Honeywell is participating in a sales and marketing effort to convince Cessna Caravan owners to re-engine their utility and cargo airplanes with a new version of the TPE331. See article below.
JET AVIATION TO BUILD NEW MAINTENANCE FACILITY IN DUBAI - Jet Aviation, which has catered to Middle East business jet operators for years, plans to expand its presence in the region by building a new maintenance center in Dubai. Jet Aviation, which is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, currently operates facilities in Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Jet Aviation Dubai, a joint venture with the Almulla Business Group of Dubai, is expected to be fully operational in the second half of 2004.
NATA president said he also foresees significant growth over the next decade for professionally-flown, on-demand aircraft. The advent of affordable turbine-powered aircraft like the Eclipse, and similar entry-level models from other manufacturers, will help boost market interest for on-demand flights Coyne said.
The Association Of Flight Attendants (AFA) voted last week to merge with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The 36,000 AFA members will join CWA's 700,000 members, effective Dec. 31.
Bombardier will deliver its 1,000th CRJ aircraft to Delta Connection's Comair on Dec. 9. The Canadian manufacturer will mark the event with a handover ceremony in Dorval, Quebec on Tuesday. The first CRJ was delivered in October of 1992. The CRJ is the first regional aircraft to reach 1,000 deliveries, Bombardier said.
Alteon Training, a wholly owned Boeing subsidiary, is offering a cabin safety and service training program for business jet flight attendants. The five-day course includes training in: evacuation, firefighting, first aid, ditching, as well as aviation operations subjects such as security, hazardous materials and crew resource management. Flight attendants also receive training in food handling and services. The course is FAR Part 142 approved. For more information, contact: [email protected]www.alteontraining.com
AEROSPATIALE Model ATR 72 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-376-AD) - proposes to supersede an existing AD that currently requires initial and repetitive inspections to detect fatigue cracking in certain areas of the fuselage, and corrective actions if necessary. For certain airplanes, this action would require a new inspection for oversized fastener holes and cracking, and repair if necessary.
CURTISS-WRIGHT ACQUIRES THREE AEROSPACE SUPPLIERS - Curtiss-Wright Corp., Roseland, N.J., has acquired Systran Corp. of Dayton, Ohio for approximately $18 million; Dy 4 Systems Inc. of Ottawa, Canada, Leesburg, Va. and the U.K. for approximately $110 million; and Novatronics Inc. of Stratford, Ontario, and Plainview, N.Y., for about $13.5 million. All three operations will become business units of Curtiss-Wright Controls, Inc.
FAA PROPOSES NEW STAGE 4 NOISE STANDARD FOR AIRCRAFT - The Federal Aviation Administration, following on earlier action by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), has proposed establishment of a new maximum noise standard for subsonic jet airplanes and subsonic transport category large aircraft. The new standard, which was published in the Dec. 1 Federal Register, would apply to any application for a new airplane type design on or after Jan. 1, 2006.
BETH VAN EMBURGH joined the National Air Transportation Association as manager of government and industry affairs. She will focus on airport, security and environmental issues and serve as the staff liaison for the association's Airport Committee. For the past year Van Emburgh worked in the civil aviation department at the Aerospace Industries Association and before that she spent three years in the regulatory affairs department at the American Association of Airport Executives.
BAE Systems won a $4.3 million contract from the Department of Transportation to provide drug and alcohol and services to DOT and other federal government agencies. BAE, along with its partners, Examination Management Services and National Safety Alliance, will provide program management, quality assurance, scheduling, reporting, collection, alcohol testing and medical review services to DOT and the Transportation Security Administration. The contract could reach a value of $37.4 million if all options are exercised over the five-year contract term.
BELOW MINIMUMS APPROACH CLAIMS MERLIN PILOT - The pilot of a Swearingen SA-26-AT turboprop, N698X, was killed last month when he made a below-minimums approach and crashed short of a fog-shrouded runway in Florida. Investigators said the Merlin IIB had departed Beaumont, Texas at 0400 CST Nov. 27 with four passengers and the pilot aboard. The aircraft was being operated as a private flight under Part 91 of the FARs and the commercial-rated pilot had filed an instrument flight rules flight plan.
CHC HELICOPTERS SET TO ACQUIRE SCHREINER AVIATION - Canadian helicopter company CHC Helicopters will acquire Schreiner Aviation Group of Hoofddorp, The Netherlands for a cash payment of 83 million euros (US$100.3 million). "This is a perfect fit for CHC," said CHC Chairman and CEO Craig L. Dobbin, who boasted that the acquisition will make CHC "the undisputed world leader in offshore oil and gas helicopter support services" and increase the international diversity of operations.
January 11-15, 2004 - AAAE Aviation Issues Conference; Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort, Kauai, Hawaii, (703) 820-1395 March 2-3, 2004 - 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, 2004 - Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo 2004, Las Vegas, Nev., (703) 683-4646
National Business Aviation Association is alerting its members flying into popular ski destinations to check Notices to Airmen for Special Traffic Management Programs (STMPs). The association said that when anticipated weather conditions or traffic volumes dictate, the FAA will activate STMPs at the following Colorado airports: Aspen-Pitkin County/Sardy Field Airport (ASE); Rifle/Garfield County Field Airport (RIL); Telluride Regional Airport (TEX); Montrose Regional Airport (MTJ); and Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE).
ConocoPhillips added a new engine oil to its line of Phillips 66 piston-engine oils. The new formulation, Phillips 66 Type A 100AW, includes the Lycoming LW-16702 anti-wear additive and has an ashless dispersant package for cleanliness, ConocoPhillips said. The oil is available in quarts and 55-gallon drums.
HONEYWELL TURBOPROPS OFFERED FOR CARAVAN RETROFITS - Honeywell has joined forces with Aero Twin of Anchorage, Alaska to offer retrofits of existing Cessna Caravan utility aircraft with TPE331-12JR engines, a modification Honeywell said will result in significant performance improvements for operators.
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.
