ROCKWELL COLLINS was selected by Boeing to provide a major part of the avionics package for the new 7E7 airliner. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based avionics manufacturer said it will provide major subsystems, including displays, communication and surveillance systems, for the new transport. Collins will provide head-down and head-up displays that will be integrated with the communication and surveillance system, including advanced VHF and satellite communication radios, terrain awareness warning systems, weather radar and traffic alert and collision avoidance systems.
Honeywell, which has been an industry leader in providing pilots with critical terrain avoidance and situational awareness warnings in the air, said Thursday its new Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS) has been approved by FAA to provide similar warnings on the ground.
BOTH PEOPLE aboard a Beech King Air 90 were killed Jan. 31 when the aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from Marathon, Fla. The airplane, N75GC, was en route to Fort Lauderdale.
The Federal Aviation Administration last week proposed "special conditions" directing manufacturers to conduct function and reliability (F&R) testing as part of the certification process for small turbofan airplanes. The agency noted that aircraft weighing more than 6,000 pounds maximum certificated weight have been required to undergo the function and reliability testing for more than 55 years.
NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS: The Weekly of Business Aviation closed production on Thursday, Feb. 5, a day early, to accommodate the company's move to new quarters within the same building. BA's new address will be 1200 G Street N.W., Suite 900, Washington, D.C. 20005. All other contact information remains the same. Production will resume as usual the week of Feb. 9.
HOUSE AVIATION SUBCOMMITTEE Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) echoed sentiments of Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) that members of Congress have "very little stomach" for supporting efforts to bail out large airlines (BA, Jan. 26/37). Mica noted that some of the larger airlines have been seeking relief, but their pleas likely will be turned away. The majors, he said, "are looking anywhere" to find relief. Mica stressed, however, that legislators are opposed to additional financing aid for large airlines only, not general aviation.
CPI AEROSTRUCTURES, INC. announced the resignation of Anthony D'Agostino as chief financial officer, adding that he is leaving to pursue other opportunities. Edward J. Fred, president and chief executive of the Edgewood, N.Y. manufacturer of structural aircraft parts, will serve as interim CFO. Fred had been the company's CFO from April 1998 until assuming his new duties in August 2003.
ARINC DEPLOYED a new digital data link network designed to improve air-ground communications in the Maastricht Upper Air Center in northern Europe. ARINC won the contract from Eurocontrol last year to supply the new ATN/VDL Mode 2 data link service as part of Eurocontrol's Link 2000+ program. The new network, deployed in 90 days, launched 12 ground stations across Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Germany and The Netherlands. ARINC said the system can relieve voice radio congestion by moving routine air-ground messages to a data channel.
SABRELINER CORP. is offering an RVSM compliance package for owners of Model 65 Sabreliner business jets. Sabreliner will perform the necessary configuration work, including wiring and the installation of a second air data computer rack for $34,500. With an available maintenance credit and other incentives, the company said some operators can qualify for full RVSM compliance for under $110,000. The complete RVSM package includes installation of an ADC-80K air data computer, an ALI-80 altimeter and an upgrade of an existing ADC-80K.
Aviation Information Resources (AIR), Inc., the Atlanta-Ga.-based career information service for pilots, has acquired the assets of Aviation Employee Placement Service (A.E.P.S.), an on-line employment referral service.
MICA ACKNOWLEDGED the contentious debate surrounding a provision, killed late last summer, that would have codified and expanded the amount of information that aviation manufacturers must provide in their instructions for continued airworthiness (BA, June 30/297). The issue was "very, very difficult -- we went round and round [on it]," Mica said, and added he didn't believe that his committee would raise the issue again. "I think the deal is sealed for the next four years," he said.
SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT'S top priority for product improvement in coming years will be developing systems that help prevent pilots from losing situational awareness, which has long since overtaken mechanical failure as the No. 1 cause of helicopter accidents, according to President Steve Finger. "Our biggest focus has to be on the biggest cause of safety issues, which is controlled flight into terrain and loss of situational awareness," he said.
