Meghan Newman joined Thunder Aviation NA Inc., in St. Louis, Mo. as charter manager. She is responsible for scheduling and dispatching charter aircraft and pilots and also is involved in helping the company acquire additional aircraft. She reports to Rick McGuire, director of charter operations. Newman is a pilot and holds a bachelor's degree in aviation management from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
Goodrich was awarded a technical standard order approval from FAA for a new Solid-State Vertical Reference System Model VRS-3000. The system is designed as a replacement for conventional spinning mass type vertical gyroscopes and provides traditional Aeronautical Radio Incorporated (ARINC) 407-synchro information for pitch and roll attitude, Goodrich said. The company expects military aircraft and helicopters that are subject to high vibration will benefit from the newly approved system.
Randy Kennedy, a former Air Force officer and an early member of the Dassault Falcon Jet team, died July 7. Services were held Thursday at The Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River, N.J.
EUROCOPTER Model EC120B helicopters (Docket No. 2001-SW-68-AD; Amendment 39-12799; AD 2002-13-11) - requires installing front and side covers to protect the yaw control. This amendment is prompted by a report of a mobile phone falling between the windshield canopy and the cabin floor jamming the yaw control pedal. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent an object from sliding between the canopy and the cabin floor, loss of yaw control, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. FAA estimates that this AD will affect 44 helicopters on the U.S.
GE CF34-8C1 turbofan engines (Docket No. 2002-NE-13-AD) - proposes to require 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 proposal also would require an air carrier's approved continuous airworthiness maintenance program to incorporate these inspection procedures.
Keystone Helicopter was named the primary independent supplier and installer of A++ Conversion kits for the S76A helicopter in agreements signed with Turbomeca Engine Corporation and Sikorsky Aircraft. The Keystone 7 Turbomeca agreement establishes Keystone as the exclusive, worldwide source for Arriel engines in addition to A+ and A++ Conversion Kit sales. Turbomeca will continue to build, support and warranty the engines.
The National Transportation Safety Board is calling for design changes in Stemme S10-VT powered gliders as a result of its investigation of a rapidly spreading fire in one of the aircraft a year ago.
PRATT&WHITNEY turboprop engines (Docket No. 2001-NE-34-AD) - proposes to require replacing certain part number fuel heaters with redesigned fuel heaters. This proposal is prompted by several field incidents in which one or more of the three studs that attach the fuel filter bowl to the fuel heater have been partially or completely pulled free of the fuel heater housing. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent the separation of the fuel filter bowl from the fuel heater, which could result in a pressurized fuel leak and possible engine fire.
Randy Kennedy, a former Air Force officer and an early member of the Dassault Falcon Jet team, died July 7. Services were held Thursday at The Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River, N.J.
AvSoft signed an agreement with insurance broker Aon Limited to distribute Aon's Aircraft Damage History and Daily Incident Alert Data. The Aircraft Damage History covers significant aircraft damage back to 1977 and will be incorporated into AvSoft's ACAS aviation system. Avsoft also will deliver the Daily Incident Alert, which covers all aircraft from large commercial jets to light aircraft and helicopters, as a daily e-mail service. AvSoft will demonstrate the new additions to its product line at its booth at the Farnborough Air Show.
Federal Aviation Administration issued a stern warning to pilots last week to avoid areas where temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) are in place.The agency warned that the TFRs are not shown on sectional or other aeronautical charts, but said the TFR information is available through flight service stations or DUATS.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is initiating a project to preserve its history and document its heritage. The university will collect and archive documents, photographs, oral histories, memorabilia and artifacts, dating back to its start as a flight school at Lunken Airport in Cinncinati, Ohio. The school plans to display the historical collection at its campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla. and Prescott, Ariz. For more information, contact Bob Rockett at (386) 226-6026.
BOMBARDIER PLANNING TWO NEW LEARJET MODELS - Canadian manufacturer Bombardier is expected to announce two new Learjet models next week at the Farnborough Air Show.
Jim Keenan was named senior vice president of commercial engines for Pratt&Whitney Commercial Engines. He will have full responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the Commercial Engines Division, said Robert F. Leduc, president of the division, who said Keenan's appointment will provide Leduc with more time to focus on critical customer and employee issues as well as long-term strategic initiatives. The Commercial Engines unit serves more than 500 customers worldwide and has more than 7,000 employees.
