THE AIR GROUP added a fourth Gulfstream III to its fleet to be based in Denver, Colo. The aircraft seats 12 passengers for domestic and international flights.
MERCURY AIR CENTERS, AVLOG and GE Capital Financial are launching a new, joint aviation purchasing card. The Mercury Easy Trip Mastercard, designed to replace multiple charge cards, will be accepted in more than 22 million locations. The card can be used at any FBO for various services, including fuel, aircraft maintenance and catering.
THE INITIAL FEAR that war risk insurance would not be available is largely over, NATA's Coyne said (BA, Oct. 1/157). But he added that some companies have opted against war risk insurance coverage because the costs are now too high. One member complained last week that its one-year premium jumped from $2,300 to $57,000. Aviation lobbyists hoped to build support in Congress for a measure that would extend the same risk protections provided to airlines under the Air Transportation Safety and Stabilization Act adopted Sept. 23 to other aviation businesses.
B/E AEROSPACE, INC., has begun shipping passenger seats for Boeing Business Jets to three modification and outfitting firms. Under an agreement announced last year with Lufthansa Technik of Germany, B/E will provide seats for up to 30 BBJs destined for use in a fractional aircraft program. Separately, B/E was selected to provide nearly 90 passenger seats, divans and a queen-size bed on BBJs to be completed by Associated Air Center and Ozark Aircraft Systems.
EXTRA FLUGZEUBAU GmbH Models EA-300, EA-300L, and EA-300S airplanes (Docket No. 99-CE-85-AD) - proposes to require an inspection of the upper longeron at the horizontal stabilizer attachment for cracks using a fluorescent dye check penetrant method, repair of any cracks found, and modification of the horizontal stabilizer. The proposed AD would limit operation to the "Normal" category until accomplishment of the initial inspection and modification of airplanes with less than 200 hours time-in-service.
PRIVATAIR added five new aircraft to its fleet and opened a new charter base in Houston, Texas Two Canadair Challenger CL601s will be based in West Palm Beach, Fla.; one Falcon 50 will be based in St. Petersburg, Fla.; a Hawker HS 125/800 will be located in Indianapolis, Ind. and a Citation III will be hangared at the new Houston location.
JET AVIATION DALLAS at Love Field Airport is installing a new safety package to upgrade cockpit avionics and make them compliant with FAA regulations which require turbine-powered airplanes to have a class A or B terrain system installed by 2005. The package includes a Bendix-King multifunction display unit, a weather radar, a flight management system or GPS system and a multi-hazard unit with circuitry for traffic and terrain inputs to the display unit.
JET AVIATION WEST PALM BEACH installed a Securaplane alarm and security system on a Challenger 604. The installation included infrared motion sensors in the wheel wells, black and white and color lens cameras on the aircraft's belly and a single-lens camera on the top vertical fin overlooking the forward fuselage. "The Securaplane is one of the most comprehensive and advanced aircraft security systems on the market," said Avionics Manager Brian Wilson.
GENERAL ELECTRIC and Honeywell formally terminated their merger agreement, three months after the deal was blocked by the European Union. GE agreed to reimburse Honeywell for merger-related expenses. GE also agreed to buy two businesses from Honeywell with $35 million in annual sales - Tensor, a Texas-based oil and gas sensor business, and Honeywell Advanced Composites of Newark, Del.
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer, reacting to falling traffic levels for its airline customers in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, laid off 14 percent of its work force last week and said it plans to dramatically reduce aircraft production.
Kirk Van Tine was sworn in as DOT general counsel Sept. 26 after Senate confirmation, following a nomination hearing and approval by the Senate Commerce Committee. Read Van de Water was sworn in as DOT assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs Sept. 25. She was confirmed by unanimous consent by the Senate following a favorable report of her nomination by the commerce panel, which did not hold a hearing on her nomination. The committee has not acted on or scheduled a hearing on the nomination of Emil Frankel to be DOT assistant secretary for policy.
THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION this week is expected to extend the comment period by 30 days for its proposed new regulation governing fractional aircraft operators (BA, July 16/25).The original comment period would have closed Oct. 16, but the National Business Aviation Association petitioned the agency for more time. "Since Sept.
MIKE ZONNEFELD was appointed a sales associate at JB&A Aviation, based in Tucson, Ariz. He will be responsible for sales in the Rocky Mountain and Western states. A commercial multi-engine pilot, Zonnefeld recently retired from Rockwell Collins Avionics where he worked as regional sales manager for 35 years.
FlightSafety Simulation plans to equip all its new flight simulators with new high-definition visual systems produced by its Visual Simulation Systems Division.
The new Bendix/King APEX system, designed to give pilots an easier-to-comprehend display of flight information, made its first flight, Honeywell officials said.
General aviation leaders are hoping that a bill introduced in Congress last week will provide much-needed aid to scores of small aviation businesses that have lost upwards of $450 million in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Rep.
DORNIER LUFTFAHRT GmbH Model 228-212 airplanes (Docket No. 2001-CE-29-AD) - proposes to require inspection of the brake housing subassembly for cracks, nicks, or corrosion (referred to as damage). This proposed AD also would require replacement of damaged brake housing assemblies and modification of the torque take-out cavity. This proposed AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for Germany.
PRATT&WHITNEY CANADA PT6A-25C and -114A series turboprop engines (Docket No. 2000-NE-26-AD; Amendment 39-12447; AD 2001-20-01) - requires initial and repetitive visual inspections, and eventual replacement of the compressor bleed valve assembly, with a redesigned valve assembly for -114A and -25C engines. This amendment is prompted by reports of two occurrences of uncommanded engine power loss.
RTS SERVICES received ISO 9001 certification for its engine repair facility and parts supply operation in Fort Worth, Tex. ISO 9001 is a quality system model for service companies.
The National Transportation Safety Board, citing five fatal accidents involving general aviation aircraft, criticized the training and performance of air traffic controllers who were involved in handling the flights. The safety board examined a series of accidents from mid-1998 to late last year, three of which are excerpted below. June 8, 1998, Piper PA-28-181, N9703C, Near Bangor, Calif.
GOODRICH'S Avionics Systems Division submitted its SkyWatch HP Traffic Collision Avoidance System for Technical Standard Order approval from the FAA. SkyWatch HP, which will cost $24,630, has an EFIS interface and can track and display traffic out to 35 nautical miles.
BBA AVIATION furloughed 15 percent of its direct work force in its Aircraft Service International Group business unit. The action was in response to the recent reduction in flight schedules by most major U.S. airlines, said Bruce Van Allen, BBA president and CEO. The 750 employees will be "recalled immediately when demand for air travel and airline schedules show signs of recovery," Van Allen said.
EIGHT PEOPLE, including Madhav Rao Scindia, the former Indian civil aviation minister, were killed Sept. 30 when their private aircraft crashed in northern India. According to eyewitnesses, the twin-engine aircraft caught fire before plowing into a field about 50 miles from the Taj Mahal monument.
PRATT&WHITNEY CANADA delivered the first PW206B2-powered Eurocopter EC135 to ADAC Luftrettung, a German air rescue service. The PW206B2 uses the PW207 power section along with the PW206B reduction gearbox. The engine has a 30-second One Engine Inoperative thermodynamic power rating of 816 shaft horsepower, which allows the EC135 to operate at higher Category A takeoff weights.
