GOODYEAR has tripled production of radial aircraft tires at its Danville, Va. plant, citing increased worldwide customer demand. Goodyear invested more than $10 million in expanding the Danville plant to accommodate the increased production levels.
Model CN-235 series airplanes (Docket No. 2000-NM-273-AD; Amendment 39-12267; AD 2001-12-12) - requires installation of fuselage skin reinforcements in the right and left zones of the fuselage between Stations 11232 and 11740 and Stringers P7 and P9. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe condition. FAA estimates that this AD will affect one Model CN-235 series airplane on the U.S. Registry at a cost of $2,830. The AD is effective July 23.
Boeing announced a cooperative effort Thursday with Sukhoi Civil Aviation and the Ilyushin Design Bureau to explore the possibility of jointly developing a new regional jet for global operations. The companies will conduct a feasibility study including market research, development of a joint market forecast, analysis of product development, and export certification issues for a Russian-built airplane. The study also will prepare preliminary business plans for the potential joint venture.
DUNCAN AVIATION'S facility in Lincoln, Neb., opened a hangar dedicated to maintaining Beech, Cessna and other turboprop aircraft. Duncan also repairs turboprop aircraft at its Kalamazoo, Mich., facility, and both sites are Cessna Service Centers.
DESPITE THE CROWD of product offerings in the regional jet market, and its own 100-seat Boeing 717, Boeing is teaming with a couple of Russian partners to assess the feasibility of developing a new regional jet. See article below.
UAL Corp. made both French and U.S. aircraft manufacturers happy last week, signing agreements to purchase up to 135 new Falcon and Gulfstream business jets valued at approximately $3.75 billion for use in UAL's planned fractional aircraft ownership program (BA, May 28/251).
THE TREND toward a higher proportion of jet deliveries continues to accelerate as more regional airlines switch from turboprops to RJs and the largest fractional aircraft programs are exclusively purchasing pure jet equipment. For the past five years, new jet deliveries outpaced new turboprop deliveries by a rate of nearly three-to-one. Manufacturers delivered 2,529 new jets to end-users from 1996 through 2000, according to AvData, Inc., while shipping only 860 turboprops during the same period.
BOMBARDIER is establishing a factory service center in the Middle East to provide support and maintenance for its business jet aircraft. A joint venture between Bombardier Aerospace, ExecuJet Aviation Group, and Alpha 55 of Dubai, Bombardier's ninth service facility, will open in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in the second quarter of 2002 with 50 staff members.
The House Appropriations Committee last week called the Federal Aviation Administration's personnel reform "experiment" a failure and slashed nearly $60 million from the Bush Administration's fiscal 2002 budget request for hiring new employees in all lines of business at the agency. The committee Wednesday approved the fiscal 2002 transportation appropriations bill, which provides some $13.3 billion for FAA (BA, June 18/286).
EADS will acquire Australian Aerospace Pty Ltd., the defense activities of Hawker Pacific, a Saab Group Company, as a result of the reorganization at HP. Australian Aerospace employs 150 people and its core competencies include airframe modifications and maintenance capabilities.
END-USER DELIVERIES of new, fixed-wing, turbine-powered aircraft were off about nine percent during the 1990s compared with the 1980s, but the more significant difference between the decades is the change in product mix. According to Peter Simmonds, research director of AvData, Inc. of Wichita, Kan., end-users took delivery of 5,881 new turbine-powered airplanes from 1981 through 1990, split almost equally between turboprops (2,896) and jets (2,985).
RTS REWORK INC., Fort Worth, Texas, won parts manufacturer approval (PMA) to produce the replacement/modification for air inlet screen assemblies for Pratt&Whitney Canada's PT6A series turboprop engines. The RTS PMA is applicable for most PT6 models, ranging from the PT6A-11 through the PT6A-135A. RTS is a designated FAA repair station. "We are expanding our services based on this PMA authorization foundation," said RTS Rework President Roger T. Sickler.
HELIJET INTERNATIONAL bought the former Island Valley Airways 8,500-square-foot hangar and passenger lounge at Langley Airport in British Columbia - and is looking at launching scheduled helicopter service from Langley to the provincial capital of Victoria. Helijet currently operates its helicopter services between downtown Victoria, Vancouver and Seattle. A company official said a decision about service form Langley to Victoria would be made by the end of this month. The earliest service could start would be this fall.
