FAA ISSUES SECURITY GUIDANCE FOR AIRCRAFT TRANSPONDERS - FAA issued a proposed rule this month that would require continuous operation of transponders during hijackings on Part 121 aircraft that could cost industry about $88 million during the next three years. Under the rule, flight crew members would be able immediately to activate the designated air traffic control hijack alert code and keep it in continuous transmission during a hijacking.
NEW RULES WOULD REVOKE CERTIFICATES OF PILOTS LABELED SECURITY THREATS - The Transportation Security Administration and Federal Aviation Administration Friday published three separate rules that call for the revocation of airman certificates of individuals deemed a security threat. The rules, released without prior notice or comment, stem from a congressional mandate in the Aviation and Transportation Security Act that directs the TSA to assess threats to transportation and notify FAA of the identity of people suspected of posing a risk to airline or passenger safety.
The Chinese Government is making strides in easing requirements for general aviation access to the nation's airspace, according to reports in Chinese publications. The articles indicate that beginning May 1 the government would officially permit private aircraft to fly within China. Previously there was no clear regulation on such approval, making it difficult for operators to apply for and receive approval to fly. The government also plans to simplify and expedite the process, according to the reports.
NTSB URGES COLLEGES TO REVIEW TRANSPORTATION POLICIES - The National Transportation Safety Board recommended last week that the nation's colleges and universities review their travel policies for athletic teams as a result of the board's investigation of the fatal crash of a Beech King Air 200 in early 2001. The aircraft, N81PF, was one of three airplanes being used to transport members of the Oklahoma State University basketball team and associated team personnel from Broomfield, Colo. to Stillwater Regional Airport in Stillwater, Okla.
Aerospace Industries Association's board of governors elected Vance D. Coffman, the chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp., as chairman of the association. Alan R. Mulally, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, was named vice chairman. John W. Douglass was re-elected president and CEO of AIA, and George F. Copsey was re-elected secretary-treasurer.
Executive Jet Management added the first Gulfstream V aircraft to its charter fleet. The aircraft, which is owned by Sheridan Aviation, will be based in California at Mineta San Jose International Airport.
World Fuel Services Corp. named Jerry Scott, 45, president of its Baseops International, Inc. subsidiary in Houston, Texas. Scott, who has 20 years experience in the aviation business, more than half of which has been in flight support services, joined World Fuel in 2001. Baseops provides contract fuel, flight planning, ground handling logistics, meteorological briefings, and related services for aircraft operators.
Safe Flight Instrument Company, White Plains, N.Y., said an Exceedance Warning System it developed for helicopters will be installed on a Bell 206B JetRanger. Safe Flight said Aeronautical Accessories, Inc., an affiliate of Bell Helicopter Textron, will engineer and obtain an FAA supplemental type certificate for the unit. Installation and certification of the first helicopter is scheduled for April.
National Business Aviation Association selected Daniel J. Berdan and Steven J. LaMourea to receive the 2002 NBAA William M. Fanning Maintenance Scholarship. Each student was awarded $2,500 to pursue careers as aviation maintenance technicians. Berdan is enrolled in the aviation airframe and powerplant program at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls, Minn. and expects to graduate in May. LaMourea, a graduate of St.
MEAD URGES FAA TO CUT COSTS AND INCREASE ACCOUNTABILITY - DOT Inspector General Kenneth Mead called on FAA last week to put the brakes on its rapidly rising budget, and singled out the agency's operations costs and expensive modernization programs as areas of particular concern.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT REPORTS IMPROVED RESULTS - Raytheon Aircraft Corp. reported sharply improved results for 2002, turning a huge operating loss in 2001 into a tiny one last year. A year ago the Wichita-based aircraft manufacturer posted an operating loss of $760 million for 2001 as the company wrote off millions of dollars in commuter airline aircraft. In the 12 months just ended, however, RAC had an operating loss of just $4 million. Aircraft sales fell from $2.57 billion in 2001 to $2.15 billion last year.
Woodward Governor Company is closing its facility in Buffalo, N.Y. and consolidating its operations at its Rockford, Ill. facility, the company announced last week. "This consolidation will help rebalance our total production capacity to better match anticipated customer demands over the next few years," said Phil Turner, Woodward vice president. The Buffalo plant employs about 145 people and manufactures servovalve components for the aerospace and medical markets.
