Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and Air Transport Association Senior Vice President Ed Merlis reassured a meeting of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association last week that they are opposed to privatizing the air traffic control system. Both Mineta and Merlis said air traffic control should remain a government function. Tom Chapman, who heads government affairs for Southwest, said recent legislative reforms "obviate" the need to privatize.
DUNCAN AVIATION published a 32-page booklet on FAA's requirements for installation of TAWS. The booklet, Straight Talk About TAWS, discusses the TAWS rule, the differences in the technologies and how it will affect operators and flight departments. For a free copy, contact Duncan Aviation at (800) 228-4277 or e-mail at [email protected].
Model EMB-135 and -145 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-122-AD; Amendment 39-12227; AD 2001-10-02) - requires applying torque to certain tubing fittings of the fire extinguishing systems of various areas of the airplane, and applying torque paint to the fittings. This action is necessary to ensure that certain tubing fittings of the fire extinguishing systems are properly torqued.
Model 2000 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-12-AD) - proposes to require testing of certain components of the emergency pitch trim system (EPTS), and corrective action, if necessary. This action is necessary to prevent faulty activation of the emergency pitch trim actuator (EPTA), which could cause damage to the elevator front spar, reducing the structural integrity of the elevator and a non-functioning EPTS. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe condition. FAA estimates that three airplanes on the U.S.
JOHN J. LEE, chairman and chief executive of Hexcel Corp., Stamford, Conn., stepped down as CEO after being diagnosed with cancer so he can pursue treatment for his illness. He will continue to serve as chairman. Two of the company's board members, Martin L. Solomon and Sanjeev K. Mehra, were named to operate as an Office of the Chief Executive until a successor CEO is appointed. Hexcel provides advanced structural materials to customers in the aerospace, space and defense industries, among others.
THE SENATE Commerce Committee this week is expected to move legislation that will enable federal, state and local officials to streamline environmental reviews for airport development. The committee Thursday will consider legislation introduced by aviation subcommittee Chair Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) that streamlines reviews, allows airlines to consult on scheduling during peak periods at congested airports, and raises the cap on the salary of a chief operating officer to manage FAA's air traffic control operations (BA, April 2/160).
REP. JAMES HANSEN (R-Utah) scheduled a hearing this Wednesday to examine the National Park Service's policy of enacting restrictions denying access by certain classes of vehicles to national parks. The United States Air Tour Association is among the groups expected to testify against the NPS's restrictive policies regarding air tours (BA, May 14/225).
MIKE McGOWAN joined Premier Turbines as TFE731 service and support manager for the West Coast. McGowan, based near Anaheim, Calif., will be responsible for a customer base in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. McGowan most recently served with C-Tech Engine Limited in Long Beach, Calif., where he was a program manager. Before that, he spent 17 years with Garrett Aviation Services in Los Angeles.
THE MARYLAND AVIATION ADMINISTRATION selected Pan Am affiliate Boston-Maine Airways of Portsmouth, N.H. to provide commuter air service between regional airports at Cumberland and Hagerstown, Md. and the Baltimore-Washington International Airport. The carrier will operate three roundtrips per day with British Aerospace Jetstream 31 aircraft. The state will partially subsidize the new service, and said $5 million has been appropriated for the three-year term of the agreement.
Docket No.: FAA-2001-9141 Section of the 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 135.143(c)(2) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit BAC to operate certain aircraft under Part 135 without a TSO-C112 (Mode S) transponder installed in the aircraft. Grant, April 9, 2001, Exemption No. 7488
NAV CANADA has agreed to help in the fight against air traffic congestion, signing a memorandum of understanding with FAA to open some Canadian airspace to U.S. traffic. The MOU was struck after FAA worked with the Canadian organization on staffing and workload issues, but FAA Administrator Jane Garvey said, "they were very open to it." The MOU, she said, already is paying off: Nav Canada recently accommodated 300 aircraft within Canadian airspace that otherwise would have been stuck on the ground during bad weather.
