Donald D. Engen, 75, director of the Smithsonian's Air&Space Museum and the man who had been leading the effort to raise millions of dollars for a new museum annex at Dulles International Airport, was killed Tuesday afternoon when the motorized glider he and a friend were flying broke up in flight and crashed near Minden, Nev.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE is undertaking a number of initiatives aimed at bringing small and medium businesses into Y2K compliance. The Commerce Department developed a CD-ROM entitled Y2K Self-Help Tool, available in 11 languages, which contains YK2 hotlinks, checklists and contingency plan templates. The software can be obtained by calling the Y2K Help Center for Small Business at (800) Y2K-7557 or downloaded via Commerce's Y2K website at www.doc.gov/y2k.
FLIGHTSTAR, the fixed-base operator at Willard Airport in Champaign, Ill., named Ralph Kuchenbrod vice president of aircraft maintenance. He had been service center manager at the FBO since 1981. Kuchenbrod, an A&P mechanic and commercial pilot, will oversee the company's general aviation department, Flightstar's airline division and the company's five-state regional expansion as a King Air service center.
AERONAUTICAL COMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL (ACI), a joint venture of Airsys ATM, AlliedSignal, Honeywell, Sextant Avionique and Sofreavia, said it completed and delivered the first of three phases of the Aeronautical Telecommunications Network router software to facilitate use of the Free Flight environment. The router software will determine the routing of digital data messages between aircraft and air traffic and airliner personnel on the ground. Software modules were developed at four ACI member sites in France and the U.S.
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA Model 206L-4 helicopters (Docket No. 98-SW-62-AD; Amdt. 39-11203; AD 99-13-10) - requires replacing certain hydraulic relief valves with airworthy valves. This amendment is prompted by a pilot's report of intermittent hydraulic pressure in the flight controls that was caused by a defective hydraulic relief valve. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent intermittent hydraulic pressure to the flight controls and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. FAA estimates that 78 helicopters on the U.S.
TRACE WORLDWIDE'S Aircraft Completion Division at London's Biggin Hill Airport won a VIP completion contract for a YAK 42 aircraft owned by GAZPROM, a prominent oil and gas company in Russia. The deal is part of an agreement between TRACE and YAK Corporation to complete six YAK 42 VIP aircraft. Trace previously completed YAK 42s for Lukoil Corporation and the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.
MESSIER DOWTY appointed John Capellupo and Jacques-Henry Dufour to its board of directors. Capellupo, 64, is a retired president of McDonnell Douglas Aerospace and executive vice president of McDonnell Douglas Corporation. He joined McDonnell Douglas in 1965 on the F-101B fighter and Super Talos missile programs and, after holding a number of positions of increasing responsibility, became president of McDonnell Aircraft in 1991. Dufour, 59, is senior vice president of Snecma Group's Equipment Branch.
Federal Aviation Administration's recent finding that drug and alcohol testing requirements apply to special event sightseeing flights continues to raise industry concern with a second association seeking relief from that determination. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association this month petitioned FAA for exemption from drug and alcohol testing requirements for sightseeing flights conducted under visual flight rules during a charity or community event.
FLIGHT SERVICES GROUP was selected to manage Sport Hawk Chicago's Boeing 727-200. The aircraft, based at Midway Airport in Chicago, is available for charter under Sport Hawk's Part 125 certificate.
EUROCOPTER DEUTSCHLAND Model EC135 helicopters (Docket No. 99-SW-38-AD; Amdt. 39-11217; AD 99-12-01) - publishes an AD sent previously to all known U.S. owners and operators of Eurocopter Model EC135 helicopters by individual letters. This AD requires initial and repetitive visual inspections and one dye-penetrant inspection of the main rotor hub shaft for cracks. If a crack is found during any of the inspections, this AD requires replacing the shaft with an airworthy shaft before further flight.
Nearly eight years after Bombardier officials announced plans for a 5,650-nautical-mile business jet called the Global Express (BA, Nov. 4, 1991/180), the Canadian manufacturer last week delivered the first of the long-range aircraft. In ceremonies at Bombardier's new completion center in Montreal Thursday, the first of the 6,500-nm aircraft was delivered to AirFlite of Long Beach, Calif., which will operate the plane for its parent company, Toyota Motor Sales, USA.
MARY GROVES joined West Star Aviation as chief financial officer/treasurer. Groves will handle all fiscal operations, financial reporting and banking relationships. She previously oversaw federal and state reporting for Mesa State College.
