Cordant Technologies increased its stake in engine parts manufacturer Howmet International with a major stock purchase from the Carlyle Group. Cordant, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, bought 22.6 million shares of Howmet from Carlyle for $17 per share, a total of $385 million. That boosts Cordant's share to 84.7 percent. The remaining Howmet common shares are publicly held and traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
DICK GORDON, longtime acting director of Flight Standards Service at FAA, is retiring at the end of this month. Gordon has been deputy director since the recent appointment of Nick Lacey as director.
CARL GRIFFITHS joined World Fuel Services Corp. as senior vice president. Griffiths previously spent 20 years in business development and marketing positions with Air BP. Most recently he was Air BP's commercial manager, responsible for Florida, Texas and the Caribbean.
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON Model 212 helicopters (Docket No. 98-SW-20-AD; Amdt. 39-11010; AD 98-11-15) - publishes AD 98-11-15, which was sent previously to all known U.S. owners and operators of Model 212 helicopters by individual letters. This AD requires inspecting the trunnion assembly or tail rotor flapping stop, whichever is applicable, installing a trunnion assembly or flapping stop, if necessary; and replacing the tail rotor yoke. This amendment is prompted by an accident involving a BHTI Model 205A-1 helicopter in which the yoke failed during flight.
DAN ODLUM was appointed to the newly created position of avionics shop foreman at Western Aircraft. Odlum formerly was a production manager at custom electronics manufacturer MCMS Inc. He has more than 12,000 hours of flight time as a general aviation and U.S. Navy pilot.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT SERVICES appointed Douglas Bell general manager of its authorized service center at Atlantic City, N.J. International Airport. Bell will oversee general operations of the facility, which opened for business early last month. He has more than 25 years of fixed-base operation and technical services sales and management experience. He most recently was a technical service sales consultant for Jett Aire Executive Services in Sanford, Fla. and also has served as general manager for Stevens Aviation in Greenville, S.C.
Rockwell Collins exercised an option to acquire 100 percent of Flight Dynamics, the leading producer of Head Up Guidance Systems (HGS) for aircraft. The deal is expected to close at the end of the quarter. "Flight Dynamics brings important technology to the core Rockwell Collins businesses. This acquisition is integral to our strategy of increasing our aviation electronics content across multiple platforms and increasing our strong market position," said Clay Jones, president of Rockwell Collins.
AVIONS PIERRE ROBIN Model R2160 airplanes (Docket No. 98-CE-78-AD; Amdt. 39-11007; AD 99-02-15) - requires repetitively inspecting the engine bearer for cracks, and replacing the engine bearer with a reinforced part either immediately or at a specified time, depending on whether cracks are found during the inspections. Replacing the engine bearer with a reinforced part terminates the repetitive inspection requirement. This AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the French airworthiness authority.
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer expects to formally launch a $750 million program this summer to develop 70- and 90-seat airliners for the regional market, a move that company executives said is driven by "pressure from [existing] customers" who want larger aircraft.
INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION this month celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Air Navigation Commission, one of the three main bodies of ICAO. The commission develops and amends the Standards and Recommended Practices in the Annexes to the Convention followed by ICAO contracting states. "Its advice to Council on safety matters has contributed significantly to the reduction of the worldwide accident rate over the past half century," said ICAO Council President Assad Kotaite.
FAIRCHILD AEROSPACE CORP. tapped communications veteran Lynn Campbell as vice president, marketing services and communications. Campbell succeeds Gina McAllister, who left last month after serving with the company for only three months (BA, Jan. 25/41). Campbell joined Fairchild in August 1997 as director of exhibitions and events. Before that, she spent 18 years with British Aerospace in communications, event planning and public relations.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT'S Aircraft Completion Center in Wichita, Kan. last week was approved as an FAA-certified repair station for Citations and Caravans. The completion center previously operated under the certificate of Cessna's Citation Service Center in Wichita. "Having two certificates provides an extra margin of flexibility for responding to our customers' needs and the growth of our business," said Charlie Johnson, Cessna president and chief operating officer.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION apparently has backed off assessing user fees for certification work it conducts overseas.FAA in 1997 proposed imposing fees for services it provides for certification of products manufactured or assembled outside the U.S. (BA, July 21, 1997/29). That proposal initially won support from U.S. manufacturers who hoped it would result in faster action by FAA on certification projects, but their stance changed abruptly when the full fee schedule became known a month ago.
