GE Engine Services signed a 16-year agreement with regional carrier Skywest Airlines to perform engine maintenance on the carrier's fleet of Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) aircraft manufactured by Bombardier. The deal, valued at $1 billion by GE over the life of the contract, covers Skywest's fleet of 40 CF34-3A1 and -3B1 powered CRJs, along with other CRJs on firm order that will be delivered through 2004, a total of 140 aircraft according to the engine manufacturer.
BOMBARDIER OFFICIALS expect their Flexjet fractional program to keep growing at 10 to 15 percent per year. Flexjet now has 560 share owners, Beaudoin said, and plans to introduce the first Global Express in Flexjet service in the first quarter of 2002. About 15 to 20 percent of Bombardier's business jet production next year is slated for the Flexjet fleet.
EXECUTIVE JET renewed its agreement with Air Security International to provide security for its NetJets fractional aircraft ownership program. ASI will offer services such as risk and threat assessments for overseas locations, 24-hour consultations with ASI regional analysts and global monitoring. Additionally, ASI will provide aircraft guards, crew and passenger transportation for international destinations and Flitebriefs, customized intelligence reports for flight crews, Executive Jet said.
BAE Systems, which along with its predecessor companies has been involved in airliner manufacturing for decades, is shutting down its regional airliner manufacturing operations and exiting that part of the market, officials said last week.
ACTOR JOHN TRAVOLTA donated a Canadair CL41 Tutor to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The gift, including spare parts, is valued at more than $700,000. Embry-Riddle will use the plane in its aircraft maintenance technology program. "Our goal is to keep it in airworthy condition and perhaps fly it occasionally for demonstration purposes," said Stan Mackiewicz, director of aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul technology at the university.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators were unable to find any early indication of why a Model 25B Learjet suddenly swerved off a runway at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), crashed through a sign and a fence and burned last month, killing both pilots.
SHORT BROTHERS Model SD3 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-175-AD; Amendment 39-12484; AD 2001-22-05) - requires an inspection to find discrepancies of the hydraulic pipelines to the 7P panel and adjacent electrical wiring harnesses, and corrective action, if necessary. This action is necessary to find and fix such discrepancies, which could result in electrical arcing between the hydraulic lines and adjacent wiring, and cause a fire. FAA estimates that this AD will affect 75 airplanes on the U.S. Registry at a cost of $4,500, or $60 per airplane.
Ralph E. Alberto, a veteran AlliedSignal and Honeywell employee who had headed customer support operations for the manufacturer, joined Dallas Airmotive as vice president-sales and marketing.
Following last year's contract to supply four air traffic control (ATC) monopulse secondary surveillance radar (MSSR) units to China, United Kingdom Raytheon Systems Ltd. (RSL) announced the award Nov. 28 of a similar order to help modernize China's ATC systems. The four MSSR units in the initial contract, signed in early 2000, for the Beijing to Guangzhou airway system, are now fully operational at Wuhan, Shaoguan, Shi Jia Zhuang and Zhoukou.
THE HOUSE Friday passed a $59 billion transportation appropriations package for fiscal 2002, providing $13.3 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration. The package won the approval of a House/Senate conference committee Thursday after a dispute over Mexican trucking held up the bill for months. The legislation, H.R.2299, boosts FAA's budget by $584 million, or 4.5 percent, over fiscal 2001, and includes $292 million for aviation security initiatives.
RTS SERVICES launched two new programs designed to provide purchasing support for turbine aircraft operators. The Supplemental Purchasing Support and Component Repair Management programs "are designed to support turbine aircraft owners and operators by offering alternatives that help them lower operating expenses by reducing their staffing requirements," said Roger T. Sickler, RTS Services president.
PILATUS BRITTEN-NORMAN BN-2, BN-2A, BN-2B, BN-2T, BN-2T-4, and BN2A MK. III series airplanes (Docket No. 2000-CE-47-AD) - proposes to require repetitive inspections of the throttle friction-shaft and replacement of the shaft if it is damaged. This proposed AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the airworthiness authority for the United Kingdom. The actions specified by this proposed AD are intended to detect and correct loosening of the throttle friction adjustment beyond its normal limits.
