JOSEPH HANSFORD was named manager of Wood Group Turbopower's newly opened regional turbine shop at Jack Garland Airport in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. He will be responsible for establishing the PT6 operator maintenance support business throughout the region. Hansford, a Transport Canada Category M1 and M2 licensed technician, was most recently director of maintenance at Voyageur Airways.
Illustration: Graph: Used retail jet and turboprop deliveries inside and outside North America for January 2002 Used Retail Deliveries JAN. '99 JAN. '00 JAN. '01 JAN. '02 L M H L M H L M H L M H Jet North 38 26 18 39 26 14 38 18 15 51 38 15 America Jet Outside 5 1 1 4 2 1 4 5 1 5 2 3 N.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2B19 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-155-AD; Amendment 39-12655; AD 2002-03-14) - requires repetitive inspections for cracking of the left and right lower wing planks, and repair, if necessary. The actions specified by this AD are intended to find and fix such cracking, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the wing. FAA estimates that this AD will affect 214 airplanes on the U.S. Registry at a cost of $12,840, or $60 per airplane, per inspection cycle. The rule is effective March 27.
Joseph B. (Doc) Hartranft, Jr., 86, the first president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, died Feb. 22 in Annapolis, Md. Hartranft was one of six founders of AOPA in Philadelphia in 1939, a time when "the military's concerns about impending world war threatened the freedom of civilian aviation," according to AOPA President Phil Boyer. "Hartranft's leadership not only preserved general aviation through that dark period, but also enlisted GA in the defense of the nation.
GOODRICH named company veteran Marshall O. Larsen president and chief operating officer of the Charlotte, N.C. company, part of a succession plan approved by the board of directors. He assumed his new roles last week and also will be a candidate for the board of directors at the company's annual shareholders meeting in April. Larsen joined BFGoodrich in 1977 and most recently was serving as executive vice president of the parent company and president and COO of its aerospace business.
Gulfstream sold three G200 business jets to Hainan Airlines of Beijing for $60 million, the company's first sale in the Chinese market. Deliveries of the 10-passenger aircraft are scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2002, with the last aircraft to be delivered by the first quarter of 2003. Hainan's Deer Jet subsidiary will operate the aircraft, which will be used for charter service within China and throughout Asia, Gulfstream said. Gulfstream acquired the G200 when its parent company, General Dynamics, bought Galaxy Aerospace last year.
ALETHA LENZ was named aircraft sales manager at Elliott Aviation in Des Moines, Iowa. Lenz will be responsible for sales of new Beech Bonanzas, Barons, King Air C90Bs as well as used turbine and piston aircraft. She will also oversee aircraft brokerage and acquisition services in Central Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and parts of Wisconsin. Lenz, a pilot with commercial, instrument and multi-engine ratings, was previously an aircraft sales representative for a Piper dealer in central Iowa and has experience as a certified flight instructor.
The National Business Aviation Association last week asked the U.S. Customs Service to reopen the comment period on the rule that requires charter operators to electronically transmit crew and passenger manifests before crossing into the U.S. from foreign destinations. Congress called for the rule in the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, but the issue erupted last month after charter companies were hit with fines up to $10,000 for landing in the U.S. without first electronically submitting manifests (BA, Feb. 25/93).
HONEYWELL LTS101 series turboshaft and LTP101 series turboprop engines (Docket No. 2000-NE-14-AD; Amendment 39-12650; AD 2002-03-09) - requires a one-time visual inspection for surface finish and a one-time fluorescent penetrant inspection for cracks of certain impellers installed on LTS101 series turboshaft and LTP101 series turboprop engines. This amendment is prompted by a report of a machining discrepancy that may have occurred during manufacture of the affected impellers.
RUNWAY 9L/27R at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Fla. International Airport will be closed in the pre-dawn hours from 12:01 a.m. - 6 a.m. Monday March 4 through Sunday March 20. The closures are designed to permit workers to perform field maintenance and rubber removal from the runway.
British manufacturer Warrior Aero-Marine, Ltd. has secured $1.14 million in new funds to continue development on its prototype amphibious aircraft, allowing the company to move ahead on schedule to make a first flight in 2003.
