Aircraft manufacturer Fairchild Dornier, faced with dwindling financial reserves and soaring development costs, filed for insolvency in Germany last week, the equivalent of a bankruptcy filing in the U.S. (BA, April 1/154). Fairchild Dornier officials had been engaged in last-ditch talks with Boeing and other companies about a strategic partnership, but no agreement could be finalized before the company ran out of money.
Jet Works Aviation of Fort Worth, Texas signed an agreement with Collins Avionics to provide service and installation on more than 2,500 Collins parts, ranging from analog cockpit electronics to digital avionics. "The addition of Collins to our existing dealerships enables our firm to provide a full range of options to aircraft owners and operators for equipment and installation," said Wayne Ostrander, Jet Works vice president. Jet Works is an authorized service center for Honeywell, Garmin, BF Goodrich and Universal products.
JET WORKS AVIATION of Fort Worth, Texas signed an agreement with Collins Avionics to provide service and installation on more than 2,500 Collins parts, ranging from analog cockpit electronics to digital avionics. "The addition of Collins to our existing dealerships enables our firm to provide a full range of options to aircraft owners and operators for equipment and installation," said Wayne Ostrander, Jet Works vice president. Jet Works is an authorized service center for Honeywell, Garmin, BF Goodrich and Universal products.
P206, TP206, TU206, U206, 207, T207, 210, P210, and T210 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-CE-42-AD; Amendment 39-12695; AD 2002-07-01) - requires visual inspection of certain horizontal stabilizer attachment reinforcement brackets for the existence of seam welds and replace any reinforcement bracket found without seam welds. This AD authorizes the pilot to check the logbooks to determine whether one of the affected horizontal stabilizer attachment reinforcement brackets is installed.
The Independent Pilots Association last week praised the National Transportation Safety Board after Chairman Marion Blakey warned that fatigue remains a primary cause of serious accidents in all modes of transportation. IPA, representing UPS pilots, is among several pilot groups that have urged FAA to adopt stronger flight and duty time requirements. FAA has been working on those requirements for years with one failed attempt at a rulemaking in 1995.
Alon A-2 and A2-A, ERCO 415-C, 415-CD, 415-D, E, and G, Forney F-1 and F-1A, and Mooney M10 airplanes - proposes to require repetitive inspections of the wing center section for evidence of corrosion by installing inspection openings or by the use of a scope and light source, e.g., fiberscope borescope or an endoscope, that meets specified criteria. This proposed AD would also require repair or replacement of any parts where corrosion or corrosion damage was found, installation of cover plates where inspection openings were made, and sending inspection results to FAA.
Aircraft manufacturer Fairchild Dornier, faced with dwindling financial reserves and soaring development costs, filed for insolvency in Germany last week, the equivalent of a bankruptcy filing in the U.S. (BA, April 1/154). Fairchild Dornier officials had been engaged in last-ditch talks with Boeing and other companies about a strategic partnership, but no agreement could be finalized before the company ran out of money.
Release of a rule to regulate fractional ownership under a new Subpart K of Part 91 likely won't come until the fall, Cusimano said. FAA published its proposal last July, incorporating nearly all industry recommendations for regulating the fast-growing segment of the industry. Industry representatives were hoping for a quick adoption of the rule. But the focus on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and changes in Office of Management and Budget requirements that now require a 90-day review, have pushed back the schedule, he said.
Winning approval for business jets to resume operations at Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) has been a top priority of the National Business Aviation Association for months, but the actions of a Boeing 737 airliner crew last week didn't do anything to make security officials more receptive to such a move. Aircraft departing DCA to the north are required to make a left turn just after takeoff to avoid the restricted space, R56A, that includes the White House and Capitol.
RAYTHEON WORKERS JOIN MANAGEMENT IN CUTTING COSTS, SAVING JOBS - A group of workers under threat of losing their jobs at Raytheon Aircraft banded with management to find ways to cut costs and improve productivity, and their efforts have proved so successful that the initiative is being expanded into other areas of the company. Raytheon Aircraft Chairman and CEO James Schuster warned employees several months ago that the company was considering outsourcing its wire harness work to Mexico to cut costs. Such a move put 320 jobs at risk.
Winning approval for business jets to resume operations at Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) has been a top priority of the National Business Aviation Association for months, but the actions of a Boeing 737 airliner crew last week didn't do anything to make security officials more receptive to such a move. Aircraft departing DCA to the north are required to make a left turn just after takeoff to avoid the restricted space, R56A, that includes the White House and Capitol.
