On December 15, 1994, the Miami judge overseeing Piper Aircraft's bankruptcy proceedings was due to decide whether to continue the company's reorganization efforts, to allow the company's creditors to take over the manufacturer as proposed in 1994 (B/CA, September 1994, page 18) or to allow the creditors to vote on a new bid to buy Piper. The new offer was submitted jointly by Piper International Corporation--an entity comprising Kaiser Aerospace&Electronics--and Teledyne Continental Motors, one of Piper's largest creditors.
The process of dealing with the denial or revocation of a medical certificate can seem like a maze of red tape--and frankly, it is. If you have been caught in what appears to be a succession of unending procedural nightmares, you need the help of two experts: an AME and a lawyer, both of whom are experienced in medical certification problems.
Environmentally concerned managers of painting facilities will be interested in a new service that recycles the plastic blast media used in aircraft paint stripping. The service includes leasing the plastic media in addition to the recycling. For more information, contact Poly-Pacific Technology in Vacaville, California at (800) 961-6688.
Why was the Experimental Aircraft Association exhibiting for the first time at the annual NBAA convention in October 1994? Primarily to promote its own annual show as a place where business aircraft operators should attend and their suppliers should exhibit.
National Air Transportation Association, the Air Line Pilots Association and other organizations representing commercial pilots and operations expressed disappointment with the FAA's lowering of the minimum random drug-testing rate from 50 percent to 25 percent, effective January 1. NATA, ALPA and other groups said that aviation's extremely low positive test findings justify a reduction of the rate to 10 percent (B/CA, December 1994, page 17).
Several airlines, airport authorities and government agencies are jointly participating in an evaluation of Robotic Vision Systems' new ground-based, electro-optical system designed to detect ice on aircraft and to monitor contamination of deicing fluid. The Hauppauge, New York-based company's new detection system is called ID-1. Those involved in evaluating it are United Airlines operations at Denver Stapleton Airport, Delta Air Lines flights at Boston Logan Airport and various airline operations at Montreal Dorval Airport.
Orenda Aerospace, a division of Hawker Siddeley Canada, has acquired S-R Technologies, a Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada company specializing in the repair and surface treatment of helicopter engine parts. Based in Toronto, Orenda also repairs turbine engine parts. This is the second acquisition reported for Orenda in the last three months: Orenda recently bought Can-Am Corporation in Nevada with the aim of certifying a V-8 engine for aircraft use.
International Civil Aviation Organization adopted several revisions to its recommended safety practices. The major change is a recommendation that ICAO member nations investigate ``serious incidents'' in the same manner as that required for accidents. Another change is a recommendation that accidents and serious incidents to aircraft less than 4,960 pounds MTOW be reported. While member nations are not required to follow ICAO recommendations, many of them already have the same or more stringent requirements in place.
As of January 1, all FAA-certificated airports are required to have redesigned runway and taxi signage that conforms to the standards in FAA Advisory Circular 150/5340-18C. The deadline for the new requirements was extended one year because of limited sign manufacturing capacity and the fact that only about 60 percent of the affected airports had complied (B/CA, April 1994, page 22).
FAA says it has reason to believe some maintenance performed by Harrington Industries--a non-certificated maintenance facility in Aiken, South Carolina--may have been done using ``unapproved data or techniques.'' The agency conducted a random inspection of seven aircraft on which Harrington worked and noted control surfaces were not within the manufacturer's tolerances. Defects were discovered on five aircraft that had undergone interior work. At press time, the FAA investigation was continuing and no enforcement action had been taken.
Cessna Aircraft has issued an early invitation for owners of Citation business jets to sign up to transport athletes to and from the Special Olympic World Games in New Haven, Connecticut this summer. The third Citation Special Olympics Airlift will occur on June 30 and July 10 to transport the expected throng of 2,000 athletes. Olympics contenders will represent up to 28 states and will be transported via Citation to and from Hartford's Bradley International Airport. Average flight times of 1.5 to 3.5 hours are anticipated.
Most pilots recognize there is a big difference between knowing enough about weather to satisfy the FAA, and knowing enough to stay out of trouble in an airplane.
Sixty years ago, one of the most celebrated and controversial airplane manufacturers of all time, the Granville Aircraft Corporation, closed its doors. Alternately hailed as builders of some of the fastest aircraft of the 1930s and decried as makers of natural-born killers, the Granville Brothers became infamous for their Gee Bee racers. The high-powered, rotund airplanes seemingly defied aerodynamics in setting numerous speed records. Unfortunately, their legacy is a lethal one, as one by one the Gee Bee racers crashed.
