Three of FAA's en route centers - Memphis, Indianapolis and Cleveland - went on line in recent weeks with the agency's User Request Evaluation Tool (URET). FAA said URET is the final stage of Free Flight Phase One. It was rolled out at the Kansas City en route center in early December, replacing a prototype system, and will be deployed at the Atlanta, Chicago, and Washington centers this spring. URET contains "over 600,000 lines of software code that help controllers provide direct routes to high-altitude aircraft more quickly," FAA said.
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE was awarded modifications to two existing U.S. Air Force contracts to provide logistics support and communication systems upgrades for C-37A Gulfstream V aircraft. One contract, for $10.3 million for fiscal 2002, includes contractor logistics support for Air Force C-37A aircraft. The second authorizes $7.7 million for C-37A communications system upgrades to be completed by September 2006.
CHRIS A. DAVIS, a former member of the top management team at Gulfstream Aerospace, was elected to the Rockwell Collins board of directors. Davis is chief operating and financial officer for McLeodUSA Inc. She was previously chief financial and administrative officer of ONI Systems, San Jose, Calif., and prior to that was executive vice president and chief financial and administrative officer and a member of the board at Gulfstream Aerospace. Before Gulfstream, Davis spent 17 years in various managerial and executive positions with General Electric Co.
Despite a reservations system that couldn't handle initial demand for slots into the four gateway airports, industry and FAA officials agreed last week that business/corporate aviation operations in and out of Salt Lake City during the Winter Olympics ran well despite unprecedented security requirements.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION last week continued to press government leaders to open Washington Reagan National Airport to non-airline flights. The Transportation Department has publicly stated that it expects to release a plan shortly to return the airport to full operations for the airlines, but still has not given word when GA can get back in.
DORNIER Model 328-100 and -300 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-185-AD; Amendment 39-12656; AD 2002-03-15) - requires testing of the left- and right-hand potentiometer levers of the aileron flight control system, and follow-on or corrective action, as applicable. This amendment is necessary to prevent detachment of an aileron potentiometer lever, which could result in jamming of the elevator and/or aileron flight control systems and consequent reduced controllability of the airplane. FAA estimates that this AD will affect 89 aircraft on the U.S.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT flew its newest mid-size business jet, the Citation Sovereign, for the first time last week on a one hour and 10-minute flight from Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport. Cessna test pilots Wayne Spriggs and Bruce Rice tested the plane's basic stability, flap extension and retraction, controllability, trim actuation and other flight characteristics. Certification of the aircraft is slated for late 2003 with delivery beginning in early 2004.
ECLIPSE AVIATION is incorporating features in the software architecture of its Eclipse 500 entry-level business jet to support the use of a biometric identification system and card reader. Eclipse President Vern Raburn does not plan to make such a device part of the FAA aircraft certification package, but he told BA he wanted to incorporate the capability to use such systems in the Eclipse in the event such systems prove desirable or become required at some point (BA, Feb. 18/81). See related article on Page 95.
BAE SYSTEMS Model BAe 146 and Avro 146-RJ series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-224-AD; Amendment 39-12648; AD 2002-03-07) - requires a one-time inspection to detect corrosion of the flap structure and machined ribs, corrective actions if necessary, and reprotection of the rib boss bores. This action is necessary to detect and correct corrosion in the flap structure and machined ribs, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the airplane. FAA estimates that this AD will affect 60 aircraft on the U.S.
THE BRAZILIAN MANUFACTURER also was claiming victory last week in its long-running trade dispute with Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier before the World Trade Organization. Embraer said Bombardier's decision not to appeal a WTO finding that Canada had been unfairly subsidizing buyers of its regional jets "amounts to an admission by Canada that the panel was correct, and that Canada has been silently violating the rules since as early as 1996," said Mauricio Botelho, president and CEO of Embraer.
Not satisfied with manufacturer-recommended inspection schedules for propeller blades on ATR 42-500/700 turboprop aircraft, the National Transportation Safety Board wants FAA to order more aggressive inspection schedules for the blades.
SOCATA Model TBM 700 airplanes (Docket No. 2001-CE-10-AD; Amendment 39-12644; AD 2002-03-03) - requires installation of a new strainer draining system in the cabin fuselage. This AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for France. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent water from accumulating in the fuselage, then freezing and interfering with or causing the elevator controls to seize. This could result in loss of elevator control with consequent loss of airplane control.
