SCHWEIZER DEAL OPENS LIGHT HELICOPTER, UAV MARKETS TO SIKORSKY -Sikorsky Aircraft reached an agreement to buy Schweizer Aircraft Corp. in a deal that will give Sikorsky instant access to the light helicopter and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) markets. Sikorsky expects to complete the deal in the third quarter. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. "Schweizer aircraft is a great strategic fit for Sikorsky," said Sikorsky President Steve Finger, saying it will better position the company for key Homeland Security and Pentagon contracts.
Department of Homeland Security awarded BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman contracts to participate in Phase II of its Counter-MANPADS (Man-Portable Air Defense Systems) program to protect commercial aircraft from ground-based, shoulder-fired missiles. Under Phase II, BAE and Northrop Grumman will design and test prototype anti-missile systems over the next 18 months. The contracts were valued at $45 million each.
The Federal Aviation Administration has provided ample opportunity for comment on its proposed clarification of drug and alcohol testing requirements, the agency told a dozen aviation associations and companies and rejected their request for a six-month extension of the comment period on the proposal.
FlightSafety International is adding a new program to its pilot simulator-training regimen to enhance pilot runway operation skills. The Runway Judgment Training covers runway accident prevention and helps flight crews develop procedures to address the risks of operations at marginal airports with less developed runways. Instructions create marginal operating conditions by controlling runway length, width and weather, and the crews must decide if operations are safe.
ROB BROOKS was named sales manager for the U.S. Mid-East region for Innotech Aviation. Brooks is based in Buffalo Grove, Ill. Before joining Innotech, he was president of Global Technical Services, a maintenance firm in Illinois. He also has served as director of maintenance for Brunswick Corporation and a field service representative for Bombardier.
The National Institute for Aviation Research, a long-time provider of basic and applied research and development for Wichita, Kan.-area aircraft manufacturers, is expanding its client base and adding new laboratories to offer a broader range of services to the aerospace community.
National Business Aviation Association has scheduled 12 seminars during week of the association's 57th Annual Meeting and Convention, scheduled Oct. 12-14 in Las Vegas, Nev. The seminars cover a variety of topics including human factors, regulatory and financial risk management, emergency planning, flight operations manuals, leadership skills, reduced vertical separation minimums, security training, and maintenance manuals, among others. For details, visit the NBAA Web site at http://web.nbaa.org/public/cs/amc/2004/schedule.php.
Gulfstream Aerospace's facility at London-Luton Airport in the United Kingdom received its first supplemental type certificate approval from the recently formed European Aviation Safety Agency to install Honeywell's AIRSAT 1 satellite telephone on Gulfstream IV and IV-SP business jets. The AIRSAT 1 provides telephone and Internet connections while in-flight through an Iridium transceiver unit and an antenna. The Luton center, which Gulfstream acquired in April 2003, is the first service center that the Savannah, Ga. plane-maker has operated outside the U.S.
The Boeing Company this month completed the sale of its Irving, Texas-based Commercial Electronics unit to BAE Systems North America. Commercial Electronics employs 700 workers in Irving and the Puget Sound area as well as two service centers in London and Singapore. BAE will fold the unit into its Platform Solutions sector, which provides a range of products for commercial and military aircraft (BA, July 5/5).
AGUSTA Model A109K2 helicopters (Docket No. 2004-SW-14-AD; Amendment 39-13755; AD 2004-15-21) - requires dye-penetrant inspection of the tail rotor trunnion assembly for a crack at specified intervals, replacing any cracked trunnion with an airworthy trunnion, and reporting any failed trunnion. This amendment is prompted by the report of an accident involving a tail rotor hub and blade assembly separating from the helicopter due to fatigue failure of the trunnion. The cause for the crack in the trunnion has not been determined and is still under investigation.
BOEING BUSINESS JETS NAMES STEVEN HILL PRESIDENT - Boeing Business Jets named Steven Hill president, replacing Lee Monson, who took the position of vice president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes sales for the Middle East and Africa (BA, Aug. 9/65). Hill, a 30-year Boeing veteran, rejoins the BBJ joint venture after serving as the business director overseeing Boeing Aircraft Trading.
September 19-21 - National Association of State Aviation Officials, 73rd Annual Convention and Trade Show, Radisson Riverfront Hotel, St. Paul, Minn., (301) 588-0587 October 10-11 - National Business Aviation Association 13th Annual Tax Conference, Las Vegas, Nev., (202) 783-9000 October 12-14 - National Business Aviation Association 57th Annual Meeting and Convention, Las Vegas, Nev., (202) 783-9000 October 21-23 - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Expo 2004, Long Beach, Calif., (301) 695-2000
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington policy think tank, last week acknowledged it has a number of research efforts under way studying homeland security, including "transportation systems," but said it has not yet drawn any conclusions about the vulnerability of general aviation.
SUMMARY: Pursuant to FAA's rulemaking provisions governing the application, processing, and disposition of petitions for exemption (14 CFR Part 11), this notice contains a summary of certain petitions seeking relief from specified requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR Chapter I), dispositions of certain petitions previously received, and corrections. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities.
The fate of FAA's controversial proposed air tour safety rulemaking is less clear. FAA's National Air Tour Safety Standard has attracted thousands of comments, mostly in opposition, because the proposal would impose more stringent standards on all "air tours," including charity, warbird and other similar flights. After hearing the outpouring of opposition, FAA now must decide how to proceed with the proposal.
Virgina Gov. Mark Warner named Randall Burdette of Stafford County to serve as director of the Virginia Department of Aviation. Burdette succeeds Charles S. Macfarlane, who resigned to pursue personal business interests. The governor's office said Burdette has a strong background in general and military aviation. He has been a pilot for 28 years, having logged more than 2,000 flight hours, and spent more than 24 years supporting and commanding U.S. Army helicopter units.
Federal officials this month seized three Learjets they alleged were used in an international drug ring that smuggled cocaine into Teterboro Airport from Texas and Arizona, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced. Seven individuals allegedly involved with the drug-smuggling operations, including accused ringleader Jesus Frias-Cisneros, were arrested and the DEA seized the aircraft, 64 kilograms of cocaine, one AK-47 assault rifle, two handguns and about $700,000 in cash. The DEA estimated the value of the Learjets at $5 million.
Rockwell Collins won FAA approval for a dual integrated flight information system (IFIS) on a Falcon 50. The IFIS is integrated with the Collins Pro Line 21 avionics system retrofit package for the Falcon 50. The IFIS enables electronic charting, graphical weather and enhanced map overlay capabilities, among others. The IFIS also provides level-three electronic flight bag. "Collins IFIS provides enhanced safety and cockpit management through the use of a fully integrated EFB," said Denny Helgeson, vice president and general manager of Business and Regional Systems.
FAA TO HOST INTERNATIONAL SAFETY FORUM - Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and FAA Administrator Marion Blakey next month will help kick off a new FAA safety forum that will delve into a spectrum of safety-related topics. Regulation of new technologies, data collection and the benefits of the wide area augmentation system are a few of several panels scheduled during the First Annual FAA International Safety Forum Sept. 22-23 in Chantilly, Va. Senior agency officials will join industry leaders to participate in panel discussions.
Federal Aviation Administration last week withdrew its proposed new requirement for airline operators to include FAA-approved corrosion prevention and control programs (CPCP) in their maintenance inspection programs, saying most of the aircraft covered by the requirements either already have a CPCP in place or would not be in operation by the time the regulations would take effect. "The FAA's safety objectives are being met without this rulemaking," FAA said, noting that it already had issued a series of airworthiness directives on individual aircraft.
