Midwest Airlines took delivery of a new Boeing 717-200 aircraft in Long Beach, Calif. last month. The twinjet is the first of 25 that the Milwaukee-based airline has ordered to replace its fleet of DC-9 aircraft. Boeing will deliver the aircraft, prominently featuring Midwest's new name and symbol, at a rate of one a month for the next two years. The aircraft will seat 88 passengers in a two-by-two wide-seat configuration.
Dow is increasing off-list prices for all grades of glycol, dipropylene glycol and tripropylene glycol by eight cents per pound in North America effective March 15. Both list and off-list prices will increase an additional four cents per pound April 1. Also, from March 1 to June 30, the company is limiting customer volumes for all grades of propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol and tripropylene glycol to 85 percent of the customer's average monthly volume over the last 12 months.
Vern Raburn, whose seemingly boundless optimism has helped carry the Eclipse 500 personal business jet from a dream a little more than three years ago to a first flight last summer, has ratcheted up his enthusiasm again following an agreement with Pratt & Whitney Canada to supply the PW610F engines for the aircraft (BA, Feb. 24/85).
SIKORSKY S-92 WINS COLLIER TROPHY - The National Aeronautic Association selected Sikorsky Aircraft as the recipient of the 2002 Robert J. Collier Trophy for its development of the S-92 helicopter. In a letter to Sikorsky President Dean Borgman, NAA President Don Koranda cited the S-92 as "a welcome sign that important innovations are coming on line. Your efforts to improve the performance, efficiency and safety of rotary-wing flight will benefit the entire industry."
BELL 407 ACCIDENTS RESULT IN FATALITIES - Two accidents involving Bell 407 helicopters operating in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in fatalities last month. On Feb. 16, at approximately 1225 CST, a Model 407 (N407HH) owned and operated by Houston Helicopters, Inc., landed in the Gulf of Mexico after its engine lost power in flight. The National Transportation Safety Board said the pilot and one passenger received fatal injuries, and three passengers were seriously injured. The helicopter sank and recovery efforts are under way by the insurance carrier.
The Department Of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, is seeking an aviation standardization adviser for the Narcotics Affairs section "to oversee, coordinate improvements and implement the flight standardization program" based on Aircrew Training Manuals. According to the employment solicitation, "the work is primarily conducted in an office or aircraft hangar with some travel to the field for meetings, conferences, activity reviews, and field inspections/flight evaluations.
Slumping Sales of its Model 208 Caravan/Grand Caravan are forcing Cessna Aircraft to reduce the aircraft's production schedule and work force. Cessna plans to cut about 125 employees. In addition, all employees on the Caravan production line and support groups will be furloughed for three weeks beginning May 12. Workers who will be furloughed will be notified March 6-7 and layoffs will be effective May 8-9.
AEROSPATIALE Model ATR 42-200, -300, -320, and -500 series airplanes; and Model ATR 72-102, -202, -212, and -212A series airplanes (Docket No. 2002-NM-331-AD) - proposes to require modification of the flight attendant's seat located in the front of the cabin, and follow-on actions. This action is necessary to prevent release of the forward flight attendant's shoulder restraint harness, which could result in injury to the flight attendant in case of turbulence.
The head of operations for Jet Aviation in the U.S. is stepping down and will be replaced on an interim basis by one of the company's European executives. Terrance P. Kelley, who has been with Jet Aviation for nine years, most recently as president and chief operating officer, is leaving to pursue other opportunities.
The Department Of Commerce is leading a joint civil and military Executive Aerospace Trade Mission to Australia and New Zealand. Led by the deputy assistant secretary of commerce for transportation and machinery, the trade mission will visit Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra, Wellington and Auckland from April 28 through May 6 to meet with officials from Qantas Airlines, Virgin Blue Airlines, Air New Zealand and Brisbane International Airport. The deadline to participate is March 31. For more information, contact Sean McAlister via fax at (202) 482-3113.
CESSNA CITATION DAMAGED BY UNCONTAINED ENGINE FAILURE - A Cessna Citation 500 business jet was damaged last month when the No. 2 engine failed while the pilot was on a takeoff roll. The aircraft, N891CA, was registered to Mike's Aviation, Inc. and operated by Gulf Atlantic Airways. The two-person crew was preparing to reposition the aircraft from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to Miami.
