BOUNDARY LAYER RESEARCH, INC., Everett, Wash., formed a strategic partnership with Keystone Helicopter Corp. for the commercial development of a line of products based on tailboom strake technology that NASA licensed to BLR (BA, Jan. 18/29). Keystone, West Chester, Pa., will design, provide engineering and flight test the tailboom strake products. Keystone will begin engineering of the technology on the Sikorsky S-76 series helicopter.
PILATUS Models PC-12 and PC-12/45 airplanes (Docket No. 98-CE-40-AD; Amendment 39-10681; AD 98-11-01 R2) - corrects AD 98-11-01 R2, which was published in the July 31 Federal Register. Certain references to the AD number and amendment number in the document were incorrect. The AD requires replacing the fuel tank vent valves and drilling a 4.8 millimeter (0.1875 inch) hole in each fuel filler cap on certain Pilatus Models PC-12 and PC-12/45 airplanes.
Britten-Norman Group won approval from the board of directors of Romania's State Ownership Fund last week to buy Romaero S.A., an aircraft manufacturing and repair facility near Bucharest. Officials signed the formal contract papers Friday to complete the process. The acquisition "will enable Britten-Norman to expand and diversify its activities in the global aviation industry beyond the production of the Islander and Defender aircraft," the company said. Britten-Norman is a subsidiary of Biofarm, Inc. (BA, Oct. 26/187).
ROBERT R. (BOB) BURKHARDT, 81, a retired aviation reporter, died Jan. 17 at his home in Lewes, Del. after suffering a stroke. Burkhardt, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, began his newspaper career as a copy boy on the Cleveland Press, but spent most of his working life in the Washington, D.C. area. He was director of information services in the Aviation Division of the Ziff-Davis Publishing Company for several years and then joined the New York Journal of Commerce in the early 1970s and covered aviation until retiring in 1990.
JEFFREY SMITH was appointed general manager of Mercury Air Center's fixed-base operation at Addison Airport in Dallas, Texas. Smith formerly was with Cutter Aviation's newest FBO at Deer Valley Airport near Phoenix, Ariz.
Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) last week renewed efforts to increase regional jet access to high-density airports where takeoff and landing slots are limited with legislation providing exemptions to carriers serving smaller airports. The bill, the Small Communities Air Service Act of 1999, S.304, requires DOT to approve applications for regional jet service between small or nonhub airports and the high-density airports. S.304 also would establish a grant program for small communities and calls for a study on ways to increase regional jet service at small communities.
STANLEY FELIX was promoted to senior manager, training services, for SimuFlite Training International. Felix, formerly manager, Gulfstream program, oversees SimuFlite's Gulfstream pilot training program.
THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION made a second request for information from Coltec Industries and BFGoodrich about their proposed merger. Coltec said the companies "believe that they can promptly respond to the request and that the closing of the transaction planned for the end of March/early April should not be adversely affected." John W.
Analysts at the U.S. Department of Commerce predict a big slowdown in aerospace industry growth this year and into the coming century, with civil transport and commercial space outpacing other sectors as the mix of the industry changes with the times.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL received FAA Level D certification for its new Bell 412EP full flight simulator. The simulator, the first to receive Level D helicopter certification under FAA Advisory Circular 120-63 - Helicopter Simulation Qualification, was designed and built by FlightSafety's Simulation Systems unit. The simulator is in FlightSafety's Ft. Worth, Texas center adjacent to the Bell Helicopter Textron manufacturing facility.
BRITISH AEROSPACE Model BAC 1-11 200 and 400 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-47-AD) - proposes to supersede an existing AD, which limits the number of operations at increased cabin pressure differential, and requires repetitive structural inspections for cracking of the fuselage, and repair or replacement of parts, if necessary. This action would require additional repetitive inspections for cracking of the fuselage.
A long-running fight between the National Park Service and air tour operators over how noise from aircraft is measured at the Grand Canyon National Park flared up again last week when NPS issued a public notice proposing creation of "a two-zone system for evaluating achievement of the natural quiet standard."
