ALEC WHITE joined FlightSafety Boeing Training International as vice president-customers. White will be responsible for sales, marketing and customer service for FlightSafety Boeing. He formerly was general manager of Northwest Aerospace Training Corp.
TRAVELERS PROPERTY CASUALTY CORP. is offering an enhanced property insurance package for aircraft hangars, small airports, terminal complexes and fixed-base operators. The Travelers Deluxe III policy provides higher limits and customized coverage, Travelers said. Coverage includes replacement cost, flood coverage and backup of sewers and drains for hangar buildings, tool coverage, property of others, transit and valuable papers for personal property and optional coverage including business interruptions, builder's risk, commercial auto and fuel farms.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL ordered its fifth Gulfstream IV simulator. The Level D simulator, which will be delivered in the first quarter of 2000, will be installed at FlightSafety's Greater Philadelphia/Wilmington learning center. FSI also provides Gulfstream IV simulator training at its facilities in Savannah, Ga. and Long Beach, Calif. In addition, FlightSafety said its Learjet 45 full flight simulator received initial FAA certification. The simulator, which meets Level D standards, is located at FlightSafety's Tucson, Ariz. center.
Hudson General Corp., which announced a month ago that members of its management team had agreed to buy the company for $57.25 per share (BA, Nov. 30/241), said Dec. 11 it had received a letter from a third party with another offer. The company said the third party "stated that the price would be in excess of $57.25 per share in cash, but did not indicate any specific price." The letter said the third party advised that any acquisition proposal would not be subject to a financing contingency.
FOKKER Model F.28 Mark 0070 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-279-AD) - proposes to require modification of the power supply system of the horizontal stabilizer control unit. This proposal is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent the loss of primary hydraulic stabilizer control during use of certain emergency procedures, which could result in the inability of the flight crew to control the airplane.
Washington Dulles-based Atlantic Coast Airlines signed an agreement to convert options for 10 more Canadair Regional Jet Series 200ER aircraft in a contract valued at $210 million (U.S.), ACA and Bombardier announced last week. The deal increases ACA's orders for the CRJ to 43, 14 of which have been delivered. The airline also took 10 more options, increasing that total to 27. ACA expects to take delivery of the most recent order from July 2000 to September 2001.
MECHTRONIX SYSTEMS, INC., a Canadian-based manufacturer of flight training devices, opened a U.S. marketing and sales office in Tucson, Ariz. William D. Peterson, who recently joined Mechtronix as director of business development-North America, will head the new office. Peterson recently was a department manager for Lufthansa's ab initio flight schools based in Arizona. Mechtronix, headquartered in St.-Laurent, Quebec, manufactures the Ascent line of flight training devices and cockpit procedures trainers.
The National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) joined state transportation officials and governors supporting a mechanism to ensure Airport and Airway Trust Fund revenue is spent for aviation purposes with continued federal general funding for FAA operations. NCSL, which adopted its aviation policy at a recent meeting in Washington, D.C., also echoed other state officials seeking a minimum of $2 billion in annual Airport Improvement Program funding and continued expansion of the State Block Grant Program.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-100 and -300 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-299-AD; Amdt. 39-10903; AD 98-24-18) - supersedes an existing AD that requires a one-time inspection for disbonding of the upper and lower skin panels of the horizontal stabilizer and repair, if necessary. This amendment establishes repetitive intervals for the inspection. This amendment also revises the applicability of the AD to include additional airplanes and to exclude certain other airplanes.
Summary: Pursuant to FAA's rulemaking provisions governing the application, processing, and disposition of petitions for exemption (14 CFR Part 11), this notice contains a summary of certain petitions seeking relief from specified requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR Chapter I), dispositions of certain petitions previously received, and corrections. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities.
BRITISH AEROSPACE delivered the first of two Jetstream 41 aircraft to the Hong Kong Government Flying Service for use in maritime search and rescue. The second aircraft will be delivered by the end of the month. British Aerospace Regional Aircraft, which received the order in May 1997, teamed with FR Aviation in Bourne-mouth, United Kingdom to design the multi-role J41 MPA.
AIR ROUTING GROUP is warning corporate pilots they may encounter delays when trying to fly over Russian airspace because of communications and equipment problems in Eastern Russia. See article on Page 276.
Air Routing Group, Houston, Texas, said equipment and communication problems in Eastern Russia may delay or limit access for corporate aircraft attempting to fly over the country. After meeting with officials at FAA's en route air traffic control center in Anchorage, Alaska, Air Routing said Russian officials have blocked installation of a U.S.-financed earth station at Anadyr, Russia. This has limited communication between Russian Far East (RFE) ATC locations and Anchorage Center.
