THALES won a contract from the German Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement for ground-based precision landing systems under a German military aviation modernization program. Thales will supply seven ILS 420 instrument landing systems with remote control systems to enable monitoring and control from distant sites as well as provide training support. The contract includes an option for an eighth system.
Mesa Airlines, the Phoenix, Ariz.-based regional airline, said Friday it plans to launch "an independent inter-island Hawaiian airline with the service expected to begin in the first quarter of 2006."
Ballistic Recovery Systems expanded its production capability and increased its product line with the purchase of the Tijuana, Mexico-based manufacturing facility of Paranetics Technology, BRS announced last week. Headquartered in Cayucos, Calif., Paranetics produces parachutes for the U.S. Department of Defense. The BRS acquisition does not include Paranetics' domestic operations.
GARY JORDAN was elected to the board of directors of the Aeronautical Repair Station Association. Jordan is president and chief executive of San Antonio, Texas-based Jordan Propeller Service, Inc. Jordan, a 50-year veteran of the propeller repair industry, founded the Worldwide Aircraft Propeller Association and served as its first president in 1992.
First Aviation Services, Inc. reported a major turnaround in profitability for the quarter and six months ended July 31, due to a significant reduction in company expenses.
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY CF34-3A1 turbofan engines [Docket No. FAA-2004-18869; Directorate Identifier 2004-NE-23-AD; Amendment 39-14256; AD 2005-18-16] -- requires removal from service of certain HPT components prior to the parts exceeding their designated life limits. This AD results from the discovery that the manufacturer removed certain part numbers of HPT rotating components from the Life Limits section of the CF34 Engine Manual, SEI-756.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-400 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-21435; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-163-AD; Amendment 39-14257; AD 2005-18-17] -- requires a one-time inspection of the fuel and hydraulic tubes, and corrective actions if necessary. This AD also requires modifying fairlead plate assemblies. This AD results from reports of chafing between fuel and hydraulic tubes and the fairlead plate where the tubes pass through the firewall.
EMBRAER Model ERJ 170 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-21345; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-005-AD; Amendment 39-14266; AD 2005-19-01] -- requires inspecting the hydraulic pressure tubes at the outlet of the engine-driven hydraulic pumps to determine the part and serial numbers; and replacing hydraulic pressure tubes having certain serial numbers with new hydraulic pressure tubes. This AD results from failure of a hydraulic system due to leakage of hydraulic fluid from a crack in the pipe coming from the pressure side of the engine-driven pump.
NASA's $104 billion plan to put astronauts back on the moon by 2018 and go on to Mars after that may have ramifications for its aeronautics program, according to Robert S. Walker, a former Pennsylvania Republican congressman who chaired the House Science Committee. NASA Administrator Michael Griffin unveiled the plan Sept. 19, saying it wouldn't take money from aeronautics and science budgets.
DIRECTORS of Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corp. have changed the company's top management. Carl Chen, who had been president and CEO since taking over from the previous management team three years ago (BA, Sept. 23, 2002/137), now holds the title of president. Ching Chiang Kuo is the new chairman and CEO of the company, which is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas and is nearing FAA certification of the SJ30-2 business jet (BA, July 25/31).
HOUSE BILL TO PROTECT KATRINA VOLUNTEERS FROM LIABILITY -- The House this month approved a bill designed to protect volunteers who help Hurricane Katrina victims from being liable for injuries that occur during relief operations.
HONEYWELL, Exxon/Mobil and Signature Flight Support have notified NBAA that they also plan to curtail social events at this year's rescheduled convention in Orlando, and use the money saved for relief efforts. Many other companies are going forward with their hospitality events, including Cessna Aircraft. A Cessna spokesman noted that Textron, Cessna's parent company, has established two different hurricane relief programs, with Textron pledging to match the donations of its employees.
ECLIPSE AVIATION officials believe it will take about four weeks of work to repair the damage to one of its test aircraft that was damaged in a gear-up landing (BA, Sept. 12/113). The company expects the aircraft to resume flight test missions in mid- to late October.
The Board of Commissioners for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey last week approved the installation of arrestor beds comprising aerated cement blocks to help prevent runway overruns by aircraft at Teterboro Airport (TEB) in New Jersey. Developed by the Port Authority and the Federal Aviation Administration, the Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) is designed to crumble under the weight of an aircraft to stop it in the event of a runway overrun, the Port Authority said.
The Mitsubishi MU-2 turboprop, already undergoing a certification review by FAA because of its poor safety record, faced another challenge last week after another one of the aircraft crashed shortly after departure from a Tennessee airport.
MERCURY AIR GROUP filed an amended and restated Certificate of Incorporation with the State of Delaware, a move designed to permit the company to consummate a 1-for-501 reverse split of the company's common stock, immediately followed by a 501-for-1 forward split of the company's common stock. Stockholders owning fewer than 501 shares will be cashed out, receiving $4 per share in cash for their stock.
BAE Model ATP airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2005-20404; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-018-AD; Amendment 39-14268; AD 2005-19-03] -- supersedes an existing AD, which requires revising the Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness to incorporate life limits for certain items and inspections to detect fatigue cracking in certain structures.
CLR PHOTONICS installed its WindTracer windshear detection system at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas as part of a demonstration and evaluation program for the Federal Aviation Administration. The system is designed to complement the Terminal Doppler Weather Radar at McCarran and serve as a less expensive alternative to Low Level Windshear Alert System anemometer towers.
THREE business aviation groups Friday appealed to Treasury Secretary John Snow to delay the implementation of a mandate to tax certain aviation jet fuel at the highway diesel fuel rate. The tax change is slated to take effect Oct. 1 (BA, Sept. 19/121).
WHILE THE MANDATE allows for a refund of the difference between the highway and aviation taxes when the aviation jet fuel is used for aviation purposes, only registered "ultimate vendors" may seek the refund, according to the H.R.3 measure. The provision, however, does not clarify what constitutes an ultimate vendor, whether the fixed-base operator or the fuel wholesaler. Few FBOs are registered as an ultimate vendor, and the registration process has been estimated to take between 30 and 90 days.
