KEN CURRY was appointed vice president of Vance&Engles Aircraft Brokers' new West Coast operations. Curry, who has 24 years' experience in business aviation, was previously vice president and general manager of Petersen Aviation.
Boeing Business Jets announced the promotion of two executives to new positions within the company. Gil Key, who was vice president of operations, was named vice president of sales, with responsibility for BBJ sales in the Americas, worldwide marketing and customer relations. Key also will coordinate the overall sales campaign with Executive Jet, Inc. for the Boeing NetJets BBJ fractional ownership program. Key replaces Lee Monson, who was named in June to succeed Borge Boeskov as president of BBJ when Boeskov retires early next year (BA, June 25/295).
JET AVIATION added 17 aircraft to its U.S. and European management fleets in recent weeks. The latest additions to the Teterboro, N.J.-based U.S. fleet include two Global Express aircraft, a Gulfstream IV and V, a Challenger 601-3A and three Falcons: a Model 20, 900B and 900EX. New to the European fleet, based in Zurich, Switzerland, are two Global Express business jets, two Challenger 604s, a Citation 550, a Fairchild Dornier 328JET, a Falcon 50, a Gulfstream 200 and a Gulfstream IV.
Docket No.: FAA-2000-8344 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 121.383(c) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Mack to act as a pilot in operations conducted under Part 121 after reaching his 60th birthday. Denial, 6/29/2001, Exemption No. 7556
FAA issued a request for information (RFI) seeking "candid comments" from industry on its draft Local Area Augmentation System Category 1 specifications. FAA said it expects to issue another RFI for the LAAS Cat 1 acquisition by Sept. 28. The second RFI will include a draft statement of work and draft contract data requirements for industry review and comment.
BOMBARDIER'S CONTINENTAL business jet completed 11 hours and 36 minutes of flight time over five flights. Bombardier's new super midsize aircraft operated at altitudes up to 35,000 feet and speeds of 250 knots. Four aircraft are now set to enter a flight test program this year. The No. 1 aircraft first flew last month (BA, Aug. 20/81).
KEVIN C. GETTMEIER was named director-operations support at Midcoast Aviation. Gettmeier has 24 years of experience at Midcoast, developing landing gear and accessory programs. He will be responsible for working with marketing and sales to develop additional aircraft component programs.
BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE received an order for five Q400 turboprops and an option for a sixth from Japan Air Commuter under a contract valued at $162 million (Canadian). Deliveries are scheduled to begin by the end of next year. Japan Air Commuter plans to use the aircraft to replace its YS-11 turboprops. Japan Air Commuter will be the fifth airline in Japan to operate a Bombardier Q series turboprop.
AERODYNAMICS, the corporate aviation sales and service center based at Oakland County International Airport in Michigan, struck an agreement with PACE Airlines of Winston-Salem, N.C. to jointly provide shuttle service for Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Mich. PACE will operate a Boeing 737 for corporate shuttle operations for Dow beginning Tuesday (Sept. 4).
JOHNSON says Honeywell doesn't plan to follow Williams International and Pratt&Whitney into the mini-turbine market for small business jets like the Eclipse. "That's not a place we've decided to go," he said. Johnson believes the majority of new aircraft platforms would appear to need engines in the 3,000-6,000-pound-thrust range. "That's where our technology fits well." Johnson is bullish about the division's prospects and expects to expand its aerospace holdings through a series of acquisitions. See article below.
AVCARD, the aviation credit card, is now accepted on the Air BP point-of-sales system in the U.S. AVCARD has been accepted at most of Air BP's 600 locations but transactions may now be processed electronically with the new system. Upgrades at Canadian FBOs are planned for the near future.
SOCATA-GROUPE AEROSPATIALE Models TB 9, TB 10, TB 20, TB 21, and TB 200 Airplanes (Docket No. 2001-CE-09-AD) - proposes to require, for aircraft that do not have factory Modification 165, any edition, incorporated on the front seats, modification of the front seats. The proposed AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for France. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to eliminate the potential for the front seats to inadvertently unlock from their fixed positions.
The Federal Aviation Administration continued its quest to assess international overflight fees with a new rule that lowers the charges for the services the agency provides to aircraft that transit through U.S.-controlled airspace, but neither take off from, nor land in, the U.S. The rule, issued in late August, comes a little more than a month after an appeals court ordered the agency to reconsider the fees imposed by an interim final rule.