J&H MARSH&MCLENNAN, a risk and insurance services firm, developed a new program for general aviation that includes insurance brokerage, claims management, disaster planning assistance as well as legal expertise from Dombroff&Gilmore, a U.S. aviation law firm. The program covers aircraft owners and operators, fixed-base operators, ground handlers, refuelers, terminal managers and operators, catering, cabin and fleet service firms and other aircraft service providers.
ADVANCED AERODYNAMICS&STRUCTURES, INC., Long Beach, Calif., said its sales backlog for the Jetcruzer 500 single-engine turboprop now stands at 172 aircraft valued at more than $200 million following receipt of 22 new orders since a mockup of the aircraft was unveiled during October's NBAA convention in Las Vegas. AASI also hired Richard Tracy as program manager for the Jetcruzer 500 program. He is responsible for over-seeing all aspects of engineering, manufacturing, FAA certification and flight operations.
The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to recommend that FAA require inspections of so-called "blind" rivets installed in load-bearing structures in helicopters, and possibly other aircraft, a task that would affect thousands of aircraft.
MOONEY Models M20B, M20C, M20D, M20E, M20F, M20G, M20J, M20K, M20L, M20M and M20R airplanes (Docket No. 98-CE-20-AD; Amdt. 39-10897; AD 98-24-11) - requires inspecting the aileron control links for the installation of a reinforcing gusset and, if no gussset is installed, repetitively inspecting the aileron control links for cracks. If cracks are found, the AD requires replacing the aileron control links with improved parts. This AD stems from service difficulty reports and reported failures of the aileron control links.
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON Model 204B, 205A, 205A-1, 205B and 212 helicopters (Docket No. 97-SW-20-AD; Amdt. 39-10900; AD 98-24-15) - supersedes an existing AD that establishes a retirement life for the main rotor masts and main rotor trunnions based on time-in-service and types of operations.
SHORT BROTHERS Model SD3-60 SHERPA series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-289-AD) - proposes to require a one-time visual inspection to determine the part number of the power control cable assemblies and pulleys of the engine controls and replacement with new parts, if necessary. This proposal is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. The actions specified by this proposal are intended to prevent the power control cable assemblies from breaking due to the inflexible construction of the cable.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT SERVICES expanded the hours of operation at its Atlanta, Ga., facility to add a second weekday shift and a weekend shift. The new hours at Raytheon Aircraft Services-Atlanta are from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Raytheon said it was expanding the hours as part of a "companywide drive to improve customer service."
RTS SERVICES INC., Fort Worth, Texas, expanded its Integrated Turbine Engine Management System program to include a PT6A and TPE331 quick-turn fuel nozzle exchange program and a TPE331 gear and bearing inspection and repair package for agricultural aircraft owners. The program also tracks maintenance records and engine time/cycles; assists with insurance claims; assists in maintenance scheduling; inspects rejected parts; offers 100-hour inspections and assists with pre-buy inspections on both engine and airframes.
FAA ADMINISTRATOR Jane Garvey expects 1999 will be an "extraordinarily interesting and challenging" year for the agency, with the FAA reauthorization bill topping the list of things that must be accomplished. She said she hopes the Clinton Administration's reauthorization bill "will be out very soon after the President's budget." Garvey said, "There is going to be a lot of pressure to extend" the current Airport Improvement Program (AIP), which is due to expire at the end of March, or to pass new legislation before that date.
The Be A Pilot program (formerly known as GA Team 2000) named Cynthia (Cyndy) Otis Brown as the organization's first executive director. Officials of the industry-supported learn-to-fly program said the new position is necessary as Be A Pilot expands into its third year. Brown will be responsible for day-to-day operations of Be A Pilot and will direct the program's marketing and educational outreach (BA, Nov. 23/232).
HOAC-AUSTRIA Model DV-20 Katana airplanes equipped with Rotax 912 A3 engines (Docket No. 97-CE-83-AD; Amdt. 39-10891; AD 98-24-05) - requires replacing the engine electronic modules. This AD stems from continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Austria. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent electromagnetic interference on the engine electronic module, which could cause the airplane engine to stop due to the interruption of the airplane's ignition system and result in loss of airplane control.
British conglomerate BBA Group, the parent company of Signature Flight Support, the largest U.S. chain of fixed-base operations, has reached agreement with AMR Corp. to purchase the AMR Combs chain of FBOs for $170 million. BBA apparently outbid about five other contenders for the former Combs-Gates chain, long one of the nation's premier FBO networks, in a process that began two months ago when AMR decided to sell several business units to focus on core airline and related technology interests (BA, Oct. 5/149).