Air L.A. has named Tim Clarey as company president. Clarey, 48, joined the Los Angeles-based carrier after 28 years in the airline industry, most recently as an airline analyst with Fairchild Aircraft. He also has served as director of revenue accounting for Empire Airlines (acquired by Piedmont, which was acquired by USAir), and was general manager of former Mohawk Airlines of Syracuse, New York.
Increased maintenance-check intervals have been approved for the 50-passenger Fokker 50. The manu- facturer says this change should result in maintenance-cost reductions ranging from nine percent to 21 percent.
The dropping of some 3,000 surplus military helicopters into the non-military market in the next five years will be a prominent discussion point at Heli Expo '95, according to Frank L. Jensen, Jr., president of the Helicopter Association International. The event is scheduled in Las Vegas on January 29-31.
If the FAA adopts a proposed AD, up to 350 AlliedSignal TFE731-3 series turbofans will require replacement of certain LPT disks because of their alleged susceptibility to fatigue failure. Compliance with the AD would cost approximately $18,000 per engine, the agency says. The AD would apply to 731-3, -3A, -3AR, -3B, -3BR and -3R turbofans installed on several business jet models, except the IAI Astra. A separate AD pertaining to the LPT disks on TFE731s in the Astra previously was issued. Comments on the proposed AD are due January 30.
At press time, the NTSB was trying to learn why a Cessna Conquest lined up on the wrong runway and, thus, was hit by a TWA MD-80 taking off on the same runway. The accident, at 2200 hours on November 24, 1994 at St. Louis Lambert Airport, killed the two persons aboard the Conquest. The NTSB said the Conquest was cleared to Runway 31, but crossed 31 and lined up about 1,500 feet down Runway 30R. The Conquest's taxi light switch was in the ``on'' position, investigators said, but its other light switches were in the ``off'' position.
The ATIS 2000 automated terminal information system from Artais Weather Check is available in a fully automated, digital system based on Microsoft Windows. Capable of interfacing with other Artais systems and other networks, the system can collect data from several sources, such as MET networks and AFTN lines, and convert it into voice messages in standard ICAO formats. Price: $30,000 to $100,000, depending on options. Artais Weather Check, Inc., 4660 Kenny Rd., Columbus, OH 43220. (614) 451-8388.
NTSB wants the FAA to revise the TSO for wind-shear alert systems to ensure they will issue warnings while flaps are in motion. And the Safety Board wants Honeywell to incorporate that capability into its wind-shear systems. The Safety Board says failure of a Honeywell system to give a timely warning may have been a factor in the crash of a USAir DC-9 in Charlotte on July 2, 1994. The Board said the aircraft crashed after encountering wind shear while the flaps were retracting during a go-around maneuver.
When traveling overseas, don't expect the U.S. Embassy to bail you out of every troublesome situation, but it can extricate you from some tangled predicaments. That is but one topic covered in The Frequent International Traveler's One-Day Workshop offered for executives by The Lee Group of Falls Church, Virginia. The Lee Group is an international security consulting firm and publisher of A Personal Safety Guide for International Travelers.
Toward the end of 1994, the FAA was scheduled to have completed a wake-vortex training program for pilots and air traffic controllers. The agency said the course will be available in several formats, including compact disc. For details, contact the FAA's George C. Hay at (202) 366-9127. Meanwhile, the FAA and NASA continue their respective research into wake-vortex characteristics.
February 9--TCAS: Turbine-powered FAR Part 135 aircraft with 10 to 30 passenger seats must have TCAS I systems installed. (The FAA has proposed a two-year deadline extension.) March 1--Duty times: Deadline for compliance with flight attendant duty times and minimum rest requirements for operations under FAR Part 121 and 135 on-demand and scheduled certificate holders. June 21--ELTs: Newly installed ELTs must meet TSO C91a.
Twin Commander Aircraft Corporation of Arlington, Washington has developed a program designed to extend the wing life on Model 690, 695, 840 and 900 Turbine Commanders. Under Part I of Twin Commander's mandatory Service Bulletin 213, aircraft that have reached at least 6,000 hours are required to undergo a wing inspection (expected to take about 66 hours per side). Part II of SB 213 provides for a modification to extend the life of the wing and eliminate future inspections. The mod kit costs $1,700 and requires 33 hours to install.
