SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS, INTERNATIONAL is offering a Best Manufacturing Practices Workshop Sept. 20-23 in San Diego, Calif. The workshop was created by the Department of the Navy's BMP Center of Excellence and held in cooperation with the Office of Naval Research. For more information, contact SAE Professional Development at (724) 772-7148.
Citing "considerable growth" of its U.S. and European charter operations over the past four years, Jet Aviation said it will separate the charter division into a stand-alone enterprise outside Jet Aviation's aircraft management business.
MOONEY Model M20R airplanes (Docket No. 99-CE-14-AD; Amdt. 39-11178; AD 99-11-07) - requires either fabricating and installing a placard that specifies using the air conditioning system during cruise operations only or deactivating the air conditioning system so it cannot be used. This AD is the result of reports of the existence of dangerous levels of carbon monoxide during taxi, climb, and descent operations of the above-referenced airplanes.
THE GENERAL FUND contribution to FAA's annual budget has spurred the buildup of the uncommitted balance in the Airport and Airway Trust Fund and "perpetuated a fraud on the general fund taxpayer which has gone on for many years," according to the House Appropriations Committee.
President Clinton signed legislation Tuesday that amends the Fastener Quality Act of 1990, eliminating portions of the earlier bill that threatened to expose aircraft fastener manufacturers to a series of redundant inspections (BA, May 17/223).
Flightcraft Inc.. has added six aircraft to its charter and management fleet since the beginning of the year - a King Air 350, Beechjet 400A, three Citations and a Hawker 700A. The additions push Flightcraft's fleet to 36 aircraft. "What is particularly interesting is that three of the six aircraft were purchased by clients that previously did not own an aircraft," said Ernie Sturm, president of Flightcraft. "Aircraft are being considered more 'mainstream' by businesses that want to grow and stay ahead of their competition."
EUROCOPTER FRANCE Model AS 332L2 helicopters (Docket No. 98-SW-61-AD; Amdt. 39-11181; AD 99-11-10) - This action requires replacing a certain power-loss printed circuit board (PCB) with an airworthy power-loss PCB. This amendment is prompted by malfunctions discovered during environmental testing of the power-loss PCB conducted by the manufacturer.
Crossair's board Thursday selected Embraer to supply up to 81 regional jets valued at up to $1.5 billion. Losing out was the Fairchild-Dornier regional jet family. Crossair had long been a Saab customer before that company stopped producing commercial aircraft. The order is one of the first for Embraer's new larger jets and includes the 37-seat ERJ-135, the 50-seat ERJ-145, 70-seat ERJ-170, the 108-seat ERJ-190. The latter will put Embraer in competition with Boeing and Airbus in the 100-seat market.
AN ATTEMPT to limit Defense Department leases of Gulfstream business jets next year stalled last week during deliberations on the fiscal 2000 defense appropriations legislation. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) offered an amendment to the appropriations bill aimed at curbing a measure that would allow the U.S. Air Force to lease up to six Gulfstream jets for almost $500 million over 10 years. The amendment, which called for a study of Defense Department executive transport needs, was tabled, 66-31.
SUPERIOR AIR PARTS is developing a new Rapid Information and Internet Ordering (RIO) program on CD-ROM to allow its customers to order though its website. RIO will contain a parts library and Superior factory-authorized dealers' order forms.
TEAL GROUP, which in its latest 10-year forecast predicts a market for nearly 4,900 business jets, said that is "clearly the hottest segment of the aviation industry, a fact that explains General Dynamics' willingness to buy Gulfstream for $5.3 billion, more than twice Gulfstream's 1998 sales."Teal Group, which said market dynamics are changing and the implications are uncertain, still bolstered its 10-year prediction by almost 20 percent. See article below.
NORTHSTAR AVIONICS named Avionics International Supply of Denton, Texas, its exclusive distributor outside the U.S. and Canada for Northstar's avionics products, including the M3 GPS Approach, GPS-60, C1SmartComm and CT-1000 flight desk organizer. AIS began avionics distribution in 1984. Northstar Avionics is a subsidiary of Canadian Marconi Company Electronics.
