Kaman Corp. of Bloomfield, Conn. signed a contract with the U.S. State Department for delivery of five K-MAX external lift helicopters. The deal is valued at $21 million. The helicopters will be used in Peru in support of counter-drug efforts. Deliveries are scheduled for March and April. "This is a very significant contract for the K-MAX program," said Walter R. Kozlow, president of Kaman Aerospace Corp. "It marks the first sale to the U.S. government and the first application of the aircraft in a law enforcement role."
Jet Aviation teamed with five other established aviation services companies to form a multi-national ground-handling alliance, the company announced this month. The Swiss-based company signed contracts with Alyzia Airport Services in France, Celebi Ground Handling Inc. in Turkey, Euro Handling in Spain, GHI in the United Kingdom and Laufer Aviation Ltd. in Israel, which together combine for more than 200 years of experience, Jet Aviation said.
SkyWest Airlines, the St. George, Utah-based carrier, placed orders and options for 128 CRJ200 aircraft from Bombardier, a transaction valued at more than $2.8 billion if all options are exercised.
JAMES STELTER was appointed chief financial officer for Flight Visions, Inc. Stelter formerly served as chief financial officer for Williams PLC/Folger Adam Security, Inc. and as general manager for the Sports Graphics business unit at Nike, Inc. He will manage all financial analysis, strategic planning and human resources for Flight Visions.
Duncan Aviation received FAA clearance to install the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 Continuum avionics suite on Gulfstream II and IIB aircraft. The installation will be the first for the Continuum program that Collins announced during the National Business Aviation Association annual meeting and convention in the fall (BA, Oct. 16/181). Collins, eyeing the 19,000-plus aircraft retrofit market, designed the Continuum line with flexibility to upgrade older business jets to operator specification.
ELECTRICAL POWER DISRUPTIONS were beginning to cause short supplies of jet fuel at some California airports late last week. One problem area was San Francisco International, where fuel on hand reportedly had dropped to a two-day supply because the company that pumps fuel to the airport for airline customers had been affected by the power cutbacks. A Signature spokesman told BA late Friday, however, that its base at SFO had adequate supplies of fuel and was operating on a "business as usual" basis.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION named Bill Peacock, a 27-year agency veteran, to direct the Air Traffic Service. Peacock succeeds Ronald Morgan, who is retiring after a 32-year career with the agency. Peacock joined FAA in 1973 as an air traffic controller in Lubbock, Texas and has since held positions of increasing responsibility. Most recently he was director of air traffic tactical operations, where he oversaw daily flight operations in the national airspace system.
GARMIN AVIONICS said its avionics suite is now standard equipment on all new Mooney Eagles, Ovations and Bravos. The equipment includes Garmin's GMA 340 audio panel, GTX 327 digital transponder, GI 106A course deviation indicator and GNS 430/GNS 530 integrated avionics system. The 430/530 systems include IFR GPS/Nav/Comm/ILS with a color moving map on four- and five-inch diagonal displays. The units provide display capabilities including traffic, lightning detection and weather and interface with Ryan TCAD, BFGoodrich Skywatch and the WX 500 Stormscope.
Mark J. Coleman, president of Mercury Air Group's RPA Airline Automation Services, Inc., was named to the additional post of chief operating officer of Mercury Air Cargo. In his new post, Coleman will be responsible for overseeing Mercury Air Cargo's policies, operations and sales, which include cargo handling, space logistics and - through its Hermes Aviation Division - representation of carriers around the world as their general cargo sales agent.
Model TBM 700 airplanes equipped with Option No. OPT 70-35-001 (gaseous oxygen system)(Docket No. 2000-CE-70-AD) - proposes to require incorporation of a modification that relocates the oil breather vent location. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent oil from entering the gaseous oxygen system service compartment. Such oil contamination could result in a fire or explosion. The proposed AD is the result of mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by the airworthiness authority for France.
Model DHC-8-100, -200, and -300 series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-371-AD) - revises an earlier proposed AD that continues to require a one-time detailed visual inspection to detect damage of the ladder plates and access cover areas of the upper surface of the wings, repair, if necessary, and installation of new O-ring seals. That proposal was prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority.
JOHN LAWSON, a veteran Bombardier Aerospace executive who served as president of Business Aircraft Sales before his retirement, was named to the board of directors of Avcorp Industries, Inc., a Canadian aerospace manufacturer. The company designs, machines, fabricates and assembles metal, composite and plastic components. Avcorp's Aerostructures Division is located in British Columbia and the Integrated Products Division is in Quebec.