Aerosonic Corporation of Clearwater, Fla., appointed Gary E. Colbert chief financial officer. He has more than 23 years of experience in domestic and international corporate finance and has worked at PPG Industries, Inc. United Technologies Corporation and Wellcraft Marine.
FAA RELEASES NEW RULE FOR CRJ700 CENTER FUEL TANKS - FAA ordered airframer Bombardier to set new quantity limits for center fuel tanks on CRJ700/701 jets. "Discrepancies in the fuel distribution system, if not detected and corrected, could cause the center tank to overfill and fuel to leak from the center tank vent system or to become inaccessible, and could result in engine fuel starvation," FAA said.
Federal Aviation Administration last week came a step closer to receiving its fiscal 2003 funding after the Senate late Thursday approved an omnibus appropriations bill for 2003. The bill provides budgets for most of the federal government, including DOT, FAA, TSA and a host of other agencies, for the current fiscal year, which began four months ago. The bill heads to a House-Senate conference, where members will hash out differences. The majority of government is operating under a continuing resolution of the fiscal 2002 budget.
Triumph Group, Wayne, Pa., said Wednesday its results for the third quarter ended Dec. 31 "will be lower than expected. During the past month, we have experienced significant reductions in shipments to our commercial OEM customers," said Richard C. Ill, president and CEO. "Adding to the negative effect of this reduction is the weak demand we have experienced from the commercial airline industry."
As far as the program itself is concerned, Rosser said the guidance has addressed some of industry's concerns but left unanswered "a number of policy interpretations" that the association had requested, Rosser said. NATA believes that the programs will be manageable for operators once all the components of the security programs are implemented. Some of those components, however, such as required fingerprinting for criminal history background checks, have yet to be ironed out, she added.
Cessna Aircraft, which announced earlier it was cutting business jet production by nearly 20 percent this year, now plans to throttle back its production schedule by almost 30 percent because of soft near-term demand. See article below.
Lisa Bottle was named vice president-corporate communications at Goodrich. She most recently worked at TRW Aeronautical Systems, which was recently acquired by Goodrich. Before joining TRW in 2001, Bottle held communications positions at Thales.
General Dynamics said its Aerospace unit, primarily Gulfstream Aerospace, had lower operating earnings last year, but the parent company said its business jet manufacturing enterprise still managed to outperform its competition.
New Piper Aircraft expanded its exclusive dealership agreement with the Florida-based FlightLine Group to cover Georgia, Tennessee and Florida. FlightLine already was New Piper's dealer in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and parts of Florida. FlightLine's Aircraft Sales Division, recently named SouthEast Piper, will represent New Piper products from its sales offices in Tallahassee and Vero Beach, Fla. and Atlanta, Ga.
President Bush sent the nomination of Robert A. Sturgell to be deputy administrator of FAA to the Senate this month. Sturgell, 43, a former Navy and United Airlines pilot, was a top aide to FAA Administrator Marion Blakey when she chaired the National Transportation Safety Board and he remained on her staff when she moved to FAA (BA, Dec. 2/251).
National Business Aviation Association rescheduled its Southern California Business Aviation Forum and Static Display for March 28 at Long Beach Airport in Long Beach, Calif. The daylong event will include briefings on key issues as well as a static display and indoor vendor exhibits at AirFlite's fixed-base operation in Long Beach. NBAA officials said response to the forum has been "exceptional" with a number of vendors, sponsors and attendees already registered.
TEXTRON REDUCES CESSNA JET OUTPUT FOR 2003 - Textron officials said Cessna Aircraft's planned production of business jets for this year has been reduced again because the Wichita-based aircraft manufacturer wasn't able to sell enough planes for delivery this year.
SEN. HUTCHISON RENEWS EFFORT TO TIGHTEN CARGO SECURITY - Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) this month introduced legislation calling for inspections of cargo transported on air carriers and cargo aircraft. The legislation, S.165, renews Hutchison's efforts to tighten cargo security. The Senate late last year approved legislation strengthening cargo security, but that bill died when the House failed to pass a similar measure.
