzell will oversee both Regent's Part 135 and 145 certificates. He has 24 years of aviation experience, including a maintenance career with the U.S. Navy. He also spent six years with Part 135 freight and charter companies. Most recently he was with the Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls, Minn., where he was director of aviation and taught and developed training programs and curriculum for the Part 147 school.
Model 407 helicopters (Docket No. 98-SW-64-AD) - proposes to require replacing a certain hydraulic relief valve with a different valve. This proposal is prompted by the discovery of a manufacturing defect in a valve. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent intermittent loss of hydraulic pressure to the flight controls and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. FAA estimates that 146 helicopters on the U.S. Registry would be affected by this proposed AD at a cost $210,240. Comments must be received on or before Feb. 7.
Model HD-E6C-3( ) propellers (Docket No. 99-ANE-18-AD; Amdt. 39-11448; AD 99-25-05) - supersedes telegraphic AD T99-06-51 that currently requires initial and repetitive inspections of the propeller hub for cracks or grease leaks, and replacement of the hub if any cracks are found.
Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services are increasing efforts to fight airport wildlife hazards with the publication of a manual for airport sponsors. The two agencies also have teamed through an interagency agreement to conduct wildlife hazard research and to help airport sponsors handle local issues, such as conducting wildlife hazard assessments and developing hazard and management plans, FAA said.
WHEN FAA ASKED ATTENDEES whether airworthiness of certain older aircraft should be deregulated or a new "owner maintained" class of aircraft created, most U.S. operators said no. FAA's questions stemmed from a new Transport Canada program to create a special certificate of airworthiness for older, small, single-piston, fixed-gear, fixed-pitch aircraft. The Canadian program would allow operators to fix these aircraft themselves - with no requirement for a licensed mechanic or Transport Canada approval - and would make airworthiness directives optional.
KEN BRAUN was appointed line manager for Million Air Palm Springs. He has served with the line service team at the Palm Springs fixed-base operation for four years.
Four people aboard a Robinson R44 helicopter escaped injury Jan. 3 when their aircraft lost power and crash-landed on a carport in a residential area of Cayey, Puerto Rico. Investigators said the helicopter, N233MP, was registered to Heli-Secure Corp. and was being operated by Avietch as a Part 91 demonstration flight. The flight had originated from San Juan, Puerto Rico about 1330 local time.
NEARLY 110 industry leaders, foreign aviation authorities and FAA officials gathered last week in Kansas City for FAA's General Aviation Aging Aircraft Summit generally agreed that aging aircraft is not a problem that should be addressed through more rulemaking, but rather through improving on-going efforts. Participants told FAA they want improved communications, easier access to data, simplified service difficulty report forms and an improvement in the quality of inspectors.
SHERWOOD BROWN joined FlightSafety International as director of information systems. Brown, who will report to FlightSafety President A.L. Ueltschi, will oversee FlightSafety's information systems strategy, planning and management. He formerly was director of information systems for General Signal Corporation in Stamford, Conn. He has 23 years of information systems experience.
AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION named Karen Detert senior vice president-products and services. Detert, formerly senior vice president of membership marketing, will now manage AOPA programs that provide member benefits and technical support. Her responsibilities include AOPA Certified programs and benefits, such as the AOPA FBO Rebate Program, as well as the AOPA Expo and the Aviation Services department. She succeeds Andrew Horelick, who is pursuing a new opportunity in the Internet industry.
NATIONAL AIRCRAFT RESALE ASSOCIATION, approaching its 10th anniversary, last week added four more members to increase its membership to 66. The new members included two broker dealers - Flightcraft, Inc. in Portland, Ore. and International Jet Traders in Miami - and two associate members - Cooling&Herbers, a Kansas City-based law firm and the consulting company AeroSpec International Aviation Services in Addison, Texas. NARA was founded during the October 1990 National Business Aviation Association annual meeting and convention with 10 members.
