Airbus Industrie is establishing a new Office of Safety and Technical Affairs in Washington, D.C. to support its increasing role in the North American market. John Lauber, a former member of the National Transportation Safety Board, was named vice president-safety and technical affairs and will head the new office. After leaving NTSB, Lauber was vice president-safety and corporate compliance at Delta Air Lines and since 1997 he has served as vice president-training and human factors at the Airbus training center in Miami.
SOUTHWEST JET AVIATION added three aircraft to its charter fleet. The aircraft - a Cessna Citation X, Citation III and a Raytheon Beechjet 400 - will increase Southwest Jet Aviation's charter fleet to nine. In addition to the new aircraft, Southwest operates two other Citation Xs, a CitationJet, Citation V Ultra, Learjet 35A, and Hawker 800. The aircraft are based in Scottsdale, Ariz.
RICHARD DAWSON was promoted to vice president, flight services for Southwest Jet Aviation. Dawson will retain his position as chief pilot in addition to his new duties.
FAIRCHILD SA226 and SA227 series airplanes (Docket No. 99-CE-12-AD) - proposes to supersede AD 99-06-02, which currently requires repetitively inspecting the wing spar center web cutout on both wings for cracks between Wing Station (WS) 8 and WS 17.5 on certain Fairchild SA226 and SA227 series airplanes, and immediately repairing any area found cracked. The repair will eliminate the need for the repetitive inspections on that particular wing spar.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL received FAA Level D certification for its new Embraer ERJ-145 full flight simulator installed at its Paris training center in Le Bourget Airport. FlightSafety, the factory authorized training organization for Embraer EMB-120 and ERJ-145/135 aircraft, has plans to build eight ERJ-145/135 simulators. FlightSafety has certified three of the simulators to date, including ERJ-145 trainers also located in Tulsa, Okla. and Houston, Texas.
LOCKHEED Model 382 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-371-AD) - proposes to require a one-time visual inspection of the under-floor-to-ring fittings at Fuselage Station 817E to verify installation of the correct-sized fasteners; and follow-on corrective actions, if necessary. This proposal is prompted by notification from the manufacturer indicating that, during production, incorrect sized fasteners were installed on the under-floor-to-ring fittings at fuselage station 817E.
UPS will provide new financial and management resources to its II Morrow subsidiary and change its name to UPS Aviation Technologies. Tom Weidemeyer, president of UPS Airlines, told the Aircraft Electronics Association this month that the avionics enterprise is "primed for rapid growth."
FAA ADMINISTRATOR JANE GARVEY is scheduled to receive a briefing from her staff next week regarding the status of the agency's policy statement on regulation of fractional aircraft ownership providers.Asked by BA Friday afternoon whether FAA will issue that policy before the end of June, Garvey responded, "I certainly hope it will be out before the end of June." She added that she was encouraged by the work of several aviation associations in developing guidelines for users and providers of fractional ownership programs.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION, which has taken heat from some of its members about the association's position on how FAA should regulate fractional aircraft ownership providers, plans to address members' concerns at a meeting next month in White Plains, N.Y. The association will hold one of its REACHBAC sessions at the Exxon Avitat at Westchester County Airport June 28 beginning at 7:30 a.m. that will be devoted exclusively to the fractional ownership issue and answering member questions.
British Aerospace Asset Management is lining up completion centers to perform corporate conversions in an effort to remarket a portion of its used BAe 146 quad-jets for business use. BAe, which recently sold corporate BAe 146s to Formula One in the United Kingdom and W.A.
AVIDYNE CORPORATION is offering Avidyne Traffic, a new option for its flight situation display. Avidyne Traffic, the fifth in Avidyne's series of situational awareness and safety products, will be certified for use as a primary traffic display for traffic alert and collision avoidance systems (TCAS I) and will interface with the Ryan Model 9900B+ traffic collision alert device (TCAD). Avidyne also produces Navigator and Charts products to address positional awareness and Radar and Lightning options for weather awareness.
