VETERAN RAYTHEON MEDIA RELATIONS EXECUTIVE DIES - Tim Travis, 46, media relations manager for Raytheon Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kan., died Dec. 9 of a heart attack, just two months after he was married. A former editor/managing editor of the Wichita Business Journal from 1986 until mid-1994, Travis joined RAC's Communications Department in January 1997. Funeral arrangements had not been completed as of late Friday. In addition to two children from his first marriage whom he was raising, Travis is survived by his wife, Nancy, and two stepchildren.
AJ Walter Aviation is expanding its presence in the Asia-Pacific market with new offices in Japan and Taiwan. The new office will supplement AJ Walter's growing office in Singapore, which opened in January.
Mooney Model M20M airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2004-19618; Directorate Identifier 2004-CE-39-AD; Amendment 39-13872; AD 2004-23-17] - supersedes AD 91-03-15, which currently requires replacing the tailpipe coupling with improved tailpipe coupling. Since FAA issued AD 91-03-15, a fire erupted in the lower left cockpit area on one of the airplanes affected by AD 91-03-15. The V-clamp that attaches the exhaust tailpipe to the turbocharger fell off, which allowed the exhaust tailpipe to detach from the turbocharger.
GULFSTREAM IV LANDED LONG AT TETERBORO - A Gulfstream IV business jet that slid off a runway and crashed while landing at the Teterboro, N.J. Airport (TEB) Dec. 1 touched down nearly one-third of the way down the 6,013-foot runway, the National Transportation Safety Board said last week.
While aviation industry officials are pleased to be dealing with the same leaders at DOT and FAA, there is continuing unease about personnel changes at the top of the Department of Homeland Security (BA, Dec. 6/251). Tom Ridge, a politician by trade, is being replaced by Bernard Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner and a career law enforcement officer.
February 6-8, 2005 - Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo 2005, Anaheim, Calif., (703) 683-4646 February 12-16, 2005 - 16th Annual National Business Aviation Association Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference, Reno, Nev., (202) 783-9000 March 8-10, 2005 - National Air Transportation Association/Professional Aviation Maintenance Association GSE Aviation Services and Suppliers AS3 Supershow, March 8-10, Sands Expos & Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev., (703) 845-9000
The Aerospace Industries Association this year plans to continue its campaign to persuade key legislators to make changes to the export control system, so that only critical military technologies are restricted from international trade, not components that can be universally found. The U.S. needs to get this "kind of junk off the ITAR [International Traffic in Arms Regulations] list" - such as brackets or other kinds of common hardware found on both military and civilian aircraft, said AIA President and CEO John Douglass.
Honeywell received its fourth contract from Boeing to supply components for the aircraft maker's 7E7 Dreamliner. The latest award covers Honeywell's new Astreon light-emitting diode (LED) systems for flight-critical exterior lighting. Honeywell also will provide the navigation package, the crew information system /management system and the flight control electronics for the new airliner family. Together the systems selected have a potential value of $2.6 billion for Honeywell over the life of the program.
SAS Flight Academy reached a three-year agreement with Aerogulf Services to train Aerogulf's helicopter pilots. Aerogulf, based in Dubai, was established in 1976. It is the only company in that country specializing in leasing and hiring helicopters, primarily for the offshore and marine industries as well as the tourism sector. The SAS Flight Academy is based in Stockholm, Sweden.
JURY ORDERS UNIVERSAL TO PAY $5.5 MILLION FOR PATENT VIOLATION - A federal jury in Delaware Wednesday found that Universal Avionics had infringed a Honeywell patent involving certain terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS) technology and ordered Universal to pay Honeywell $5.5 million in damages. The same jury, however, found that Sandel Avionics, a co-defendant in the case, did not infringe Honeywell's patent.
Scenic Airlines, which has provided sightseeing flights over the Grand Canyon for years, plans to begin scheduled service this month between Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD) northeast of Los Angeles and North Las Vegas Airport (VGT). The carrier will provide the service with the same 19-passenger de Havilland Twin Otter Vistaliner aircraft it uses for sightseeing flights. The new service, which will begin Dec. 29, will consist initially of 10 weekly flights for an introductory fare of $49 one-way, $30 less than the regular fare of $79.