(Jetstream) Model 4101 airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-296-AD; Amdt. 39-11449; AD 99-25-06) - requires a one-time inspection of the bottom aft roller of the main baggage-bay door structure for cracking or damage to the sub-frame; repetitive operational tests to determine if the counter-balance motor functions properly; and corrective actions, if necessary. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE AVIATION OFFICIALS hired Dina Green to manage special projects. Green will handle media relations as well as meeting and convention planning. Green formerly spent five years with the Washington, D.C. law firm of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky and Walker as senior paralegal. Before that, she was with the House General Counsel as a paralegal for six years. Green also has served as a special assistant to the president while at the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
MERCURY AIR CENTERS restructured its Western Region management team, naming Dan McDyre Western regional director, Wes Daniels general manager of the Reno, Nev. Mercury Air Center and Fred Allega general manager of the Los Angeles International Airport facility. McDyre, formerly the general manager at Reno, will oversee Mercury's six western FBOs. Daniels, who succeeds McDyre at Reno, has served as operations manager there since 1994. Allega continues in his role at LAX. Mercury Air Centers operates 17 FBOs nationwide.
MASSPORT assumed operation of the Worcester, Mass. Airport Jan. 15 and will run the facility under a five-year agreement that will focus on increasing passenger traffic there. Massport said the move is designed to reduce passengers' reliance on Logan Airport in Boston. Massport is attempting to interest carriers in serving Worcester and Delta agreed to begin twice-daily service Feb. 1 between Worcester and Atlanta.
ROBERT S. NORTHINGTON, SR., 81, who spent nearly 40 years in top management with Piedmont Aviation, died Jan. 8 at his home in Winston-Salem, N.C. of cancer. Northington was a lieutenant in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He joined Piedmont Aviation in 1945, where he was reunited with a college friend, Tom Davis, who had founded the firm in Winston-Salem five years earlier. After Davis spun off Piedmont Airlines, Northington continued with the company's general aviation business, serving as senior vice president and president.
Federal Aviation Administration, which imposed a hiring freeze and curtailed travel in the face of a tight budget in its Operations account, has approached the Department for Transportation about asking Congress for an additional $100 million for the current fiscal year (BA, Jan. 3/2000). The Clinton Administration requested $6.039 billion for FAA Operations, but Congress gave the agency just $5.9 billion. FAA must receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget before it can take its case to Capitol Hill.
A jury in Dallas, Texas awarded $10 million in damages last week to a former American Eagle pilot who claimed he had been wrongfully fired by the carrier for terminating a flight after encountering icing conditions. The jury found in favor of Michael LaGrotte, who refused to continue a Dallas to Houston flight in 1996.
A DALLAS JURY awarded a $10 million judgment to a former American Eagle pilot last week in a case in which the pilot claimed he was fired for refusing to continue a flight into icing conditions. In response to the jury award, American Eagle issued a scathing statement charging that the pilot was unsafe, dishonest, a drug user and a danger. See article below.
CHARLES BROWN was named vice president for base operations at Million Air Monterey. Brown formerly was general manager for Signature Flight Support's Teterboro, N.J. base. Before that, he spent nine years as executive vice president for International Aviation, overseeing its bases in Teterboro, West Palm Beach, White Plains and Santa Fe. Brown also has 16 years of service with Aero Services.
Model Astra SPX series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-256-AD) - proposes to require a one-time inspection to measure the countersink angle of the bolt holes in the lower scissors fitting of the horizontal stabilizer, and corrective actions, if necessary. This proposal is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
Model 407 helicopters (Docket No. 98-SW-70-AD) - proposes to require modifying the door latch assemblies on all four crew and passenger doors. This proposal is prompted by an incident that occurred during a manufacturer's flight test, in which a door latch assembly broke, preventing occupants in the helicopter from opening the door. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent a door latch rod assembly from disengaging from the door handle and preventing helicopter occupants from opening the door. FAA estimates that 146 helicopters on the U.S.
Model Fan Jet Falcon series airplanes; Model Mystere-Falcon 20, 50, 200, and 900 series airplanes; and Model Falcon 10, 900EX, and 2000 series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-319-AD) - proposes to require a functional test of the passenger oxygen masks, determination of the part number of the installed oxygen mask bags; and corrective action, if necessary. This proposal is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
After more than a year of sometimes contentious negotiations, the Professional Airways Systems Specialists signed a tentative five-year labor contract with the Federal Aviation Administration. FAA and PASS are withholding details of the agreement until PASS members have a chance to review and ratify the contract, which is expected to take about 60 days. Under the agreement, PASS members would receive higher pay in return for maintaining current staff levels. It also "is in line with" the agency's new core compensation pay system that sparked controversy within FAA.
