AAR CARGO SYSTEMS received an order from British Aerospace Aviation Services for an additional 11 cargo landing systems. The order is a follow-on to a previous contract for 21 of the systems for BAe's Airbus A300B4 passenger-to-freighter conversion program. Deliveries are slated to begin in January 1999 and continue through the end of the year.
REP. C.W. BILL YOUNG (R-Fla.) is slated to become chairman of the House Appropriations Committee in the 106th Congress since Rep. Bob Livingston (R-La.) is the designated Speaker of the House. With the change in leadership, a number of appropriations subcommittee chairs have changed, including national security; VA, HUD and independent agencies; legislative branch; military construction; energy and water; and District of Columbia. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), however, will remain chairman of the transportation appropriations subcommittee.
LAST YEAR'S fatal crash of a BK-117 helicopter into New York City's East River is on the agenda for the National Transportation Safety Board's Dec. 1 meeting. The April 15 crash, which occurred after a portion of the tail rotor of the Colgate-Palmolive Company helicopter separated while the aircraft was departing the 60th St. Heliport, claimed the life of a company executive (BA, April 21, 1997/176).
ALLIEDSIGNAL AEROSPACE formed an alliance with Altair Avionics to jointly market and support Altair's family of engine monitoring products and to cooperate in the development of new monitors and engine controls. The joint effort initially will focus on monitoring products for the Allison 250 and T56 engines, Pratt&Whitney PT6 engine and AlliedSignal's auxiliary power unit and propulsion engine product lines. AlliedSignal's global marketing and sales unit will provide sales support.
THE MANDATORY MINIMUM RATES of randomly testing aviation employees in safety-sensitive positions for drugs and alcohol in 1999 will remain at the 1998 levels of 25 percent and 10 percent, respectively (BA, Jan. 5/1). FAA has the option of raising those rates if the number of positive test results over two consecutive years exceed certain limits, but the agency said the most recent data indicates the results stayed below those limits.
BWIA INTERNATIONAL AIRWAYS LTD. of Port of Spain, Trinidad signed an agreement with Bombardier Aerospace for the purchase of two 50-passenger Dash 8 Q300 series aircraft, plus two options. The transaction for the two firm orders is valued at $27.2 million (U.S.) and delivery of those aircraft is scheduled for mid-January. The optioned aircraft, once exercised, could be delivered before the end of 1999. BWIA plans to operate the Dash 8 300s connecting its long-haul jets flights at hubs in Port of Spain and Barbados to Tobago, Grenada, St. Lucia, St.
Hudson General Corp., a provider of fuel and other services at airports, said it entered into an agreement to be acquired by members of its senior management at a price of $57.25 per share in cash. The management group is led by Jay B. Langner, chairman of the board and chief executive officer, and Richard D. Segal, vice chairman of the board.
THE NEW PIPER AIRCRAFT, INC. Models PA-28-140, PA-28-150, PA-28-160 and PA-28-180 airplanes (Docket No. 95-CE-51-AD) - revises AD 96-10-01, which currently requires a complete landing light support replacement on certain airplane models listed above. The revised AD maintains the same requirements, but corrects the serial numbers referenced in the Applicability Section of AD 96-10-01.
SAAB Model SF340A and 340B series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-188-AD) - adopts a new AD applicable to certain airplanes that requires a one-time visual inspection of the main landing gear brake assembles to determine the brake configuration and reconfiguration, if necessary. The AD is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
RAYTHEON Model Hawker 800XP series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-195-AD) - adopts a new AD that requires replacement of the fuel feed hose assemblies of the auxiliary power unit with new hose assemblies. FAA said the amendment was prompted by a report of the collapse of the inner casing of the fuel feed hose that supplies fuel to the APU. The actions specified are intended to prevent failure of the fuel feed hose assemblies, which could result in fuel leakage and consequent risk of fire in the aft equipment bay. The AD is effective Dec.
MIKE ZASKE was named assistant chief pilot and check airman for Elliott Aviation in Minneapolis. Zaske has more than 12,000 hours of flight experience and retired from FAA after 26 years as an air traffic controller.
MESA AIR GROUP named a former National Mediation Board official to the company's board of directors. Maurice Parker, 53, will succeed J. Clark Stevens, who recently resigned from the board. From 1976 to 1997, Parker was a mediator with the NMB and a labor-management relations examiner with the National Labor Relations Board. From 1973 to 1975, Parker was an FAA air traffic controller. He is an Air Force veteran who served in Southeast Asia from 1966-1967.