Federal Aviation Administration named William Johnson chief scientist and technical adviser to support the agency on human factors in aircraft maintenance systems. Johnson, a certified private pilot and A&P mechanic, will be based in FAA's Southern Regional Office in Atlanta, Ga. He previously was regional director for the Americas at Lufthansa Technik.
CHICAGO DEFENDS USE OF AIP MONEY TO BULLDOZE MEIGS - The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association last week took umbrage with a 40-page brief that the City of Chicago filed with the Federal Aviation Administration defending the city's use of grant money to eradicate Meigs Field, calling the city's claim that legally it had to clean up the abandoned field, an insult.
GA GROUPS PLEASED WITH PILOT ID, NO-FLY LIST MEASURES IN INTELL BILL - General aviation groups last week were pleased that Congress agreed to give charter operators the option of requesting that the Transportation Security Administration check the names of potential passengers against federal terrorist watch lists rather than mandating the background checks.
AMSAFE EXECUTIVE PICKED TO HEAD BRS - Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc., of St. Paul, Minn. named Larry E. Williams, 46, president and chief operating officer. BRS, which designs and builds whole-aircraft emergency parachute systems, said Williams had been vice president of business development for AmSafe Aviation in Phoenix, Ariz. AmSafe manufactures aviation restraints. From 1995-2000, Williams was group president of Rural/Metro Corp., whose range of products include airport fire protection equipment.
Dornier Model 328-300 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2004-19568; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-112-AD] - proposes to require repetitive inspections for discrepancies of the heat pack rotor assembly and rotor drive clips of the brake unit of the main landing gear (MLG), and replacing the assembly if any discrepancy is found. This proposed AD is prompted by reports of cracking and breakage of the heat pack rotor assemblies.
EADS TO BUILD U.S. PLANT TO SUPPORT COAST GUARD CASA CN-235 FLEET - The European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. (EADS) plans to break ground on a new U.S. aircraft facility in Mobile, Ala. on Jan. 17 to deliver the CASA CN-235 MRS MPA Medium Range Surveillance Maritime Patrol Aircraft to the U.S. Coast Guard. EADS CASA won an $87.4 million contract in February from Integrated Coast Guard Systems for two CN-235s for the service's Deepwater modernization program. Delivery is scheduled for 2006.
FAA MUST FIX DISPLAY PROBLEMS AT FOUR ATC SITES, REPORT SAYS - FAA's chief watchdog says the aging air traffic control displays at four of the largest terminal control facilities need replacing urgently, and the agency can't afford to wait three years for the development of the state-of-the-art replacement.
BAE Systems Model BAe 146 series airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2004-19681; Directorate Identifier 2003-NM-184-AD] - proposes to require repetitive detailed inspections for cracking of the elevator "G" weight support structure, and repairs if necessary. This proposed AD also provides for an optional terminating action. This proposed AD is prompted by reported cracking of the elevator "G" weight support structure.
The Lufthansa Technik and Rolls-Royce new joint venture in Thuringia, Germany, N3 Engine Overhaul Services, plans to begin employee training early next year and start construction on a facility by the end of 2005 in preparation for launching operations in 2007. Lufthansa Technik and Rolls-Royce announced plans in 2003 to build a center to maintain and overhaul Rolls-Royce engines. The joint venture is expected to create 500 jobs and provide technical support for Trent engines on aircraft that serve markets in Europe, America and Africa.
Veteran FAA Executive Peter Challan plans to retire from the agency at the end of the year. Challan, who has 34 years of service with the agency, most recently has been senior vice president-transition, overseeing the establishment of FAA's new Air Traffic Organization and serving as a principal adviser to Russell Chew, chief operating officer and the man in charge of the ATO.
National Air Transportation Association President James Coyne said James May, president of the Air Transport Association, has agreed to speak at the annual NATA convention in March in Las Vegas. Coyne noted May's battle to revise the aviation tax structure and make business jet operators pay more. He called May's past speeches "fighting words" and said, "We may have something approaching a real argument at our convention."