MESA TAKES ANOTHER MAINTENANCE CHARGE FOR EARLY OVERHAULS - Mesa Airlines is attempting to avoid another $3.5 million in maintenance costs as it works with engine suppliers General Electric and Rolls-Royce to cover costs of unexpected maintenance. The airline was hit with those costs in its fiscal first quarter and reported a $3.1 million engine maintenance charge in its 2002 fourth quarter earnings. "We have a new contract with GE to smooth out those expenses," Mesa CEO Jonathan Ornstein said last week. "We're having similar discussions with Rolls."
A number of pilots and aviation organizations have expressed concern about three new rule proposals by FAA and TSA that would permit the government to revoke the airman certificates of individuals deemed a security risk (BA, Jan. 27/37). The following was written last month by Richard Peri, Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs for the Aircraft Electronics Association, whose Washington, D.C. office is located on Pennsylvania Avenue, between the White House and Capitol Hill.
FAA STIFFENS PROPOSED DRVSM REQUIREMENTS FOR PRIVATE TURBOPROPS - The Federal Aviation Administration last week released a follow-up proposal that would impose tougher equipment requirements for Part 91 turboprops operating in domestic reduced vertical separation minimum (DRVSM) airspace. The supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking, released in Friday's Federal Register, would eliminate a proposed option to allow Part 91 turboprop aircraft to operate in DRVSM with a single compliant altimeter.
Senate Commerce Committee last week began to move a series of nominations it has received from the White House. It held hearings on three National Transportation Safety Board nominees - Ellen Engleman as chair and Richard Healing and Mark Rosenker as members. The committee will continue hearings this week, considering Robert Sturgell as deputy administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, Jeffrey Shane to be under secretary of transportation policy for the Department of Transportation and Emil Frankel to be assistant secretary for transportation policy for DOT.
The FAA/TSA rules to immediately revoke certificates of pilots labeled a security threat continue to distress the aviation community. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association last week appealed to the TSA to rethink the rules, and Richard Peri, vice president, government and industry affairs for the Aircraft Electronics Association, recently wrote members of Congress in protest. See Peri's letter below.
ALAN AYLES was named parts manager at Wing Aviation in Conroe, Texas. He will be responsible for incoming and outgoing shipments, inventory control and parts and supplies orders. Ayles most recently worked in the purchasing division at First Wave Newpark Shipbuilding.
Union members at Bombardier's Learjet manufacturing facility in Wichita, Kan. are scheduled to vote today (March 3) on a package of contract concessions as part of an agreement with the company to keep the Wichita plant in operation.
SENATE WEIGHS AIRPORT FUNDING IN REAUTHORIZATION - Smaller airports get proportionally less funding than larger ones and will face more of a financial gap for planned capital improvements in the coming years, the GAO told the Senate aviation subcommittee last week.
Cirrus Design named a former Rolls-Royce automobile salesman to oversee sales of its SR 20 and SR 22 single-engine aircraft. John M. Bingham, a vice president of Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars for 17 years, joined Cirrus as vice president of sales. "John brings valuable experience to Cirrus," said CEO Alan Klapmeier. "Many of the customers John is used to dealing with also have interest in high-performance aircraft such as the Cirrus.
FAA WARNS PILOTS ON NUCLEAR PLANT AIRSPACE - Federal Aviation Administration last week released a new Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) warning pilots to avoid airspace "above or in proximity" to all nuclear power plants. The NOTAM adds that pilots should avoid circling or loitering while in the vicinity of such facilities.
New rules governing fractional ownership providers appear to have gotten stuck at DOT. Former FAA acting Administrator Monte Belger signed the rules shortly before retiring in September and shipped them to DOT for review (BA, Sept. 23/135). The fractional rules, which would create a new Subpart K within Part 91, were a high priority for both Belger and former Administrator Jane Garvey. However, neither is around to continue shepherding the rule through the bureaucratic process.
ExpressJet Airlines is pushing 27 Embraer ERJ-145XR deliveries during the next two years into 2005 and 2006, the carrier said. Partner Continental Airlines proposed the changes because of the economic downturn and industry over-capacity. The new schedule calls for 26 aircraft this year - a 12-aircraft cut - and 21 aircraft in 2004, instead of 36. But 2005 deliveries would rise from two to 21, and the eight remaining deferred aircraft would be delivered in 2006. Continental also extended ExpressJet's regional jet contract by one year to Jan. 1, 2007.
Max-Viz, Inc. recently released a report of a test of its Enhanced Vision System during "brown-out" conditions, which occur when a heavy helicopter begins to land in dusty or sandy areas. During a brownout, the rotor stirs up dust to a point that the pilot can lose outside visibility and situational awareness. The test involved a Max-Viz EVS-1000 installed on a Bell Huey helicopter that landed in the Mojave Desert.
