RENE BEAUCHAMP was appointed director-communications for Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. Beauchamp, former director-business development for Litton Guidance and Control Systems, will oversee all Sikorsky public relations, employee communications, advertising, contributions and community relations.
SCOTT DUDLEY joined FlightSafety International's center in Savannah, Ga. as assistant manager. He previously was president and chief pilot of University Clubs Aviation in Columbia, S.C.
A NUMBER OF law enforcement, government and aviation groups met with congressional leaders last week to hash out their differences on regulation of public aircraft. Law enforcement and other government agencies have lobbied Congress to ease certain restrictions on use of public aircraft. But commercial aircraft operators want public aircraft to adhere to the Federal Aviation Regulations and have sought congressional assistance to deal with what they believe is unfair competition from government agencies.
RICHARD KAPLAN was named senior vice president and chief financial officer for DeCrane Aircraft Holdings. Kaplan formerly headed the Middle Market Practice Group and Mergers and Acquisitions Group in Northeast Ohio for Price Waterhouse LLP.
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. named a Cessna Aircraft business jet sales executive to head its new international sales headquarters in London, England. Gulfstream said the new office will be led by Ernest (Ernie) Edwards, who joined the company as vice president-international sales. He will report to Joe Walker, senior vice president-sales and marketing.
Raytheon Aircraft last month awarded a contract to Wyman-Gordon subsidiary Scaled Technology Works to produce interior components for an executive version of its venerable regional turboprop, the 1900D. Raytheon turns to the executive market for its successful 1900 program as demand in the U.S. for 19-passenger regional turboprops dwindles. Raytheon Aircraft Services, which is developing the supplemental type certificate for the modification, plans four versions of an executive 1900 ranging from 12 to 18 seats.
GARMIN INTERNATIONAL won an exclusive OEM contract from Aviat Aircraft to supply avionics for Pitts and Husky model aircraft. Aviat will offer either VFR or IFR avionics. The VFR package will include the Garmin GNC 250XL, a 12-channel GPS/760-channel VHF Comm with moving map graphics. The IFR package will include the GNS 430, an integrated GPS/Comm with VOR, LOC and glideslope and a full-color moving map. The IFR package also will include the GMAA 340 audio panel.
LEE MILES was promoted to turboprop maintenance salesperson for Western Aircraft. Miles, formerly inventory supervisor/rotable manager, primarily will deal with King Air, Conquest and Caravan customers.
While House Transportation Committee Chairman Bud Shuster (R-Pa.) made progress in his Airport and Airway Trust Fund off-budget campaign with House leaders last month, the Senate approved an amendment to its version of the budget resolution that could thwart Shuster's effort (BA, March 29/143). The amendment, backed by some of the most powerful members of the Senate, expresses a "sense of the Senate" that no additional budget firewalls should be enacted for transportation activities.
MICHEL GUERARD was appointed vice president-corporate communications for Airbus Industrie. Guerard joined Airbus in 1987 as area sales director and was named deputy vice president-corporate communications in 1995.
ELIZABETH KARRAS joined General Aviation Services' aircraft acquisition team. Karras will be responsible for the purchase of jet and turboprop aircraft and for determining market values for the company and clients.
SINO SWEARINGEN appointed Jet Resource Corp. as a distributor and authorized service center. Jet Resource Corp. is a newly formed partnership between James Markel and Associates, Inc., Napa, Calif., which specializes in turbine aircraft acquisitions, consulting, leasing and sales, and Arnold Peterson of APRI Aviation, a Concord, Calif.-based technical services and corporate aircraft hangar facility. Jet Resource Corp. will be responsible for distributing and providing customer service for Sino Swearingen customers in Northern California and Nevada.
SEN. JAMES INHOFE (R-Okla.) late last month reintroduced his emergency revocation legislation to provide a quick appeal process through the National Transportation Safety Board. A similar measure was included in the comprehensive aviation reauthorization legislation in the House (BA, March 15/119) and aviation groups have been lobbying for its inclusion in the Senate reauthorization package. Inhofe's bill, S.723, is co-sponsored by Sens.
BOEING launched Boeing Airplane Services (BAS), a new unit dedicated to providing modification and engineering services for the more than 10,000 Boeing airplanes in service worldwide. BAS will offer engineering retrofit packages, avionics upgrades, passenger-to-freighter conversions, interior reconfigurations, recovery and repair services, and airplane performance improvements for Boeing commercial airplanes. Joe Gullion, former vice president of global sales, marketing and new business development for AlliedSignal Aerospace, was named president of BAS.
