PILATUS AIRCRAFT tapped former VisionAire executive Angelo Fiataruolo to become chief operating officer. Fiataruolo joined VisionAire in early 1998 as executive vice president. He also has served as senior vice president of finance and administration for Canadair and owned his own aircraft brokerage, aircraft management and charter business. Fiataruolo began his career with Cessna Aircraft in the corporate finance department.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION Wednesday extended the comment period until Oct. 18 for its proposal calling for damage-tolerance-based aging aircraft inspections. National Air Transportation Association requested the extension to fully evaluate the economic impact of the proposal and develop alternative proposals (BA, Aug. 2/49). NATA is particularly concerned about the "potentially crippling" effects of the proposal in Alaska.
FAIRCHILD AEROSPACE this month delivered the first two 328JETS to launch customer Skyway Airlines. Skyway, which ordered five of the 32-seat jets with options for 10 more, will operate the aircraft in revenue service later this year following pilot training in San Antonio. The aircraft received European JAA and U.S. FAA certification last month.
BAA PLC, the United Kingdom-based airport services company, named Mike Hodgkinson to succeed John Egan as chief executive, effective in October. Hodgkinson, 55, has served as group airports director for BAA for the past seven years.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL'S facility in Toronto, Ontario received interim Level C certification from Transport Canada for its Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 flight simulator. The simulator, which awaits FAA certification, also has received European Joint Aviation Authorities interim Level C approval. FlightSafety expects to win Level D re-certification in the first quarter of 2000.
WORLDWIDE FLIGHT SERVICES, the former AMR Services, bought Miami Aircraft Support, Inc. of Miami, Fla. in a deal valued at $66.4 million. Worldwide Flight Services said the acquisition would increase its expected revenues this year to more than $300 million. Miami Aircraft Support provides ground services at 31 airports.
Nav Canada, citing lower operating expenses and anticipated increases in traffic, plans to reduce its air navigation fees by $107 million for private and commercial operators for the fiscal year beginning Sept. 1.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION selected Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for this year's Excellence in Aviation Award. FAA noted Embry-Riddle's contributions in aviation research and education over the past seven decades. "Working with both government and industry, the university has made valuable contributions in areas such as air traffic management, aviation human factors, pilot education and training, aircraft maintenance and airframe design and technology," Administrator Jane Garvey said.
National Business Aviation Association hopes that its latest survey will provide members ample opportunity to air concerns about fractional ownership (BA, Aug. 16/71). The association is concerned about the perception that it has not adequately surveyed or consulted with members before taking positions on regulation of fractional ownership.
Federal Aviation Administration, under fire for "serious weaknesses" in its accounting system, will have its books in order by Sept. 1, the agency's chief financial officer said this month. Carl Schellenberg, who is retiring from the agency after 29 years, addressed criticism from the DOT Office of Inspector General (OIG) and more recently the General Accounting Office, that FAA is unable to account for "billions of dollars" invested in property, plant and equipment.
BELL HELICOPTER appointed Mike McWherter president and general manager of its recently acquired subsidiary Edwards&Associates in Bristol, Tenn. Edwards&Associates makes several custom aviation products and operates a helicopter completion center. McWherter previously was executive director-Asia/Pacific Rim for Bell.
FLIGHT OPTIONS, a fractional ownership venture that began in October 1998 with used aircraft, received a $20 million infusion from private equity investment firm Monitor Clipper Partners. Flight Options, which recently ordered 25 Fairchild Envoy 7 intercontinental business jets in a $760 million deal (BA, June 21/283), said it will use the capital for expansion.
NMF CANADA, an aircraft wing skins maker based in Mirabel, Quebec, will invest $5 million (U.S.) to open a new 40,000-square-foot facility in Wichita, Kan. NMF plans to break ground for the facility in October with construction completed by April. The facility is expected to employ between 25 to 30 people in the first year, gradually increasing to more than 100 people over the next five years. NMF, which said Learjet parent Bombardier is its largest customer, plans to transfer its Learjet work to the Wichita facility.
JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS promoted Jeff Price to director of the Jefferson County Airport. Price joined Jeffco a year ago as director of marketing, public relations and property management. Before that, he was with Stapleton and Denver International Airports, most recently as assistant director of airport security.
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON Model 407 helicopters (Docket No. 99-SW-07-AD) - proposes to require visually inspecting the vertical fin for reduced skin thickness; repairing or replacing the fin, if necessary; and identifying fins that have been inspected or repaired. This proposal is prompted by a report of an inboard skin damaged during production. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to detect fin assemblies with reduced skin thickness which, if not corrected, can reduce skin strength and lead to fin failure and loss of helicopter control.
AIR TOUR OPERATORS last week called the scientific methodology used by NPS and FAA to draft the Grand Canyon proposal "seriously flawed and unreliable." The United States Air Tour Association, which testified at a public hearing FAA held last week in Las Vegas, Nev., called attempts to restrict air tour operations "madness" but said it didn't blame FAA.
PPG INDUSTRIES completed its acquisition of aircraft coatings and sealants supplier PRC-DeSoto International, of Glendale, Calif., from Akzo Nobel of The Netherlands for $512 million. PRC-DeSoto, formerly known as Courtaulds Aerospace, has annual sales of about $240 million with production facilities in the U.S. and Europe. It also has 14 support centers.
ALLIEDSIGNAL AEROSPACE awarded a supplier contract to AAR Distribution to distribute its Grimes lighting products to the business and general aviation markets. AAR Distribution, a unit of AAR's Airframe&Accessories Group in Elk Grove, Ill., will distribute the entire line of Grimes lighting products, including anti-collision, interior, cockpit, emergency, navigational and landing lights.
RAYTHEON TRAVEL AIR officials are hopeful FAA will decide to permit fractional aircraft ownership providers to continue operating under the provisions of Part 91 instead of requiring them to meet the more stringent regulations in Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. Requiring operators to meet Part 135 standards would drive up costs, reduce operational flexibility because of strict limits on flight and duty time for pilots and make it impossible to serve certain smaller airports.
JIM HAGON was named vice president of completions at Duncan Aviation's Battle Creek, Mich. facility. Hagon will oversee all modifications and completion activities at Battle Creek. He joined Duncan in 1996 and has served as manager of customer service, project manager and interior manager at the Battle Creek facility.
AlliedSignal Engines plans a full-power run of the first AS900 turbofan engine as early as this week, as the program continues to unfold almost exactly on schedule.
Robert B. Parke, who spent more than half a century as editor, publisher or writer at leading aviation magazines, died Aug. 11. He was 82 and was diagnosed with lung cancer early last year.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION, which has been criticized by some of its members for supporting the continued regulation of fractional ownership providers under Part 91 of the FARs, and for not surveying the membership before adopting that stance, now plans to give members a chance to comment on the contentious issue.In a letter being sent to members, NBAA notes that its January 1998 survey of the membership contained only one question concerning fractional ownership. The new poll, however, "has an extensive section on the subject.
JERVIN CARTER was promoted to director of engineering at Midcoast Aviation's St. Louis Downtown-Parks Airport operation. Carter, an FAA Designated Engineering Representative in structures and mechanical systems, previously was manager of structural engineering. He also has served with Dassault Falcon Jet, AAR Oklahoma and Pemco Engineers, Inc.
Precision parts manufacturer Compass Aerospace bought United Kingdom-based Trim Engineering, a producer of aerospace structural parts for a number of Bombardier, British Aerospace and Boeing programs. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Trim Engineering, with annual sales of $40 million, comprises six businesses - TR Engineering, Trefn Engineering, Trefn Metal Treatments, Diac, Maybrey and Trefn Fabrications.