Exxon officials were scrambling last week to find 100,000 gallons of aviation gasoline that did not meet specifications. The fuel was supplied by Exxon's exchange partner, Texaco, from its Pennsauken, N.J. facility and distributed to 20 airports in eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and possibly Virginia on Nov. 17. Word that there might be a problem with the fuel did not begin circulating until Nov. 24, so it is possible that hundreds of aircraft could have been fueled with the suspect batch.
PAN AM INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT ACADEMY (PAIFA) was selected by DHL Airways, Inc. to provide training for the package carrier's pilots under an agreement that calls for PAIFA to build a 35,000-square-foot facility in Cincinnati, Ohio that will house five simulator bays, classrooms, briefing and de-briefing rooms, flight training devices and administrative functions. PAIFA will provide training on DC-8-70, Boeing 727-200 and Airbus A-300 aircraft.
The DOT Office of Inspector General said a plan by FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association to reduce the number of supervisors by one-third "will not have an adverse impact" on safety. But FAA first must identify and implement the duties that bargaining unit members acting as controllers-in-charge (CIC) will assume from supervisors, the IG said.
ASSOCIATED AVIATION UNDERWRITERS teamed with Specialty Underwriters to offer a new avionics maintenance insurance policy, AV-TEC. AV-TEC covers repairs on "virtually every avionics unit" - and similar types of equipment - including labor, parts, preventative maintenance, airworthiness directives, repairs caused by power surges and human error, rental costs, and a "cash-out" option for repairs. The insurance plan has no deductibles. Johnson Controls, Inc., of Milwaukee, Wis., is the launch customer for the new insurance plan.
DORNIER Model 328-100 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-88-AD) - adopts a new AD that requires the installation of certain rivets on support arm 2 of the left and right flaps. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign airworthiness authority. The actions specified are intended to prevent fatigue cracking of the support arms of the flaps, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the airplane. The AD is effective Dec. 18.
A Flight Safety Foundation task force developed eight conclusions and a series of related recommendations designed to reduce the number of approach-and-landing accidents. The conclusions of the organization's Approach-and-Landing Accident Reduction (ALAR) Task Force were presented Nov. 16-19 at the joint meeting of FSF's 51st annual International Air Safety Seminar, the International Federation of Airworthiness 28th International Conference and the International Air Transport Association in Cape Town, South Africa.
FAA'S AVIATION RULEMAKING ADVISORY COMMITTEE will meet Dec. 10-11 to discuss a number of transport airplane and engine issues. The agenda includes reports by FAA, the European Joint Aviation Authorities and Transport Canada, the Harmonization Management Team, an update on proposed human factors "terms of reference," along with technical presentations regarding seat tests, ice protection and airworthiness assurance, among others. The meeting will be held at the offices of the Aerospace Industries Association, 1250 Eye St., N.W., Washington, D.C.
CONSTRUCCIONES AERONAUTICAS, S.A. (CASA) Model C-212 airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-185-AD) - supersedes an existing AD applicable to all CASA Model C-212 series airplanes that currently requires replacement of the cover of the power control quadrant pedestal with a cover that incorporates slot protection. This amendment requires repetitive inspections for deterioration or damage of the slot protection installed in the cover of the power control quadrant pedestal.
THE NORDAM GROUP MANUFACTURING DIVISION has developed what it calls "the next generation" in single pivot thrust reverser design. Its new Advanced Single Pivot (ASP) thrust reverser has a lighter, more streamlined design than four-bar reversers. It can meet a range of configurations from 2,000 to 10,000 pounds of thrust, Nordam said. The company said the design allows "plume tailoring," which is the ability to shape engine exhaust stream to meet specific requirements.
DE HAVILLAND INC. Models DHC-6-1, DHC-6-100, DHC-6-200 and DHC-6-300 airplanes (Docket No. 97-CE-10-AD) - proposes to adopt a new AD that would require amending the Limitations Section of the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) to prohibit the positioning of the power levers aft of the flight idle stop while the airplane is in flight. The AFM amendment would include a statement of consequences if the limitation is not followed.
PIEDMONT AVIATION opened a European support office in The Netherlands. Lisa Hansen, an 18-year regional aviation veteran, will head the office as director of sales, Western Europe. Before joining Piedmont, Hansen served as vice president of sales and marketing for Avitech Engineering Corporation. The office is located at Kasteel Genbroekstraat 26, 6191 KT Beek, The Netherlands; telephone: (31) 46 428 0712; fax: (31) 46 428 0722.