OFFSHORE LOGISTICS, INC. won a five-year contract renewal valued at more than $70 million to provide helicopter flight support for the Minerals Management Service and the Coast Guard in the Gulf of Mexico. The contract renewal begins Oct. 1 and covers 17 helicopters at seven bases. OLOG's Air Logistics subsidiary will manage the contract.
Runway incursions increased during the last four years at U.S. airports primarily due to an upsurge in less severe incursions, while the most serious class of near-collisions is actually holding steady, a Federal Aviation Administration study found. The study, released Wednesday, for the first time assigns levels of risk to runway incursions at U.S. airports. The agency tracks incursions on a daily basis, publishing the data on its web site. U.S. airports have reported 190 incursions in 2001 through June 20, putting them on pace to report about 400 for the year.
BOMBARDIER sold five Continental business jets to TAG Aeronautics, its exclusive distributor in 22 Middle East countries. The order is valued at $75 million (U.S.).
AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION and the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association jointly developed an AOPA/COPA Guide to Cross-Border Operations. The guide provides information on cross-border flight procedures, regulations and Customs requirements. Specific topics include preflight planning, flight plan requirements, Canadian air traffic fees, sources for charters, tourist information, FAA and Transport Canada contact information and advice on climate, currency, languages, banking and pets. The publication is available through both associations.
EMBRAER and AAR signed a three-year agreement under which AAR Aircraft Component Services will become an authorized service center for maintenance and repair of components installed on aircraft manufactured by Embraer.
MIRKO ZGELA was named vice president-engineering at Innotech-Execaire. Zgela will develop the Innotech Engineering Services group and expects to double its size to build both the technical scope and the market reach of the company. Zgela has gained management experience in his two most recent positions at Martec Limited's Aerospace Group and at the Canadian Department of National Defence's Directorate of Transport and Helicopter Engineering&Maintenance.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION scheduled a meeting July 19 to discuss "public concerns with the FAA field approval process." The meeting will be held in the Third Floor auditorium, 800 Independence Ave. S.W., Washington, D.C. FAA has come under criticism from industry groups for lack of uniformity among the different regional offices for field approvals. For more information, call (202) 493-5228.
Model 737-600, -700, -700C, and -800 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-126-AD; Amendment 39-12251; AD 2001-09-51) - publishes an AD that was sent previously to all known U.S. owners and operators of Boeing Model 737-600, -700, -700C, and -800 series airplanes by individual notices. This AD requires inspection of the small jam nut on the elevator tab control rods to detect inspection putty and to determine its condition; a torque check of the small and large jam nuts on the tab control rod, if necessary; and corrective actions, as applicable.
A Canadian helicopter pilot made a complete flight in a Bell 205 helicopter using only a helmet-mounted enhanced synthetic vision system (ESVS). The pilot, working for the Institute for Aerospace Research (IAR) at Canada's National Research Council (NRC), had no independent outside visual reference. "The effect is that of turning zero-zero meteorological conditions into...virtual VMC," NRC said, the equivalent of daylight visual conditions.
CRAIG BOHLING was appointed engine department technical representative/training coordinator for Duncan Aviation. Bohling has 26 years of aviation experience, including 23 with Duncan. He has spent 21 years working with TFE731 engines, and also is familiar with TPE331, GE610, PT6 and JT15 engines.
FAA'S PLANS to reduce separation standards for aircraft that fly in U.S. airspace received a boost from a congressional panel last week.The House transportation appropriations subcommittee Tuesday recommended providing $1 million to the agency next year "to begin a serious analysis and modeling of the potential to reduce separation standards between aircraft." The subcommittee's recommendation won immediate praise from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which has advocated reevaluation of lateral separation standards.
FIATAVIO AND AGUSTA signed a contract for production and logistics support of the T700/T6E1 engine for the Italian multi-role NH 90 helicopter fleet. The engine contract is the first awarded after signing of the NATO Helicopter Management Agency memorandum of understanding for production go-ahead. The program will include 196 helicopters and 396 engines. The initial procurement covers 232 engines for 116 helicopters. The T700/T6E1 was co-developed and will be co-produced by GE Aircraft Engines and FiatAvio.