ALLIEDSIGNAL, INC. signed an agreement with Sikorsky Aircraft to develop a new version of AlliedSignal's Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) "to help keep low-flying helicopters away from terrain, transmission wires and other obstacles," the avionics manufacturer said. The planned helicopter system will have a moving navigation map that will show the helicopter's height above terrain with color or shading contrasts, and wires and other obstructions will be overlayed on the map and conspicuously marked, the company said.
DON FUQUA was elected to the board of directors of B.H. Aircraft Company, a propulsion system and aerostructures component supplier in Ronkonkoma, N.Y. Fuqua served as president of the Aerospace Industries Association of America for 12 years.
TOM MONTGOMERY was promoted to chief financial officer for Comair Aviation Academy. Montgomery joined Comair in April 1998 as manager of internal audit. Before that he was chief financial officer for a start-up company and also has served as director of finance and audit manager with the pharmaceutical division of JCPenney Co.
FOKKER Model F.28 Mark 0070 and 0100 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-329-AD) - proposes to supersede an existing AD, which requires Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) and maintenance program revisions, modifications, and repetitive checks associated with ensuring the integrity of the thrust reverser system.
Mesa Airlines, which recently completed its acquisition of CCAIR, is preparing to announce a plan to acquire 30 to 40 regional jets worth $500 million. The company, which has been talking with both Canadair and Embraer, is very close to a decision, a source told BA affiliate Aviation Daily. In the past, Mesa has said the new aircraft probably won't come from Bombardier because the airline is looking for early deliveries, which Bombardier cannot provide because of its lengthy backlog.
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD is investigating last week's fatal crash of an Aerospatiale AS-350BA during an air tour flight over the Herbert Glacier outside Juneau, Alaska. The crash Wednesday claimed the lives of the pilot and all six passengers. An initial report said the Coastal Helicopters aircraft, which was operating under Part 135 of the FARs, appears to have struck the glacier in a steep nose-down attitude. The wreckage was found in a level area at an elevation of 3,400 feet.
FLIGHT SAFETY FOUNDATION formed an alliance with DuPont Safety Resources to expand its safety-evaluation services for airlines, airports and repair stations. FSF said the new alliance will build upon the alliance it has with aviation consultant Simat, Helliesen and Eichner for systematic safety evaluation. The latest arrangement will allow FSF to offer airline ground- damage control programs, overall safety programs, airport-safety evaluation services, construction-safety guidance and cost-benefit analysis for safety programs.
WAYNE LOVETT was named corporate secretary for Mercury Air Group. Lovett, who has been the company's general counsel since October 1997, has 22 years of legal experience. Before joining Mercury, he was appointed presiding judge of the Lakeway Municipal Court in Lakeway, Texas.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, expected last week to publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing audits and inspections for flight and duty time compliance (BA, June 7/261), pulled back the notice from the government publication to make last minute modifications. The agency is expected to release that notice shortly.
KURT HERWALD, head of Stevens Aviation for the past decade, has departed the Greenville, S.C.-based company. Herwald, who also served a term as chairman of the board of the National Air Transportation Association, expanded Stevens' business base and raised the company's profile in various ways, including a well-publicized arm wrestling match with Southwest Airlines Chairman Herb Kelleher over rights to the advertising slogan "Plane Smart" (BA, March 23, 1992/126). See article below.
Congressional and industry leaders have intensified their lobbying efforts in preparation for this week's battle over the Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR-21), comprehensive aviation reauthorization legislation that would take the Airport and Airway Trust Fund off budget and guarantee an annual contribution to FAA's budget from the general fund.
UPS Aviation Technologies will demonstrate avionics and data links for the Capstone Program, a U.S. government-sponsored test of advanced flight technology that is expected to show that general aviation aircraft can be equipped with systems generally found only in larger and more expensive aircraft.
