JERRY SIMPSON was appointed program manager of the Expendable Materials Group for AirLiance Materials. Simpson has 15 years of aerospace experience, holding various positions with Pratt&Whitney. Most recently, he was operations manager, responsible for managing the Regional Service Center and the Parts Distribution Center warehouses.
BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE delivered two 72-passenger Q400 aircraft to Augsburg Airways. The aircraft are the first of five Augsburg ordered and are expected to enter service early next month. Augsburg has been a Bombardier customer since 1991 and operates 14 Dash 8 turboprops in Germany and Europe. Bombardier has delivered 21 Q400 aircraft to date with an orderbook of 122 aircraft.
Federal Aviation Administration's proposed rulemaking governing air tours over national parks was held up last week with a number of other rulemaking efforts after White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card issued memorandum placing a temporary hold on all rulemakings. The memorandum, released Jan. 20 after the inauguration of President Bush, directed the Office of Management and Budget and all other federal agencies to "send no proposed or final regulation to the Office of the Federal Register unless and until a department or agency head appointed by the President...
HP137 Mk1, Jetstream Series 200, and Jetstream Models 3101 and 3201 airplanes (Docket No. 2000-CE-57-AD; Amendment 39-12073; AD 2001-01-03) - requires replacement of the nose landing gear steering actuator with one that incorporates a modified piston rod. This AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for the United Kingdom. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent failure of the nose landing gear steering actuator because of problems with the current design piston rod.
AEROCENTURY CORP., the Burlingame, Calif. aircraft leasing company, reported revenues increased to $12.1 million for the year ended Dec. 31, 2000, compared with $7.4 million in 1999. Net income increased to $1.7 million, or $1.08 per diluted share in 2000, compared with net income of $1.4 million, or 90 cents per diluted share in 1999. The company, which specializes in leasing regional aircraft and engines, purchased three Dash 8 aircraft in 2000, bringing its portfolio to 20 aircraft and 26 aircraft engines.
LUFTHANSA TECHNIK is buying Composite International, the Tulsa, Okla.-based aircraft component service company. The Tulsa company has 107,000 square feet of shop space and employs 60. Lufthansa Technik also announced that it is establishing a facility in Shenzhen, China to service aircraft components. The Shenzhen facility is a joint venture between Lufthansa Technik Shenzhen and two Chinese companies. The operations are expected to begin in 2001. The company said its latest expansion efforts "is a further step toward...strengthening its presence in the U.S.
Model TBM 700 airplanes (Docket No. 2000-CE-82-AD; Amendment 39-12069; AD 2000-26-19) - requires an inspection for a low point in the fuel tank air vent valve hose; and a rerouting of the hose as necessary. This AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for France. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent in-flight damage to the wing skins caused by abnormal venting conditions of the wing fuel tank, which could result in severe handling problems or reduced structural capability.
RAYTHEON OFFICIALS, asked last week whether they had a contingency plan for debt reduction since it appears the company will not sell its Raytheon Aircraft Company, responded that they did not plan to "monetize" the Wichita, Kan. aircraft manufacturer. The sale of RAC has been the subject of speculation for some time, but sources said the parent company was unable to attract the asking price (BA, Jan. 1/1).
AN ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING before a National Transportation Safety Board law judge heard conflicting testimony last week about the training received by two pilots employed by Sunjet Aviation of Sanford, Fla. who were killed in an accident in 1999. An FAA attorney charged that Sunjet officials filed false records about the amount of training given to pilot Michael Kling and co-pilot Stephanie Bellegarrigue. Attorneys representing company officials countered that both pilots were well-trained. The accident at issue was the Oct.
Three executives of a Nashville, Tenn. electrical firm were killed and the company president was seriously injured when their Beech King Air 90 crashed shortly after takeoff from the Nashville, Tenn. International Airport Wednesday afternoon. The aircraft, N17AE, was owned by Amprite Electric Co. and was departing for a flight to Waukesha, Wis.
RAYTHEON won a $3.6 million Sensis contract for a surface movement radar and air traffic controller display subsystem for the Federal Aviation Administration's airport surface detection equipment program. The program is aimed at reducing runway incursions.