Noting that the Federal Aviation Administration has fared better than many other federal agencies in the appropriations process, Senate transportation appropriations subcommittee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) last week criticized efforts in the House to take the Airport and Airway Trust Fund off budget and "firewall" aviation funding levels. "FAA has thrived in the regular budget and appropriations process," Shelby said during a transportation appropriations hearing on FAA's fiscal 2000 budget.
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION Wednesday issued an Alert Bulletin to its members clarifying new Internal Revenue Service registration requirements for businesses providing fueling services. NATA said it has been inundated with calls from members who have received misinformation on the applicability of the requirements. The regulations require aviation service companies operating terminals where airline-owned fuel is stored to register if the terminal is supplied in bulk by pipeline or barge directly from a refinery or petroleum pipeline.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bud Shuster (R-Pa.) Wednesday cleared a significant hurdle to winning passage for his massive aviation legislative initiative, called AIR 21, when he struck a deal with House leaders on budget treatment of aviation funds. Also last week, the House approved the Senate bill to extend the authorization for Airport Improvement Program for two months beyond the impending March 31 expiration date, preventing airports from losing a significant portion of their federal funding for this construction season.
BRITISH AEROSPACE ASSET MANAGEMENT won a contract to remarket two BAe 146-200 jets owned by Hubble Inc. Debonair of the United Kingdom subleased the jets from US Airways and they are slated to return to Hubbell when the head leases expire in February and August 2000. BAeAM will assist in the resale of the jets. BAeAM said the Hubbell contract is the third re-marketing deal it has won in the past year. It also has remarketed aircraft for FBM Jet Engine Support Ltd. and IMP Group of Canada. The Hubbell contract, however, is the first involving a head lessor.
JIM MCCANN joined Securaplane Technologies as product manager, airborne video imaging systems. McCann has more than 19 years of aviation industry experience. He held marketing/product support positions with Rockwell Collins and EECO Avionics Systems. Most recently he was involved with product definition and market development for airborne video camera systems for Sextant In-Flight Systems.
GENERAL AVIATION USERS are concerned about high costs at Texas's new Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, which opens to full commercial service May 2. Austin Director of Aviation Charles Gates, speaking at the FAA Forecast Conference, conceded that GA feels "there's no cheap space" at the new facility, a converted military base that replaces Robert Mueller Airport. T-hangars for general aviation aircraft at Austin-Bergstrom will run $600 a month, compared to $200 a month at Mueller.
NEW PIPER PA-23, PA-24, PA-28, PA-32, and PA-34 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-CE-110-AD; Amdt. 39-11057; AD 99-05-09) - requires, for affected airplanes that incorporate certain Facet (manufactured by the Purolator Products Company) induction air filters, replacement of those induction air filters. This AD stems from reports of cracking, splitting, crumbling, and deterioration of Facet/Purolator induction air filters manufactured during a certain time period.
COLTEC INDUSTRIES named three men to new posts: Steve Chalmers, vice president-Boeing Programs; Drew Lippert, vice president-Bombardier Programs; and Faiez Aboelezz, vice president-technical. All three are based at the company's Menasco Aerospace Oakville Division in Ontario, Canada and all three report to Douglas Wright, vice president and general manager of the division. Chalmers, 34, and Aboelezz, 49, are veterans of Menasco. Lippert, 40, was previously manager of new business development-advanced power systems for AlliedSignal Aerospace Canada.
SINO SWEARINGEN AIRCRAFT COMPANY said its prototype SJ30-2 business jet reached 300 flight hours in the test program for FAA certification. The aircraft has been used in exploring the high- and low-speed portions of the flight envelope and measuring performance throughout the flight envelope. The aircraft also has been involved in stability and control tests, engine operating tests, powerplant and electrical generator cooling tests and aircraft handling characteristics in various weather and flight control failure conditions.
AIRCRAFT TECHNICAL PUBLISHERS developed a maintenance forecasting program to track configuration, status and maintenance requirements for parts on up to 50 aircraft. The software, which ATP said is Year 2000-compliant, can track large business aircraft or piston fleets operated by flight departments, charter operators and flight schools. The program will provide automatic Maintenance Alerts that identify all maintenance due within a user-defined period.
Indianapolis Airport Authority Board has awarded a $1.5 million contract for the first phase of construction of a new general aviation airport. The airport, to be located on a 300-acre tract in the middle of Hendricks County, initially will comprise a 3,400-foot paved landing strip, a 33,000-square-foot aircraft parking apron and an access road from County Road 300 E. Construction is expected to begin in April with completion of the first phase by summer of 2000.