GOODRICH received a supplemental type certificate for its SkyWatch HP Traffic Collision Avoidance System on the company's King Air C90. The system also received FAA Technical Standard Order certification on Nov. 8. SkyWatch HP can be FAA field approved and installed as a Traffic Advisory System or as a Traffic Collision Avoidance System depending on the display and antenna configuration, Goodrich said.
MAGAL SECURITY SYSTEMS introduced JetLock, an aircraft wheel lock designed to prevent and detect unauthorized movement of airplanes on the ground, at the Third International Aviation Security Technology Symposium in Atlantic City, N.J. The lock, equipped with an electronic locking system and wireless alarm, immobilizes aircraft. Any attempts to cut, break into or move the aircraft more than 50 meters will activate an alarm in the control center and show the airplane's location, said Magal.
CROSSMARK, a professional business services company, broke ground on a new 10,200-square-foot hangar at McKinney Airport, Texas, to house the company's corporate fleet. "The economy of North Texas is one of the strongest and most vibrant in the country and the access provided by the McKinney Airport will continue to build on this momentum. Our site selection committee picked McKinney for several reasons including convenience, service, safety and how quickly we can get our airplanes in the air from this location. Having the new U.S.
THE UNITED KINGDOM is not likely to follow FAA's lead on how to regulate fractional ownership. In comments to the docket on FAA's proposal to keep fractional operations under Part 91, the U.K.
AVCORP expanded its agreement with Cessna to supply more components for the Cessna Sovereign wing. The additional work is expected to boost the value of the contract by $40 million to $140 million over the life of the Sovereign program. Avcorp delivered the first set of wing components to Cessna for the Sovereign in October.
ROLLS-ROYCE Models Tay 650-15 and 651-54 turbofan engines (Docket No. 98-ANE-68-AD; Amendment 39-12497; AD 2001-22-18) - requires initial and repetitive visual and ultrasonic inspections of fan blades for cracks, and, if necessary, replacement with serviceable parts. In addition, this AD requires recording instances when engines are operated in a stabilized manner in newly prohibited ranges. This amendment is prompted by reports of fan blade failures.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION officials are pleased with the outlook for next week's rescheduled convention in New Orleans. NBAA President Jack Olcott told BA Friday that about 50 percent of both exhibitor and member delegate registrants who had signed up to attend the September event have pre-registered for next week's show. Some 677 exhibitors will be represented in New Orleans next week, about two-thirds of the more than 1,000 scheduled for the September event.
ROLLS-ROYCE 250-C28 series engines (Docket No. 2001-NE-31-AD) - proposes to require removal of third-stage turbine wheels, part number (P/N) 6899383, with certain serial numbers (SNs), from service before exceeding new, reduced life limits. This proposal also would establish a drawdown program to require the removal of those turbine wheels that exceed the new lower limit. This proposal is prompted by five reports of uncommanded shutdown caused by third-stage turbine blade tip fractures, and turbine shroud fractures.
Mercury Air Group, Inc. reported slightly lower revenues and decreased profits for the three months ended Sept. 30, the first quarter of the company's fiscal year. Revenues were off seven percent to $103.7 million, compared with $111.4 million a year ago. The lower revenues were attributed to lower fuel prices in the current period, as well as interruptions of business in three of the company's four business units for five days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks resulted in a shutdown of the national airspace system.
Federal Aviation Administration's proposed new regulations for fractional providers predictably won broad support from industry associations, manufacturers and the operators themselves. The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), released in July, closely resembled recommendations of a 27-member task force made up of representatives from the fractional operators, corporate flight departments, charter groups and other industry organizations (BA, July 16/25). FAA closed the comment period Nov.
President Bush's signature on sweeping aviation security legislation sets into motion a number of changes that will touch every segment of the industry, but, thanks to some last-minute changes in the bill, general aviation operators may see few new requirements immediately.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECTONICS CORP. won a contract for a GAT-II (General Aviation Trainer) from the United States Air Force Academy. The trainer will be delivered in February and "will be primarily used to teach cadets to recognize and avoid spatial disorientation," said ETC. ETC will work with the USAFA to customize the GAT-II to meet the academy's training needs. The customized GAT-II will support training for the Cessna 172, the JPATS, and a generic, light utility helicopter.
Avolar, the UAL Corp. subsidiary that plans to provide factional aircraft services with a fleet of Falcon and Gulfstream business jets, announced last week it also will market up to 15 Airbus Corporate Jets, a modified version of the A319 airliner.
