THE DULLES BRANCH of the National Air and Space Museum is scheduled to open at the end of 2001. It will provide more than 700,000 square feet of exhibit area and permit museum officials to display a number of large airplanes that the downtown Washington, D.C. museum is too small to accommodate.
MEANWHILE, House and Senate action on FAA appropriations likely will be pushed to July as appropriators seek floor time to debate their bills. Aviation and congressional officials have expressed concern that FAA's budget will be squeezed in coming years as appropriators seek money to pay for highway projects included in the comprehensive highway spending bill, the Building Efficient Surface Transportation and Equity Act (BESTEA), signed into law last week.
Salt Lake City, Utah Airport Authority is soliciting proposals from firms interested in providing fixed-base operator services at the Salt Lake City Municipal 2 Airport located seven miles southwest of the city. The airport has one 5,862-foot by 100-foot runway. Copies of the request for proposal package may be obtained by calling Russell Pack, Airport Commercial Manager, at (801) 575-2915. Proposal responses must be returned by 2 p.m. local time June 25.
"THE STUPIDEST THING I ever heard of," is how one 30-year industry veteran characterizes FAA's 'ticket program' that would have agency inspectors writing on-the-spot violation notices when they perceive an operator is in violation of the Federal Aviation Regulations (BA, June 8/247). "Half the stuff a repair station is told to do" by FAA inspectors "is wrong," the Part 145 operator told BA last week, because the current generation of inspectors is insufficiently trained and does not have adequate knowledge about the industry and the regulations.
CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE over tobacco legislation is serving as a logjam to a number of aviation initiatives. With Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) deeply involved in the tobacco negotiations, the committee has delayed action on legislation to regulate park overflights as well as to reauthorize FAA programs.
The Federal Aviation Administration this month revoked field approvals for alterations performed on Part 135 cargo aircraft, causing operators to worry that their fleets could be grounded or their costs will increase substantially. National Air Transportation Association, which last week said it recieved a number of calls from concerned operators after FAA issued the Handbook Bulletin for Part 135 cargo aircraft, said the bulletin "requires the grounding of all Learjets and Cessna Citations used in Part 135 aircraft cargo operations.
ELLYN MURPHY has joined Miller Aviation as marketing representative for the flight department. Murphy will market Miller's charter service to corporations, brokers and individuals nationwide.
The government of Puerto Rico is seeking qualifications for a long- term lease of Rafael Hernandez Airport in Aguadilla, possibly through FAA's airport privatization pilot program. The Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico (GDB), which coordinates the government's privatization initiatives, and the Puerto Rico Ports Authority are jointly requesting qualifications until 4 p.m. June 26 for privatization of the airport through long-term leases. GDB is the lead agency in the effort.
The Senate last week adopted by a 52 to 46 margin an amendment to the National Tobacco Policy and Youth Smoking Reduction Act that would allow federal law enforcement officers to order aircraft suspected of smuggling drugs to land. The provision, offered by Sen. Paul Coverdell (R-Ga.), would make it illegal for an aircraft operator to ignore orders to land by federal law enforcement officials. Operators that "intentionally violate" orders could be subject to fine, imprisonment of up to five years, and possible aircraft seizure.
AIRBUS INDUSTRIE named Associated Air Center, Dallas, Texas, as the third designated completion center for corporate versions of the A319 airliner, the A319CJ. Airbus previously announced that Jet Aviation of Switzerland and Lufthansa Technik of Germany were approved to provide interiors and other completion services for A319CJ buyers (BA, May 25/233).
Model PC-7 airplanes (Docket No. 98-CE-30-AD) - proposes to require replacing the seal unit on both the main landing gear legs and the nose landing gear leg. The proposal stems from mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority of Switzerland. The actions specified by the proposal are intended to prevent landing gear failure because a main landing gear or nose landing gear leg seal unit deteriorated.
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON placed an order valued at $17.7 million with Swiss manufacturer SIP for 13 horizontal and vertical machine tools. The first horizontal machine tool will be delivered this year with the remaining units to be delivered over the next six years. "We have been very satisfied with SIP 740 series vertical machine tools and are delighted that SIP is now producing horizontal machines," said Bell Helicopter Equipment Engineering executive C.E. Allen. SIP, which has subsidiaries in the U.S.