AVIONICS MANUFACTURER GARMIN anticipates some reduction in deliveries to original equipment manufacturers as aircraft build rates decline, but company executives say "phenomenal things are happening in the retrofit marketplace" where owners of everything from "very light single-engine aircraft all the way up to jets" are installing Garmin's avionics. Due to what it terms its "outstanding success in the aftermarket," Garmin said field sales are continuing to grow.
An arbitrator last week ordered FAA to raise the pay of its computer specialists to the same level other government computer specialists received in early January and to make the raise retroactive plus interest. The employees are members of the Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS). The arbitrator also said FAA must "cease and desist" making any changes to working conditions without negotiating with the union.
BAE SYSTEMS Model Avro 146-RJ series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-90-AD) - proposes to require a one-time inspection of the S4 and S5 static pipes of the pitot static system for discrepancies, and follow-on corrective actions, if necessary. This action is necessary to prevent such discrepancies, which could result in holes in the static pipes, erroneous input to the instrumentation and warning systems associated with the pilot's instruments, and consequent reduced controllability of the airplane. FAA estimates that 42 airplanes on the U.S.
HONEYWELL AEROSPACE plans to deliver the 10,000th TFE731 engine at this month's NBAA convention in New Orleans and while the venerable 731 line is expected to remain in service for decades, Honeywell engineers are a year into development of a new engine series in the same power range.As part of the AS900 family of engines - the 7,000-pound-thrust AS977 powers the BAe RJX airliner, while the 7,000-pound-thrust AS907 is on the Bombardier Continental business jet - the AS904 demonstrator designed to lead the way to engines in the 3,000- to 6,000-pound thrust range, Johnson sa
Docket No.: FAA-2001-8933 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR Secs. 25.857(c) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit PIVA's three Model SD3-60 airplanes to operate through April 15, 2002, or through the 30th day after delivery to PIVA of the aircraft modification kits by the aircraft manufacturer, whichever is sooner. Grant, 06/18/2001, Exemption No. 7465A
INVESTIGATORS are focusing on the load aboard a Cessna 402 that crashed Aug. 26 while attempting to take off from Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas for a flight to Opa Locka, Fla. The crash killed all nine aboard, including the pilot, singer/actress Aaliyah and seven members of her entourage. Published reports say the aircraft was carrying a large amount of sound and recording equipment that had been used to film a music video.
The business aviation community suffered its second legal defeat over a municipal noise restriction, in less than a month when a federal judge in Los Angeles upheld a Stage 2 noise restriction at Van Nuys Airport (VNY) in California. In a four-page ruling, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California determined that a noise ordinance banning operators from basing Stage 2 aircraft at Van Nuys airport is lawful.
DIAMOND AIRCRAFT's new four-seat DA 40 Diamond Star has received FAA IFR certification. The aircraft received initial FAA type certification in April and deliveries started last month. The DA 40 Diamond Star, priced at $189,000 equipped for IFR flight, is powered by a Lycoming 180-horsepower IO-360 engine and a choice of Bendix King or Garmin avionics is offered.
WHILE A NUMBER of associations last week took their battle to save Chicago's Meigs Airport to the state of Illinois, Helicopter Association International appealed to Congress for help. HAI wrote key House and Senate leaders last week, urging them to preserve an amendment to the fiscal 2001 transportation appropriations bill designed to protect Chicago-area reliever airports. Illinois Sens.
FAA'S VOLPE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM CENTER is issuing a broad agency announcement (BAA) to solicit research proposals on a competitive basis to demonstrate technology and systems that can reduce runway incursions and improve overall safety on the airport surface. The proposed Runway Status Lights System will enhance airport safety through the use of surveillance-based, automatically controlled status lights to alert pilots or ground vehicle operators that a runway is unsafe for entry, crossing or departure.
Docket No.: FAA-2001-9860 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 135.143(c)(2) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit TDL to operate certain aircraft under Part 135 without a TSO-C112 (Mode S) transponder installed in the aircraft. Grant, 07/09/2001, Exemption No. 7568
ENVIRONMENTAL TECTONICS CORP. delivered a GAT-II general aviation trainer to FlightSafety International Pilot Training Academy at Vero Beach, Fla. The GAT-II simulates all cockpit controls and interactive visual displays in both visual flight rules and instrument flight rules environments. The device also provides spatial disorientation training on a three-axis motion platform.
