FEDEX OBJECTS TO VAN TINE'S NOMINATION AS MINETA'S DEPUTY - FedEx insists White House nominee Kirk Van Tine is the wrong person for the No. 2 job in the U.S. Transportation Department because of disagreements the cargo carrier had with DOT while Van Tine was general counsel, but DOT has urged FedEx not to personalize its dispute.
PISTON DELIVERIES REMAIN STEADY WHILE OVERALL AIRCRAFT SHIPMENTS DROP - Piston-engine airplane deliveries were up for the third quarter in a row, signaling a potential recovery in the next year for the larger general aviation industry, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported (BA, Oct. 27/189). Shipments of piston-engine airplanes totaled 1,101 units in the first nine months of this year, a 0.2 percent increase from 1,099 units delivered during the same period last year.
Federal Aviation Administration is nearing completion of operational tests at Milwaukee Airport of the agency's new airport ground surveillance system, one of the last big steps toward national deployment. Technicians recently resolved the last minor problems with the airport surface detection equipment-model X(ASDE-X) system, clearing the way for officials to declare the system in-service. ASDE-X will next be deployed at Orlando Airport.
PPG TO SELL AIRLINES REPLACEMENT WINDOWS DIRECTLY - The windshield and window business of PPG Industries - PPG Aerospace Transparencies - signed a licensing agreement with Boeing and has started selling replacement cockpit windows for Boeing airplanes directly to airlines.
GOODRICH RELOCATING REPAIR, DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS TO N.C. - Goodrich Corporation plans to add 125 to 150 new jobs next year in Monroe, N.C. as part of a move to relocate some of the company's aerospace operations. Goodrich, which is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., said it plans to open a customer services facility in a vacant building the company owns in nearby Monroe. Goodrich plans to move equipment and capabilities from an Englewood, N.J. facility and a site in Aurora, Ohio to the 60,000-square-foot building in Monroe.
Mary Schiavo, the controversial former inspector general of the U.S. Department of Transportation, has joined the Mt. Pleasant, S.C. law firm of Motley Rice, LLC, which bills itself as "the nation's preeminent plaintiffs' law firm." Schiavo, the author of Flying Blind, Flying Safe, was formerly associated with the firm of Baum, Hedlund, Aristel, Guilford and Schiavo in Los Angeles. The South Carolina firm represents the plaintiffs in Burnett v.
VIRGIN ATLANTIC TO SPONSOR SOLO, NONSTOP GLOBAL FLIGHT - U.K. carrier Virgin Atlantic unveiled plans to sponsor an attempt by a single pilot to fly nonstop around the world.
Gulfstream Aerospace signed a letter of intent with Safe Flight Instrument Corp. of White Plains, N.Y. to install Safe Flight's Enhanced Autopower automatic throttle system (ATS) in the Gulfstream G200 (formerly Galaxy) business jet. The airspeed management system will be available for purchase by G200 owners following Gulfstream's receipt of a supplemental type certificate from FAA, which is expected by the end of the second quarter of 2004.
AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGIES OF AUSTRALIA PTY Models N22B, N22S, and N24A Airplanes [Docket No. 2003-CE-37-AD] - proposes to adopt a new AD that would require repetitive inspection of wing fittings for fatigue defects, replacement or repair of defective wing fittings, and replacement of the stub wing front spar assembly and wing fitting when fatigue life limits are reached. This proposed AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Australia.
Transportation Security Administration recently moved a step closer to launching 20 airport security pilot programs with the award this month of an $8 million contract to Unisys, which will be systems integrator for the programs. As required by the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, TSA is setting up the Airport Access Control pilot programs to test new technology for access control and other security requirements of airport secure areas.
October 26-28 - International Aviation Womens Association 15th Annual Conference, Lisbon, Portugal, www.iawa.org, e-mail [email protected] October 26-30 - ATCA 48th Annual International Technical Program and Exhibits, Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, 703-522-5717, fax 703-527-7251, e-mail [email protected] October 30-November 1 - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Expo 2003, Philadelphia, Pa., (301) 695-2000
MESABA TAPS TIMCO FOR HEAVY MAINTENANCE, CUTS 65 JOBS - Mesaba is farming out heavy maintenance C-checks on its Saab 340s and Avro RJ85s to Triad International Maintenance Corp. (TIMCO), resulting in 65 job cuts at its maintenance bases at Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee, Wis., and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport.
San Jose Jet Center, which provides a range of services to business aircraft operators, recently broke ground on a new complex at Mineta San Jose International Airport. The expansion will include an additional 46,000 feet of hangar space and 16,000 square feet of office space and terminal. San Jose Jet Center currently has 200,000 square feet of hangar and office space on 15 acres at the airport. The project will expand the total leasehold to 22 acres. The new facility is designed for use by large groups such as corporate shuttles and sports teams.
Jet Aviation Dallas is planning a major expansion of its transient ramp, doubling the amount of space available to accommodate additional and larger aircraft. The FBO will add 55,000 square feet of ramp space, for a total of 185,000 square feet, which will "enable us to increase our customer base by providing fuel services and additional maintenance to numerous aircraft types," said Thomas Rimmi, senior vice president and general manager of the facility.
Pease Development Authority (PDA) board of directors formally accepted fee title and appurtenant rights to approximately 2,535 acres of the former Pease Air Force Base near Portsmouth, N.H. as part of a public benefit transfer from the Department of the Air Force. Previously, the PDA had been developing the Pease International Tradeport under a 55-year lease with the USAF, but under the terms of the Oct. 17 transfer, the PDA now owns the property.
Lancair certified the last of the equipment for the all-electric Columbia 350, clearing the way for aircraft deliveries to begin this week. The S-TEC autopilot and the Avidyne FlightMax Entegra primary and multi-function glass cockpit displays were the final systems to be certified for installation on the Columbia 350. Lancair has been building the aircraft since July and the company plans to deliver five this week with three or more deliveries each week after this one.
Raisbeck Engineering unveiled a new ZR Technology that will help increase the range and speed of the Learjet 35. The ZR Technology package includes super-critical, double delta inboard wing leading edge gloves, reflexed extended trailing edge flaps and horizontal winglets. The goal of the technology is a 10 percent reduction in drag at the aircraft's high-speed cruise of Mach .81. Raisbeck has been developing the upgrade for three years and has accrued more than 300 hours of test and certification flights.
Jet Aviation is offering customers a special incentive for visiting its U.S. fixed-base facilities in Bedford, Mass., Dallas, Teterboro and West Palm Beach during the next 45 days. The company is distributing copies of Medal of Honor Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty. The 255-page, heavily illustrated hardcover book profiles the lives and actions of 116 individual Medal of Honor recipients, and includes photos of the recipients during their service days and more recently, wearing the Medal of Honor.
AGUSTA Model A109E helicopters (Docket No. 2003-SW-28-AD) - proposes to require modifying each passenger compartment sliding door by applying a kit to replace the levers and links. This proposal is prompted by instances of a door inadvertently opening during flight due to the unstable configuration of the door. The actions specified by this proposed AD are intended to prevent the inadvertent opening of a door during flight and loss of a passenger or other objects from the cabin. FAA estimates that this proposed AD would affect 34 helicopters on the U.S.