LOW OIL PRICES are taking a toll on some oil company flight departments as officials cut back to cope with the long-term slump in oil prices that has decreased revenues and profits for the oil producers.
TOM BROWN was promoted to senior manager, training services, for SimuFlite Training International. Formerly manager, Citation program, for SimuFlite, Brown will be responsible for the Citation and King Air pilot training programs in his new role.
FUTURE GPS SATELLITES will have two new civil signals, significantly enhancing the service provided to civil, commercial and scientific users, Vice President Albert Gore said last week. The $400 million program will begin with satellites launched in 2003. The second civil signal will be located at 1227.60 MHZ and the third civil signal at 1176.45 MHZ.
STEPHANE DERMOND was named vice president of sales for Derco Aerospace. Dermond will oversee sales and customer support in Africa, South America, North America and the Middle East.
S-TEC Corp. of Mineral Wells, Texas named Richard Swingen president and chief executive officer, effective Feb. 1. Swingen, who also was named to the company's board of directors, succeeds David Alexander "who recruited Swingen as an integral part of his succession plan," according to a statement issued last week. Alexander plans to pursue other professional and personal goals while continuing as president and CEO of S-TEC Unmanned Technologies, Inc. and as a member of both firms' board of directors.
ARINC and AvInt will restructure their SkySource joint venture, which was formed in 1997 to provide an information exchange mechanism for the aviation industry. ARINC will continue to offer, operate and evolve the current Sky-Source products and services, which include network services, graphical flight following and airport status information.
GARRETT AVIATION SERVICES opened its new aircraft painting facility at Capital Airport in Springfield, Ill. The 60,000-square-foot facility includes three hangar bays and space for office and storage facilities. Garrett's Springfield facility, which also recently expanded its wood and upholstery shop space with a 7,500-square-foot addition, now covers more that 225,000 square feet and is the largest Garrett center. The new $9 million paint hangar can accommodate four to five large aircraft up to the size of a DC-9 or up to eight smaller jets.
FLYING HIGH: AVIATION AND THE AMERICAN CITY, is the title of a one-day symposium being presented Feb. 12 by the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. In announcing the event, the museum noted, "Air transport contributes significantly to a city's economic growth.
ASSOCIATED AVIATION UNDERWRITERS added two new member companies to its aviation insurance underwriting pool - Underwriters Insurance Company and Westport Insurance Corp. Underwriters Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Underwriters Reinsurance Company, is headquartered in Calabasas, Calif. and focuses on specialized underwriting coverages. Westport Insurance, Overland Park, Kan., specializes in professional liability coverages, communications liability coverages and select property and casualty programs.
THE 1997 CRASH of a Long-EZ airplane that claimed the life of singer John Denver resulted from a combination of aircraft design and pilot factors, the National Transportation Safety Board said last week. The board noted that the builder of the aircraft, which Denver had just purchased, located the fuel tank selector in a difficult-to-reach location behind the pilot's left shoulder instead of below the pilot's seats as recommended by designer Rutan Aircraft Co.
SQUARE D's corporate flight department is being shut down at the end of the month after more than 55 years of operation.Company officials have decided to use a fractional aircraft ownership provider. See article below.
TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY Rodney Slater and FAA Administrator Jane Garvey plan to visit Wichita Feb. 18-19 as part of a series of "listening sessions" they are attending throughout the nation.Slater and Garvey already have traveled to Des Moines, Seattle, Miami and New York and next will head to Phoenix to discuss airport financing and Rochester, N.Y. to talk about aviation competition. "We are...working with our constituents in formulating our agenda," said Patrick Murphy, deputy assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs for DOT.
Greece selected the Swedish Ericsson Erieye radar and the Brazilian Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft to satisfy its requirement for an Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWACS). The ERJ-145/Erieye combination defeated two U.S. competitors, the Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye and the Lockheed Martin C-130J with the APS-145 Hawkeye radar system, Greek government officials said. The contract is valued more than $500 million, according to the Greek government and Ericsson. The first aircraft is scheduled to be delivered to Greece in three years.
