LMI Aerospace, St. Louis, Mo., will continue to supply Bombardier Aerospace with structural sheet metal skins and components for its regional and business jets under a contract that will extend the current work package through 2007, the company said last week. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The skins and components will be used in Bombardier's CRJ Series and Q Series regional aircraft, as well as Learjet, Challenger and Global business jets.
National Air Transportation Association President Jim Coyne said he is optimistic that federal officials will re-open Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to business aircraft flights within the next 12 months, citing a number of factors he believes will help open the door for such flights. "I will be happy to bet on this day [a year from now] there will be private aircraft of one stripe or another flying into National Airport," Coyne said Thursday while hosting a luncheon for aviation reporters and NATA staff members in Washington, D.C.
Dow Chemical Company said the price of propylene glycol industrial and propylene glycol USP will rise by four cents per pound effective Jan. 1. The company, based in Midland, Mich., also announced that it will extend its current order control program for the two products through March 31, due to the continued tight supply situation Dow is experiencing on a global basis.
Aero Systems Engineering of St. Paul, Minn. will de-register its common stock by the end of December, going back to being a privately-held company. The company's board of directors decided on de-registering because "the burden placed on the company, given its size, for maintaining its public status is considerable, from a financial and strategic standpoint," said CEO Charles Loux.
Jim Coyne presented a bullish outlook for the new year at a luncheon gathering with reporters last week. Coyne, the president of the National Air Transportation Association, said he expects aircraft sales to rebound next year and also predicted the return of at least some non-airline flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport within the next 12 months. See article below.
National Business Aviation Association, which installed new officers in October, may have to swear in a new chairman early next year because of the pending change in the employment status of its current chairman. See article below.
JOHN E. GROB joined Aviation Insurance Services as senior vice president in the Las Vegas, Nev. headquarters office. Grob was formerly vice president and West Coast regional manager for AIG Aviation. MIKE HULLEY was appointed global leader for the transportation industry practice at EDS. He will focus on the development of global transportation industry practice, working with regional and portfolio management executives. Hulley was most recently vice president and general manager of IBM's worldwide travel and transportation industry unit.
CHANGING EMPLOYMENT STATUS MAY FORCE NBAA CHAIRMAN TO STEP DOWN - Donald E. Baldwin, who was installed as chairman of the National Business Aviation Association in October, may have to step down from that post because of an upcoming change in his employment status.
CAE won Level D certification for its Gulfstream IV-SP and Hawker 800/800XP full-flight simulators, located at the Emirates-CAE Flight Training center in Dubai. The simulators use CAE Sim XXI, the next generation technology with modular design, based on the Windows PC platform.
DAIMLERCHRYSLER SELLS MTU TO KKR - After months of negotiations, DaimlerChrysler agreed to sell its MTU Aero Engines unit to private equity investors Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR). KKR will take over the company for EUR1.4 billion (US$1.6 billion), according to industry sources, but neither side confirmed the price paid.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-401 and -402 airplanes (Docket No. 2002-NM-120-AD) - proposes to adopt a new AD that would require modification of the wiring of the rudder trim switch, inspecting all wiring on the back of the aileron/rudder trim control panel for chafing, and replacing any chafed wiring with new wiring. This action is necessary to prevent a short circuit on the aileron/rudder trim control panel that could cause a runaway condition of the rudder trim actuator, which could result in reduced controllability of the airplane.
ICING STUDY UNDER WAY IN MONTREAL USING MIXED FLEET OF RESEARCH AIRCRAFT - More than 50 researchers from four nations are cooperating in a study aimed at providing better understanding of aircraft icing and hazardous winter weather.
In case someone wasn't paying attention earlier, the new head of FAA's Air Traffic Organization made it clear just before Thanksgiving that the industry will be facing a series of painful choices under his regime (BA, Nov. 24/229). Russ Chew, the new chief operating officer of FAA's ATO, told the Aero Club of Washington Tuesday that FAA is facing serious reductions in funding because of long-term declines in passenger ticket revenues due to traffic declines and lower fares.
An economic study of the Greeley-Weld County Airport (GXY) in Greeley, Colo. identified more than $90 million in economic activity in the Greeley and Weld County community attributable to the airport. The study, conducted by HNTB Corporation under contract to the Colorado Aeronautics Division, said the airport also helps support 1,631 jobs. Statewide, the HNTB study said aviation contributes $23.4 billion to the Colorado economy.
FAA UNION VOTES TO ACCEPT CONTRACT DEAL - FAA's flight service station employees last week ratified a deal that concludes five years of contract negotiations with the agency. The National Association of Air Traffic Specialists (NAATS) approved the five-year agreement by an 86 percent margin. The NAATS contract is one of four that FAA Administrator Marion Blakey is trying to settle quickly.
Chew said the FAA has been showing all the signs of an organization that has lost its focus, including budget problems, cost overruns, delayed decisions and so on. A key part of Chew's plan for the new ATO is to make small segments of the organization responsible for their budgets by pushing spending decisions down to individual offices and facilities.
Regent Aviation, St. Paul, Minn., was awarded Honeywell's Service Targeted Authorization and Approval Ratings (S.T.A.A.R.) for its TFE731 line service center. The S.T.A.A.R. rating program, initiated in September 2002, sets performance standards and requires quarterly performance reports, including favorable customer surveys, to insure quality.
House of Representatives approved legislation reauthorizing the National Transportation Safety Board. The bill, S.579, includes a provision requiring the Secretary of Transportation to submit an annual report, through 2008, on the status of each recommendation on NTSB's list of "Most Wanted" safety recommendations. The bill also requires NTSB to notify aircraft operators of their right to appeal an NTSB employee's decision to characterize an event involving their airplane as an "accident."
Jet Aviation's European, Middle and Far Eastern aircraft management and charter divisions based in Zurich, Switzerland were recognized with the Operational Excellence Award 2003 by AIG Aviation, Inc. The insurance company said the objective of the award program is to "recognize our clients who have developed quality operational and safety procedures, which are reflected in their loss record and their commitment to the highest safety standards.
The National Air Transportation Association complained that issuing directives without a clear understanding of how the industry functions "proves to be a great disservice to the carriers and public. Unfortunately, the TSA is reluctant to conduct industry outreach to determine how security objectives can be best implemented within this crucial transportation segment."