The German Luftfahrt Bundesamt (LBA) awarded type certification for the 328JET regional aircraft to Dornier Luftfahrt, a division of Fairchild Aerospace, and the company's primary production facility in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. The 328 is based on the Dornier 328 twin turboprop. The new twin-turbofan aircraft has 32 passenger seats and offers "the widest and tallest passenger cabin in the industry," according to the manufacturer.
AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION'S membership exceeded 350,000 for the first time in May when it hit 350,255, the organization said. The milestone was reached 60 years after AOPA's founding in May 1939. The association, whose membership reached the 300,000 mark in 1990, said each year nearly 90 percent of AOPA members renew their membership.
Heico Corp., which has been busy on the acquisitions front in recent weeks, has made another deal, acquiring the assets and certain liabilities of Turbine Kinetics Inc. and AeroKinetics, Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Both Turbine Kinetics and AeroKinetics are based in Glastonbury, Conn. The firms design and manufacture jet engine replacement parts for sale to airlines, airmotives and FAA-approved repair stations. The companies' employees have agreed to remain following the acquisition.
FAA ADMINISTRATOR JANE GARVEY this week is expected to detail plans for the agency's Streamlined Administrative Action Process, the revised version of the controversial "ticket program," designed to speed up the administrative enforcement system (BA, Jan. 4/1).Garvey, who Thursday is meeting with the General Aviation Action Coalition, which comprises a number of association and industry leaders, also plans to discuss a new safety metric for general aviation.
In an effort to boost sales of its Model 182 Skylane single-engine aircraft, Cessna and participating sales representatives are offering buyers $5,000 in free fuel. Under the program, Skylane purchasers will receive a $5,000 fuel credit on a Multi-Service credit card. The offer is being made for aircraft delivered from Cessna's Independence, Kan. factory on or before Aug. 28.
GREG LAABS was promoted to vice president of operations for West Star Aviation. Laabs has 22 years of aviation experience, most recently serving as director of maintenance for West Star. West Star is a full service aviation support facility that specializes in maintenance, refurbishment and support of Leajet, Hawker and Cessna aircraft.
MT-PROPELLER Model MTV-3-B-C propellers (Docket No. 97-ANE-36-AD; Amdt. 39-11206; AD 97-21-01 R1) - revises an existing AD that currently requires initial and repetitive dye penetrant or eddy current inspections for cracks in the propeller hub, and rework of the propeller hub or replacement with a new model propeller hub. This amendment allows the repetitive dye penetrant inspections to be performed on-wing as opposed to at approved propeller repair stations, and to mark B-050 propeller hubs that have been modified in accordance with the current AD or this revision.
Huck Fasteners, a subsidiary of Cordant Technologies, Inc., will close its aerospace fastener plant at Lakewood, Calif. Sept. 1 and move operations to its nearby Carson, Calif. plant. The move is expected to save about $6 million in pre-tax expenses per year and will result in the loss of about 115 jobs.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN'S (R-Ariz.) FAA reauthorization bill, held up for months by a dispute over increasing the number of takeoff and landing slots at Washington Reagan National Airport, is likely to finally receive Senate consideration the week of July 19 (BA, June 28/293). McCain's bill differs from the House-passed version, which would guarantee a general fund contribution to FAA's budget and take the Airport and Airway Trust Fund off budget. Sen.
UNITED STATES AIRCRAFT INSURANCE GROUP (USAIG) developed a corporate aircraft accident response plan designed to help companies respond in a coordinated manner to an accident and minimize confusion and uncertainty during the first few hours following an accident. The plan is available on USAIG's Web site, www.usau.com, under "Safety&Engineering." For more information, contact Walter Kraujalis, USAIG director of safety and engineering, at (212) 952-0100.
CECIL SLOAN joined West Star Aviation as manager of sales and marketing. Sloan will be responsible for expanding the company's business both domestically and internationally. He previously spent 20 years with Duncan Aviation in Lincoln, Neb.
Lockheed Martin plans to put together a private consortium to provide the space segment of FAA's future air navigation system, the company announced. The company filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission for broadcast spectrum and satellite orbital slots for an "affordable" Regional Positioning System (RPS) to supplement FAA's troubled Wide Area Augmentation System.
GARRETT AVIATION SERVICE'S newest facility, The Jet Center at Santa Barbara, recently received its FAA repair station certificate. The unit, a dedicated Boeing Business Jet completion facility, became fully operational and has limited airframe, powerplant and radio ratings. The center contains two 40,000-square-foot hangars with 50,000 square feet of office and shop space. Garrett has four BBJs scheduled for interior completions with two at its Jet Center in Van Nuys and the other two in Santa Barbara.