Docket No.: FAA-2000-8154 Section of the 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 121.623(a) and (d), 121.643, and 121.645(e) Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit Champion Air to conduct its supplemental operations within the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia using the flight regulations for alternate airports as required by Sec. 121.619 and fuel reserve requirements as required by Sec. 121.639 that are applicable to domestic operations. Grant, April 10, 2001, Exemption No. 7490
THE BOEING COMPANY will relocate its headquarters to Chicago, officials said last week, ending a three-way contest between Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth and the Windy City to land the top officials of the aerospace manufacturer (BA, March 26/147).
ADMINISTRATOR GARVEY is meeting with Raytheon executives today (May 14) to make sure the company is on target with its contracts to help modernize the national airspace system. One of those contracts, to develop the Wide Area Augmentation System, must remain on schedule to restore Capitol Hill's faith in the beleaguered program, Garvey told the Senate aviation subcommittee Thursday.
TERRY BOYER was appointed director of Professional Aviation Associates' Falcon aircraft parts division. Boyer also will continue as director of PAA's Learjet division.
WESTERN AIRCRAFT INC., Boise, Idaho, was named an authorized service center for all Dassault Falcon Jet models. Western Aircraft is a full-service, 24-hour operation with 71,000 square feet of hangar space. The company holds an FAA repair station certificate and offers heavy maintenance, modifications, avionics, parts sales and line service. A complete cabin interior and finishing department were added recently.
Pursuant to FAA's rulemaking provisions governing the application, processing, and disposition of petitions for exemption (14 CFR Part 11), this notice contains a summary of certain petitions seeking relief from specified requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR Chapter I), dispositions of certain petitions previously received, and corrections. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities.
National Air Transportation Association President Jim Coyne urged the Internal Revenue Service to reconsider its determination that air charter companies should retroactively assess segment fees on each passenger in a chartered aircraft (BA, April 30/203). That determination was included in a Technical Advice Memorandum that the IRS issued to an on-demand operator on the application of the segment fee. Like scheduled airlines, on-demand operators must assess a 7.5 percent tax on the price of a charter, along with a $2.75 segment fee.
THE EUROPEAN JOINT AVIATION AUTHORITIES agreed to proceed with drafting new regulations targeted at business aviation (BA, Dec. 20, 1999/277).A working group met in late April to begin deliberations on a JAR Ops-2 rule that observers said would probably be somewhat more restrictive than Part 91 of the U.S. Federal Aviation Regulations, but not quite as restrictive as JAR Ops-1, which governs operations of commercial carriers in Europe.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT CHARTER&MANAGEMENT added eight aircraft to its charter certificate since the beginning of the year. The new aircraft include a Hawker 800 based in Naples, Fla., a Hawker 800 in Phoenix, a Hawker 800XP in Houston, a Beechjet 400A in Atlanta, and three King Air C90Bs and a King Air 350 in Van Nuys, Calif. The additions continue the growth the charter and management unit experienced in 2000, when the company added 32 aircraft.
HONEYWELL assigned its patented ceramic ring seal technology for TFE-731 engines to Ceramic Engineering Consulting in Durango, Colo. Honeywell retained the right to continue using the technology in its gas turbine engines. The ceramic ring seals are designed to keep oil in the lubricated bearing compartment of the engine.
GENERAL AVIATION leaders seem to be making inroads with their message that small aircraft are not the reason the nation's airways are so crowded. At a recent House transportation appropriations hearing, Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) asked his fellow committee members to recognize that general aviation is not the problem in the system and represents only a small percentage of air traffic. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta echoed those sentiments when meeting recently with the General Aviation Manufacturers Association board of directors.
SIMUFLITE TRAINING INTERNATIONAL is adding several new business aircraft simulators that are scheduled to be operational in the second half of the year. SimuFlite, based at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, just received FAA Level D approval and International Level 2 qualification for a Citation Bravo simulator. The unit, built by CAE of Montreal, Quebec, has a Primus 1 integrated avionics system and a CAE Maxvue Plus visual system with a 180-degree field of view.
Operators of some 1,400 Garrett/Honeywell TFE731-2, -3 and -4 turbofan engines would be required to replace suspect fan rotor discs by the end of next year under a proposed airworthiness directive issued by FAA this month.
SAABTECH ELECTRONICS AB signed a letter of intent to sell its Optronics Division to FLIR Systems, Inc., which designs and manufactures thermal imaging and broadcast camera systems.