AIRBUS INDUSTRIE OF NORTH AMERICA named Jon Bryan sales director of the Airbus Corporate Jetliner program. Bryan retired from USAirways after a 30-year career as a B767 international captain. He holds bachelor of science, master of business administration and doctoral degrees from the University of Massachusetts and was a full professor in the Department of Management and Aviation Science at Bridgewater State College.
EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY'S Golden Eagles Flight Team won first place at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference Competition held recently in Salina, Kan. The Golden Eagles Flight Team, based at Embry-Riddle's Prescott, Ariz., campus, previously was national NIFA SAFECON champion in 1993 and 1997. The competition included more than 100 colleges at the regional level. Twenty-nine teams competed in 10 airborne and ground events at the national meet.
BRITISH AEROSPACE HP137 Mk1, Jetstream Series 200, and Jetstream Models 3101 and 3201 airplanes (Docket No. 98-CE-117-AD) - proposes to require inspecting the nose wheel steering system to assure that the free play between the steering handle or knob and the nose wheels is within acceptable limits, and adjusting as necessary. The proposed AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for the United Kingdom.
BELL Model 407 helicopters (Docket No. 99-SW-16-AD; Amdt. 39-11111; AD 99-06-15) - publishes AD 99-06-15, which was sent previously to all known U.S. owners and operators of Model 407 helicopters by individual letters. The AD requires installing a tail rotor pitch-limiting left-pedal stop, installing an airspeed limitation placard, marking a never-exceed velocity (Vne) placard on all airspeed indicators, and revising the Limitations section of the Rotorcraft Flight Manual (RFM).
FLIGHT SERVICES GROUP added eight aircraft to its charter certificate, bringing the number of aircraft in its fleet to 36. The new additions are: a Gulfstream II based in West Palm Beach, Fla.; Challenger 601-3A in Charlotte, N.C.; Learjet 35A in Stratford, Conn.; Learjet 55, Teterboro, N.J.; Learjet 55 and Hawker 700 in White Plains, N.Y.; Hawker 800 XP in Atlanta, Ga.; and, Citation VII in Pittsburgh, Pa.
National Business Aviation Association selected National Air and Space Museum Director Donald Engen for its 1999 NBAA Award for Meritorious Service to Aviation and Paul Stevens, long-time corporate and Naval aviator, for its 1999 John P. (Jack) Doswell Award.
SIMUFLITE TRAINING INTERNATIONAL is offering a new "Thunderstorms, Airplanes and Radar" course in its advanced airmanship program. The course will use enhanced multimedia with three-dimensional animation to show how thunderstorms form and work. The course also covers radar operating techniques to help pilots track thunderstorm direction and intensity.
SIKORSKY Model CH-54B helicopters (Docket No. 97-SW-59-AD) - proposes to require initial and recurring inspections and rework or replacement, if necessary, of the second stage lower planetary plate. This proposal is prompted by two reports of cracked plates that have been found during overhaul and inspections. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent failure of the main gearbox plate due to fatigue cracking, which could lead to failure of the main gearbox and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.
EXECUTIVE AVIATION, based at Holman Field in St. Paul, Minn., became the 30th member of the Million Air chain. Million Air St. Paul opened its new $4 million facility in December with 110,000 square feet of hangar space and another 30,000 square feet slated for construction in August. The terminal building includes a lobby, sleep rooms and pilot showers. Million Air St. Paul, owned by Shirley Wikner, began general aviation operations in 1984 as Executive Aviation at Flying Cloud Airport.
AIR-21, House Transportation Committee Chairman Bud Shuster's (R-Pa.) mammoth aviation package that would generate almost $90 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration over the next five years, likely will return for further Transportation Committee consideration this week as leaders tinker with the funding recommendations, in particular for fiscal 2000.
AMERICAN JET INTERNATIONAL, owned and managed by Roger Woolsey, purchased Million Air Houston. American Jet operates 14 aircraft on its charter certificate, including a Citation, Learjets and King Airs. Million Air Houston, which joined the Million Air chain in 1985, is an FAA repair station that provides service 24-hours seven days a week. The fixed-base operator specializes in Hawker, Learjet, Citation, Falcon and Westwind service.