Model TBM 700 airplanes (Docket No. 2000-CE-69-AD) - proposes to require installation of a thermal protection sleeve on the propeller governor flexible cable. 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 prevent loss of propeller control because of hardening or blocking of the control cable, which could result in the inability to control propeller pitch and inability to feather the propeller.
DASSAULT FALCON JET promoted Ed Barker to vice president-purchasing at the company's Little Rock, Ark. plant. Barker, formerly director of materiel, oversaw implementation of the Little Rock facility's warehouse inventory cycle count system, which raised accuracy of inventory levels to at least 95 percent and also improved efficiency of order processing and management. A former Cessna Aircraft employee, he has 26 years of general aviation industry experience and also spent two years with the Space Systems Division of General Dynamics in San Diego.
ZAIDMAN WAS MORE BULLISH about the outlook for STARS, the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System, which also has encountered development problems. "On the development side of STARS we're rounding third base," Zaidman told the ATCA meeting. "Everybody knows what they have to do." However, building and installing all 178 of those systems by the goal of 2008 will be more difficult. "It's going to be a challenge to do that," he said.
SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE, which has oversight over most Transportation Department and FAA matters, added seven new members - Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), John Edwards (D-N.C.), Jean Carnahan (D-Mo.), Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), Peter Fitzgerald (R-Ill.), John Ensign (R-Nev.) and George Allen (R-Va.). The committee has 11 Democrats and 11 Republicans. Sens. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) will remain in the leadership positions of the committee.
There appears to be widespread agreement in the aviation community that construction of new airports and runways is the only way to achieve substantial reductions in airport and airspace congestion and a growing consensus that to achieve meaningful expansion of the nation's air transportation system the aviation and business communities will have to join forces to overcome the efforts of anti-airport groups.
PIEDMONT HAWTHORNE opened a new regional service center in Harrisburg, Pa. The facility includes 62,000 square feet of hangar space, shop area and offices and will be staffed with more than 150 maintenance technicians. Chip Rathbun, director of aircraft services for Piedmont Hawthorne, will oversee the Harrisburg operation, which will specialize in aircraft manufactured by Embraer, de Havilland, Saab and Dornier. Employees began performing C-checks this month on Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets operated by Chautauqua Airlines.
ROBERT GOULD joined Garrett Aviation Services as regional sales manager for the New England, Ohio and Eastern Canada regions. Gould previously was manager of facility planning and coordination and coordinator of U.S. service facilities for Jet Aviation of America in Bedford, Mass. He also has served with UNC Airwork Corp., BizJet International and Garrett Aviation in Ronkonkoma, N.Y.
IO-360, TSIO-360, LTSIO-360, O-470, IO-470, TSIO-470, IO-520, TSIO-520, LTSIO-520, IO-550, TSIO-550, and TSIOL-550 series reciprocating engines (Docket No. 2000-NE-16-AD; Amendment 39-11994; AD 2000-23-21) - supersedes emergency AD 2000-08-51 sent to all known U.S. owners and operators of IO-360, TSIO-360, LTSIO-360, O-470, IO-470, TSIO-470, IO-520, TSIO-520, LTSIO-520, IO-550, TSIO-550, and TSIOL-550 series reciprocating engines by individual letters.
Model TBM 700 airplanes (Docket No. 2000-CE-61-AD) - proposes to require an application of Loctite on attaching bolt threads of inboard, central, and outboard carriages; an increase of tightening torques; and replacement of central carriage attaching bolts. 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 prevent loose, or lost, of flap attachment screws, which could cause rough or irregular control.
The Van Nuys, Calif. Flight Center ordered 10 new Cessna Grand Caravan turboprops, a purchase the company said was based on "past sales success and increasing customer demand." Van Nuys Flight Center is Cessna's authorized sales representative for the Caravan in California, Nevada and Arizona and has been affiliated with Cessna since 1994.
SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE Wednesday will hold a confirmation hearing on the nomination of Norman Mineta as Secretary of Transportation. The hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. in the Russell Senate Office Building.
FAA selected Gray Army Airfield in Killeen, Texas, March Inland Port, Riverside, Calif. and Mather Airport in Sacramento, Calif., to participate in the Military Airport Program. MAP is a set-aside of the Airport Improvement Program that provides financial assistance to the civil sponsor of military airfields converted to civil or joint use.
