Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association said a new pilot facility at First Flight Airport in Kill Devil Hills, N.C., is slated for completion next month. AOPA and its members donated the facility, which will be the only structure that will remain permanently after the first-powered-flight centennial celebrations end in December 2003. The facility will include a pilot work area with computerized weather stations and telephones for contacting the local flight service station, and full restrooms replacing the portable toilets now available to pilots.
AVIATION GROUPS PREPARE FOR NEW HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT - Aviation groups last week began to gear up for the latest chapter in aviation security requirements as the House Friday gave its final seal of approval to create a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The House approval followed Senate passage by a 90-9 vote on Tuesday.
Richard Ning was appointed sales representative at FlightSafetyBoeing. Based in Beijing, Ning will be responsible for FSB sales in China. Ning was most recently sales manager for The Boeing Company in Beijing.
The Commission on the Future of the Aerospace Industry issued an "urgent call for action to the public and lawmakers" last week with the release of its final report, in which the panel recommended sweeping changes to the nation's aerospace system.
Charlie Geiger was named vice president of flight operations at Million Air Charter in Teterboro, N.J. He will be responsible for the company's charter operation and fleet. Geiger most recently worked as manager of scheduling and dispatch for a travel services company.
Steve Antuna was named dispatch manager at Aerodynamics, Inc. in Waterford, Mich. A certified pilot, Antuna was most recently senior dispatcher for domestic and international flight operations at DaimlerChrysler/Pentar Aviation, where he worked for 20 years.
Sporty's Pilot Shop released "Flying the North Atlantic Safely" on DVD. The two-hour DVD, presented by North Atlantic crossing expert Ed Carlson, covers topics such as requirements for the plane and pilot, what to take, where to stay, and how to get accurate weather information along the way. Sporty's also offers a planning chart and workbook for North Atlantic crossings. The DVD is priced at $89.95 and the workbook costs $39.95.
Jack Olcott, president of the National Business Aviation Association, says the current buzz words for business aviation are "access and uncertainty." Speaking at a meeting of corporate pilots at Washington Dulles International Airport Wednesday, Olcott noted that access to the national airspace system and individual airports is no longer determined by FAA, but rather by the Transportation Security Administration, which will now move from the Transportation Department to the new Department of Homeland Security.
Cessna Aircraft issued a warning to its employees last week that additional layoffs are planned next year. The company had about 12,800 workers on the payroll at the end of August (BA, Sept. 9/117), but it implemented some cutbacks about a month ago. As of last Friday, a spokeswoman said the number of people on the payroll is now about 12,000 worldwide and approximately 10,000 in the Wichita, Kan. area where the manufacturer is headquartered.
Members of the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry want to make sure their report doesn't end up on a shelf collecting dust, so they've taken steps to keep official Washington focusing on its contents.Commission members were careful to regularly brief Bush Administration and Congressional officials while the report was being compiled during the past year to keep them interested and in the loop. Commission member and former Rep.
Piedmont Hawthorne Aviation completed the sale of its airliner maintenance and overhaul division to the newly formed Piedmont Aviation Component Services. The division handles auxiliary power units, landing gear, propellers and parts sales and procurement and distribution.
Regional Airline Association's board of directors elected Skip Barnette, Atlantic Southeast Airlines president, as chairman of the association. Barnette succeeds Atlantic Coast Airlines President Tom Moore, who was the 2002 chairman.
CTT Systems received an order from Associated Air Center in Dallas for a CTT Zonal Comfort system that will be installed on a VIP Boeing 767 aircraft. The order is the first that the Swedish company has received from a U.S.-based completion center. Based in Nykoping, Sweden, CTT provides humidity control and condensation systems for aircraft and has worked with international completion centers including Lufthansa Technik and Jet Aviation. The Zonal Comfort system is designed to address problems with dry air in cabins by raising relative humidity to 25 percent.
Model SAAB 340B series airplanes equipped with Hamilton Sundstrand propellers (Docket No. 2002-NM-200-AD) - proposes to require a one-time inspection of two remote controlled circuit breakers (RCCB), located in specific electrical compartments, to identify the part number, and replacement of the RCCBs with new RCCBs having a different part number if necessary. This action is necessary to ensure removal of 35-amp RCCBs on a 50-amp electrical circuit.
Model 750 airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-218-AD; Amendment 39-12949; AD 2002-23-05) - requires replacement of reset circuit breakers for the auxiliary hydraulic pump system and the King KHF 950 high-frequency communication system(s) with new circuit breakers.
Ducommun Inc. won a contract valued at $7 million to build complete assemblies for Carson Helicopters' composite main rotor blade on S-61 helicopters. The work will be completed at Ducommun AeroStructures in Monrovia, Calif. Deliveries are slated to begin in 2003. The Carson blades are in the final stages of FAA certification and are expected to allow the S-61 to lift an additional 2,000 pounds and fly 15 knots faster.
CF34-8C1 turbofan engines (Docket No. 2002-NE-13-AD; Amendment 39-12946; AD 2002-23-02) - requires revisions to the Airworthiness Limitations Section of the manufacturer's Instructions for Continued Airworthiness to include required enhanced inspection of selected critical life-limited parts at each piece-part exposure. This amendment also requires an air carrier's approved continuous airworthiness maintenance program to incorporate these inspection procedures.
Models TB 9, TB 10, TB 20, TB 21, and TB 200 airplanes (Docket No. 2002-CE-43-AD) - proposes to require inspection of the aileron control gimbal joint for correct alignment and correct operation, and replacement of any misaligned or defective gimbal joint. This proposed AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for France. The actions specified by this proposed AD are intended to prevent failure of the aileron control gimbal joint. Such failure could lead to loss of control of the airplane.
TSA EXTENDS COMPLIANCE DEADLINE FOR 95K RULES - The Transportation Security Administration last week agreed to postpone the deadline for the "95K" security requirements until the agency releases a final plan of compliance and gives the affected operators at least 30 days to review it. TSA originally adopted rules in June requiring charter operators of aircraft that weigh at least 95,000 pounds to screen passengers before boarding.
Ducommun Inc. won a contract valued at $7 million to build complete assemblies for Carson Helicopters' composite main rotor blade on S-61 helicopters. The work will be completed at Ducommun AeroStructures in Monrovia, Calif. Deliveries are slated to begin in 2003. The Carson blades are in the final stages of FAA certification and are expected to allow the S-61 to lift an additional 2,000 pounds and fly 15 knots faster.
Japanese manufacturer Toyota, which has been quietly doing development work on a new single-engine aircraft for at least a decade, is now conducting a survey of aviation professionals to determine what the market outlook for such a new product offering might be.
Steve Antuna was named dispatch manager at Aerodynamics, Inc. in Waterford, Mich. A certified pilot, Antuna was most recently senior dispatcher for domestic and international flight operations at DaimlerChrysler/Pentar Aviation, where he worked for 20 years.
Model P-180 airplanes (Docket No. 2002-CE-48-AD; Amendment 39-12954; AD 2002-23-10) - requires inspection for proper clearance between the first outboard flap control rod and the bleed air duct for interference, replacement of worn or damaged parts or correction of interference, and adjustment of clearance. This AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Italy.
Model Galaxy and Gulfstream 200 airplanes (Docket No. 2002-NM-265-AD; Amendment 39-12945; AD 2002-23-01) - requires a one-time inspection for evidence of damage to the forward engine cross spar assembly; and repair if necessary. This action is necessary to detect and correct damage to the forward engine cross spar assembly, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the forward engine cross spar assembly. The AD is effective Nov. 29, but FAA will accept comments for inclusion in the Rules Docket until Dec. 13.