CIRRUS SR20 AND SR22 AIRCRAFT began returning to the skies last week after installation of a fix to a problem with the Ballistic Recovery System. Cirrus Design Corp. advised owners of some 320 aircraft to ground the airplanes Feb. 22 after parachute designer BRS discovered a problem with the activation cable that could prevent the parachute from deploying. Cirrus and BRS quickly developed a repair - a clamp for the activation cable - and began distribution of the clamps last week.
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION Friday planned to appeal to its members to help Iowa state aviation officials fight for their funding. The Iowa state legislature is considering eliminating all general funds for aviation and possibly capital improvement funds as well. The general fund pays for the state's Airport Improvement Program for GA airside improvements and marketing efforts. The state paid $2.5 million in fiscal 2000 in general fund money for those aviation programs.
Declaring general aviation the "forgotten victim" of Sept. 11, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee members Wednesday approved a bill to provide general aviation businesses up to $5.5 billion in direct compensation and loans to cover their losses stemming from the terrorist attacks. The committee passed by voice vote a scaled-down version of the $7.5 billion General Aviation Industry Reparations Act of 2001 that aviation subcommittee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) introduced late last year (BA, Dec. 3/257).
A new Florida-based airline is gearing up to begin specialized service later this year for passengers traveling with their pets. Companion Air, founded by Rick and Diana Roof of Boca Raton, Fla., will allow pets to stay in the cabin and visit with owners during the flight, instead of being transported as cargo.
FOKKER Model F27 Mark 050 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-332-AD; Amendment 39-12660; AD 2002-04-03) - requires reinforcement of the structural provisions for the Global Positioning System antenna by replacement of existing fasteners with new fasteners, and installation of conical washers and a doubler plate at Stringer 26, as applicable.
TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY Norman Mineta is expected to return to work today after a month of rehabilitation following Jan. 31 hip replacement surgery (BA, Feb. 4/63).
MICHAEL AUTREY was appointed PT6 field service and special projects manager at Wood Group Turbopower in Miami Lakes, Fla. In the newly created position, Autrey will assist customers with services such as engine maintenance, inspection programs, cost analysis, and rigging. Autrey, an FAA airframe and powerplant certified technician, has more than 20 years of experience in the turbine engine maintenance industry, primarily dealing with PT6 and Twin Pac engine support.
SHORT BROTHERS Model SD3-60, SD3-60 SHERPA, and SD3-SHERPA series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-143-AD; Amendment 39-12654; AD 2002-03-13) - requires a one-time inspection of the wiring harness and power cables of the heated windshield to detect inadequate clearance, inadequate support, or chafing. This amendment also requires corrective action (including re-routing for adequate clearance or replacing damaged cables, as applicable), if necessary.
Bombardier Finds Asian Customer For Its Global 5000 Business Jet BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE found an Asian customer for its Global 5000 business jet, announcing an order from Sino Private Aviation Ltd. of Hong Kong. Bombardier launched the Global 5000 last month after receiving letters of intent for 15 of the aircraft, which will compete against the Dassault Falcon 900 and the Gulfstream IV in the "super-large" business jet category (BA, Feb. 11/72).
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-2B19 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-49-AD) - proposes to require a one-time inspection of the fuel-level sensing wires in the center fuel tank for damage and for clearance from the adjacent structure. This proposal also awould require corrective action, if necessary.
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF AIRPORT EXECUTIVES is concerned about a delay by FAA in responding to a court order regarding the agency's contract tower program. The National Air Traffic Controllers Organization has challenged that program in court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Ohio set a March 7 deadline for FAA to provide a status report. At issue is FAA's delay in finishing an A-76 study that federal agencies must complete before contracting functions to the private sector.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-400 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-140-AD; Amendment 39-12653; AD 2002-03-12) - requires a modification and a replacement affecting the fuel tanks in the wings. All affected airplanes require modification of the clearance of the fuel tank vent lines to the left and the right wing fuel tanks. Some affected airplanes also require replacement of three existing fuel probes from the center fuel tank on the left and right wings with new production fuel probes.
AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION formally petitioned the Transportation Department Friday seeking new regulations that would permit pilots to have firearms in the cockpit under specific conditions. Under the ALPA proposal, arming of pilots would be voluntary.
THE V-22 OSPREY is scheduled to resume flight testing in late April at the Naval Air Warfare Center at Patuxent River, Md., the Naval Air Systems Command said last week. The V-22, which has been grounded following a series of accidents and intensive studies by government officials, will undergo another 1,800 hours of test flying.