BE A PILOT, the industry supported learn-to-fly program, adopted a $1.8 million budget for 2002, with plans to increase advertising purchases if additional funding becomes available. President Drew Steketee said board members adopted alternative spending plans for a $2 million and $2.5 million level of contributions. AOPA President Phil Boyer is chairman of the program this year, Cessna Aircraft's Phil Michel is heading the Communications Committee and Steve Loranger, president of Honeywell's Engines and Systems Group, is chairing the Finance Committee.
JULIA KRAUSS was named vice president of legislative affairs for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, where she will oversee a four-person staff of legislative specialists in AOPA's downtown Washington, D.C. office. Krauss, who was a staff member on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in 1999 and 2000 before joining AOPA, also worked for Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.) for three years. A former resident of Summerville, S.C.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL obtained Level D approval for its Bombardier regional jet full flight simulator, located at the company's Cincinnati, Ohio training center. The Cincinnati center has five FAA Level D simulators to train Comair/Delta Connection pilots on CRJ 100/200 aircraft.
AVBASE CHARTER of Cleveland, Ohio received FAA approval for worldwide charter operations. "The demand among our clients for secure international travel by charter jet has expanded significantly in recent months," said John DePalma, Avbase president and CEO. "This new authorization and the availability of the Gulfstream 200 allow us to respond to these changing customer needs." In addition to a fleet of Learjet and Citation aircraft, Avbase operates two Gulfstream 200 business jets and is planning to add more G200s this year.
THE NEWLY FORMED Transportation Security Administration released its first two rules this month. One transfers security governance of civil aviation from FAA to TSA. The other is an attempt by TSA to comply with a congressional mandate to tighten security rules for charter operators. But that rule was so unclear it took TSA a week of legal review after the rule was released before it determined that on-demand air taxis are included. See article below.
PILATUS LIMITED BN-2, BN-2A, BN-2B,BN-2T, and BN2A MK. III series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-CE-31-AD; Amendment 39-12645; AD 2002-03-04) - requires replacement of the emergency exit window sealant. The AD is intended to correct problems with emergency exit windows failing to open. Such failure could lead to the inability to exit the airplane in an emergency. FAA estimates that this AD affects 118 airplanes on the U.S. Registry at a total cost of $160 per airplane or $18,880 for the fleet. This AD becomes effective on March 29.
D. ROY GOLDSMITH was named group vice president, manufacturing operations, at Barnes Aerospace. Goldsmith has more than 30 years of industry experience. He joined Barnes Aerospace in 1997 and was most recently president of the Windsor division.
The recently formed Transportation Security Administration is calling for certain charter operators to strengthen their security efforts under a new rule that requires more extensive criminal history record checks and restricted access to the flight deck. In one of its first regulatory acts, TSA released the rule at the direction of Congress to cover commercial operators left uncovered by other security mandates. Sen.
RAYTHEON AEROSPACE won an $8.2 million contract option to provide logistics support for the T-1A aircraft through September 2002. The Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio is the contracting authority.
CAE pulled in $11.3 million in new business with orders from WestJet and Bombardier. CAE sold Canadian carrier WestJet a Boeing B737-700 full flight simulator equipped with a CAE Maxvue visual system for $9.4 million. The FAA Level D certified simulator will be installed at WestJet's training facility in Calgary, Alberta at the end of 2003. CAE also won a $1.9 million upgrade contract from Bombardier Aerospace.
PATTERSON/BACH COMMUNICATIONS, an advertising and public relations agency in Winter Park, Fla., has formed a specialized division focusing on the aviation industry and named Chuck Wheeler to head the new enterprise. Wheeler has more than 32 years of aviation experience and holds a commercial pilot's license with instrument and multi-engine ratings. Patterson/Bach currently handles marketing projects for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Kissimmee Gateway Airport.
CURTISS-WRIGHT CORP. entered into an agreement to acquire the stock of Penny and Giles Controls Ltd., Penny&Giles Controls Inc. and Penny and Giles Aerospace, Ltd., plus the assets of Autronics Corp. from Spirent plc, a British company. Penny and Giles is a leading designer and manufacturer of proprietary position sensors and control hardware for both military and commercial aerospace application and industrial markets. Products include position sensors, flight recorders, maintenance recorders and primary air data computers.