ROLLS-ROYCE Tay Model 650-15 and 651-54 turbofan engines; Correction - makes a correction to AD 2002-09-02, applicable to Rolls-Royce Tay Model 650-15 and 651-54 turbofan engines. AD 2002-09-02 was published in the Federal Register on May 2, 2002 (67 FR 21979). Note 3 in the Alternative Method of Compliance section is incorrect. This document corrects Note 3. In all other respects, the original document remains the same.
Air taxi operators across the nation were struggling last week to comply with new Transportation Security Administration regulations for aircraft weighing more than 12,500 pounds, an effort complicated by the fact that TSA will not immediately tell callers whether the rule applies to them or what the new rule requires.
Keystone Helicopter, West Chester, Pa., said Argosy Investment Partners II LP of Wayne, Pa., has joined Keystone's outside group of institutional investors. Terms of Argosy's involvement were not disclosed, but Steve Townes, CEO of the helicopter company, said "We welcome Argosy's investment experience and capital resources as we continue to grow Keystone Helicopter internally as well as through follow-on acquisitions."
AvSoft signed an agreement with insurance broker Aon Limited to distribute Aon's Aircraft Damage History and Daily Incident Alert Data. The Aircraft Damage History covers significant aircraft damage back to 1977 and will be incorporated into AvSoft's ACAS aviation system. Avsoft also will deliver the Daily Incident Alert, which covers all aircraft from large commercial jets to light aircraft and helicopters, as a daily e-mail service. AvSoft will demonstrate the new additions to its product line at its booth at the Farnborough Air Show.
Alenia Aeronautica and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics sold the first five of what is expected to be a total of 12 C-27J Spartan airlifters to the Italian government. Alenia and Lockheed jointly developed the C-27J, and the contract is valued at more than $200 million. The first C-27 will be delivered to the Italian Air Force by mid-2005, with the final aircraft to be delivered by late 2006. Powered by Rolls Royce AE21002 engines, the C-27J Spartan is based on the twin-engine C-27A/G.
The collision warning system on the Bashkirian Airlines Tupolev TU-154 jet involved in the July 1 midair collision over Germany instructed the plane to pull up to avoid a fast-closing DHL 757 at the same altitude, but the crew heeded a nearly simultaneous ATC instruction to descend, putting the planes back on a collision course, investigators said.
The Federal Aviation Administration installed new equipment at a flight service station in Anderson, S.C., that the agency says is part of a program to improve efficiency and capacity "for hundreds of thousands of general aviation users." The Anderson FSS is the first of 61 automated stations to receive a fully deployed Operational and Supportability Implementation System (OASIS) upgrade.
FAIRCHILD DORNIER ENTERS INSOLVENCY, FURLOUGHS 1,836 - A local court declared regional aircraft manufacturer Fairchild Dornier permanently insolvent last week. As a result, the company immediately cut 1,836 of 3,600 employees from its active staff and put them into a training program funded by the company and the state. Under the program, furloughed employees will continue to receive about 80 percent of their salary for three months. About 1,770 workers were retained, among them 150 in the 728/928 regional jet program.
The U.K.'s National Air Traffic Services (NATS) plans to begin testing controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC) for transatlantic flights using Nav Canada-developed software, and is considering adapting other Nav Canada technologies. NATS reached an agreement with Nav Canada to begin operational testing this summer of CPDLC, using a satellite-based e-mail system rather than high-frequency voice communications. A contract is being finalized and tests should begin in late summer, said NATS Chief Operating Officer Colin Chisholm.
July 23-29 - Experimental Aircraft Association 50th Annual Gathering, AirVenture Oshkosh 2002, Oshkosh, Wis., (920) 235-3007 September 10-12 - National Business Aviation Association 55th Annual Meeting and Convention, Orlando, Fla., (202) 783-9000 September 22-24 - National Association of State Aviation Officials, 71sth Annual Convention and Trade Show, Sheraton Burlington, Burlington, Vt., (301) 588-0587 Oct 24-26 - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Expo 2002, Palm Springs, Calif., (301) 695-2000