The Independent Pilots Association last week praised the National Transportation Safety Board after Chairman Marion Blakey warned that fatigue remains a primary cause of serious accidents in all modes of transportation. IPA, representing UPS pilots, is among several pilot groups that have urged FAA to adopt stronger flight and duty time requirements. FAA has been working on those requirements for years with one failed attempt at a rulemaking in 1995.
A GULFSTREAM V operated by the NetJets fractional program was slightly damaged last week at New York's La Guardia Airport. FAA said the airplane, N509QS, "was on a non-movement area making a right turn when wingtip struck a fence."
A new report stating that 96 percent of all U.S. reactors were designed without regard for the potential impact "from even a small aircraft" has raised concerns from the general aviation community, which has spent months trying to dispel fears about the potential threat of private planes.
ALCOA INC. completed its acquisition of the aluminum extrusion assets of Dooray Air Metal Co. Ltd. of Changwon, Korea. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The Changwon facility produces hard alloy extrusions for defense, aerospace, industrial and transportation markets.
Lancair last week unveiled a new version of its Columbia line, the Columbia 350, equipped with an "all-electric" package that eliminates the dual vacuum pumps. The Columbia 350 will have a dual bus, dual battery electrical system. "All-electric is the way industry is headed," said Lancair Vice President Ron Wright. "It's been the standard in turbine aircraft for some time and the technology is now within reach of the piston-aircraft market." Lancair hopes to win certification and begin delivery of the Columbia 350 in late summer.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2B19 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-250-AD) - revises an earlier AD that would have required replacement of the existing smoke detectors in the cargo compartment with new, improved smoke detectors. This new action revises the proposed rule by specifying compliance per corrected service information. The actions specified by this new proposed AD are intended to prevent false smoke warnings from the smoke detectors in the cargo compartment.
April 7-13 - Sun 'n Fun Fly-In, Lakeland, Fla. Sun 'n Fun Experimental Aircraft Association, P.O. Box 6750, Lakeland, Fla. 33807, (863) 644-2431 April 10-14 - National Aircraft Resale Association Conference, Jamaica. NARA, 4226 King St., Alexandria, Va. 22302, (703) 671-8273 April 14-16 - FAA General Aviation Forecast Conference, Wichita, Kan., (202) 267-3351 April 23-25 - National Business Aviation Association Leadership Conference, Nashville, Tenn. (202) 783-9000
Bombardier and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers resumed negotiations last week after 7,400 union members staged a one-day strike April 1 to protest the slow pace of talks aimed at reaching agr eement on a new contract. The parties have been negotiating since August. Local 712 of the IAM organized the walkout after 98.2 percent of members voting authorized a strike.
FLIGHTSAFETY PROGRAMS WIN JAA APPROVAL - FlightSafety International won approval from Europe's Joint Aviation Authorities for its Learjet training programs in Tucson, Ariz., Atlanta, Ga., Wichita, Kan. and West Palm Beach, Fla. The JAA awarded approval of FlightSafety's pilot training programs for the Learjet 31A, 35/36, 45, 55 and 60 aircraft. FlightSafety's centers in Tucson and Atlanta both operate FAA Level "D" full flight simulators for Learjet 31A, 45 and 60 aircraft.
Federal Aviation Administration promised it would lift temporary flight restrictions over the city of Chicago after the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association became concerned that the no-fly zone would remain intact indefinitely, the association said last week. The TFR, originally encompassing a three-mile arc around Chicago's Sears Tower, first took effect last fall after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION reached the 7,000-member mark with the addition of Mark Nutritionals, Inc. Based in San Antonio, Texas, Mark Nutritionals operates a Cessna Citation III. NBAA's membership has grown by 1,000 since 1999 and by 5,000 since 1980, the association said.
Jet Aviation Bedford was named an authorized service center for Raytheon Premier I aircraft. The approval authorizes heavy and scheduled maintenance, airframe maintenance and engine repair on the jet.
ROCKWELL COLLINS won certification for its Pro Line 21 Continuum avionics on a Challenger 601. The installation included four 10- by 8-inch LCD adaptive flight displays, integrated flight control systems, triple Collins FMS-6000 flight management systems, AHS-3000 attitude heading reference system, TCAS-4000 traffic alert collision avoidance system, TWR-850 turbulence-detection weather radar and Pro Line radio sensors.
