The Tuskegee Airmen selected David Roy, a young rocketeer from Los Angeles, Calif., to receive the first Golden Eagle Scholarship. Roy, who plans to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla. will receive $5,000 each year for four years to help pay educational expenses. Roy, 18, was cited for a number of accomplishments, including a first-place finish in his high school's science fair for designing and building a high-performance rocket.
AVIALL BUYS DENVER-AREA HOSE SHOP - Aviall Services, Inc. purchased the hose assembly business of McAvian Aircraft Supply, which is based at the Jefferson County Airport in Broomfield, Colo. In an unusual arrangement, McAvian will retain the rest of its aircraft supply business, but McAvian President Cody McGallaugh will assume the additional responsibilities of Aviall Hose Shop manager. The staff is expected to remain intact. Aviall said the hose shop will serve Aviall customers in much of the Rocky Mountain and Central Plains regions.
WILLIAMS WINS CERTIFICATION FOR CJ3 ENGINES - Williams International won FAA type certification for its FJ44-3A turbofan engines, the powerplants that will be used on Cessna's new CitationJet 3.
August 24 - National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Regional Forum, Seattle, Wash., (202) 783-9000 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
AIRCRAFT, BOATS NOW ALLOWABLE UNDER ODP HOMELAND SECURITY GRANTS - State and local governments will be allowed to buy aircraft and boats with federal homeland security grants under an expanded equipment list issued by the Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP). Tracey Trautman, ODP central division director, said aircraft and watercraft are among 18 categories on an authorized equipment list for ODP grants in fiscal 2004.
The Salina, Kan. Municipal Airport (SLN) which had shut down Runway 17/35 May 3 for resurfacing, reopened the 12,300-foot runway July 31. The project, which included runway resurfacing, new high-intensity runway lights, resurfaced taxiways and a new backup power generator for airfield lighting, cost $2.7 million, of which $2.4 million came from FAA Airport Improvement Program funds.
Jacqueline (Jacque) Rosser, a seven-year veteran of the National Air Transportation Association, was promoted to senior manager-regulatory affairs for the Alexandria, Va.-based trade association. Rosser, a graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, holds degrees in aviation management and aviation flight and is a commercial pilot and certified flight instructor. She previously was manager of flight operations for NATA.
Mercury Air Group, Inc. opened a $30 million working capital line of credit with Bank of America. The credit line is in the form of a revolving secure loan with a three-year term. "As fuel prices rise, this line of credit will provide Mercury with the financial flexibility necessary to meet the needs of our customers and suppliers," said Joseph A. Czyzyk, president and CEO of the company.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-102, -103, -106, -201, -202, -301, -311, and -315 airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-331-AD; Amendment 39-13692; AD 2004-13-10) -- requires rework/retrofit of the wardrobe shelf assembly. This action is necessary to prevent the wardrobe shelf and attached equipment separating from the attachment in the event of a hard landing, which could impede the egress of passengers in an emergency evacuation. FAA estimates that 18 airplanes on the U.S. Registry will be affected by this AD at a cost of $48,366, or $2,687 per airplane. The AD is effective Aug. 3.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT picked last week's Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture to announce delivery of the company's 150,000th single-engine, piston-powered airplane, a 172S Skyhawk. The cardinal number aircraft, which carries a "150,000th" emblem, was delivered to Sporty's Pilot Shop. Sporty's plans to offer the aircraft as its 2005 Super Sweepstakes Grand Prize. Cessna, which was founded by Clyde Cessna in 1927, has built more than 36,000 172s.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT recognized Pelican Aviation Corp., a Cessna service station based at Acadiana Regional Airport in Louisiana, for 50 years of service as a Cessna dealer. Pelican was founded as a seaplane base in New Iberia, La. and became an authorized Cessna dealer in 1954. In 1980, the company moved to its current location at Acadiana Regional. Pelican is an authorized Cessna single-engine service station and maintains all Cessna propeller models.
EMERICK, whose "day job" is heading General Motors Corporation's Worldwide Travel Services, acknowledged that the search has taken a little longer than planned. But he said the search committee has focused on finding the right individual for the job rather than on meeting a pre-ordained schedule.
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS continue to push federal security officials to reopen Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to general aviation. The latest effort was a letter to DHS Secretary Tom Ridge signed by more than a dozen House members. See article on Page 53.
Dassault Falcon Jet opened a new 40,000-square-foot aircraft paint hangar last week at its Wilmington, Del. maintenance facility, and officials said the new hangar can service some of the world's largest business jets.
Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites scheduled SpaceShipOne for its first competition flight in pursuit of the $10 million Ansari X Prize Sept. 29 from Mojave Airport Civilian Aerospace Test Center in Mojave, Calif. To win the prize, SpaceShipOne will need to make a second flight by Oct. 13. Rutan developed SpaceShipOne with financial backing from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and the vehicle performed the first private manned suborbital space flight June 21, drawing thousands of spectators to Mojave and generating international interest.
Raytheon Aircraft Company (RAC), which has struggled through years of financial difficulties, nearly doubled its second quarter operating profit and expects to be in the black for the entire year.
TOM RIDGE, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, plans to resign his post following the election, according to numerous reports Friday. Ridge is said to have told associates he wants to return to the private sector so he can earn enough money to cover college costs for his children.
STEVENS AVIATION received Transport Canada approval to install three safety systems on the Piaggio Avanti. The approval covers a Bendix/King 980 multi-hazard awareness system, a Bendix/King KGP 560 GA Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) and a SkyWatch HP899 traffic advisory system. The multi-hazard awareness system is designed to help prevent controlled flight into terrain accidents by providing alerts and displaying terrain relative to lateral and vertical positions of the aircraft.
CIRRUS has begun offering the Honeywell Bendix/King KGP 560 Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System as a factory-installed option on the SR series aircraft. The system combines look-ahead algorithms with a comprehensive terrain and obstacle database in a compact unit designed for general aviation aircraft.
JET AVIATION TETERBORO has begun offering a new service, called "NewspaperDirect," which delivers same-day, on-demand print versions of nearly 200 newspapers worldwide to customers who request them. The papers, exact reproductions of original newspaper editions but in a more portable version (usually an 11"x17" format), are delivered to passengers on-board before departure.
KEYSTONE HELICOPTER CORP., West Chester, Pa., won a third consecutive contract to provide on-site maintenance for U.S. Park Police Aviation Unit helicopters in the Washington, D.C. area. Keystone has been supporting the Park Police Aviation Unit, which currently operates two Bell 412s and a Bell 206L3, since 1989.
AMERIFLIGHT, the Burbank, Calif.-based FAR Part 135 cargo carrier, moved a number of its senior executives into new assignments. David Fitzpatrick, who joined the company in May as director of maintenance, was promoted to vice president/director of maintenance. Fitzpatrick succeeded Ernie Doerksen, Ameriflight's veteran director of maintenance, who retired. Stuart Schrock, who had been serving as vice president-flight on an interim basis, returned to his regular post, director of safety.
THE 9/11 COMMISSION'S warning that "major vulnerabilities still exist in cargo and general aviation security," (BA, July 26/35) got the attention of general aviation officials, but it is not a major source of concern. Jim Schuster, the president of Raytheon Aircraft who serves as chairman of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association's Security Committee, said industry officials are "obviously paying a lot of attention" to the commission's warning.