NATIONAL AIRCRAFT RESALE ASSOCIATION said its members accounted for 16 percent of total worldwide used jet sales and 12 percent of used turboprop sales during 1998. NARA members reported $1.5 billion in sales during 1998. NARA said AMSTAT Corporation research found that 1,443 used jets and 1,212 used turboprops were sold in 1998. NARA members sold 231 jets and 148 turboprops during the year. Total worldwide used sales declined from 1997's 1,454 jets and 1,242 turboprops.
PIEDMONT HAWTHORNE AVIATION, which formed after Piedmont Aviation Services, Hawthorne Aviation and American Beechcraft merged last summer (BA, Aug. 3/49), recently acquired its 24th fixed-base operation, Albany Air Center, at Southwest Georgia Regional Airport. Founded in 1969, Albany Air Center provides line, maintenance and charter services as well as ground-handling services for United Parcel Service.
ALLISON Model AE 3007A and AE 3007A1/1 turbofan engines (Docket No. 98-ANE-14-AD; Amdt. 39-11017; AD 99-03-03) - supersedes an existing AD that currently requires reprogramming the Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) to software version VI.2. This amendment requires reprogramming the FADEC to a serviceable software version and reidentifying the FADEC assembly.
DORNIER Model 328-100 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-157-AD) - revises an earlier proposed AD that would have required repetitive lubrication of the engine control push-pull cables. That proposal was prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. This new action revises the proposed rule by adding a requirement to install heating tubes on the control cables in the cockpit area and in the left-hand and right-hand engine balconies, which would terminate the repetitive lubrication requirement.
EMBRAER Model EMB-120 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-265-AD; Amdt. 39-11012; AD 99-02-18) - requires removing the thermal insulating blankets from the upper rear nacelle structure; repositioning the engine exhaust duct; and replacing the engine exhaust bracket with a new engine exhaust bracket, if necessary. For certain airplanes, this amendment also requires installing new stainless steel plates onto the upper rear nacelle structure. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
ROLLS-ROYCE added AE3007 engine repair and overhaul capabilities to its center in East Kilbride, Scotland. The center joins Rolls-Royce facilities in Montreal, Quebec, Sao Paulo, Brazil and Indianapolis, Ind. to handle AE3007 engine maintenance. The East Kilbride facility also tests and reworks the AE2100 aircraft powering the Saab 2000 and Lockheed Martin C-130J aircraft. The AE3007 powers the Embraer RJ-145 and -135 regional aircraft and the Cessna Citation X business jet.
JOINT AVIATION AUTHORITIES Wednesday agreed to extend the comment period on a proposal to allow a 180-minute extended-range, twin-engine operations (ETOPs) threshold for small commercial aircraft as long as operators meet an acceptable means of compliance that follows "best industry practice." The JAA decision came at the request of French officials, who advocate shortening the ETOPs threshold to 120 minutes for business jets. The extension essentially delays enactment of the proposal, which is strongly supported by U.S. manufacturers, by at least a year.
ATLANTIC AVIATION, the long-time fixed-base operator at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), signed a 20-year lease with two five-year options to operate at both PHL and Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE). The Philadelphia Division of Aviation selected Atlantic to run FBOs at the two airports in September (BA, Sept. 14/115). Atlantic is building a new FBO on the east side of PHL and expects it to open before July 2000. Atlantic also plans to spend $1 million to refurbish the PNE facility.
SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE Thursday approved by voice vote a comprehensive aviation package that would reauthorize Federal Aviation Administration programs. The package, similar to the one the Senate passed last year, also would provide for restricting air tours over national parks. Although no timetable has been set for taking it up, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) has called it a priority measure.
BUSINESS AND REGIONAL aircraft manufacturers worldwide delivered more than 2,500 aircraft last year with U.S. manufacturers topping the 2,000 mark for the first time in more than a decade. See article and BA chart of worldwide unit shipments below.
INTENSE COMPETITION between regional aircraft manufacturers Bombardier and Embraer extends from the companies' chief executives to their public relations staffs, who will attempt to one-up their competitors at almost any opportunity. A case in point was Thursday's announcement by Embraer that it expects to give the go-ahead for development of new 70- and 90-passenger airliners this summer and identify a launch customer before yearend.
THE HOUSE, meanwhile, approved a measure this month to extend the Airport Improvement Program for six more months. AIP is set to expire at the end of March and House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bud Shuster (R-Pa.) supports the short-term AIP renewal to give the House time to debate more extensive aviation legislation.
