ALVIE BARRON was appointed director of sales, maintenance and avionics in West Palm Beach, Fla., for Jet Aviation. Barron has nearly 20 years of aerospace and aviation experience, most recently as avionics manager for General Dynamics. He also has held positions with Raytheon Aircraft and AMR Combs.
LEBANON, N.H. MUNICIPAL AIRPORT joined the newly formed Regional Aviation Partners (RAP). The organization was formed to serve as an independent voice representing issues confronting the regional aviation industry (BA, May 14/228).
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) plans to upgrade a number of domestic airports into international facilities. By December, CAAC hopes to identify 15 major airports for a major upgrading and expansion project that would start in mid-2003 and be completed over five years, in time for the Olympic Games, according to BA affiliate Airports. China is making a strong bid to host the 2008 Games and plans to invest at least US$3.15 billion in the airport expansion project.
HONG KONG AIRPORT AUTHORITY is seeking expressions of interest through July 6 for the design, financing, construction and operation of a permanent aviation fuel facility at Hong Kong International Airport. Interested parties should contact Amin Ebrahim, Commercial Division, Airport Authority of Hong Kong, 1 Cheong Yip Road, Hong Kong International Airport, Lantau, Hong Kong; fax: 852 2824 2786.
The Federal Aviation Administration formally unveiled a 10-year, $11 billion program Wednesday designed to implement a wide range of technology upgrades and procedural changes the air traffic control system and boost the system's capacity by up to 30 percent (BA, May 14/227).
DUCOMMUN INC. completed the acquisition of Composite Structures LLC, a leading provider of composite and metal bonded structural assemblies for commercial and military aerospace applications. The acquisition of Composite Structures, which had sales of $60 million last year, "is a great strategic fit for us as it fills out our array of capabilities in aerostructures, as well as vaulting us into the top tier of aerostructures subcontractors," said Joseph C. Berenato, president and CEO of Ducommun.
JOSEPH HADDOCK was named vice president of government business development for Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. Based in Washington, D.C., Haddock will oversee marketing directed toward U.S. military and government customers and work in coordination with the United Technologies Corporation Washington office. He joined Sikorsky in March 1998 as director of international sales.
Model DH.125, HS.125, BH.125, and BAe 125 (U-125 and C-29A) series airplanes, and Hawker 800, Hawker 800 (U-125A), Hawker 800XP, and Hawker 1000 airplanes (Docket No. 2000-NM-373-AD) - proposes to require an inspection for cracking or corrosion of the cylinder head lugs of the main landing gear (MLG) actuator and follow-on/corrective actions. This proposed AD is prompted by reports of attachment lugs cracking at the actuator cylinder head.
General Dynamics completed its $353 million cash acquisition of Galaxy Aerospace last week and GD officials began moving swiftly to integrate the Fort Worth, Texas facility into the company's other aerospace operations (BA, April 23/191). Most of the Galaxy executive team left the company last week, including President Brian Barents, although he has signed a limited consulting agreement with GD and plans to attend this week's Paris Air Show on behalf of the new owners.
THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET finally received FAA's proposal last Monday to establish regulations for fractional ownership operations. OMB will review the notice of proposed rulemaking, which creates a new Subpart K of Part 91, before it is published in the Federal Register. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta told the General Aviation Manufacturers Association board early last month that DOT had signed off on the proposal and that he expected it to go through without problems (BA, May 7/213).
PRATT&WHITNEY joined forces with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Power Systems "to explore development of a new generation of mid-size gas turbines to meet the world's electric power needs," P&W said last week.
CORPORATE JETS, INC. began operating seven new EC-135 helicopters it ordered for its STAT MedEvac program in Pittsburgh and MedStar in Washington, D.C. Corporate Jets is expanding its STAT MedEvac fleet from eight to 13 helicopters. MedStar, one of the original air medical services programs to use a BK-117 helicopter, is upgrading its program with the EC-135s. The two new helicopters double the service's fleet. Corporate Jets, based in West Mifflin, Pa., provides air medical, charter and aircraft management services as well as helicopter completion and support.