Docket No.: 30173 Section of the 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR Sec. 25.785(b) and 25.562(c)(3), (c)(5), and (c)(6) Description of Relief Sought: To allow exemption from the injury criteria aspects of dynamic testing for multiplace side-facing seats to be installed on the Raytheon Hawker Horizon Model 4000.
Docket No.: FAA-2000-8497 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR Sec. 91.205(b)(12). Description of Relief Sought/Disposition: To permit AWX to operate its aircraft over water without at least one pyrotechnic signaling device on board. Denial, Dec. 18, 2000, Exemption No. 7409
SIMUFLITE TRAINING INTERNATIONAL received FAA Level D qualification for its Citation Ultra full flight simulator. The simulator, manufactured by CAE in Montreal, is equipped with a Primus 1000 integrated avionics system, Primus 870 weather radar system, Honeywell radio management units, TCAS II, GNS-XLS, flight management system and an enhanced ground proximity warning system. SimuFlite expects to fit the simulator this spring with a change-out conversion package for Citation Bravo configuration.
National Air Transportation Association last week began to develop two checklists that the association hopes will assist its members when they obtain insurance. The checklists stem from growing concerns about the dramatic increases in insurance rates and the realization that those rates are not likely to drop anytime in the near future. Aviation businesses last fall reported insurance rates increases of up to 300 percent, a trend that analysts believe was driven in part by the declining number of insurance providers (BA, Oct. 9/165).
Model G-1159A (G-III) series airplanes (Docket No. 2000-NM-144-AD; Amendment 39-12070; AD 2000-26-20) - requires modification of the master caution panel by installing an additional legend labeled "BATT ON BUS" and associated wiring to indicate when the airplane batteries are powering the direct current (DC) essential bus. This action is necessary to ensure that the flight crew is aware that an electrical system failure has occurred and that the main airplane batteries are powering the essential DC bus.
TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY Norman Mineta last week said he has no problem with streamlining the process for certification of new products, "as long as we're not sacrificing safety and environmental concerns." Mineta's comments came in response to concerns expressed by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who noted the "often Byzantine approval process" manufacturers must go through to achieve certification.
CONSOLIDATED FUEL SYSTEMS, INC., acquired the Garrett aircraft turbocharger product line from Honeywell Engine Boosting Systems in Torrance, Calif. Consolidated Fuel, a unit of Kelly Aerospace, moved design, development and manufacturing of the Garrett production line from California to its Montgomery, Ala. plant. Consolidated will market the original Garrett-designed turbocharger under Kelly's RAJAY trademark.
DAIMLERCHRYSLER AVIATION opened a new passenger terminal that includes a commercial jetway at its facility at Oakland County International Airport in Waterford, Mich.
TRICIA FINCH was appointed a director of marketing and sales for Indigo. Finch formerly served with Boston Coach, a ground transportation services provider. She also has served in sales and customer support capacities with American Limousine and US West.
LISA CHEREPON was named a director of marketing and sales for Indigo, the new business air service that operates corporate jets on regular schedules. Cherepon formerly was director of hotel consulting services and hotel programs for American Express One. She has more than 20 years of experience in the travel industry, also serving with Hertz Corp., UTA French Airlines and Rosenbluth Travel, Inc.
Model Falcon 10 and Model Mystere-Falcon 50 Series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-325-AD; Amendment 39-12075; AD 2001-01-05) - requires, for certain airplanes, modification of the aircraft wiring to illuminate the "T/O CONFIG" red warning light on the cockpit warning panel.
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE will deliver a C-37A (a Gulfstream V) to the U.S. Coast Guard in the second quarter of 2002, an order the company received in December 2000. The Coast Guard has been operating Gulfstream aircraft since 1963 when it purchased a Gulfstream I turboprop.
Docket No.: FAA-2000-8165 Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 25.813(e) Description of Relief Sought: To permit The Jet Center, Garrett Aviation Services, to install doors in partitions between passenger compartments on Bombardier Model BD-700-1A10 airplanes used for corporate transportation.