GULFSTREAM'S maintenance center at London Luton Airport was approved by Honeywell as an authorized service center for Honeywell's TFE series engines from the TFE731-2 through the TFE731-60. The Luton facility, acquired by Gulfstream last spring, is 35 miles north of central London. "We will continue enhancing our capabilities at London Luton to ensure all of our customers, no matter which type of aircraft they own or operate, receive the best possible service and maintenance in the region," said Larry Flynn, president of Gulfstream Product Support.
ROLLS-ROYCE named Stephen Friedrich director of business development for the Corporate Aircraft business. Friedrich will oversee new sales and aftermarket business development for the Corporate Aircraft unit, including the CorporateCare sales management. Friedrich joined Rolls-Royce in 2001 and most recently was vice president of sales finance for Rolls-Royce North America. Before joining Rolls-Royce, he was vice president of the aviation finance group for Summit Bank.
HONEYWELL won FAA approval for a new runway advisory system that can be installed in EGPWS units to give pilots a variety of aural warnings to improve their situational awareness on the ground. See article on Page 60.
CONKLIN & DE DECKER updated its maintenance management software, MxManager. Version 6.0 expands capabilities of alternate part numbers and adds features such as a sales order summary and receiving report. MxManager tracks maintenance, purchasing, inventory, work orders and costs for maintenance organizations. For more information, contact the company at (817) 277-6403 or visit the MxManager web site at www.MxMgr.com.
March 2-3 - ASME International (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Aero Engine Life Management Conference, Thistle Royal Horseguards Hotel, London, England, (404) 847-0072; [email protected] or www.asme.org.igti March 15-17 - Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo 2004, Las Vegas, Nev., (703) 683-4646 March 22-23 - American Association of Airport Executives, ACI-NA, Spring Washington Conference, Loews L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, Washington, 703-824-0504, www.airportnet.org
B/E AEROSPACE won FAA supplemental type certificate approval for the installation of its LED-based interior lighting installation on Cessna Citation 500 series business jets. B/E Aerospace previously had secured FAA parts manufacturing approval for the LED lighting system on a range of jets, and the lighting has been installed on Gulfstreams, Challengers, Falcons, Boeing Business Jets, Sabreliners and Merlins. B/E worked with O'Gara Aviation in Atlanta, Ga. on the first Citation 500 installation.
DASSAULT Model Mystere-Falcon 50 series airplanes (Docket No. 2002-NM-232-AD) - proposes to require one-time detailed inspections for structural discrepancies of various fuselage attachments; and corrective actions, if necessary, to restore the structure to the original design specifications. This action is necessary to prevent early fatigue, corrosion, or fretting, which could result in structural failure of major components of the airplane and reduced structural integrity of the airplane. FAA estimates that 21 airplanes on the U.S.
Despite passage last year of major legislation providing record high levels of funding for FAA programs, the Bush Administration's fiscal 2005 budget proposal slashes hundreds of millions of dollars from authorized funding levels for Facilities and Equipment programs, some of which were part of the agency's Operational Evolution Plan.
THE AIR ZOO in Kalamazoo, Mich., is opening an interactive aviation museum in May that will include more than 80 vintage aircraft, character actors depicting famous aviators, simulators and amusement rides, Smithsonian exhibits and four-dimensional theaters, which combine three-dimensional films with other special effects. The 120,000-square-foot facility nearly doubles the Air Zoo's space. "The new Air Zoo doesn't just teach people about history, it surrounds them with it," Bob Ellis, executive director of the Air Zoo, said.
DAVID OLSON was appointed vice president and general manager of Goodrich Corporation's Electro-Optical Systems business in Danbury, Conn. He formerly was vice president, business strategy at the facility, which makes optical and sensor systems for aerospace and scientific purposes. He has more than 35 years of optics-related experience, holding positions with Perkin-Elmer, Hughes Aircraft and Raytheon.
The Federal Aviation Administration is hoping to expedite certification approvals and lighten its growing workload under a proposed new rule to establish an organization designation authorization program (ODA) that would expand and standardize the various delegation authorities. The ODA proposal, released late last month, would increase the number of individuals and organizations eligible to hold designation authorization and expand their functions. It also would standardize the function as well as the duration of the certificates.