CitationShares, the Cessna Aircraft/TAG Aviation fractional aircraft joint venture, will alter one of its founding tenets and significantly expand its operating area this summer. When the program was launched a year ago, officials said they weren't trying to be "all things to all people" and were going to focus their sales and operations on customers residing east of the Mississippi where an estimated 60 to 70 percent of all fractional aircraft arrivals and departures occur (BA, July 17/23).
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION reported that runway incursions are up slightly through the first five months of this year, with 162 incidents reported, compared with 158 during the same period last year. The number of incursions last month, however, declined to 32 incidents, compared with 44 in May 2000.
A new circuit breaker technology could one day help prevent wiring-related disasters, as well as significantly cut down on inspection and maintenance costs for aging aircraft. The arc fault circuit breaker (AFCB), currently under development at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, is designed to detect and prevent electrical arcing caused by breaks in wire insulation before that arcing can lead to a fire or other catastrophe.
Adam Aircraft Industries (AAI) has found buyers for the first 20 M-309 aircraft and is adding employees as it begins the process of winning FAA certification for the new centerline thrust twin-piston.
DAVID DEITCH was appointed vice president of business development for Executive Jet Management Inc. Deitch has 20 years of aviation experience, most recently as director of sales and marketing with Panolam Industries, a distributor of aviation products and services.
A PASSENGER who had been seated in the rear of a Bell 407 helicopter was killed May 22 when he was struck by the main rotor blade upon exiting the aircraft. The National Transportation Safety Board said the helicopter, N5259N, had just landed on private property in Schoolcraft, Mich. The private pilot at the controls of the helicopter was not injured. Investigators said the pilot was preparing to depart for Scotts, Mich. when the accident occurred.
MESA AIR GROUP named Benet Wilson director of corporate communications and community affairs. Wilson had been editor of Commuter/Regional Airline News for the past eight years. She will relocate from Baltimore to Phoenix.
AE 3007 series turbofan engines (Docket No. 99-NE-46) - proposes to supersede an existing AD, applicable to certain Rolls-Royce AE 3007 series turbofan engines. That AD currently requires removal of certain compressor cone shafts from service before exceeding new cyclic life limits and replacement with serviceable parts. This proposal would require increasing the cyclic life limit for certain serial numbers of new compressor cone shafts, Part Number (P/N) 23070729, used on AE3007A1/3 and AE3007A1P engines.
Docket No.: FAA-2001-9166 (previously Docket No. 30076) Petitioner: TACA International Airlines Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 121.344(b). Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit TACA to operate five Airbus A300 airplanes (Registration Nos. N59106, N59107, N59139, N59140, and N68142) without installing the required DFDR on each airplane until Aug. 20. Grant, April 17, 2001, Exemption No. 7350A
Garrett Aviation Services is in the midst of a "rebranding" in an effort to build a reputation in the marketplace for offering a comprehensive package of services including completions, refurbishments, modifications and maintenance. Originally founded as AirResearch Aviation by Cliff Garrett, the 55-year-old company is best known for its service of the venerable Garrett TFE731 engine line. But the company has 12 locations nationwide offering a variety of specialties, including its new center in Santa Barbara, Calif. dedicated to completions activity.
Docket No.: FAA-2000-8419 (previously Docket No. 26478) Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 91.209(a)(1) and (b). Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit USAF to conduct counternarcotics aircrew flight training operations in support of drug law enforcement and drug traffic interdiction, without lighted aircraft position or anti-collision lights. Grant, April 19, 2001, Exemption No. 5305D
Federal Aviation Administration plans to issue guidance shortly to help aircraft owners and repair and maintenance shops comply with new procedures required to obtain a supplemental type certificate, the agency said last week. FAA last summer proposed an advisory circular that provided advice on a new rule requiring STC applicants to meet the latest certification standards or supply supporting documentation to justify an exception (BA, Sept. 4/109).