HAMILTON STANDARD and SIA Engineering Co., a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, are forming a joint venture company to repair and overhaul engine fuel components. Hamilton Standard will hold 51 percent of the shares of the new company, Fuel Accessory Service Technologies Private Ltd. (FAST). The facility, located in a 24,000-square-foot building in the Loyang Industrial Park near Changi Airport, will begin operations in February and will eventually employ approximately 40.
DOT SECRETARY Rodney Slater, not previously known as a strong general aviation supporter, issued a proclamation at the request of GA Team 2000 proclaiming June as Learn To Fly Month "with the recognition that highly qualified and well trained pilots are an essential ingredient of our nation's aviation infrastructure." Slater's proclamation coincides with a number of events planned by GA Team 2000 this month to inform the public about the opportunities available to learn to fly.
TIM CORTER was named Twin Commander Grand Renaissance refurbishment supervisor for Downtown Airpark. Corter has nearly 15 years of experience working with the Commander.
Model SAAB SF340A and SAAB 340B series airplanes (Docket No. 98- NM-117-AD) - proposes to adopt a new AD to require modification of the detachable center inlet component of the air intake system of the engine. The actions proposed are intended to prevent fuel and/or oil that may be present in the nacelle from entering the air intake system of the engine, which could result in an engine fire.
Boeing and Bell Helicopter Textron, responding to concerns of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, have suspended the sale of Boeing's MD 500 and MD 600 commercial helicopter lines to Bell, the companies said last week. Terry Stinson, president and chief executive of Bell Helicopter Textron, said the businesses are being "shopped around" to other potential buyers.
The Customs Service extended its General Aviation Telephonic Entry (GATE) test program, which allows a telephone report of entry for qualified general aviation aircraft entering the U.S. directly from Canada, through June 1999. Customs said that based on the success of the first year and favorable comments from the GA community, the program will be expanded to include small charter/air taxi aircraft returning with crew members only. The program also is being expanded to include additional airports. GATE is open to U.S.
Cessna Finance Corporation is offering new and improved financial products to attract customers for its single-engine lines. The programs cover Cessna's new piston-engine aircraft including 172R Skyhawks, 172S Skyhawk SPs, 182 Skylanes and 206/T206 Stationairs. "We want to offer new single-engine aircraft customers the kind of financing that puts an end to the myth that new aircraft ownership is 'high cost' ownership," said Cessna Finance Corp. President Leon Metzinger. "Customers today are shopping monthly payments.
WINGLETS installed on a Boeing 737-800 to test their feasibility on the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) would improve the range of the BBJ by approximately four percent based on preliminary flight tests, officials told BA last week. While less than the seven-plus percent range improvement similar winglets provide for the Gulfstream II, the four percent boost for the BBJ would push its range to 6,448 nautical miles - very near the range its competitors in the very long-range business jet market are quoting (BA, June 8/250).
Models PC-12 and PC-12/45 (Docket No. 98-CE-40-AD; Amdt. 39- 10528; AD 98-11-01) - adopts a final rule without a prior notice and comment period. The AD adds requirements to an existing AD, 97-23-04, which requires replacing the fuel tank vent valves. The new requirements include drilling a 4.8 millimeter hole in each fuel filler cap and checking to assure that the fuel filler cap hole is clear of ice and foreign objects.
Federal Aviation Administration this month revised requirements and narrowed the scope of a Priority Letter airworthiness directive calling for repetitive inspections and possible removal from service of Allison 3007A and 3007C engines powering Embraer ERJ-145 and Cessna Citation X aircraft. FAA issued the Priority Letter AD in January after Allison became aware of a problem with the No.
Model ATR-42-300 and -320 and Model ATR-72 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-24-AD; Amdt. 390-10533; AD 98-11-06) - requires modification of the engine fuel drainage system. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. The actions specified by the AD are intended to prevent fuel from overflowing into the engine nacelle and resulting in a fire. FAA estimates the AD will cover 106 ATR-42 and 39 ATR-72 airplanes at a combined cost of $93,561.
Model DHC-8-301, -311, -314 and -315 series airplanes (Docket No. 97-NM-330-AD; Amdt. 39-10539; AD 98-11-12) - requires installation of additional wiring and new electrical connectors for the lights in the forward end of the passenger overhead compartments. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by Canadian airworthiness authority officials.
GALAXY AEROSPACE won Federal Aviation Administration approval for operation of the Astra SPX in reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) flight levels. The Astra SPX won similar approval from Israeli aviation authorities in February.
